SDLgfx

SDLgfx is an extension library for the Simple DirectMedia Layer (SDL) that provides additional graphics primitives and drawing functions beyond the core SDL API. Developed originally by Hans-Kristian Arnesen and later maintained by Peter "PSEED" A. Jensen, SDLgfx supplies routines for drawing Bézier curves, rotozooms, ellipses, polygons, and for rendering text with bitmap fonts. The library is distributed under the permissive zlib license, which allows free use, modification, and distribution in both open‑source and proprietary projects.

The library acts as a thin wrapper around SDL’s surface and rendering abstractions, exposing functions such as SDL_gfxPrimitives.h that operate directly on SDL_Surface objects. SDLgfx supports both SDL 1.2 and SDL 2.0, though its API is more heavily used with SDL 1.2. Typical usage involves including the header file, linking against the SDLgfx library, and calling functions like filledPolygonRGBA, roundedRectColor, or AA_arcColor to draw anti‑aliased shapes. Text rendering functions, such as ttfFont.h, rely on SDL_ttf, allowing TrueType font support integrated with the primitives.

SDLgfx is popular in educational projects, hobbyist games, and demo scenes where quick prototyping of vector graphics is desired. Because it augments SDL rather than replaces it, developers can combine SDLgfx primitives with standard SDL rendering, SDL_image, and SDL_mixer components to build richer multimedia applications.