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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/Excurs1ons/PrismaEngine/llms.txt

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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.

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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

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Build configuration

These options control what gets built and how the engine library is packaged.
OptionTypeDefaultDescription
PRISMA_BUILD_EDITORBOOLON (Windows only)Includes the editor application target and ImGui debug panels in the build
PRISMA_BUILD_SHARED_LIBSBOOLON (Debug), OFF (Release)Builds the engine as a shared library (.dll/.so). Disable for static linking in release or WebAssembly builds
PRISMA_USE_FETCHCONTENTBOOLONFetches all third-party dependencies via CMake FetchContent. Set to OFF to use vcpkg instead
PRISMA_RUNTIME_DYNAMIC_LOADBOOLONEnables runtime dynamic loading of engine modules. Must be OFF for WebAssembly targets

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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

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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.
OptionTypeEffective defaultDescription
PRISMA_ENABLE_RENDER_DX12BOOLOFF (forced)Enable the DirectX 12 rendering backend. Windows only. Currently locked off in the default branch
PRISMA_ENABLE_RENDER_VULKANBOOLON (forced)Enable the Vulkan rendering backend. Supported on Windows, Linux, and Android
PRISMA_ENABLE_RENDER_OPENGLBOOLOFF (forced)Enable the OpenGL fallback backend. Linux only; currently locked off in the default branch
PRISMA_DEFAULT_RENDER_BACKENDSTRING"Vulkan"Sets the backend selected at runtime when multiple are compiled in

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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.

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Audio backends

OptionTypeEffective defaultDescription
PRISMA_ENABLE_AUDIO_SDL3BOOLON (forced)Enable the SDL3 cross-platform audio backend. Supported on Windows, Linux, and Android
PRISMA_ENABLE_AUDIO_XAUDIO2BOOLOFF (forced)Enable the XAudio2 Windows native audio backend. Currently disabled pending interface refactoring
PRISMA_USE_NATIVE_AUDIOBOOLONWhen 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

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Input

OptionTypeDefaultDescription
PRISMA_USE_NATIVE_INPUTBOOLONUses XInput on Windows and GameActivity input on Android. Set to OFF to use SDL3 input on all platforms

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Editor and debug UI

OptionTypeDefaultDescription
PRISMA_ENABLE_IMGUI_DEBUGBOOLON (Debug builds)Compiles ImGui and the engine’s debug overlay panels. Automatically enabled for editor presets; typically disabled in release or runtime-only builds

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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

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Upscaler options

Upscaler support is configured in cmake/UpscalerOptions.cmake. All upscalers are disabled by default and require additional SDK setup.
OptionTypeDefaultDescription
PRISMA_ENABLE_UPSCALER_FSRBOOLOFFEnable AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) 2.2. Cross-platform; works with Vulkan and DirectX 12
PRISMA_ENABLE_UPSCALER_DLSSBOOLOFFEnable NVIDIA Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS). Requires NVIDIA GPU and the DLSS SDK; Windows only
PRISMA_ENABLE_UPSCALER_TSRBOOLOFFEnable 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.

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Advanced rendering features

These options enable GPU features beyond the base rendering pipeline. All are off by default.
OptionTypeDefaultDescription
PRISMA_ENABLE_RAY_TRACINGBOOLOFFEnable DirectX Raytracing (DXR) / Vulkan ray tracing extensions
PRISMA_ENABLE_MESH_SHADERSBOOLOFFEnable mesh shader pipeline stage
PRISMA_ENABLE_VARIABLE_RATE_SHADINGBOOLOFFEnable Variable Rate Shading (VRS) for performance optimization
PRISMA_ENABLE_BINDLESS_RESOURCESBOOLOFFEnable bindless resource descriptors for large texture arrays

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Dependency management

OptionTypeDefaultDescription
PRISMA_USE_FETCHCONTENTBOOLONUse 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.

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