Getting Started with Skija
Skija brings the power of the Skia Graphics Engine to the Java Virtual Machine. This guide provides a high-level overview of how to start drawing with Skija.
Core Concepts
Before diving into code, it's helpful to understand the primary players in the Skija ecosystem:
- Surface: The destination for your drawing (like a sheet of paper).
- Canvas: The interface used to perform drawing operations (like your hand).
- Paint: Defines the color, style, and effects of what you draw (like your pen or brush).
Quick Start Path
To get your first "Hello World" on the screen or in an image file, we recommend following these steps:
- Installation: Set up your project dependencies for your specific platform (Windows, macOS, or Linux).
- Rendering Basics: Learn how to create a simple in-memory Surface and draw your first primitive shapes.
- Typography: Add text to your creations using system fonts or custom font files.
- GPU Rendering: For interactive applications, learn how to harness the power of your graphics card.
Resource Management
Skija is a high-performance wrapper around a C++ library. While it manages memory automatically for you, understanding the Resource Management principles is recommended for building robust applications.
Deep Dives
Once you are comfortable with the basics, explore our detailed API references:
- Canvas API: Detailed look at transformations, clipping, and drawing methods.
- Paint & Effects: Master blurs, shadows, and color matrices.
- Shaders: Create beautiful gradients and procedural textures.
- SkSL: Write custom GPU shaders for ultimate flexibility.
Ready to build something amazing?
Check out the Full Documentation Index for a complete list of guides and references.