Once you have this basic window running, the next step is exploring the for modern 3D rendering or the new Properties API to fine-tune your window settings. SDL3 is built to be modular, so you can scale from a simple 2D tool to a complex 3D engine with ease.
#include #include int main(int argc, char* argv[]) // 1. Initialize SDL if (SDL_Init(SDL_INIT_VIDEO) == false) SDL_Log("SDL could not initialize! SDL_Error: %s", SDL_GetError()); return 1; // 2. Create a Window and Renderer // SDL3 combines these often, but here's the straightforward approach SDL_Window* window = NULL; SDL_Renderer* renderer = NULL; if (SDL_CreateWindowAndRenderer("SDL3 Example Window", 800, 600, 0, &window, &renderer) == false) SDL_Log("Window/Renderer creation failed: %s", SDL_GetError()); return 1; bool quit = false; SDL_Event event; // 3. The Main Loop while (!quit) // Handle Events while (SDL_PollEvent(&event)) if (event.type == SDL_EVENT_QUIT) quit = true; // 4. Rendering logic // Clear the screen to a nice "Cornflower Blue" SDL_SetRenderDrawColor(renderer, 100, 149, 237, 255); SDL_RenderClear(renderer); // Present the frame SDL_RenderPresent(renderer); // 5. Cleanup SDL_DestroyRenderer(renderer); SDL_DestroyWindow(window); SDL_Quit(); return 0; Use code with caution. Key Differences in This Example
// Render SDL_SetRenderDrawColor(renderer, 0, 0, 0, 255); // black background SDL_RenderClear(renderer); sdl3 example
SDL3 represents a deliberate break from legacy constraints. Unlike the transition from SDL 1.2 to SDL2, which focused on hardware acceleration for 2D rendering, SDL3 focuses on architectural consistency, modern GPU integration, and the removal of "magic numbers" and opaque pointers in favor of strictly typed handles.
// 2. Create a window SDL_Window* window = SDL_CreateWindow("SDL3 Bouncing Ball", WINDOW_WIDTH, WINDOW_HEIGHT, SDL_WINDOW_RESIZABLE); if (!window) SDL_Log("SDL_CreateWindow Error: %s", SDL_GetError()); SDL_Quit(); return 1; Once you have this basic window running, the
Our game will be a simple bouncing ball that moves around the screen. The user can control the ball using the arrow keys.
gcc bouncing_ball.c -o bouncing_ball -lSDL3 ./bouncing_ball The Main Loop while (
// Bounce off edges (with radius adjustment) if (ball_x - BALL_RADIUS < 0) ball_x = BALL_RADIUS; velocity_x = -velocity_x; else if (ball_x + BALL_RADIUS > WINDOW_WIDTH) ball_x = WINDOW_WIDTH - BALL_RADIUS; velocity_x = -velocity_x;