<div align="center">
![License] [![Latest Version]][crates.io] ![Downloads] [![API Documentation]][docs.rs] ![MSRV]
[License]: https://img.shields.io/badge/license-Apache2.0-blue.svg
[Latest Version]: https://img.shields.io/crates/v/rust_pixel.svg
[crates.io]: https://crates.io/crates/rust_pixel
[Downloads]: https://img.shields.io/crates/d/rust_pixel.svg
[API Documentation]: https://docs.rs/rust_pixel/badge.svg
[docs.rs]: https://docs.rs/rust_pixel
[MSRV]: https://img.shields.io/badge/rust-1.71+-brightgreen.svg?&logo=rust
**Tile-first. Retro-ready. Write Once, Run Anywhere—2D Engine!**
[Change Log]: doc/change.md
[Architecture]: doc/architecture.md
[FAQ]: doc/faq.md
[Roadmap]: doc/roadmap_2026.md
[Online Demo]: https://zipxing.github.io/rust_pixel
</div>
---
## Core Philosophy
<table>
<tr>
<td width="33%" align="center">
### Everything is Tiles
Scene > Layer > Sprite > Buffer > Cell
Unified rendering abstraction
High performance - **One texture, one draw call**
</td>
<td width="33%" align="center">
### Write Once, Run Anywhere
**TUI in GPU windows — no terminal emulator**
One codebase, multiple targets
</td>
<td width="33%" align="center">
### Quick Start
`app!` macro scaffolding
**Built-in BASIC interpreter**
Model-Render-Game pattern with Event driven
</td>
</tr>
</table>
---
## ⭐ Killer App: MDPT
**A Markdown-first presentation toolkit with a self-rendered TUI(no terminal emulator needed).**
MDPT demonstrates RustPixel's unique capability: rendering a full-featured terminal UI in a native GPU window, completely independent of any terminal emulator.
```bash
cargo pixel r mdpt wg -r # WGPU mode (native)
cargo pixel r mdpt w -r # Web mode (browser)
```
### Key Features
| **GPU-Accelerated Transitions** | 6 transition effects (dissolve, circle, wipe, etc.) powered by shaders |
| **Code Highlighting** | 100+ languages with dynamic line-by-line reveal `{1-4\|6-10\|all}` |
| **Text Animations** | Spotlight, Wave, FadeIn, Typewriter effects |
| **Charts** | Line charts, bar charts, pie charts, Mermaid diagrams |
| **Column Layouts** | Flexible multi-column content arrangement |
| **PETSCII/SSF Images** | Native pixel-art and animation support |
| **Full CJK Support** | Chinese, Japanese, Korean text rendering |
| **MSDF Font Rendering** | [MSDF/SDF](doc/sdf.md) distance field rendering for crisp text at any scale |
| **Incremental Display** | Step-by-step content reveal with pause markers |
### Why MDPT?
Unlike terminal-based presenters (presenterm, slides), MDPT:
- **No terminal emulator** — Runs in a native window with GPU rendering
- **Consistent rendering** — Same look across all platforms
- **Rich transitions** — GPU shader effects impossible in terminals
- **True graphics** — Not limited by terminal cell constraints
---
### Unified Texture Architecture
Single 4096×4096 texture (16MB VRAM), 256 blocks: Sprite(0-159), TUI(160-169), Emoji(170-175), CJK(176-239) — one texture binding, one draw call, zero texture switching.
---
## Showcase and games
PETSCII art browser built with RustPixel. Art by [@PETSCIIWORLD](https://x.com/PETSCIIWORLD), transitions by **gltransition**.
https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/4758f2b6-66c2-47ed-997d-a9066be449aa
---
## Quick Start
### Install
```bash
cargo install rust_pixel # Install cargo-pixel CLI
cargo pixel # First run clones workspace to ~/rust_pixel_work
cd ~/rust_pixel_work
```
### Run Demo Games
```bash
cargo pixel r snake t # Snake - Terminal mode
cargo pixel r snake wg # Snake - WGPU mode (native window)
cargo pixel r tetris w # Tetris - Web mode (localhost:8080)
cargo pixel r petview wg -r # Petview - WGPU mode (release)
```
### Create Your Own Game
```bash
cargo pixel c mygame # Create in ./apps/mygame
cargo pixel r mygame t # Run it!
# Or create standalone project
cargo pixel c myapp .. # Create in ../myapp
cd ../myapp && cargo pixel r myapp wg
```
### Write Games in BASIC
RustPixel includes **pixel_basic** - a built-in BASIC interpreter perfect for beginners or quick prototyping!
```bash
cargo pixel r basic_snake t # Run BASIC Snake game
```
Write game logic in familiar BASIC syntax (`apps/basic_snake/assets/game.bas`):
```basic
10 REM SNAKE GAME
20 X = 20: Y = 10
30 DIM BX(100): DIM BY(100)
40 YIELD
50 GOTO 40
1000 REM ON_INIT
1010 BOX 0, 0, 60, 24, 1
1020 RETURN
2000 REM ON_TICK
2010 IF KEY("W") THEN DY = -1: DX = 0
2020 X = X + DX: Y = Y + DY
2030 RETURN
3500 REM ON_DRAW
3510 PLOT X, Y, "@", 10, 0
3520 RETURN
```
**pixel_basic** features:
- Classic BASIC syntax with line numbers
- Game hooks: `ON_INIT (1000)`, `ON_TICK (2000)`, `ON_DRAW (3500)`
- Graphics: `PLOT x, y, char, fg, bg` / `BOX` / `CLS`
- Input: `KEY("W")`, `KEY("SPACE")`
- Arrays: `DIM arr(100)`
- Control flow: `GOTO`, `GOSUB/RETURN`, `FOR/NEXT`, `IF/THEN`
- Math: `RND()`, `INT()`, `ABS()`
- Strings: `STR$()`, `LEN()`, `MID$()`
See `pixel_basic/` for the interpreter source code.
---
## Architecture
```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Game │
│ ┌─────────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Model │ │ Render │ │
│ │ ├─ init() │ │ ├─ init() │ │
│ │ ├─ handle_input() │ │ ├─ draw() │ │
│ │ ├─ handle_auto() │ │ └─ Panel │ │
│ │ └─ handle_timer() │ │ └─ Sprites[] │ │
│ └─────────────────────┘ │ └─ Buffer │ │
│ │ └─ Cells[] │ │
│ └─────────────────────────┘ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
```
---
## Demo Games
<table>
<tr>
<td width="50%">
### Snake
PETSCII animations with smooth gameplay
```bash
cargo pixel r snake wg -r # WGPU (native)
cargo pixel r snake t -r # Terminal
cargo pixel r snake w -r # Web
```
</td>
<td width="50%">
### Tetris
Play against AI
```bash
cargo pixel r tetris wg -r # WGPU (native)
cargo pixel r tetris t -r # Terminal
cargo pixel r tetris w -r # Web
```
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="50%">
### Tower Defense
Pixel-perfect sprite movement
```bash
cargo pixel r tower wg -r # WGPU (native)
cargo pixel r tower w -r # Web
```
</td>
<td width="50%">
### Poker / Gin Rummy
Card game algorithms + FFI/WASM demos
```bash
cargo pixel r poker t -r
cargo pixel r gin_rummy t -r
```
</td>
</tr>
</table>
---
## Tools
### Palette - Color Tool
Terminal UI for color manipulation
```bash
cargo pixel r palette t -r
```
### Edit - Character Art Editor
```bash
cargo pixel e t . assets/logo.txt # Terminal mode
cargo pixel e wg . assets/logo.pix # WGPU mode
```
<table><tr>
<td><img src="./screen-shot/tedit_term.png" alt="Edit Terminal"></td>
<td><img src="./screen-shot/tedit_sdl.png" alt="Edit SDL"></td>
</tr></table>
### Petii - Image to PETSCII Converter
```bash
cargo pixel p assets/lion.png 40 40 > lion.pix
cargo pixel e wg . lion.pix
```
<table><tr>
<td><img src="./screen-shot/a.png" alt="Petii Example 1"></td>
<td><img src="./screen-shot/lion.png" alt="Petii Example 2"></td>
</tr></table>
### GIF to PETSCII Animation
```bash
cargo pixel cg input.gif output.ssf 40 25
cargo pixel ssf . output.ssf # Preview
```
---
## FFI & WASM
RustPixel algorithms can be exported for other languages:
```bash
# C++/Python FFI
cd apps/poker/ffi && make run
# JavaScript WASM
cd apps/poker/wasm && make run
```
---
## Installation Guide
| macOS | [doc/mac.md](doc/mac.md) |
| Linux | [doc/linux.md](doc/linux.md) |
| Windows (WSL) | [doc/win.md](doc/win.md) |
| Windows (Native) | [doc/win-native.md](doc/win-native.md) |
**Requirements:**
- [Nerd Font](https://github.com/ryanoasis/nerd-fonts) (for terminal mode)
- Rust 1.71+
- wasm-pack (for web mode)
---
## Features
- **`app!` macro** - One-line game scaffolding with cross-platform entry points
- **Model/Render pattern** - Clean separation of logic and presentation
- **Event/Timer system** - Built-in messaging mechanism
- **Unified adapter trait** - Same code for all rendering backends
- **WGPU shaders** - Modern GPU rendering pipeline (native + WebGL2/WebGPU)
- **Game algorithms** - Pathfinding, object pools, utilities
- **Audio support** - Sound effects and music playback
---
## Roadmap
### Three Pillars
| **Hybrid TUI** | Same code runs in Terminal, Native Window, and Web |
| **Scripting** | BASIC drives game logic, Rust handles engine |
| **AI Art Pipeline** | PETSCII/ASCII art search → generation |
### AI Integration
- **AI-friendly API** — Refine APIs for better AI code generation compatibility
- **AIGC for MDPT** — Auto-generate slide illustrations (converted to pixel art)
- **PETSCII/ASCII Art Generation** — Explore AI-generated low-resolution, high-quality character art
### BASIC Enhancement
- **Richer Game Capabilities** — Expand BASIC to support more complex games and TUI apps
- **Unified Script Template** — `init` / `update` / `draw` / `on_key` pattern for all apps
### Toolchain
- **Editor Improvements** — Enhanced character art editor with more features
- **Asset Pipeline** — Charset/Palette/Pack import/export, versioning, hot reload
- **Cross-Platform Consistency** — Unified input and rendering across all backends
See [Roadmap 2026](doc/roadmap_2026.md) for detailed plans.
---
<div align="center">
**Made with Rust**
</div>