Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

OpenFrameworks VS BuildBox

Compare OpenFrameworks VS BuildBox and see what are their differences

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OpenFrameworks logo OpenFrameworks

openFrameworks

BuildBox logo BuildBox

Buildbox is a new video game maker that is extremely easy to use.
  • OpenFrameworks Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-30
  • BuildBox Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-20

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    Although there is community support, the official documentation can sometimes be sparse or outdated, which can pose challenges for developers seeking detailed explanations or examples.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.

BuildBox features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    BuildBox offers a drag-and-drop interface that allows users with little to no coding experience to create games quickly and efficiently.
  • Rapid Prototyping
    The software speeds up the game development process by providing ready-made assets and templates that enable developers to prototype games in mere hours.
  • Cross-Platform Export
    BuildBox allows seamless export of games to multiple platforms, including iOS, Android, and desktop, which broadens the potential user base.
  • Community and Support
    BuildBox has a strong user community and customer support system, which includes tutorials, forums, and responsive help desks.

Possible disadvantages of BuildBox

  • Cost
    BuildBox comes with a subscription-based pricing model that can be expensive, especially for indie developers and small studios.
  • Limited Customization
    While the drag-and-drop interface is easy to use, it can be restrictive for advanced users who want to implement more complex functionalities or custom code.
  • Performance Issues
    Games built with BuildBox can sometimes suffer from performance issues, especially on mobile platforms with limited hardware capabilities.
  • Feature Limitations
    Some advanced game development features available in other engines (like Unity or Unreal Engine) may be lacking or less developed in BuildBox.

Analysis of OpenFrameworks

Overall verdict

  • OpenFrameworks is considered a good choice for those looking to explore creative coding due to its combination of versatility, performance, and community support. Its open-source nature and cross-platform capabilities make it an attractive option for both beginners and experienced developers in the field.

Why this product is good

  • OpenFrameworks is widely regarded as a solid toolkit for creative coding. It provides a comprehensive set of tools and functionalities aimed at artists, designers, and developers who seek to create interactive applications, visuals, and installations. The framework is built on top of C++ and offers extensive support for multimedia operations, making it suitable for graphics rendering, audio processing, and computer vision tasks. Additionally, OpenFrameworks benefits from an active community that contributes to a rich ecosystem of addons and shared projects, providing a collaborative environment for learning and experimentation.

Recommended for

  • Artists and designers looking to create interactive installations.
  • Developers interested in multimedia applications and simulations.
  • Educators teaching creative coding or multimedia art courses.
  • Hobbyists wanting to experiment with graphics and audio processing.

Analysis of BuildBox

Overall verdict

  • BuildBox is a solid choice for those looking to create games without delving into programming. Its ease of use and comprehensive tools make it ideal for beginners and hobbyists. However, it might fall short for more experienced developers who need deeper control over game mechanics and performance optimization, or who require features available in more complex engines like Unity or Unreal Engine.

Why this product is good

  • BuildBox is a game development platform that allows users to create games without requiring programming or coding skills. It offers a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface, a wide variety of templates, and extensive design options to help users design both 2D and 3D games. This makes it an attractive choice for beginners or those looking to quickly prototype a game concept.

Recommended for

    BuildBox is recommended for beginners, educators, and hobbyist game developers who want to create simple to moderately complex games quickly and efficiently. It's also suitable for non-developers interested in learning game design or creating games as a side project.

OpenFrameworks videos

Part 2 of GAFFTA OpenFrameworks for Processing Coders

More videos:

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

BuildBox videos

Buildbox Hands-On Review

More videos:

  • Review - 🎁BUILDBOX 3 REVIEW an Honest Review🕹and What is the NoCode Movement?? BUILDBOX REVIEW
  • Tutorial - BUILDBOX 3 for FREE, What's The Catch and How To Get Started!

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to OpenFrameworks and BuildBox)
3D
100 100%
0% 0
Game Development
0 0%
100% 100
VJ
100 100%
0% 0
Game Engine
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare OpenFrameworks and BuildBox

OpenFrameworks Reviews

We have no reviews of OpenFrameworks yet.
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BuildBox Reviews

The Best Gaming Engines You Should Consider for 2023
BuildBox allows users to create 2D games without coding. Designed for beginners, users can drag and drop different game objects, animations, and scenes to create games. It also includes features such as level creation, character customization, physics engine, and an asset library.
Top 7 Game Development Tools To Look Forward In 2020
Source - yoyogames Also as it uses drag and drop interface, it had made it even easier to get started with the work as soon as possible. There’s always a good amount of information and tutorials made available for all the users/developers worldwide, to boost their skills and confidence. Buildbox It is a No-code or Low-code development platform whose main aim is to create...
The Best 15 Mobile Game Engines / Development Platforms & Tools in 2020
With Buildbox you can create your own games in a really short time and in a really easy way. You don’t need to code – select images, import them, assign them a role (character, object, decoration, power up, etc) and your game will get started. In addition you can make changes and check them in real time. If you are not a tech expert this platform is for you.
Source: thetool.io

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, OpenFrameworks seems to be a lot more popular than BuildBox. While we know about 32 links to OpenFrameworks, we've tracked only 2 mentions of BuildBox. 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.

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 / 4 months ago
  • Resolume
    Not exactly VJ, but could be used for it. https://openframeworks.cc. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • VVVV – A Hybrid Visual/Textual Development Environment
    - openFrameworks https://openframeworks.cc/ C++. - Source: Hacker News / over 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
View more

BuildBox mentions (2)

  • The 10 Best No-Code Platforms That Accelerate Development
    BuildBox takes these components and provides a development environment that allows non-coders to drag and drop assets and game logic to build their games from scratch. Budding designers can get started with a handful of templates that can be further customized with bespoke animation and event scripting to make games truly unique. Create 2D or 3D games with homemade art assets or purchase assets from the BuildBox... - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • Open source
    Https://signup.buildbox.com/ it isn't opensource, because no one is willing to do that much work for no money. Source: almost 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

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

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

Unreal Engine - Unreal Engine 4 is a suite of integrated tools for game developers to design and build games, simulations, and visualizations.

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

Unity - The multiplatform game creation tools for everyone.

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

Blender - Blender is the open source, cross platform suite of tools for 3D creation.