Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Cairo VS OpenFrameworks

Compare Cairo VS OpenFrameworks and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Cairo logo Cairo

Cairo is an open-source 2D graphics library released under the GNU Lesser General Public License with support for several output devices.

OpenFrameworks logo OpenFrameworks

openFrameworks
  • Cairo Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-26
  • OpenFrameworks Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-30

Cairo features and specs

  • Vector Graphics
    Cairo excels at producing high-quality vector graphics, which are resolution-independent and scalable. This is ideal for modern applications that require precision and flexibility in graphical rendering.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    Cairo provides a consistent API across multiple platforms including Windows, Mac, and Linux, facilitating easier cross-platform development.
  • Multiple Backends
    Cairo supports various backends like X Window System, Quartz, Win32, and OpenGL. This allows developers to render graphics in different environments with relative ease.
  • Open Source
    As an open-source library, Cairo is free to use and can be easily modified. This can lead to cost savings and offers flexibility for projects with specific needs.

Possible disadvantages of Cairo

  • Performance Limitations
    Cairo can be slower when handling complex or intensive graphical tasks compared to some other graphics libraries, which might affect performance in demanding applications.
  • Complexity for Beginners
    The learning curve for Cairo can be steep for developers who are new to graphics programming, as understanding its API and capabilities fully requires some experience.
  • Limited 3D Support
    Cairo primarily focuses on 2D graphics, which may not be suitable for applications or projects that require robust 3D graphics support.
  • Documentation
    While Cairo does have documentation, it can be insufficient or out-of-date in areas, making it challenging for developers to find the information they need quickly.

OpenFrameworks features and specs

  • Open Source
    OpenFrameworks is open-source, allowing developers to access, modify, and contribute to its codebase. This fosters a community-driven development environment and encourages collaboration.
  • Cross-Platform
    It supports multiple platforms, including Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android, making it versatile for developing applications across various operating systems.
  • Rich Collection of Add-ons
    OpenFrameworks offers a wide range of add-ons and libraries contributed by the community, which extend the framework's capabilities and provide tools for graphics, sound, video, computer vision, and more.
  • Community Support
    The framework has a robust community that provides support via forums, tutorials, and a wealth of shared projects and code snippets, making it easier to learn and troubleshoot.
  • Artistic and Creative Focus
    OpenFrameworks is particularly well-suited for projects that emphasize creativity and artistic output, making it popular among artists and designers working on interactive installations and media art.

Possible disadvantages of OpenFrameworks

  • Steep Learning Curve
    While OpenFrameworks is powerful, its complexity can be daunting for beginners, especially those without experience in C++ programming.
  • Limited Documentation
    Although there is community support, the official documentation can sometimes be sparse or outdated, which can pose challenges for developers seeking detailed explanations or examples.
  • Performance Overhead
    As an abstraction layer over native OpenGL, OpenFrameworks might introduce performance overhead compared to writing raw OpenGL code, which can be a concern for high-performance applications.
  • Dependency Management
    Managing dependencies and ensuring compatibility across different platforms can be complex, especially when dealing with various libraries and add-ons.
  • Not Ideal for All Types of Applications
    OpenFrameworks is tailored towards creative coding and may not be the best choice for applications that require extensive GUI features or are more business-logic-oriented.

Cairo videos

The Other Side of Cairo: Exploring Modern Egypt Travel Vlog

More videos:

  • Review - Undercover Food Tour in Cairo Backstreets!! Egyptian Street Food for CHEAP!!

OpenFrameworks videos

Part 2 of GAFFTA OpenFrameworks for Processing Coders

More videos:

  • Tutorial - openFrameworks tutorial - 000 intro to openFrameworks
  • Review - [openframeworks] Box2d study - Burst -

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Cairo and OpenFrameworks)
Development
100 100%
0% 0
3D
0 0%
100% 100
Photos & Graphics
100 100%
0% 0
VJ
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, OpenFrameworks seems to be a lot more popular than Cairo. While we know about 32 links to OpenFrameworks, we've tracked only 2 mentions of Cairo. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Cairo mentions (2)

  • More Haskell Diagrams: Images
    I would like to create images from Haskell diagrams with embedded images. At the same time, I want to use diagrams' cairo backend (diagrams-cairo) instead of the svg backend. - Source: dev.to / 9 months ago
  • The Quite OK Audio Format for Fast, Lossy Compression
    I looked at the PDF, and can confidently say I could typeset that in a word processor, using a stylesheet to sustain it. That's not what they did, apparently. The document properties call out https://cairographics.org. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago

OpenFrameworks mentions (32)

  • Ask HN: Who Are Your Favorite Photography and Generative Coding Artists?
    Zach Lieberman https://x.com/zachlieberman does his work in C++ with https://openframeworks.cc/. - Source: Hacker News / 2 months ago
  • Resolume
    Not exactly VJ, but could be used for it. https://openframeworks.cc. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • VVVV – A Hybrid Visual/Textual Development Environment
    - openFrameworks https://openframeworks.cc/ C++. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Valve Says Counter-Strike 2 for macOS Not Happening, There Aren't Enough Players
    Vulkan is sort of a post-API API. It seems to be designed specifically with high performance render pipelines in mind, and "end users" should interface with it through an intermediary layer. Ie, you might prefer bgfx[0], cinder[1] or openframeworks[2]. 0: https://github.com/bkaradzic/bgfx 2: https://openframeworks.cc/. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • I'm starting to get tired
    Since you have C# experience, take this time to learn more about C++ while you continue to look. While yes, it is very easy to write bad code, it's not a huge deal since you just graduated and are just hacking around. Plus there are a lot of helpers these days to make writing bad code a little less likely.A former mentor of mine gifted me "C++ Without Fear" by Brian Overland which I can recommend. It's not too... Source: about 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Cairo and OpenFrameworks, you can also consider the following products

Skia - Skia is an easy-to-use and user-friendly 2D Graphics Library that comes with many prominent APIs for usage in software and hardware platforms.

Processing - C++ and Java programming at the speed of thought.

PlotDevice - PlotDevice is a graphics language for tinkerers, designers, developers and is written in Python.

TouchDesigner - TouchDesigner is a visual development platform that equips you with the tools you need to create stunning realtime projects and rich user experiences.

Anti-Grain Geometry (AGG) - Anti-Grain Geometry (AGG) is an open-source 2D graphics library that provides you with tools to create multiple shapes and also comes with detailed documentation for explaining all the important concepts.

Vvvv - vvvv is a graphical programming environment for easy prototyping and development.