Free Game Development Libraries
Here's a selection of links to free libraries for use in game development projects. Check the license for each one; some may require you to release your source code, others may only be free as long as your release is non-commercial.
Some libraries try to provide an entire subsystem. Others just simplify a task or tasks within that subsystem.
Contents
- General purpose libraries
- 3D Graphics
- 2D Graphics
- Video
- Image Loading
- Sound + Music
- Networking
- Model Handling and Character Animation (3D)
- Filesystems, persistence, and format parsing
- Scripting Languages
- Artificial Intelligence
- Mathematics, Physics and Collision Detection
- Debugging, memory checks, general purpose, etc
- Other Tools
TODO: summarise thesehttp://www.thefreecountry.com/sourcecode/games.shtml
General purpose libraries
Allegro(giftware)
IKA (generic gaming engine)('free')
ClanLib(LGPL)
Devlib(LGPL)
GLFW(zlib)
Golden T Game Engine (Java)(free to use, but requires credit)
KJAPI(free for non commercial projects)
PLIBGeneral purpose library. (LGPL)
Popcap2D library with extras. (Popcap license)
PTK(free for freeware, commercial license otherwise)
Realmforge (in C#)(LGPL)
SDL(LGPL)
SxDL2D and 3D. (GPL)
The Tao Framework (various libs ported to .Net)(various/MIT)
3D Graphics
TODO: summarise these:http://www.cyberloonies.com/game-engines.html
Antiryad GX(various licenses depending on chosen usage, but free for freeware)
Apocalyx(GPL)
ARToolkit(GPL, or commercial)
Axiom (OGRE in C#)(LGPL)
CG(free)
Crystal Space(LGPL)
Cube(slightly modified zlib)
Delta3D(LGPL)
Demeter terrain engine(LGPL)
ExNihilo(unknown)
Fly3D(GPL)
FTGL (fonts in OpenGL)(LGPL)
G3D(BSD)
Genesis3D(similar to GPL)
Ghost (glut-like)(Dual license - BL andGPL)
Graphics Library Helper (like GLU)(freeware)
Heretic/Hexen(free for non-profit use)
Interactive Visualisation Framework(LGPL)
Irrlicht(zlib)
IrrlichtNX(probablyzlib)
MXR Toolkit(GPL)
The Nebula Device(free license)
NeoEngine(MPL)
NGL (glut-like framework)(LGPL)
NVIDIA Scene Graph SDK(free to use)
OGRE 3D(LGPL)
OpenGlut(MIT)
OpenGL Window Framework(zlib)
OpenSceneGraph(OpenSceneGraph licence, like LGPL)
OpenSG(LGPL)
Panda 3D(free)
Qhull(free?)
QuakeForge(GPL)
XEngine(zlib)
Yake(LGPL)
2D Graphics
Crazy Eddie's GUI System(LGPL)
Eclipse(LGPL)
GameVision SDK(unknown license)
HGE(freefor non-commercial, otherwisepay)
hxrender-docs here(zlib)
Kyra(LGPL)
ManagedGL (C#/.NET/SDL)(LGPL)
ParaGUI (for SDL)(LGPL)
TinyPTC(open source)
LibUFO (gui, for OpenGL etc)(LGPL)
zEngine(BSD)
Image Loading
BFont(LGPL)
BMF_font (bitmap fonts in OpenGL)(LGPL)
CImg(CeCilllicense)
Corona(zlib)
CxImage(zlib)
DevIL(LGPL)
FreeImage(GPL,FIPL)
IJG (jpeg library)(free?)
ImageMagick(apache-style license)
libPNG(libPNGlicense)
libTiff(free?)
Paintlib(free, must give credit)
SDL_image
SFont(chooseLGPLorGPL)
Titan(zlib)
Sound + Music
Audiere(LGPL)
BASS(Free for freeware projects, otherwise commercial)
FMOD(Free for freeware projects, otherwise commercial)
Hekkus Sound System(For WinCE/Win32/Symbian and .NET.) (Free use, but credit or donation required.)
libsndfile(LGPL)
Ogg Vorbis(BSD-like)
OpenAL(?)
SDL_mixer (requires SDL)(LGPL)
SDL_sound (requires SDL)(LGPL)
Networking
Low level:
Enet(free use)
HawkNL(LGPL)
libCURL(URL transfer) (Curl license)
SDL_net(LGPL)
High-level:
Nevrax/NEL(GPL?)
OpenPlay(Apple Public Source License)
OpenTNL(GPL, or commercial)
RakNet(GPL, or free by application)
ReplicaNet(Free for freeware, otherwise commercial)
Unknown:
Game Network Engine(LGPL)
Model Handling and Character Animation (3D)
Animadead(LGPL)
Cal3D(LGPL)
GPUMesh(free)
GNU Triangulated Surface Library(LGPL)
LibASE(LGPL)
lib3DS(LGPL)
Filesystems, persistence, and format parsing
bzip2(free)
Crypto++(free, but note possible crypto. legal issues)
ezXML(MIT)
libXML(MIT)
LZMA (7-Zip compression)(LGPLorCPL)
LZO(GPL)
PhysFS(zlib)
SQLite(public domain)
TinyXML(zlib)
Unrarlib(free for non-commercial, otherwise GPL)
ZipArchive(GPL, or pay for commercial license)
zipstream, bzip2stream(iostream wrappers for the zlib and bzip2 libraries)
(zlib)
zlib(zlib)
zziplib(LGPL/MPL)
Scripting Languages
AngelScript(zlib)
CInt (C interpreter)(free, reg. required for commercial use)
EosScript(LGPL)
GameMonkey(MIT)
Guile(Modified GPL - almost LGPL)
IO(BSD)
Javascript(presumablyMozilla license)
Lua(MIT)
Perl(Artisticlicense)
Tcl(free)
Python(free)
Ruby(Ruby license)
Small(zlib)
Squirrel(zlib)
VBScript('license at no charge')
Artificial Intelligence
TODO: summarise these:http://www.gameai.com/toolkits.html
FEAR(GPL, other)
OpenSteer(MIT)
PathLib(old, mainly Czech)
Mathematics, Physics and Collision Detection
Mathematics:Blitz++(GPLorBlitz Artistic License)
Math3D++ (vectors, quaternions)(free?)
MathGL++ (Matrices, Vectors, Quaternions, Linear polynomials with eigen systems)(LGPL)
Mersenne Twister random number generator(free)
VMath (NxM matrix template class)(free)
Newton Game Dynamics(Free, but must notify creators)
Novodex(free for noncommercial, contact for commercial)
Open Dynamics Engine (ODE)(BSD)
Open Dynamics Framework(free for both commercial and non-commercial use)
Physical(free)
Plane2D (for ODE)(presumablyBSDalso)
Tokamak(free)
True Axis(free for non-commercial use)
Collision detection:
ColDet(LGPL)
Opcode(free usage)
Rapid(free for non-commercial use)
Solid(LGPL)
V-Collide(free for non-commercial use)
Debugging, memory checks, general purpose, etc
Boost (C++ smart pointers, parsers, random numbers, quaternions, and more)(Boost license)
ElectricFence(GPL)
Fluid Studios Logger(free)
Hans Boehm garbage collector for C++(free use, no warranty)
The Image Debugger (Win32 image output)(free)
IProf('A portable industrial-strength interactive profiler for C++ and C.')(public domain)
LeakTracer(Public domain)
MMGR (memory manager/checker)(free)
Valgrind (Linux debugging and profiling tool)(GPL)
Other Tools
Doxygen (documentation generator)(GPL)
InnoSetup (installer)(free)
NaturalDocs (documentation generator)(Requires Perl 5.05.) (Free)
NSIS (installer) (free)
Synopsis (documentation generator)(free)
UPX (executable packer) (free)
???GDAL - Geospatial Data Abstraction Library(MIT)