“Turning simple coordinates into mountains of meaning.”
FDF is a wireframe model renderer written in pure C using the MiniLibX graphics library. It takes a 3D map (represented as a grid of heights) and transforms it into a 2D isometric or parallel projection. This project is part of the 42 Network curriculum and focuses on low-level graphics rendering, mathematical projections, and event-driven architecture — all from scratch.
What starts as a matrix of numbers becomes a living, breathing terrain in motion.
✅ Isometric & parallel projection switching
✅ Smooth zoom in/out using keyboard keys
✅ Mouse-based navigation
✅ Dynamic color gradients based on map values or user preferences
✅ Real-time refresh on user interaction
✅ Clean pixel-perfect rendering
✅ Robust handling of malformed map files
✅ Interactive mini-menu on the showing:
- Current
x-offset,y-offset,z-height - Zoom level, scale factor, rotation angle
- User guide menu with instructions for keyboard and mouse controls for :
- Rotation,
- Scaling,
- Height adjustment;
- C (ISO C90) — all logic implemented from scratch
- MiniLibX — lightweight X11-based graphics library
- parametric representation's Line Algorithm — crisp line drawing between 2D points
- Matrix Transformations — rotation, scaling, projection
- Manual memory management — malloc/free with zero leaks
- Event hooks — capturing user input via keyboard & mouse
- Color interpolation — dynamic color gradient rendering by height
Working on FDF taught me to think like the machine: to break down visual perception into raw math and rebuild it line by line. I learned:
- How 3D transforms work behind every game and simulation
- Why graphics programming is both beautiful and brutal
- How to optimize for rendering performance in C
- How to structure code in an event-driven paradigm
- How passion turns math into art
- But above all — how to turn low-level tools into something beautiful.
| Action | Key(s) |
|---|---|
| Move Map | Mouse (Drag) |
| Zoom In / Out | + - |
| Rotate | L / R |
| Change Projection | P (Parallel) / I (Isometric) |
| Reset View | Space |
| Exit Program | ESC |
Requirements:
cc,make, and a working X11 environment (Linux/macOS)
git clone https://github.com/elsayedamine/FDF.git
cd FDF
make
./fdf test_maps/42.fdfThis project is precious to me. It was the first time I felt like I wasn’t just coding — I was creating.
To every line of code that frustrated me, and every pixel that finally landed where I wanted: thank you for teaching me patience, persistence, and precision.
To anyone building something meaningful from scratch — keep going. It’s worth it.
— Amine Elsayed.
- 1337 Coding School for pushing us beyond our limits
- MiniLibX — tiny, but mighty
- Everyone who ever told me to “just draw it myself”
- @a-hakki — for his help, support, and unwavering dedication to my wor
“The only difference between art and code is the compile step.”