VGLX Starter

A minimal C++ project that shows how to set up VGLX, create a window, and render a simple scene. This template is designed to give you a clean starting point: no extra code, no unnecessary abstractions—just the essentials wired together with CMake.

Overview

The starter includes:

• A basic application that initializes VGLX
• A rotating cube rendered with the default material
• An ImGui-based stats overlay (FPS, frame time, object count)
• A clean CMake setup using find_package(vglx REQUIRED)

This project is intentionally small. Its purpose is to help you verify your installation, understand the engine’s initialization flow, and give you a place to begin experimenting with your own scenes.

Requirements

The starter expects VGLX to be installed on your system. See the VGLX Installation Guide for instructions.

You will need:

• C++23-capable compiler
• CMake 3.20+
• An OpenGL 4.1+ driver
• A working VGLX installation

Building

Clone the repository and build the project using CMake:

# clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/shlomnissan/vglx-starter.git
cd vglx-starter

# create a build directory (recommended)
mkdir build
cd build

# configure the project
# (set CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH if VGLX is installed in a custom location)
cmake .. --config Debug -DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH=/path/to/vglx

# compile the application
cmake --build . --config Debug

On Windows, the VGLX DLL must be located next to the executable. The CMake script included in this template handles the copy automatically if VGLX was installed using the official installer.

Running

After a successful build, run the executable. You should see a rotating cube. If the application launches and the cube animates, your VGLX installation is working correctly. If VGLX was installed with ImGui you should also see a stats panel in the top-right corner.

Troubleshooting

If the application fails to run:

• Ensure VGLX was installed using the official installer
• Verify that CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH points to the VGLX install
• On Windows, check that the DLL was copied next to the executable
• Make sure your GPU driver supports OpenGL 4.1 or newer

If you’re still stuck, open an issue in the main VGLX repo and include your OS, compiler, and CMake logs.