stride
Stride (formerly Xenko), a free and open-source cross-platform C# game engine.
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Quick Overview
Stride is an open-source C# game engine for realistic rendering and VR. It supports both 2D and 3D graphics, and provides a powerful set of tools for game development. Stride aims to be a versatile and user-friendly engine for indie developers and small studios.
Pros
- Cross-platform support (Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android)
- Modern graphics API support (Vulkan, DirectX 12)
- Built-in visual scripting system
- Extensive documentation and community support
Cons
- Smaller community compared to more established engines like Unity or Unreal
- Limited asset marketplace
- Steeper learning curve for beginners compared to some other engines
- Less frequent updates compared to larger, more commercially-backed engines
Code Examples
- Creating a simple 3D scene:
public class MyGame : Game
{
protected override void BeginRun()
{
Scene.Entities.Add(new Entity
{
new ModelComponent
{
Model = Content.Load<Model>("MyModel")
},
new TransformComponent()
});
Scene.Entities.Add(new Entity
{
new CameraComponent(),
new TransformComponent
{
Position = new Vector3(0, 2, -5)
}
});
}
}
- Adding a simple script to an entity:
public class RotateScript : SyncScript
{
public override void Update()
{
Entity.Transform.Rotation *= Quaternion.RotationY(0.01f);
}
}
// In your game class:
var entity = new Entity();
entity.Add(new RotateScript());
Scene.Entities.Add(entity);
- Creating a basic 2D sprite:
public class MyGame : Game
{
protected override void BeginRun()
{
var spriteEntity = new Entity();
var spriteComponent = new SpriteComponent
{
Sprite = Content.Load<SpriteSheet>("MySprite").Sprites[0]
};
spriteEntity.Add(spriteComponent);
Scene.Entities.Add(spriteEntity);
}
}
Getting Started
- Install Visual Studio 2019 or later with .NET desktop development workload
- Install Stride from the official website or via NuGet
- Create a new Stride project in Visual Studio
- Add the following code to your Game class:
public class MyGame : Game
{
protected override void BeginRun()
{
// Add a camera
var cameraEntity = new Entity { new CameraComponent() };
cameraEntity.Transform.Position = new Vector3(0, 0, -5);
Scene.Entities.Add(cameraEntity);
// Add a cube
var cubeEntity = new Entity();
cubeEntity.Add(new ModelComponent
{
Model = GeometricPrimitive.Cube.New(GraphicsDevice)
});
Scene.Entities.Add(cubeEntity);
}
}
- Build and run the project to see a basic 3D scene with a cube
Competitor Comparisons
Godot Engine – Multi-platform 2D and 3D game engine
Pros of Godot
- Larger community and ecosystem, with more resources and third-party assets
- More mature and feature-rich, with a longer development history
- Built-in visual scripting system for non-programmers
Cons of Godot
- Steeper learning curve for beginners, especially those new to game development
- Less optimized for high-end graphics and large-scale projects
- Limited support for certain platforms (e.g., consoles) compared to some commercial engines
Code Comparison
Godot (GDScript):
extends Sprite
func _ready():
position = Vector2(100, 100)
scale = Vector2(2, 2)
Stride (C#):
public class MyEntity : SyncScript
{
public override void Start()
{
Entity.Transform.Position = new Vector3(1, 1, 1);
Entity.Transform.Scale = new Vector3(2, 2, 2);
}
}
Both engines offer intuitive ways to manipulate game objects, but Godot uses its custom GDScript language, while Stride leverages C# for scripting. Godot's syntax is more concise, while Stride's approach may be more familiar to developers with C# experience.
Unity C# reference source code.
Pros of UnityCsReference
- More extensive documentation and community support
- Larger ecosystem of assets and plugins
- Wider industry adoption and job market
Cons of UnityCsReference
- Closed-source core engine
- Less flexible licensing options
- Steeper learning curve for advanced features
Code Comparison
Stride:
public class MyScript : SyncScript
{
public override void Update()
{
// Game logic here
}
}
UnityCsReference:
public class MyScript : MonoBehaviour
{
void Update()
{
// Game logic here
}
}
Both engines use C# for scripting, but Stride uses SyncScript
as a base class, while Unity uses MonoBehaviour
. Stride's Update
method is marked as override
, indicating a different inheritance structure.
Stride offers a more open-source approach, allowing developers to modify the engine's core. UnityCsReference provides access to C# reference source code but doesn't allow direct modifications to the engine.
Unity's larger user base and market presence provide more resources and job opportunities. However, Stride's open-source nature offers greater flexibility and potential for customization.
Both engines have their strengths, and the choice between them depends on project requirements, team expertise, and long-term goals.
One framework for creating powerful cross-platform games.
Pros of MonoGame
- Mature and stable framework with a large community and extensive documentation
- Cross-platform support for multiple desktop, mobile, and console platforms
- Familiar XNA-like API, making it easier for developers with XNA experience
Cons of MonoGame
- Limited built-in editor support, requiring more manual setup and configuration
- Less advanced graphics features compared to modern game engines
- Slower development cycle for complex projects due to lack of visual tools
Code Comparison
MonoGame:
protected override void Draw(GameTime gameTime)
{
GraphicsDevice.Clear(Color.CornflowerBlue);
spriteBatch.Begin();
spriteBatch.Draw(texture, position, Color.White);
spriteBatch.End();
base.Draw(gameTime);
}
Stride:
public override void Draw(CommandList commandList)
{
commandList.Clear(GraphicsDevice.Presenter.BackBuffer, Color.CornflowerBlue);
spriteBatch.Begin(commandList);
spriteBatch.Draw(texture, position, Color.White);
spriteBatch.End();
}
Both frameworks use similar drawing concepts, but Stride's API is more modern and flexible, utilizing command lists for rendering.
Flax Engine – multi-platform 3D game engine
Pros of FlaxEngine
- More active development with frequent updates and commits
- Larger community and user base, leading to better support and resources
- More comprehensive documentation and tutorials
Cons of FlaxEngine
- Steeper learning curve for beginners
- Less flexible licensing options compared to Stride
- Heavier resource requirements for development
Code Comparison
Stride:
public class MyScript : SyncScript
{
public override void Start()
{
// Initialization code
}
public override void Update()
{
// Update logic
}
}
FlaxEngine:
public class MyScript : Script
{
public override void OnStart()
{
// Initialization code
}
public override void OnUpdate()
{
// Update logic
}
}
Both engines use C# for scripting, with similar structure for game object components. The main differences lie in method names and inheritance hierarchy. Stride uses SyncScript
as the base class, while FlaxEngine uses Script
. The lifecycle methods are named slightly differently, with Stride using Start
and Update
, and FlaxEngine using OnStart
and OnUpdate
.
Cocos2d-x is a suite of open-source, cross-platform, game-development tools utilized by millions of developers across the globe. Its core has evolved to serve as the foundation for Cocos Creator 1.x & 2.x.
Pros of Cocos2d-x
- More mature and established framework with a larger community
- Supports multiple programming languages (C++, Lua, JavaScript)
- Extensive documentation and learning resources available
Cons of Cocos2d-x
- Steeper learning curve, especially for beginners
- Less modern architecture compared to Stride
- Limited built-in 3D capabilities
Code Comparison
Cocos2d-x (C++):
auto sprite = Sprite::create("sprite.png");
sprite->setPosition(Vec2(100, 100));
this->addChild(sprite);
Stride (C#):
var sprite = new SpriteComponent
{
SpriteSheet = Content.Load<SpriteSheet>("sprite"),
};
Entity.Add(sprite);
Key Differences
- Stride focuses on C# and .NET, while Cocos2d-x supports multiple languages
- Stride has a more modern, component-based architecture
- Cocos2d-x has a larger ecosystem of extensions and plugins
- Stride offers better 3D capabilities out of the box
- Cocos2d-x has a longer history and more widespread adoption in the industry
Both engines have their strengths, with Cocos2d-x being more established and versatile, while Stride offers a more modern approach with stronger 3D support.
Babylon.js is a powerful, beautiful, simple, and open game and rendering engine packed into a friendly JavaScript framework.
Pros of Babylon.js
- Larger community and ecosystem, with more resources and third-party plugins
- Better documentation and learning materials
- More mature and feature-rich, especially for web-based 3D applications
Cons of Babylon.js
- Steeper learning curve for beginners
- Potentially higher performance overhead for complex scenes
- Less integrated with game development workflows compared to Stride
Code Comparison
Babylon.js (JavaScript):
const scene = new BABYLON.Scene(engine);
const camera = new BABYLON.FreeCamera("camera", new BABYLON.Vector3(0, 5, -10), scene);
const light = new BABYLON.HemisphericLight("light", new BABYLON.Vector3(0, 1, 0), scene);
const sphere = BABYLON.MeshBuilder.CreateSphere("sphere", {diameter: 2}, scene);
Stride (C#):
public override void Start()
{
var sphere = new Entity("Sphere");
sphere.Transform.Position = new Vector3(0, 0, 0);
sphere.Add(new SphereColliderShape());
sphere.Add(new ModelComponent(Content.Load<Model>("Models/Sphere")));
Entities.Add(sphere);
}
Both engines offer powerful 3D rendering capabilities, but Babylon.js is more focused on web-based applications, while Stride is geared towards game development with a more traditional engine structure. Babylon.js has a larger community and more resources, but Stride offers tighter integration with game development workflows and potentially better performance for complex games.
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Welcome to the Stride source code repository!
Stride is an open-source C# game engine for realistic rendering and VR. The engine is highly modular and aims at giving game makers more flexibility in their development. Stride comes with an editor that allows you to create and manage the content of your games or applications visually and intuitively.
To learn more about Stride, visit stride3d.net.
Earn money by contributing
If you are a developer with solid experience in C#, rendering techniques, or game development, we want to hire you! We have allocated funds from supporters on OpenCollective and can pay for work on certain projects. More info about this here.
License and governance
.NET Foundation
This project is supported by the .NET Foundation.
License
Stride is covered by the MIT License unless stated otherwise (i.e. for some files that are copied from other projects). You can find the list of third-party projects here. Contributors need to sign the following Contribution License Agreement.
Code of conduct
Stride being a .NET Foundation project, it has adopted the code of conduct defined by the Contributor Covenant to clarify expected behavior in our community. For more information see the .NET Foundation Code of Conduct.
Documentation
Find explanations and information about Stride:
Community
Ask for help or report issues:
- Chat with the community on Discord
- Discuss topics on GitHub discussions
- Report engine issues
- Donate to support the project
- List of Projects made by users
- Awesome Stride - Huge List of Stride Resources
- Localization
Building from source
Prerequisites
- Latest Git with Large File Support selected in the setup on the components dialog and for convenience a git UI client like GitExtensions.
- .NET 8.0 SDK
- Run
dotnet --info
in a console or powershell window to see which versions you have installed
- Run
- Visual Studio 2022 with the following workloads:
.NET desktop development
with.NET Framework 4.7.2 targeting pack
(should be enabled by default)Desktop development with C++
withWindows 10 SDK (10.0.18362.0)
or later version (should be enabled by default)MSVC v143 - VS2022 C++ x64/x86 build tools (Latest)
(should be enabled by default)C++/CLI support for v143 build tools (Latest)
(not enabled by default)
- Optional (to target iOS/Android):
.NET Multi-paltform App UI development
andAndroid SDK setup
individual component (enabled by default), then in Visual Studio go toTools > Android > Android SDK Manager
and installNDK
(version 20.1+) fromTools
tab. - Optional (to build VSIX package):
Visual Studio extension development
Build Stride
- Clone the repo with a git UI or open a command prompt, point it to a directory and clone Stride to it:
git lfs clone https://github.com/stride3d/stride.git
- Do NOT use GitHub -> Code -> Download ZIP, this won't include the
lfs
files.
- Do NOT use GitHub -> Code -> Download ZIP, this won't include the
- Open
<StrideDir>\build\Stride.sln
with Visual Studio 2022 and buildStride.GameStudio
in the 60-Editor solution folder (it should be the default startup project) or run it from VS's toolbar.- Optionally, open and build
Stride.Android.sln
,Stride.iOS.sln
, etc.
- Optionally, open and build
Build Stride without Visual Studio
- Install Visual Studio Build Tools with the same prerequisites listed above
- Add MSBuild's directory to your system's PATH (ex:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\BuildTools\MSBuild\Current\Bin
) - Clone the repo with a git UI or open a command prompt, point it to a directory and clone Stride to it:
git lfs clone https://github.com/stride3d/stride.git
- Navigate to
/Build
with the command prompt, inputmsbuild /t:Restore Stride.sln
thencompile.bat
If building failed:
- Some errors for test projects are normal, GameStudio will start anyway.
- The Visual Studio extension might fail to build if you are missing the Visual Studio SDK, but GameStudio will start anyway.
- If you skipped one of the
Prerequisites
thinking that you already have the latest version, update to the latest anyway just to be sure. - Visual Studio might have issues properly building if an anterior version is present alongside 2022. If you want to keep those version make sure that they are up to date and that you are building Stride through VS 2022.
- Your system's PATH should not contain older versions of MSBuild (ex:
...\Microsoft Visual Studio\2019\BuildTools\MSBuild\Current\Bin
should be removed) - Some changes might require a system reboot, try that if you haven't yet.
- Make sure that Git, Git LFS and Visual Studio can access the internet.
- Close VS, clear the nuget cache (in your cmd
dotnet nuget locals all --clear
), delete the hidden.vs
folder inside\build
and the files insidebin\packages
, kill any msbuild and other vs processes, build the whole solution then build and run GameStudio.
Do note that test solutions might fail but it should not prevent you from building Stride.GameStudio
.
Contribution Guidelines
Please check our Contributing Guidelines.
Build Status
Branch | master |
---|---|
Windows D3D11 | |
Windows D3D12 | |
Windows Vulkan | |
Windows OpenGL | |
Windows OpenGL ES | |
iOS | |
Android | |
Linux Vulkan | |
Linux OpenGL | |
Tests Windows Simple | |
Tests Windows D3D11 |
Contributors â¨
Thanks goes to these wonderful people (emoji key):
This project follows the all-contributors specification. Contributions of any kind welcome!
Top Related Projects
Godot Engine – Multi-platform 2D and 3D game engine
Unity C# reference source code.
One framework for creating powerful cross-platform games.
Flax Engine – multi-platform 3D game engine
Cocos2d-x is a suite of open-source, cross-platform, game-development tools utilized by millions of developers across the globe. Its core has evolved to serve as the foundation for Cocos Creator 1.x & 2.x.
Babylon.js is a powerful, beautiful, simple, and open game and rendering engine packed into a friendly JavaScript framework.
Convert designs to code with AI
Introducing Visual Copilot: A new AI model to turn Figma designs to high quality code using your components.
Try Visual Copilot