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wtf is kross?

kristaq77/kross — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-05-18

13CAudience · researcherComplexity · 3/5Setup · moderate

TL;DR

A header-only software rasterizer written in C, built and heavily commented to teach computer graphics rather than for speed.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      Software rasterizer
      2D drawing primitives
      Procedural noise
    Tech stack
      C
      OpenGL 1.1
      Header-only library
    Use cases
      Learn rasterization
      Study commented C graphics code
      Run example demos
    Audience
      Students
      Graphics hobbyists

Code map

Detail Auto

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filefunction / class

Why would anyone build with this?

REASON 1

Read heavily commented C code to learn how a software rasterizer works.

REASON 2

Study the included math and color manipulation code for graphics programming.

REASON 3

Run the Snake, Pong, or Bezier curve example demos included in the project.

REASON 4

Use the procedural noise and drawing primitives as a study reference.

What's in the stack?

COpenGL

How it stacks up

kristaq77/krosscosmicvi/papers-for-windowsgonefunctorz/ariel
Stars131313
LanguageCCC
Setup difficultymoderatehardhard
Complexity3/54/55/5
Audienceresearcherdeveloperresearcher

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you spin it up?

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 30min

Tested on Arch Linux with OpenGL 1.1, author notes it should also work on Windows.

The README does not state license terms.

Wtf does this do

Kross is a header-only software rasterizer written in C, meaning it draws 2D and 3D shapes onto the screen using ordinary CPU code rather than relying on a graphics card to do the heavy lifting. The README describes it as the result of the author's one year, self-described painful journey learning C and computer graphics, and it comes with a small math library, tools for manipulating color, procedural noise generation, and basic drawing primitives. What sets this project apart is its purpose: it is written to be read and learned from rather than to run fast. The author warns plainly that it may run as slowly as 60 seconds per frame instead of 60 frames per second, and the code is described as very heavily commented, with the kind of explanations the author wishes they had found when they were starting out. In that sense it works more like a teaching resource than a production graphics engine. The project is developed and tested on Arch Linux and uses OpenGL 1.1 purely to present the finished image to the screen, so it should also run on Windows. The README includes several example screenshots, showing a Snake game, a Pong game, a Bezier curve simulation, an RGB triangle, and a barycentric coordinate demo, all rendered using the rasterizer. The author states this is a personal project and explicitly does not accept outside contributions. The README also notes that the project is dedicated to God and Orthodox Christianity as a personal expression of thanks from the author. Anyone interested in this repository should read it for the code and comments themselves rather than expect ongoing collaboration or support.

Yoink these prompts

Prompt 1
Explain how the software rasterizer in this project draws a triangle to the screen.
Prompt 2
Walk me through the math library included in kross and what each function does.
Prompt 3
Help me build and run the Pong example from this repository on Linux.
Prompt 4
What does OpenGL 1.1 do in this project if the rendering itself is done on the CPU?

Frequently asked questions

wtf is kross?

A header-only software rasterizer written in C, built and heavily commented to teach computer graphics rather than for speed.

What language is kross written in?

Mainly C. The stack also includes C, OpenGL.

What license does kross use?

The README does not state license terms.

How hard is kross to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated moderate, with roughly 30min to a first successful run.

Who is kross for?

Mainly researcher.

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