/gdx-liftoff

A modern setup tool for libGDX Gradle projects

Primary LanguageKotlinApache License 2.0Apache-2.0

Build status

🚀 gdx-liftoff 🚀

A setup tool for libGDX Gradle projects.

Screenshot of gdx-liftoff

📥 DOWNLOAD 📥

To generate a project, download the latest application jar and run it (usually double-clicking will do), or run the following command manually (replacing the VERSION appropriately):

java -jar gdx-liftoff-VERSION.jar

You should use Java 17+ ! Android tools now require your installed JDK to be version 17 or higher. You can still target other releases, as low as 8 typically, while building with any of the JDK versions 17 and up. Java 21 works now, but when Java 22 is released (or if you are using an early access build), it won't work right away. That's just how Gradle is. When Gradle releases a version that expands JVM compatibility, we try to update quickly to that version.

If you have any trouble, you can try our new 🐛Troubleshooting Guide🐛.

Features

In addition to most features of the official gdx-setup, the gdx-liffoff tool offers:

  • Project templates. You can choose one of many project skeletons highlighting various libGDX features.
  • Instant input validation. Your project data is validated as you type it in.
  • Other JVM languages support. You can choose additional languages for your project, like Kotlin or Scala. Their standard libraries, Gradle plugins, and appropriate source folders will be included.
  • Customization. You have more control over the versions of software used by your application.
  • More third-party extensions. Their versions are fetched from Maven Central or JitPack, so your project is always generated up-to-date.
  • Automatic configuration for tricky extensions. If you're having trouble setting up Artemis-ODB, Lombok, or several other libraries, Liftoff does some extra work, so you don't have to.
  • Preferences support. Basic data of your application is saved, so you don't have to fill it each time you generate a project.
  • Optional Gradle runner. You can optionally execute Gradle tasks after project generation. Gradle doesn't have to run for a project to be created.
  • Supports all libGDX backends. Do you need the LWJGL2, LWJGL3, and/or Headless backends? Liftoff provides simple checkboxes to add any and all official platforms, plus some special other modules.
  • Convenience features. If you have JetBrains Toolbox, you can open a just-generated project in IDEA with one click (it needs "Generate Shell Scripts" set in Toolbox). If you use Eclipse, you can still import Gradle projects normally.
  • Up-to-date. This project prides itself on updating quickly after releases of major external components such as Gradle or libGDX itself.
  • More backends are supported. MOE is pretty much gone from gdx-setup, but that iOS backend's Community Edition is still supported here. TeaVM, an increasingly-popular alternative to GWT for browser-based applications, is also here, and works with Kotlin and other JVM languages as well as it does with Java.

What's more, there are no major structural differences between any generated projects, regardless of the platforms you initially used. The official gdx-setup previously put assets in the android module, or the core module if Android is not selected. If you don't start with the Android platform, adding it to an existing project would require modification of the Gradle scripts. To avoid this issue, gdx-liftoff puts assets in the root folder. Adding a new platform to an existing application never forces you to modify any of the other modules. It should be noted that this feature was brought into gdx-setup in part because it worked in gdx-liftoff first.

Guide

For more details on how to use the application and how it works, see the usage guide. If you would like to contribute to the project, you might find the architecture document helpful.

When submitting a pull request, please format the application with the ktlintFormat Gradle task.

Credits

The project was forked from the czyzby/gdx-setup repository. @czyzby and @kotcrab have created the original application, as well as a set of libraries that it depends on (gdx-lml and VisUI respectively). Since then, the project is maintained by @tommyettinger.

@raeleus created the Particle Park skin for scene2d.ui, which was adapted to be the default skin added to new projects (if the "Generate UI Assets" option is selected). "Accademia di Belle Arti di Urbino and students of MA course of Visual design" has created the Titillium Web font that the skin uses (under SIL OFL license).

Other project contributors include @Mr00Anderson, @lyze237, @metaphore, and @payne911. People who haven't directly contributed code have still helped a lot by spending their time to test on platforms like macOS and iOS; @JojoIce is one of several people who made a difference regarding iOS. And of course, many thanks go to all the early adopters for putting up with any partially-working releases early on!

Good luck, and we hope you make something great!