CMake configuration options for Prisma Engine

Prisma Engine’s build system is controlled entirely through CMake cache variables prefixed with PRISMA_. These options let you select rendering backends, audio drivers, dependency management strategy, editor inclusion, and optional upscaling technologies. Options are split across several CMake modules: cmake/DeviceOptions.cmake for device feature flags and cmake/UpscalerOptions.cmake for upscaler support.

The current default branch uses a simplified configuration that forces SDL3 + Vulkan + ImGui and locks out DirectX 12, OpenGL, and XAudio2. The tables below reflect both the option names and their effective defaults in this configuration.

Setting options

Pass options on the CMake configure command line:

cmake -B build \
  -DPRISMA_BUILD_EDITOR=OFF \
  -DPRISMA_BUILD_SHARED_LIBS=OFF \
  -DPRISMA_ENABLE_RENDER_VULKAN=ON

Or use the preset system for common configurations:

# Editor preset (includes ImGui, Vulkan)
cmake --preset editor-windows-x64-debug

# Runtime-only preset
cmake --preset runtime-linux-x64-release

Build configuration

These options control what gets built and how the engine library is packaged.

Option	Type	Default	Description
`PRISMA_BUILD_EDITOR`	`BOOL`	`ON` (Windows only)	Includes the editor application target and ImGui debug panels in the build
`PRISMA_BUILD_SHARED_LIBS`	`BOOL`	`ON` (Debug), `OFF` (Release)	Builds the engine as a shared library (`.dll`/`.so`). Disable for static linking in release or WebAssembly builds
`PRISMA_USE_FETCHCONTENT`	`BOOL`	`ON`	Fetches all third-party dependencies via CMake `FetchContent`. Set to `OFF` to use vcpkg instead
`PRISMA_RUNTIME_DYNAMIC_LOAD`	`BOOL`	`ON`	Enables runtime dynamic loading of engine modules. Must be `OFF` for WebAssembly targets

WebAssembly requirements

PRISMA_BUILD_SHARED_LIBS and PRISMA_RUNTIME_DYNAMIC_LOAD must both be disabled for WebAssembly builds:

emcmake cmake -B build/runtime-web-debug \
  -DPRISMA_BUILD_EDITOR=OFF \
  -DPRISMA_BUILD_SHARED_LIBS=OFF \
  -DPRISMA_RUNTIME_DYNAMIC_LOAD=OFF
cmake --build build/runtime-web-debug --target Runtime

Rendering backends

Options in this group control which graphics API backends are compiled into the engine. Only one backend needs to be active at a time, though multiple can coexist.

Option	Type	Effective default	Description
`PRISMA_ENABLE_RENDER_DX12`	`BOOL`	`OFF` (forced)	Enable the DirectX 12 rendering backend. Windows only. Currently locked off in the default branch
`PRISMA_ENABLE_RENDER_VULKAN`	`BOOL`	`ON` (forced)	Enable the Vulkan rendering backend. Supported on Windows, Linux, and Android
`PRISMA_ENABLE_RENDER_OPENGL`	`BOOL`	`OFF` (forced)	Enable the OpenGL fallback backend. Linux only; currently locked off in the default branch
`PRISMA_DEFAULT_RENDER_BACKEND`	`STRING`	`"Vulkan"`	Sets the backend selected at runtime when multiple are compiled in

Conditional compilation

Backend availability is exposed as preprocessor definitions:

#if defined(PRISMA_ENABLE_RENDER_VULKAN)
    // Vulkan-specific initialization
    InitVulkanDevice();
#elif defined(PRISMA_ENABLE_RENDER_DX12)
    InitDX12Device();
#endif

DirectX 12 requires Windows 10 or later and the DirectX-Headers package. Vulkan requires the Vulkan SDK 1.3+. On Android, Vulkan is the only supported backend — do not disable it for Android targets.

Audio backends

Option	Type	Effective default	Description
`PRISMA_ENABLE_AUDIO_SDL3`	`BOOL`	`ON` (forced)	Enable the SDL3 cross-platform audio backend. Supported on Windows, Linux, and Android
`PRISMA_ENABLE_AUDIO_XAUDIO2`	`BOOL`	`OFF` (forced)	Enable the XAudio2 Windows native audio backend. Currently disabled pending interface refactoring
`PRISMA_USE_NATIVE_AUDIO`	`BOOL`	`ON`	When `ON`, the platform’s native audio API is preferred (XAudio2 on Windows, AAudio on Android). Set to `OFF` to force SDL3 audio on all platforms

PRISMA_ENABLE_AUDIO_XAUDIO2 is present in the CMake system but is commented out in the engine CMakeLists.txt pending an interface rewrite. Setting it ON currently has no effect.

// Guard XAudio2-specific code
#if defined(PRISMA_ENABLE_AUDIO_XAUDIO2)
    // XAudio2 code
#endif

#if defined(PRISMA_ENABLE_AUDIO_SDL3)
    // SDL3 audio code
#endif

Input

Option	Type	Default	Description
`PRISMA_USE_NATIVE_INPUT`	`BOOL`	`ON`	Uses XInput on Windows and GameActivity input on Android. Set to `OFF` to use SDL3 input on all platforms

Editor and debug UI

Option	Type	Default	Description
`PRISMA_ENABLE_IMGUI_DEBUG`	`BOOL`	`ON` (Debug builds)	Compiles ImGui and the engine’s debug overlay panels. Automatically enabled for editor presets; typically disabled in release or runtime-only builds

Platform mode summary

The engine supports two configuration modes:

Native mode (default)

Uses platform-specific APIs for best performance.

Windows: DirectX 12, XAudio2, XInput
Android: Vulkan, AAudio, GameActivity
Linux: OpenGL / Vulkan

Cross-platform mode

Uses SDL3 for portable audio and input.

Audio: SDL3 backend on all platforms
Input: SDL3 input on all platforms Enable with PRISMA_USE_NATIVE_AUDIO=OFF and PRISMA_USE_NATIVE_INPUT=OFF

Upscaler options

Upscaler support is configured in cmake/UpscalerOptions.cmake. All upscalers are disabled by default and require additional SDK setup.

Option	Type	Default	Description
`PRISMA_ENABLE_UPSCALER_FSR`	`BOOL`	`OFF`	Enable AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) 2.2. Cross-platform; works with Vulkan and DirectX 12
`PRISMA_ENABLE_UPSCALER_DLSS`	`BOOL`	`OFF`	Enable NVIDIA Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS). Requires NVIDIA GPU and the DLSS SDK; Windows only
`PRISMA_ENABLE_UPSCALER_TSR`	`BOOL`	`OFF`	Enable Temporal Super Resolution (TSR), an Unreal Engine-inspired temporal upscaler. Engine-native implementation

# Enable FSR for a Vulkan release build
cmake -B build/release \
  -DPRISMA_ENABLE_RENDER_VULKAN=ON \
  -DPRISMA_ENABLE_UPSCALER_FSR=ON \
  -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release

DLSS requires the NVIDIA DLSS SDK to be present at configure time. The SDK is not fetched via FetchContent and must be installed separately. See NVIDIA’s developer portal for download instructions.

Advanced rendering features

These options enable GPU features beyond the base rendering pipeline. All are off by default.

Option	Type	Default	Description
`PRISMA_ENABLE_RAY_TRACING`	`BOOL`	`OFF`	Enable DirectX Raytracing (DXR) / Vulkan ray tracing extensions
`PRISMA_ENABLE_MESH_SHADERS`	`BOOL`	`OFF`	Enable mesh shader pipeline stage
`PRISMA_ENABLE_VARIABLE_RATE_SHADING`	`BOOL`	`OFF`	Enable Variable Rate Shading (VRS) for performance optimization
`PRISMA_ENABLE_BINDLESS_RESOURCES`	`BOOL`	`OFF`	Enable bindless resource descriptors for large texture arrays

Dependency management

Option	Type	Default	Description
`PRISMA_USE_FETCHCONTENT`	`BOOL`	`ON`	Use CMake FetchContent to download and build all third-party dependencies automatically at configure time

When PRISMA_USE_FETCHCONTENT=OFF, dependencies are resolved via vcpkg. Initialize vcpkg before configuring:

# Initialize vcpkg
./vcpkg/bootstrap-vcpkg.sh        # Linux/macOS
.\vcpkg\bootstrap-vcpkg.bat       # Windows

# Install dependencies
./vcpkg/vcpkg install

# Configure with vcpkg toolchain
cmake -B build \
  -DPRISMA_USE_FETCHCONTENT=OFF \
  -DCMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE=./vcpkg/scripts/buildsystems/vcpkg.cmake

All dependency versions are pinned in cmake/DependencyVersions.cmake.

Engine Core

Rendering

Assets & Resources

CMake

CMake configuration options for Prisma Engine

Setting options

Build configuration

WebAssembly requirements

Rendering backends

Conditional compilation

Audio backends

Input

Editor and debug UI

Platform mode summary

Native mode (default)

Cross-platform mode

Upscaler options

Advanced rendering features

Dependency management

​Setting options

​Build configuration

​WebAssembly requirements

​Rendering backends

​Conditional compilation

​Audio backends

​Input

​Editor and debug UI

​Platform mode summary

Native mode (default)

Cross-platform mode

​Upscaler options

​Advanced rendering features

​Dependency management

Setting options

Build configuration

WebAssembly requirements

Rendering backends

Conditional compilation

Audio backends

Input

Editor and debug UI

Platform mode summary

Upscaler options

Advanced rendering features

Dependency management