Imgui-Ready

What the Project Does

Imgui-Ready helps developers run Dear ImGui examples easily across many platforms and graphics backends. Exploring ImGui examples with different backends is a common pain point for developers—this project aims to simplify that process by automating backend selection, build configuration, and resource management.

Unlike many projects, you do not need to add ImGui as a submodule. Imgui-Ready can dynamically fetch ImGui example code for the specified backend and compile it. The project supports any version of ImGui—all you need to do is specify the SC_IMGUI_BACKEND variable and point to your ImGui source.

This project relies on SideCMake, a powerful CMake extension, to manage the build process. For more advanced usage and integration patterns, see SideCMakeExamples.

Supported Backends

Set the CMake variable SC_IMGUI_BACKEND to select your backend:

• SDL3
  • OpenGL3
  • Vulkan
  • SDLGPU3
  • SDLRenderer3
• SDL2
  • OpenGL2
  • OpenGL3
  • DirectX11
  • SDLRenderer2
  • Vulkan
• GLFW
  • OpenGL2
  • OpenGL3
  • Vulkan
• WIN32
  • DIRECTX9
  • DIRECTX10
  • DIRECTX11
  • DIRECTX12
  • OPENGL3
  • Vulkan
• APPLE
  • METAL
  • OpenGL2
• NULL

Other backends will be added in the future.

Why the Project is Useful

• Multi-backend support: Run ImGui examples on your preferred platform and graphics API.
• No submodules required: Dynamically fetch and build ImGui examples for any backend.
• Supports any ImGui version: Just point to your ImGui source and set the backend.
• Easy setup: No manual configuration—just select your backend and build.
• Modern CMake integration: Uses SideCMake for robust, extensible builds.
• Resource management: Fonts, images, and assets are included and installed automatically.
• Extensible: Build your own ImGui project with minimal effort.

How Users Can Get Started

Prerequisites

• CMake >= 3.28
• C++ compiler (MSVC, Clang, GCC, Xcode)
• SideCMake
• Dear ImGui

Installation

Clone this repository and its dependencies:

git clone https://github.com/imlinkzuz/Imgui-Ready.git
# Clone SideCMake if not present
git clone https://github.com/imlinkzuz/SideCMake.git
# Clone ImGui if not preset
git clone https://github.com/ocornut/imgui
# Create a local configurations file `LocalPresets.json`
cd /path/to/Imgui-Ready
touch LocalPresets.json

Copy following contents to LocalPresets.json and change variables:

• SC_IMGUI_BACKEND
  • SDL3_OpenGL3
  • SDL3_Vulkan
  • SDL3_SDLGPU3
  • SDL3_SDLRenderer3
  • SDL2_OpenGL2
  • SDL2_OpenGL3
  • SDL2_DirectX11
  • SDL2_SDLRenderer2
  • SDL2_Vulkan
  • GLFW_OpenGL2
  • GLFW_OpenGL3
  • GLFW_VULKAN
  • WIN32_DIRECTX9
  • WIN32_DIRECTX10
  • WIN32_DIRECTX11
  • WIN32_DIRECTX12
  • WIN32_OpenGL3
  • WIN32_VULKAN
  • APPLE_METAL
  • APPLE_OpenGL2
• IMGUI_DIR
  • set to the directory to your imgui source.
• SIDECMAKE_DIR
  • path to the directory to your SideCMake source.
• SC_BUILD_IMGUI_EXAMPLE
• CMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE
  • If you are using VCPkg for local package management, please consult the VCPkg documentation and set this variable accordingly.

{
    "version": 5,
    "cmakeMinimumRequired": {
        "major": 3,
        "minor": 21,
        "patch": 0
    },
    "configurePresets": [
        {
            "name": "conf-local",
            "hidden": true,
            "vendor": {
            },
            "cacheVariables": {
                "SC_BUILD_IMGUI_EXAMPLE" : true,
                "SIDECMAKE_DIR": "/path/to/SideCMake",
                "IMGUI_DIR" : "/path/to/imgui",
                "SC_IMGUI_BACKEND" : "APPLE_METAL",
                "CMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE" : "/path/to/vcpkg/scripts/buildsystems/vcpkg.cmake"

            },
            "environment": {
            }
        }
    ]
}

For more advanced configuration and integration, see SideCMakeExamples.

Usage Example

cmake /path/to/Imgui-Ready --preset default
cd /path/to/SideCMakeExamples/ShowTime/_build/default
# For release
cmake --build . --target install --config Release
# For debug
cmake --build . --target install --config Debug 

Tip

For simplity, you can open Imgui-Ready with CMake-Friendly IDE like Visual Studio Code to build and run.

Where Users Can Get Help

• SideCMake documentation
• SideCMakeExamples
• Dear ImGui documentation
• Project issues: ../../issues
• For contributing, see docs/CONTRIBUTING.md

Who Maintains and Contributes

• Maintainer: Your Name

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For license details, see LICENSE.

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