MGFX API Guide

This page stays at /API for older links. New readers should start with the runtime-specific guides:

• Plain GLua Quick Start
• Lux Quick Start
• Core Concepts
• API Reference

Same API, Two Facades

GLua

local mgfx = include("mgfx/init.lua")

mgfx.RoundedBoxEx(16, 16, 220, 48, {
    radius = 8,
    fill = mgfx.LinearGradient(0, 0, 1, 0, Color(80, 170, 255), Color(90, 220, 180)),
})

Lux

import * as mgfx from "@lux/mgfx"

client fn drawPanel() {
  local draw = mgfx.api
  draw.roundedBoxEx(16, 16, 220, 48, {
    radius = 8,
    fill = draw.linearGradient(0, 0, 1, 0, Color(80, 170, 255), Color(90, 220, 180)),
  });
}

Plain GLua uses PascalCase names on the table returned by mgfx/init.lua. Lux uses lowerCamelCase names on mgfx.api.*. The renderer behavior and style fields are the same.

GLua	Lux
mgfx.StartPanel	mgfx.api.startPanel
mgfx.RoundedBoxEx	mgfx.api.roundedBoxEx
mgfx.ImageEx	mgfx.api.imageEx
mgfx.ProgressBarEx	mgfx.api.progressBarEx
mgfx.LinearGradient	mgfx.api.linearGradient
mgfx.TextEx	mgfx.api.textEx

What To Read

Need	Page
Install and first draw call in a normal addon	Plain GLua Quick Start
Install and first draw call in Lux	Lux Quick Start
Frame scope, Name / NameEx, style tables	Core Concepts
Shadow, glow, backdrop, patterns	Effects
Exact signatures and fields	API Reference
Hot path rules and performance tradeoffs	Performance Model
Shaderpack and packaging details	Shaders and Packaging

API Groups

Area	Main APIs
Frame scope and shared coverage	StartPanel, EndPanel, StartScreen, EndScreen, PushClip, PopClip, Mask, Clip
Shapes and lines	RoundedBoxEx, ChamferBoxEx, RegularPolyEx, PolyEx, LineEx, CircleEx, CapsuleEx
Images and per-image masks	ImageEx, IconEx, style.mask = {kind = ...}
HUD meters and sectors	ProgressBarEx, SegmentBarEx, RingEx, ArcEx, SectorEx
Text	Text, TextEx, TextBoxEx, MeasureText, PrewarmText
Paint and transforms	LinearGradient, RadialGradient, EllipticalRadialGradient, WornPattern, Transform, PointerTilt, GetCapabilities

MGFX is a renderer, not a UI framework. It does not own layout, input, focus, component lifecycle, animation state, or hit testing.