What is this?
Jet is a tiny, dependency-free, fixed-function 3D software rasteriser in C++17, built for embedded chips with little CPU and RAM like the ESP32 and STM32; it also runs on desktop PCs and Raspberry Pi.
Jet is a tiny, dependency-free, fixed-function 3D software rasteriser in C++17, built for embedded chips with little CPU and RAM like the ESP32 and STM32; it also runs on desktop PCs and Raspberry Pi.Is it a ready-made game engine, or a library I build my own renderer on?It's a library, not an engine: your application supplies the framebuffer, display driver and main loop, and each frame you just call scene->render() to draw the scene.
It's a library, not an engine: your application supplies the framebuffer, display driver and main loop, and each frame you just call scene->render() to draw the scene.How do I add it to my project?Add Jet as a CMake subdirectory or an ESP-IDF component, copy src/JetConfig.example.hpp to JetConfig.hpp on your include path and tweak it, then call scene->render() from your own loop.
Add Jet as a CMake subdirectory or an ESP-IDF component, copy src/JetConfig.example.hpp to JetConfig.hpp on your include path and tweak it, then call scene->render() from your own loop.What's the catch — will it replace a GPU?No — Jet renders on the CPU through a fixed-function pipeline with no hardware acceleration, so real throughput depends on your scene complexity, triangle sizes and which features you enable.
No — Jet renders on the CPU through a fixed-function pipeline with no hardware acceleration, so real throughput depends on your scene complexity, triangle sizes and which features you enable.Can I use it in a commercial project?Yes — Jet is MIT licensed, so you can use it in open-source or closed-source projects, including commercial products, with no separate licence or fee; just keep the copyright and permission notices.
Yes — Jet is MIT licensed, so you can use it in open-source or closed-source projects, including commercial products, with no separate licence or fee; just keep the copyright and permission notices.Why integer math and 16-bit RGB565 instead of floats?Because the target is microcontrollers and small embedded displays: Jet does integer arithmetic in the rasterisation hot path and outputs native 16-bit RGB565, which suits the limited CPU and memory of chips like the ESP32.
Because the target is microcontrollers and small embedded displays: Jet does integer arithmetic in the rasterisation hot path and outputs native 16-bit RGB565, which suits the limited CPU and memory of chips like the ESP32.Does it support post-processing effects?Yes — CRT scanlines and cell-shading run without an extra buffer, while FXAA, bloom, motion blur, chromatic aberration and pixelation are available as buffered effects on targets with more RAM.
Yes — CRT scanlines and cell-shading run without an extra buffer, while FXAA, bloom, motion blur, chromatic aberration and pixelation are available as buffered effects on targets with more RAM.Is the pipeline fully fixed, or can I add my own effects?It's fixed-function, but there is a custom shader entry point for extending the pipeline, plus special modes like WATERREFLECT for animated water and ADDITIVE for neon signs and explosion halos.
It's fixed-function, but there is a custom shader entry point for extending the pipeline, plus special modes like WATERREFLECT for animated water and ADDITIVE for neon signs and explosion halos.Can I strip it down for a really tiny device?Yes — compile-time switches in JetConfig.hpp let you disable features to reduce CPU, RAM and flash usage; copy src/JetConfig.example.hpp and switch off what your board cannot afford.
Yes — compile-time switches in JetConfig.hpp let you disable features to reduce CPU, RAM and flash usage; copy src/JetConfig.example.hpp and switch off what your board cannot afford.Which topics is it in?renderer, stm32, shader, microcontroller, esp32, zero-dependency, embedded-systems, game-engine, cmake, optimization, lightweight, low-level
renderer, stm32, shader, microcontroller, esp32, zero-dependency, embedded-systems, game-engine, cmake, optimization, lightweight, low-level