Jump to content

SDL

From ArchWiki

From Wikipedia:

SDL (Simple DirectMedia Layer) is a cross-platform software development library designed to provide a hardware abstraction layer for computer multimedia hardware components. Software developers can use it to write high-performance computer games and other multimedia applications that can run on many operating systems such as Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, and Windows. SDL manages video, audio, input devices, CD-ROM, threads, shared object loading, networking and timers. For 3D graphics, it can handle an OpenGL, Vulkan, Metal, or Direct3D11 (older Direct3D version 9 is also supported) context. A common misconception is that SDL is a game engine. However, the library is suited to building games directly, or is usable indirectly by engines built on top of it.

Installation

Install the sdl3 package.

In case you need sdl2AUR or sdl12-compat install them accordingly, though it is advised to migrate to SDL3.

SDL2 apps can also use sdl2-compat. An SDL2 compatibility layer that uses SDL3 behind the scenes.

Like SDL3, SDL2 also is modular though the modules are in separate packages. These include sdl2_image, sdl2_mixer, sdl2_ttf, etc. for SDL 2. There are also sdl_image, sdl_mixer, sdl_ttf, etc. for SDL1.2.

Documentation

The official SDL3 Wiki provides the most essential resources to learn and utilize SDL3. Additionally, SDL3 Examples has a selection of small sample programs.

See also