The IGL graphics library is now open source
Khronos unveiled recently through a blog post what goal (formerly known as the Facebook company) has made the decision to release the code of a new graphics library IGL (Intermediate Graphics Library), which provides a universal, low-level API for controlling the GPU.
IGL is positioned as a cross-platform graphics library which provides developers with a powerful set of tools to create high-quality images and graphics in their applications, whether it's a game, a 3D modeling application, or any other project that requires top-notch graphics.
Meta is excited to announce the release of our new open source Intermediate Graphics Library (IGL)! At Meta, we are committed to creating open standards for 3D graphics in partnership with the broader industry and the Khronos Group. ® . After months of hard work and dedication, we are delighted to share our latest creation with the development community.
It is mentioned that the proposed API covers typical GPU functionality and allows the developer to create cross-platform applications that can run on top of the OpenGL, Metal, and Vulkan graphics APIs on Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, and Windows systems.
The library can also be used to render to the web using WebGL by compiling the application to WebAssembly intermediate code. For rendering, API backends for Metal 2+, OpenGL 2.x, OpenGL 3.1+, OpenGL ES 2.0+, Vulkan 1.1, and WebGL 2.0 are provided.
Of the key features that stand out from IGL, the following are mentioned:
- IGL is cross platform: As mentioned at the beginning, IGL provides a shell library, which allows developers to build and run on the most popular platforms, including Windows, Linux, Mac OS, iOS, Android, and WebAssembly.
- High Performance Rendering: IGL is optimized to provide blazing-fast rendering, even when dealing with complex and detailed graphics.
- easy to use API: An intuitive and easy-to-use API means IGL is simple and straightforward to work with. Instead of introducing RHI as part of the high-level engine abstraction or mimicking one graphical interface after another, IGL takes a new approach to abstracting RHI by creating a new modern interface, which is close to Vulkan or WebGPU at the abstraction layer, but generally enough to avoid being engine-specific.
- Minimum overload: IGL supports new or existing native rendering code without the overhead of language interop or the need for other language runtimes.
- Open Source: IGL is completely open source and can be used for any project, commercial or otherwise, without license restrictions.
Whether you're an experienced game developer or just getting started with graphics programming, our library gives you the tools you need to create amazing visuals in your apps.
As such, it stands out that the library It is suitable for developing games, 3D modeling systems and any other project that requires high-quality graphics support. the IGL code is optimized for maximum performance even when working with complex and detailed models.
The API structure is designed with ease of use in mind and implements generic concepts that most developers familiar with one of the graphics APIs will understand.
In terms of abstraction level, IGL is close to Vulkan and WebGPU., but at the same time, it is free of details tied to specific engines. The library supports plugging in extensions, with which you can easily integrate additional features and implement emerging non-standard needs of developers.
Finally If you are interested in knowing more about it, you should know that the library code is written in C++ and is distributed under the MIT license. You can consult the code of the project in the following link
You can check the details of the note in the original publication in the following link