How to use cglm with Vulkan or Metal?

cglm supports Vulkan and Metal through configurable clipspace options like CGLM_FORCE_DEPTH_ZERO_TO_ONE. Include the appropriate headers and set these flags in your build to match API-specific depth ranges and handedness, ensuring seamless integration.

cglm vs GLM: which is better for C projects?

cglm is specifically designed for C, offering similar functionality to GLM but optimized for C environments with SIMD support and a C-friendly API. For C++ projects, GLM is more idiomatic, but cglm is the top choice for pure C development.

How to handle matrix alignment in cglm for SIMD optimizations?

Ensure that vec4, mat4, and mat2 arguments are aligned to prevent crashes on SIMD hardware. Use unaligned versions if available, or define CGLM_ALL_UNALIGNED to disable alignment, though this may impact performance. Refer to the alignment section in the README for details.

How to migrate code from an older cglm version?

Check the migration notes in the README for specific changes, such as function renames (e.g., _dup to _copy) and quaternion storage shifts. Update your code accordingly and test thoroughly to handle breaking changes introduced in versions like v0.4.0 or v0.5.0.

Is cglm suitable for embedded systems development?

Yes, cglm's header-only and allocation-free design makes it lightweight for embedded systems. However, consider SIMD requirements and alignment issues, which might need careful configuration for resource-constrained environments to avoid performance overhead.

How to use the struct API without C11 support?

If C11 is not available, define CGLM_NO_ANONYMOUS_STRUCT or rely on compiler extensions like -fms-extensions in GCC/Clang. Alternatively, use the traditional pointer-based API with the glm_ prefix, though this sacrifices some ergonomics.

Open-Awesome

Cglm

MITCv0.9.6

A highly optimized, header-only 2D/3D graphics math library for C, providing fast and ergonomic functions for graphics programming.

GitHub

3.0k stars286 forks0 contributors

What is Cglm?

cglm is a highly optimized, header-only 2D and 3D graphics mathematics library written in C. It provides fast, ergonomic functions for vector, matrix, quaternion, and transformation operations, solving the need for a performant and portable math foundation in C-based graphics and game development projects.

Target Audience

C developers working on graphics applications, game engines, simulations, or any project requiring efficient 3D math operations, especially those targeting performance-sensitive or embedded environments.

Value Proposition

Developers choose cglm for its exceptional performance through SIMD optimizations, its header-only and allocation-free design for easy integration, and its comprehensive, API-agnostic feature set that mirrors the convenience of C++'s GLM library within the C ecosystem.

Overview

📽 Highly Optimized 2D / 3D Graphics Math (glm) for C

Use Cases

Best For

Building high-performance game engines in C
Developing graphics applications for embedded systems
Creating simulations requiring fast 3D math operations
Porting or writing graphics code that needs SIMD optimizations
Implementing camera and projection systems for Vulkan or Metal
Writing educational graphics programming code in C

Not Ideal For

Projects already using C++ where GLM or similar libraries offer more idiomatic C++ integration
Teams requiring row-major matrix layout as the default, as cglm uses column-major and needs explicit transposition
Environments with limited compiler support for C11 features or MSVC extensions needed for the ergonomic struct API

Pros & Cons

Pros

SIMD-Optimized Speed

Leverages SSE, AVX, and NEON instructions to accelerate vector and matrix operations, essential for real-time graphics performance as highlighted in the README's optimization focus.

Header-Only Simplicity

Can be integrated by including headers without dynamic allocation, reducing build complexity and external dependencies, making it easy to drop into projects.

Ergonomic Struct API

Provides a clean API with structs and value semantics via glms_ functions, improving code clarity and reducing pointer errors, as demonstrated in the struct usage examples.

API-Agnostic Portability

Designed to work with any graphics API like OpenGL, Vulkan, or Metal, with configurable clipspace options such as CGLM_FORCE_DEPTH_ZERO_TO_ONE for flexibility.

Cons

Breaking Changes History

Has undergone major changes like quaternion storage order shifts and namespace updates, requiring careful code migration during upgrades, as noted in the migration section.

Alignment and Compiler Dependencies

Requires careful memory alignment for SIMD to prevent crashes, and the struct API depends on C11 or compiler extensions, adding portability complexity.

Limited High-Level Features

Focuses on core math operations; lacks built-in support for advanced graphics concepts like scene graphs or rendering pipelines, which must be implemented separately.

Frequently Asked Questions

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