ImKit
Modern UI for Dear ImGui. Familiar workflow.
ImKit is a C++20 static library that gives an existing Dear ImGui app a modern look and richer controls. Add one theme, keep your frame loop, and link only the modules you need.
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Why ImKit
- A new look, the same workflow. Add a theme and your existing app picks up rounded controls, soft shadows and smooth motion. Call shapes and values stay as they are.
- Make it yours. Build a theme from four colours, add corners, an outline and a shadow, or replace component frames with your own skin. 13 themes are built in.
- More than widgets. Workspaces, a timeline, a node editor, charts, a PTZ pad, 321 icons, and an optional
show module for media servers.
- Your app stays yours. The Dear ImGui context, backend, renderer, fonts, data, undo history and persistence remain in your application.
Try the Gallery
Download the v4.0.0 package for your platform, extract it and run bin/imkit_gallery.exe (Windows) or imkit_gallery.app (macOS). The package also holds a Node Editor Gallery. The Gallery uses the same public components your application links.
To build it from source on Windows:
cmake --preset windows-debug
cmake --build --preset windows-debug --target imkit_gallery --parallel
./build/windows-debug/catalog/Debug/imkit_gallery.exe
Add ImKit to your app
Point ImKit at the Dear ImGui target your application already uses:
set(IMKIT_IMGUI_TARGET host_imgui)
add_subdirectory(external/imgui-modern-kit)
target_link_libraries(your_app PRIVATE imkit::imkit)
Apply a theme before the frame starts, then draw controls in a normal window:
#include <imkit/imkit.h>
auto theme = imkit::MakeTheme(imkit::ThemePreset::Ocean);
imkit::ApplyTheme(theme, 1.0f); // before ImGui::NewFrame()
if (imkit::Begin("Display")) {
static bool enabled = true;
imkit::Toggle("Enabled", &enabled);
imkit::ActionButton("Apply", imkit::ActionVariant::Primary);
}
imkit::End();
What you can build
| Area | What it gives you | CMake target | Gallery page |
|---|
| Look | Themes, brand colours, skins, 321 icons | imkit::imkit | Theme Studio, Skins, Icons |
| Controls | Buttons, toggles, sliders, inputs, tables, toasts, progress | imkit::imkit | Controls |
| Data | Donut, bar, gauge and sparkline charts, PTZ control | imkit::imkit | Data |
| Workspaces | Timeline, curves, inspector, hierarchy, preview monitors | imkit::editor_suite | Workspaces |
| Node graph | Canvas, sockets, minimap, edit requests | imkit::node_editor | Node Editor Gallery |
| Show | Cue list, mixer, control surface, LED and schedule tools | imkit::show | Show |
| Native | Window frame, OpenGL and Metal preview, accessibility bridges | imkit::window_frame_*, imkit::preview_* | Window frame |
The module recipes list the header, target and frame placement for each area.
See it move
| |
|---|
| Pick a theme and everything follows. | Load a whole look, then change corners and shadow. |
| Tabs, hierarchy and settings in one screen. | Run a live show with GO. |
What is new in 4.0
- A refreshed default look: new radii, shadows and motion tokens, pill segments and sliders, redrawn progress, toasts and charts.
- Brand themes:
MakeBrandTheme, Theme Studio, skins, outlines and hard shadows.
- New modules: charts, PTZ control, range sliders and the
show module.
- A redesigned Gallery and a new three-minute film.
Rebuild your application and every linked ImKit library with the 4.0 headers, and do not mix 3.x objects with 4.0 structures. Default tokens changed: see the migration guide and the changelog.
Compatibility
The v4 ABI targets Dear ImGui 1.93.0 WIP docking commit 367b2c24f399988ddafc0bb4628da0106bcc09be. Release packages cover Windows x64 and Arm64, and macOS arm64, x86_64 and Universal 2. The macOS packages are unsigned and not notarized. Automated checks do not establish physical input, native IME, screen-reader, mixed-DPI or third-party host acceptance; see the validation scope and dependencies.
Documentation
Documentation index · Getting started · Components · Gallery guide · Node Editor · Architecture · Changelog
License
ImKit is MIT licensed. Dear ImGui, GLFW and optional font assets keep their own licenses. The film's music, "Laserpack" by Kevin MacLeod ft. DarkNES (incompetech.com), is licensed under CC BY 4.0. See THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md for revisions, hashes and notices.
