A simple and lightweight software renderer written in C++, capable of loading and rendering 3D models in Wavefront .obj format — without using GPU APIs such as OpenGL or DirectX.
This project was built as a learning exercise in computer graphics, rasterization, and 3D mathematics — understanding how pixels, triangles, and transformations come together to form a rendered scene.
- CPU-based 3D rendering pipeline (no GPU acceleration)
- Support for .obj mesh loading
- Basic Rasterization and Lighting
- Basic Texturing (if textures available with the same model name)
- Real-time display using SDL2
- Control camera position and camera yaw angle with Arrow Keys and camera pitch angle with W/S keys
- Optional integration with Tracy (profiling) and Google Benchmark
| Library | Purpose | Install via vcpkg |
|---|---|---|
| SDL2 | Window creation & rendering | vcpkg install sdl2 |
| SDL2_image | Texture loading | vcpkg install sdl2-image |
| SDL2_ttf | Font rendering | vcpkg install sdl2-ttf |
| Tracy (optional) | Performance profiling | vcpkg install tracy |
| Google Benchmark (optional) | Benchmarking | vcpkg install benchmark |
💡 The project uses vcpkg with CMakePresets.json for dependency management and build configuration.
- Clone the repository:
git clone https://github.com/khshmt/3dRenderer.git cd 3dRenderer cmake --preset=default cmake --build --preset=default
After building the project, you can run the executable directly from the build directory.
./3dRenderer <path_to_obj_model>| Key | Action |
|---|---|
1 |
Wireframe Mode |
2 |
Wireframe with vertices |
3 |
Rasterization with lighting Mode |
4 |
Rasterization with lighting and Wireframe Mode |
5 |
Texture Mode |
6 |
Texture with Wireframe Mode |
↑ / ↓ |
Move camera forward / backward |
← / → |
Rotate camera yaw (turn left/right) |
W / S |
Adjust camera pitch (look up/down) |
C |
Enable keyframe culling |
X |
Disable keyframe culling |
R |
Disable or Enable model rotation the default no rotation |
Enter |
Switch model (in case the argument is in a directory has other models) |
Space |
stop model rotation if it is rotating |
Esc |
Exit the renderer |
💡 Use these controls to navigate the 3D scene and toggle rendering modes dynamically.
This project was developed while following the 3D Graphics Programming from Scratch course by Gustavo Pezzi, founder of Pikuma.
Both the learning process and the included 3D assets are based on this course, and are used here purely for educational and non-commercial purposes.