MonoGame.Samples/RenderTarget2D

RenderTarget2D Sample

This is a MonoGame 3.8 sample that demonstrates how to use RenderTarget2D to render graphics to a texture and then manipulate that texture before drawing it to the screen. This sample showcases render-to-texture techniques that are commonly used for post-processing effects, screen capture, and dynamic texture generation.

Project Overview

The RenderTarget2D sample creates a scene with textures (checker pattern and logo), renders them to a render target, and then displays the result on the screen with various transformations and effects.

Supported Platforms

This project has been modernized to use .NET 8.0 and MonoGame 3.8.* with support for the following platforms:

• Windows (net8.0-windows) - DirectX backend
• DesktopGL (net8.0) - OpenGL backend for cross-platform desktop
• Android (net8.0-android) - Mobile Android devices
• iOS (net8.0-ios) - Mobile iOS devices

Prerequisites

• .NET 8.0 SDK or later
• For Android development: Android SDK with API Level 21+ (Android 5.0)
• For iOS development: Xcode and iOS 11.0+ support
• Visual Studio 2022 or Visual Studio Code with C# extension

Building and Running

Using Visual Studio

1. Open RenderTarget2DSample.sln in Visual Studio 2022
2. Select your target platform project as the startup project
3. Build and run (F5)

Using Visual Studio Code

1. Open the project folder in VS Code
2. Use the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P) and run "Tasks: Run Task"
3. Choose from available tasks:
   • build-windows - Build Windows version
   • build-desktopgl - Build DesktopGL version
   • build-android - Build Android version
   • run-windows - Build and run Windows version
   • run-desktopgl - Build and run DesktopGL version

Using Command Line

Windows DirectX Version

dotnet build RenderTarget2D.Windows.csproj
dotnet run --project RenderTarget2D.Windows.csproj

DesktopGL Version (Cross-platform)

dotnet build RenderTarget2D.DesktopGL.csproj
dotnet run --project RenderTarget2D.DesktopGL.csproj

Android Version

dotnet build RenderTarget2D.Android.csproj
# Deploy to connected Android device/emulator
dotnet publish RenderTarget2D.Android.csproj -f net8.0-android

iOS Version

dotnet build RenderTarget2D.iOS.csproj
# Requires Xcode and Mac for deployment

Project Structure

• Game1.cs - Main game class with render target logic
• Program.cs - Entry points for different platforms
• MainActivity.cs - Android-specific activity
• Content/ - Game assets (.xnb files)
• Properties/ - Platform-specific manifests and settings
• Resources/ - Android-specific resources

Content Pipeline

This project uses pre-compiled .xnb content files located in the ../CompiledContent/ directory. The content includes:

• checker.xnb - Checker pattern texture
• logo.xnb - Logo texture

The project does not include a Content.mgcb file and uses the existing compiled content directly.

Key Features Demonstrated

• RenderTarget2D Creation - How to create and configure render targets
• Render-to-Texture - Drawing graphics to a texture instead of the screen
• Texture Manipulation - Using rendered textures as input for further rendering
• Cross-Platform Compatibility - Single codebase supporting multiple platforms

MonoGame 3.8 Features Used

• Modern .NET 8.0 target frameworks
• NuGet package references for MonoGame framework
• Platform-specific optimizations
• Updated graphics pipeline

Troubleshooting

Missing Content Files

If you get content loading errors, ensure that the ../CompiledContent/ directory exists with the required .xnb files for your target platform.

Build Errors

• Ensure you have the correct .NET 8.0 SDK installed
• For Android: Verify Android SDK and build tools are properly configured
• For iOS: Ensure Xcode and iOS development tools are installed (Mac only)

Performance Issues

• Try the DesktopGL version if Windows DirectX version has issues
• Ensure your graphics drivers are up to date

License

This sample is part of the MonoGame samples collection and follows the same licensing terms as MonoGame.