Cinder

Cinder is a free, open-source C++ library for creative coding, providing a powerful, intuitive toolset for programming graphics, audio, video, networking, image processing and computational geometry. It's designed to be intuitive and easy to use, while still offering the performance and flexibility of C++.

Pros

• High-performance and efficient, leveraging C++'s speed and low-level control
• Cross-platform support for Windows, macOS, and iOS
• Rich set of features for multimedia and interactive applications
• Active community and regular updates

Cons

• Steeper learning curve compared to some other creative coding frameworks
• Limited support for Linux platforms
• Requires C++ knowledge, which may be challenging for beginners
• Documentation could be more comprehensive for some advanced features

Code Examples

1. Drawing a circle:

#include "cinder/app/App.h"
#include "cinder/app/RendererGl.h"
#include "cinder/gl/gl.h"

using namespace ci;
using namespace ci::app;

class BasicApp : public App {
public:
    void draw() override {
        gl::clear(Color(0.2f, 0.2f, 0.2f));
        gl::color(1, 0, 0);
        gl::drawSolidCircle(getWindowCenter(), 100);
    }
};

CINDER_APP(BasicApp, RendererGl)

2. Playing an audio file:

#include "cinder/app/App.h"
#include "cinder/audio/audio.h"

using namespace ci;
using namespace ci::app;

class AudioApp : public App {
public:
    void setup() override {
        auto audioFile = audio::load(loadAsset("sample.mp3"));
        mVoice = audio::Voice::create(audioFile);
        mVoice->start();
    }

private:
    audio::VoiceRef mVoice;
};

CINDER_APP(AudioApp, RendererGl)

3. Capturing webcam input:

#include "cinder/app/App.h"
#include "cinder/Capture.h"
#include "cinder/gl/gl.h"

using namespace ci;
using namespace ci::app;

class CaptureApp : public App {
public:
    void setup() override {
        mCapture = Capture::create(640, 480);
        mCapture->start();
    }

    void draw() override {
        if (mCapture && mCapture->checkNewFrame()) {
            mTexture = gl::Texture::create(*mCapture->getSurface());
        }
        if (mTexture) {
            gl::draw(mTexture);
        }
    }

private:
    CaptureRef mCapture;
    gl::TextureRef mTexture;
};

CINDER_APP(CaptureApp, RendererGl)

Getting Started

1. Download Cinder from the official website: https://libcinder.org/download
2. Extract the downloaded archive to a convenient location
3. Set up your development environment (e.g., Visual Studio for Windows, Xcode for macOS)
4. Create a new Cinder project using TinderBox (included with Cinder)
5. Include Cinder headers in your project:

#include "cinder/app/App.h"
#include "cinder/app/RendererGl.h"
#include "cinder/gl/gl.h"

6. Create a basic application structure:

class MyApp : public ci::app::App {
public:
    void setup() override;
    void update() override;
    void draw() override;
};

CINDER_APP(MyApp, ci::app::RendererGl)

7. Build and run your project