Template, BUAS version https://www.buas.nl/games IGAD/BUAS(NHTV)/UU - Jacco Bikker - 2006-2020 CMGT/BUAS - Jeremiah van Oosten - 2021-2026
The template has been designed to make it easy to start coding C++ using games and graphics. It intends to offer the programmer a simple library with the main purpose of providing a 32-bit graphical window with a linear frame buffer. Some basic additional functionality is available, such as sprites, bitmap fonts, and vector math support.
- Copy the template folder (or extract the zip) to a fresh folder for your project.
- Open the .slnx file with Visual Studio 2026.
- Replace the example code in game.cpp with your own code.
- Copy the 64-bit dll's from dlls_x64 to the project folder if you want to run a 64-bit build.
- Expanding the game class in game.h
- Implementing some of the empty functions for mouse and keyboard handling;
- Exploring the code of the template in surface.cpp and template.cpp.
When handing in assignments based on this template, please run clean.bat prior to zipping the folder. This deletes any intermediate files created during compilation.
The Template is a 'quickstart' template, and not meant to be elaborate performant or complete. At some point, and depending on your requirements, you may want to advance to a more full-fledged library, or you can expand the template with OpenGL or SDL2 code.
Although the template is small and bare bones, it still uses a lot of code gathered over the years:
- EasyCE's 5x5 bitmap font (primarily used for debugging);
- EasyCE's surface class (with lots of modifications);
- This version of the template uses SDL2 for low-level window handling, hopefully improving on the compatibility of earlier versions.
This code is completely free to use and distribute in any form.
Starting January 2017, the name of the template represents the version. This version also appears in the title of the window. Make sure you are using the most recent version.
Breda, 2014-2026, Games @ Breda University (NHTV/IGAD) Utrecht, 2015-2019, Utrecht University Report problems and suggestions to Jeremiah van Oosten if working on this connected to Breda University then email oosten.j@buas.nl otherwise bikker.j@gmail.com.
v2026-02: Removed Visual Studio 2022 solution and project files.
v2026: Update project and solution files to Visual Studio 2022 and Visual Studio 2026. Fix compiler errors when using C++17 or higher.
v2019-08: Removed headers from the precompiled header file to speed up compilation. fixed uninitialised values in the surface class.
v2017-01: initial DGDARC release.
v2017-02:
- added a changelog.
- debug mode now also emits .exe to project folder.
- removed rogue SDL2 folder.
- added assert.h to precomp.h.