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Cairn engine2026.11.077 Nov 2026

SDL3 everywhere, and a second graphics device

Web games read input through SDL3, as desktop games do. A preview graphics device on SDL GPU draws through Metal on a Mac, and Box3D games now play in a browser.

What's new

  • Web games on SDL3 too. A game in a browser reads the keyboard, mouse and gamepads through SDL3, the same library the desktop uses.
  • A second graphics device, on SDL GPU. --gpu sdl-metal draws the editor and games through Metal on a Mac, with the same pictures as the default device. Every render test passes on it against the same reference images. It is a preview: the default device stays as it is. See Command line.
  • A frame now uploads everything it needs before it starts drawing, so the GPU no longer stops and restarts a pass partway through.

Fixed

  • A project on Box3D froze in a browser: every body stayed where it was made. Bodies now fall and collide on the web as they do on the desktop.

Known issues

  • GPU timings are not available on the SDL GPU device yet. The stats say so.
  • Mouse lock and the fullscreen button in a browser have not been tried by hand since the move to SDL3.