Handmade SDL

Handmade SDL is a humble C++ game engine framework wrapped around the popular and cross-platform Simple DirectMedia Layer library. It was designed as a teaching tool, allowing students and aspiring game programmers to make simple 2D sprite-based games while learning intermediate and advanced C++ concepts. The engine can load images, render animations, play audio, display text, handle basic collisions, and integrate UI features via the ImGui library. It currently only supports Windows 10, but if you wish to use the engine in a MacOS or Linux environment, you will need to link the appropriate library files.

The Wiki

Every bit of robust software out there isn't complete without the proper documentation, and my own project is no exception. Check the attached Wiki for more technical information about the various parts of the game engine.

Building the source

Whether you clone the repo or directly download the source code, you must generate a working project and environment out of the code and library files provided. You are advised to download and use CMake to do this. You may wish to use the CMake GUI app or build from the terminal, but whichever method you choose, the CMake source folder is the one you see above, with the CMakeLists.txt file within. Generate the project files into the destination folder of your choice, even if that's the same folder as the source folder. In terms of preferred IDE, mine is the industry-standard Visual Studio Community 2022, and with that in mind, the rest of my documentation will reference this IDE only.

Compiling and running the engine

Once CMake has created the build folder, open the solution via the Handmade.sln file. Within Visual Studio, in the Solution Explorer, ensure the Handmade project is active by right-clicking it and selecting Set as Startup Project. Now, build and run the project in either Debug or Release mode, which you can set in the toolbar above. You will be presented with an empty game linked by three game states.

Folder structure

Below is a table detailing the folders within the repo before building them with CMake.

Folder	Use
.git	All the files and folders that manage and track this repository are kept here. It's usually a hidden folder, and only appears if you've cloned or forked the repo, but if you spot it, never delete it!
Assets	Stores all the fonts, sounds, music, image backgrounds, and sprite sheets that you can use to build your first demo. As you build your game, you can add your own assets into the respective sub-folders within this folder. This folder is copied over by CMake if your source and build folders are different
bin	Keeps the SDL 2.0 .dll files, which are copied to the appropriate build folders when compiling the engine
lib	Stores the SDL 2.0 .lib files, which CMake automatically links to the project when generating the solution files
Logo	The image files for the Handmade logo
src	Stores the complete source code of the game engine. Within this folder are two subfolders which store further source code for the SDL and imgui libraries. Any additional source code that you add to the project should be placed here. All of this source code is automatically hooked into the engine by CMake

Below is another table detailing the folders within the CMake build folder after Visual Studio compilation.

Folder	Use
.vs	Another hidden folder storing Visual Studio's build data
CMakeFiles	Keeps the relevant CMake files and folders after creating a CMake build folder
Debug	After compiling the Visual Studio project in Debug mode, this folder is generated and contains the executable Handmade.exe file, which you can run as-is within Windows. The relevant Assets folder and .dll files will have been copied here by CMake
Release	Same as the Debug folder, only this folder is created when the project is compiled in Release mode within Visual Studio. Ideally, this is the folder you use when shipping your final game
Handmade.dir	Stores the Debug and/or Release folders for Visual Studio's build files
x64	More Visual Studio build files with Debug and/or Release folders within

Note: If the .vs, Debug, Release, Handmade.dir, and/or x64 folders become too cluttered, you can safely delete them. They will automatically regenerate when re-compiling the project in Visual Studio.