Examples¶

Working examples demonstrating Zest features. All examples can be built with CMake.

Building Examples¶

cmake -B build -G "Visual Studio 17 2022"
cmake --build build --config Release

Executables are in build/examples/SDL2/Release/ (Windows) or build/examples/SDL2/ (Linux/macOS).

Examples¶

Basic Setup¶

zest-minimal-template¶

The simplest Zest application. Blank screen with basic frame graph.

• Device and context creation
• Frame graph caching
• Minimal render pass

Source: examples/SDL2/zest-minimal-template/

zest-imgui-template¶

ImGui integration with docking support.

• ImGui setup and rendering
• Custom fonts
• Docking workspace

Source: examples/SDL2/zest-imgui-template/

Rendering Techniques¶

zest-instancing¶

GPU instancing with 3D models.

• Instance mesh layers
• GLTF model loading
• Per-instance data
• Efficient batched drawing

Source: examples/SDL2/zest-instancing/

zest-pbr-forward¶

Physical-based rendering (forward shading).

• PBR materials
• Image-based lighting (IBL)
• Environment cubemaps
• BRDF lookup tables

Source: examples/SDL2/zest-pbr-forward/

zest-pbr-deferred¶

PBR with deferred shading.

• G-buffer rendering
• Deferred lighting pass
• Multiple render targets

Source: examples/SDL2/zest-pbr-deferred/

zest-pbr-texture¶

PBR with texture mapping.

• Albedo, normal, roughness, metallic maps
• KTX texture loading
• Bindless texture arrays

Source: examples/SDL2/zest-pbr-texture/

zest-shadow-mapping¶

Basic shadow mapping.

• Depth-only render pass
• Shadow map sampling
• Bias and PCF basics

Source: examples/SDL2/zest-shadow-mapping/

zest-cascading-shadows¶

Cascaded shadow maps (CSM).

• Multiple shadow cascades
• Cascade selection
• Large scene shadows

Source: examples/SDL2/zest-cascading-shadows/

zest-render-targets¶

Multi-pass rendering with bloom.

• Transient render targets
• Compute-based post-processing
• HDR pipeline

Source: examples/SDL2/zest-render-targets/

Compute Shaders¶

zest-compute-example¶

GPU compute shader particle simulation.

• Compute pipelines
• Storage buffers
• Frame graph compute passes
• Slang shader support

Source: examples/SDL2/zest-compute-example/

Special Effects¶

zest-fonts¶

MSDF font rendering.

• MSDF font generation
• High-quality text at any scale
• Font layers

Source: examples/SDL2/zest-fonts/

zest-ribbons¶

Ribbon/trail effects.

• Dynamic geometry
• Trail rendering
• Smooth curves

Source: examples/SDL2/zest-ribbons/

Integrations¶

zest-timelinefx¶

TimelineFX particle system integration.

• Particle effect loading
• Effect playback
• Shape loaders

Source: examples/SDL2/zest-timelinefx/

zest-implot¶

ImPlot data visualization.

• Real-time plotting
• Multiple chart types
• ImGui integration

Source: examples/SDL2/zest-implot/

Games¶

zest-vaders¶

Space Invaders-style game demo.

• Complete game loop
• Sprite rendering
• Game state management
• TimelineFX effects

Source: examples/SDL2/zest-vaders/

Testing¶

zest-tests¶

Comprehensive test suite.

• Frame graph compilation tests
• Pipeline state tests
• Resource management tests
• 36+ unit tests

Source: examples/SDL2/zest-tests/

Example Structure¶

All examples follow this pattern:

#define ZEST_IMPLEMENTATION
#define ZEST_VULKAN_IMPLEMENTATION
#include <zest.h>

struct app_t {
    zest_device device;
    zest_context context;
    // ... example-specific state
};

void MainLoop(app_t* app) {
    while (running) {
        zest_UpdateDevice(app->device);
        if (zest_BeginFrame(app->context)) {
            // Build/get frame graph
            // Execute
            zest_EndFrame(app->context);
        }
    }
}

int main() {
    // Setup device, window, context
    // Initialize resources
    MainLoop(&app);
    // Cleanup
}

Running from Source Directory¶

Examples expect to be run from the repository root (for asset paths):

cd /path/to/zest
./build/examples/SDL2/Release/zest-pbr-forward.exe

Or set the working directory in your IDE to the repository root.