renodx/docs/CONTRIBUTING.md

Getting Started

RenoDX is an engine for modifying DirectX games. Recommended configuration:

• VSCode - Recommended IDE
• vs_buildTools.exe - MSVC 2022 Build Tools
• cmake - Build System
• llvm - Used for compiling, linting and formatting
• ninja - For faster building
• Windows SDK - Used to build addons and compile HLSL. Minimum supported version: 10.0.26100.0
• glslang - Compiles explicitly tagged .gl.glsl and .vk.glsl files to OpenGL- and Vulkan-targeted SPIR-V. CMake accepts the current glslang.exe standalone tool or the legacy glslangValidator.exe name, checking bin before optional fallback locations.
• DirectXShaderCompiler - Provides dxc.exe and dxcompiler.dll for Shader Model 6.x compilation and devkit tooling. DXC-based decompilation is also used by devkit where supported. Some releases also include dxil.dll, but it is not required for the RenoDX MCP workflow.
• cmd_decompiler.exe - Decompiles upto Shader Model 5.0 to HLSL
• slangc.exe - Compiles .slang files for DXBC, DXIL, and SPIR-V

RenoDX uses the Reshade Addon API meaning Reshade is a core requirement for RenoDX.

Setup (CLI)

Clone or fork the repository:

• git clone https://github.com/clshortfuse/renodx.git

Bootstrap helper binaries from the repo root. The recommended path is the setup script:

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\scripts\setup-dev-env.ps1
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\scripts\setup-dev-env.ps1 -Update
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\scripts\setup-dev-env.ps1 -Install
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\scripts\setup-dev-env.ps1 -Bin .\bin -Install
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\scripts\setup-dev-env.ps1 -Update -Tools dxc,slang,glslang

• The default invocation is a preview. It does not change files. Instead it reports the Windows SDK version it found and the current versus configured versions for the managed toolchain components.
• -Install creates .\bin when needed, applies managed tool installs or updates, attempts Windows SDK installation when the SDK is missing, and copies fxc.exe into .\bin when the SDK is already installed.
• Use -Bin when running the script outside the repo root. The default bin path is relative to the current working directory, not the script directory.
• Use -Tools to limit setup to a comma-separated selection of dxc, slang, glslang, and 3dmigoto.
• -Update re-runs the same version-aware checks and applies managed tool installs or updates without attempting Windows SDK installation. If the SDK is already installed, it can still copy fxc.exe into .\bin.
• The script will not downgrade a newer local managed tool install. It updates only when the configured package is newer than the installed one. It does not currently force-refresh same-version cached tool archives.
• When you use the in-game devkit overlay or MCP workflow, point devkit_set_tools_path at this same .\bin directory if the game ships a conflicting dxcompiler.dll or other toolchain helpers.

Managed tool minimum versions have a single source in cmake/tool-versions.cmake. The setup script reads that CMake file rather than maintaining another set of version constants. To print the currently configured versions, run:

cmake -P .\cmake\tool-versions.cmake

Manual tool setup is still supported if you prefer to manage .\bin yourself. Download the corresponding Windows x64 archives from the release pages linked above, then copy dxc.exe with dxcompiler.dll, slangc.exe, glslang.exe, and cmd_Decompiler.exe into .\bin. CMake checks the reported DXC, Slang, and glslang semantic versions during configuration and warns about versions older than the configured minimums; newer compatible versions are accepted. Run scripts/setup-dev-env.ps1 -Update to update managed tools to those configured versions.

Install the Windows SDK if it is not already present. The setup script will attempt this automatically when run with -Install, or you can do it manually:

• winget install --id Microsoft.WindowsSDK -e --silent

The setup script downloads the official Windows release archive for the configured glslang minimum version. The standalone compiler in .\bin is sufficient for GLSL builds.

Use Windows SDK 10.0.26100.0 or newer. fxc.exe comes from the Windows SDK. CMake can find it in the SDK install path, and the setup script will also copy it into .\bin when it can. The DXC package should provide dxc.exe together with dxcompiler.dll; some DXC releases also ship dxil.dll, which is fine to keep alongside them in .\bin but is not required by the current devkit MCP path. slangc.exe and cmd_Decompiler.exe are also expected there unless you have an equivalent toolchain arrangement of your own.

Update the submodules

• git submodule update --init --recursive

Configure the project

• cmake --preset clang-x64

Build the project

• cmake --build --preset clang-x64-release

Build the live inspection tooling

• cmake --build --preset clang-x64-debug --target devkit mcp_bridge

---

Note: for 32bit binaries use:

• cmake --preset clang-x86
• cmake --build --preset clang-x86-release --target generic

---

Note: for MSVC use:

• cmake --preset ninja-x64
• cmake --build --preset ninja-x64-release --target generic

---

Note: for Visual Studio use:

• cmake --preset vs-x64
• cmake --build --preset vs-x64-release --target generic

Automated configuration

Every folder inside src/games/ is considered a game mod. The CMakeList.txt file will perform the following steps:

• Search for C:/Program Files (x86)/Windows Kits/10 for locations of fxc.exe and dxc.exe
• Search src/games/**/*.hlsl for shader HLSL files that have following format {CRC32}.{TARGET}.hlsl (.):
  • shader CRC32 in hex formatted as 0xC0DEC0DE
  • shader target including {TYPE}_{MAJOR}_{MINOR} (eg: ps_6_6)
  • the hlsl extension
• Associate each shader file with an output embed/{CRC32}.h
• Search for src/games/**/addon.cpp and associate a target based on the folder name with the output being renodx-{target}.addon64 (or .addon32 if targetted Win32)
• Add src/devkit/addon.cpp as a target.

Building a mod

To simplify creating a new mod, the src/games/generic exists to be copied to start work on a new mod.

Devkit and MCP bridge

For live inspection, RenoDX also ships:

• devkit the game-side inspection addon
• mcp_bridge the MCP bridge process that exposes devkit to MCP clients

Common debug build command:

cmake --build --preset clang-x64-debug --target devkit mcp_bridge

The bridge binary is written to:

• build/Debug/renodx-mcp-bridge.exe

For the practical inspection workflow and live shader iteration rules, see:

• docs/DEVKIT_MCP.md