Andrey Kolkov

Posted on Dec 18

Pure Go 2D Graphics Library with GPU Acceleration: Introducing gogpu/gg

#go #graphics #gpu #opensource

When I discovered that fogleman/gg — the beloved 2D graphics library for Go — hadn't been updated since 2019, I knew the Go community needed a successor. Today, I'm excited to announce gogpu/gg v0.9.0 — a modern, GPU-accelerated 2D graphics library inspired by fogleman/gg.

The Journey

It all started with a Reddit discussion about the state of graphics and GUI development in Go. The community's frustration was clear: Go deserves better graphics support.

So we built it.

What is gogpu/gg?

gogpu/gg is a Pure Go 2D graphics library designed for:

IDEs (GoLand, VS Code level performance)
Browsers (Chrome-level rendering)
Professional graphics applications

Key Features

Feature	Description
Similar API	Easy migration from fogleman/gg
Pure Go	Zero CGO, simple `go build`
GPU Acceleration	WebGPU via Sparse Strips algorithm
Scene Graph	Retained mode rendering
29 Blend Modes	Porter-Duff + Advanced + HSL
Parallel Rendering	TileGrid + WorkerPool
LUT Optimizations	260x faster sRGB conversions

Quick Start

package main

import (
    "github.com/gogpu/gg"
    "github.com/gogpu/gg/text"
)

func main() {
    ctx := gg.NewContext(512, 512)
    ctx.ClearWithColor(gg.White)

    // Draw shapes
    ctx.SetColor(gg.Hex("#3498db"))
    ctx.DrawCircle(256, 256, 100)
    ctx.Fill()

    // Load font and draw text
    source, _ := text.NewFontSourceFromFile("arial.ttf")
    defer source.Close()

    ctx.SetFont(source.Face(32))
    ctx.SetColor(gg.Black)
    ctx.DrawString("Hello, GoGPU!", 180, 260)

    ctx.SavePNG("output.png")
}

Architecture: Sparse Strips

The v0.9.0 release introduces GPU acceleration using the Sparse Strips algorithm — the same approach used by vello in 2025:

Path → CPU Tessellation → Strips → GPU Rasterization → Compositing

CPU handles complex path math (curves, intersections)
GPU handles parallel pixel processing
Minimal data transfer (strips are compact)

The GoGPU Ecosystem

gogpu/gg is part of a larger Pure Go GPU Computing Ecosystem:

Project	Description	Version	LOC
gogpu/gg	2D graphics library	v0.9.0	~61K
gogpu/gogpu	Graphics framework	v0.3.0	~9K
gogpu/wgpu	Pure Go WebGPU	v0.4.0	~58K
gogpu/naga	Shader compiler (WGSL→SPIR-V)	v0.4.0	~16K

Total: ~144K lines of Pure Go — no CGO, no Rust, no C.

wgpu Backends

The Pure Go WebGPU implementation supports multiple backends:

Backend	Status	Use Case
Vulkan	✅ Done	Cross-platform (Windows/Linux/macOS)
OpenGL ES	✅ Done	Windows + Linux
Software	✅ Done	Headless, CI/CD, no GPU required
Metal	Planned	macOS/iOS
DX12	Planned	Windows

Version History

Version	Milestone
v0.1.0	Canvas API, shapes, paths
v0.2.0	Text rendering (FontSource/Face)
v0.3.0	Images, clipping, compositing
v0.4.0	Color pipeline, layer API
v0.5.0	LUT optimization (260x faster sRGB)
v0.6.0	Parallel rendering
v0.7.0	Scene graph (retained mode)
v0.8.0	Backend abstraction
v0.9.0	GPU acceleration

What's Next?

v0.10.0: GPU text rendering (glyph atlas, SDF fonts)
v1.0.0: Production release with stable API

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to:

@fogleman for the original gg that inspired this project
The vello team for Sparse Strips research
The Go community on r/golang

Links

GitHub: https://github.com/gogpu/gg
GoGPU Organization: https://github.com/gogpu
Community Discussion: https://github.com/fogleman/gg/issues/208

Star the repo if you find it useful! Contributions welcome.

go get github.com/gogpu/gg

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