ocornut/imgui
Imgui
This project is an immediate-mode graphical user interface library designed for rapid development of tools and debugging interfaces. By generating UI geometry every frame through procedural code, it eliminates the need for persistent state synchronization between application data and the interface. It is primarily intended for integration into existing rendering pipelines, where it produces raw vertex buffers and draw commands that are agnostic to the underlying graphics API.
The library distinguishes itself through a highly decoupled architecture that supports complex, dockable, and multi-viewport layouts. It manages window positions, tab dragging, and node splitting, allowing developers to detach interface elements into independent operating system windows. To ensure consistent interaction across diverse environments, it maps native input events into a unified format and provides robust identifier-based scoping to track element states across frames.
The framework offers a broad capability surface for building sophisticated engine tooling and diagnostic utilities. It includes support for advanced visual components such as node editors, 2D and 3D plotters, and specialized inspectors, alongside infrastructure for DPI scaling and custom shape rendering. The system is designed for high portability, featuring compile-time configuration options that allow developers to adapt core data structures and mathematical types to specific engine requirements.
The repository provides extensive examples for connecting the library to major graphics backends and frameworks, alongside tools for generating language-specific bindings.
Features
- Backend-Agnostic Rendering Pipelines - Decouples interface logic from graphics APIs by producing raw vertex buffers and draw commands for external host renderers.
- Vertex Buffer Generators - Converts high-level interface descriptions into optimized vertex data for rendering within three-dimensional pipelines.
- Engine Backends - Bridges interface logic to custom engines by mapping input events and uploading textures through platform-specific backends.
- Immediate Mode UI Libraries - Constructs interface geometry every frame to simplify state management and integration with custom rendering pipelines.
- Window Docking Systems - Facilitates window layout management through tab dragging, node splitting, and the undocking of individual interface hierarchies.
- Immediate Mode UI Development - Builds lightweight, frame-based graphical interfaces that integrate directly into existing rendering loops for real-time applications.
- Text Editors - Embeds colorizing text editing components directly into graphical applications for real-time manipulation.
- Game Engine Tooling - Enables the creation of custom editors, debug inspectors, and visual manipulation gizmos within high-performance graphics engines.
- Graphics Backends - Connects interactive interface components to diverse rendering backends including Vulkan, Metal, and DirectX.
- ID-Based Widget Scoping - Assigns unique identifiers to interface elements based on call stacks or labels to track interaction state across frames.
- Developer-Focused Debugging Interfaces - Provides a specialized toolkit for building real-time inspectors, memory editors, and diagnostic tools for complex software.
- Dynamic Debugging Visualizations - Implements real-time memory editors, graph plotters, and state inspectors to monitor application data during active development.
- Docking Systems - Organizes flexible, tabbed, and split-pane interface regions to host nested content while maintaining stable layouts.
- Immediate Mode Plotting Libraries - Renders advanced two-dimensional data plots and visualizations directly within the immediate-mode interface.
- Platform-Specific Input Bridging - Translates native operating system mouse and keyboard events into a unified internal format for consistent cross-platform interaction.
- DPI Scaling - Scales font sizes and layout dimensions automatically based on display resolution to maintain legibility on high-density screens.
- Multi-Viewport Windowing Systems - Detaches interface elements from the main application boundary to render them as independent operating system windows.
- Node Editors - Supports the creation of visual graph-based editing interfaces for connecting nodes and managing data flows.
- Web Frameworks - Integrates with diverse platform frameworks and graphics APIs to enable cross-platform interface rendering.
- Docking Layout Systems - Controls complex, user-configurable window arrangements through node splitting and zone assignment.
- Code Examples - Immediate mode graphical user interface library for performance-critical applications.
- Creative Coding Frameworks - Bloat-free GUI library for C++.
- Game Engines and Frameworks - Immediate mode GUI library for C++ applications.
- Graphical User Interface - Immediate-mode GUI for visualization and debugging tools.
- Graphical User Interfaces - Immediate-mode GUI library for visualization and debug tools.
- Graphics and Rendering - Immediate-mode GUI library with minimal dependencies.
- Graphics Libraries - Immediate mode GUI library with Vulkan support.
- GUI Frameworks - Immediate-mode GUI with minimal dependencies.
- User Interface - Bloat-free immediate mode GUI library.
- User Interface Frameworks - Immediate-mode graphical user interface.
- Media & Communication - Bloat-free graphical user interface
- Cross-Platform Graphics Tooling - Uniformly maps interface geometry across diverse operating systems and hardware backends to ensure consistent visual output.
- Binding Generators - Exposes C API metadata to facilitate the automated creation of language-specific wrappers and bindings.
- System Input Handling - Processes raw mouse, keyboard, and window event data to maintain high interface responsiveness.
- Custom Shape Rendering - Draws lines and custom geometric shapes directly onto application windows using low-level coordinate primitives.
- Viewport-Independent Windowing - Permits the detachment of interface elements into separate, independent operating system windows.
- UI Test Engines - Automates functional and visual testing by driving interface interactions through a dedicated engine.
- Flexible Windowing Systems - Manages complex dockable layouts and multi-viewport workspaces to allow flexible arrangement of interface tools.
- Serialization and Reflection Tools - Inspects variable types at runtime to automatically generate and serialize corresponding interface controls.
- Compile-Time Header Configurations - Customizes core data types and mathematical structures via preprocessor macros before compilation.
- Graphics Pipeline Configurations - Maintains graphics states such as blending modes and projection matrices to ensure correct visual output.
- Language Bindings - Offers a common interface that allows various programming languages to access core graphical functionality.
- Widget Identifier Systems - Applies unique scoping labels to interface elements to ensure precise targeting of user inputs.
- Knobs - Supplies rotary control widgets for adjusting numerical values within a graphical interface.
- Hexadecimal Editors - Displays and modifies raw binary data structures through dedicated hexadecimal editing components.
