Compiling for iOS

See also

This page describes how to compile iOS export template binaries from source. If you’re looking to export your project to iOS instead, read Exporting for iOS.

Requirements

  • Python 3.6+.

  • SCons 3.1.2+ build system.

  • Xcode.

    • Launch Xcode once and install iOS support. If you have already launched Xcode and need to install iOS support, go to Xcode -> Settings… -> Platforms.

    • Go to Xcode -> Settings… -> Locations -> Command Line Tools and select an installed version. Even if one is already selected, re-select it.

  • Download and follow README instructions to build a static .xcframework from the MoltenVK SDK.

Note

If you have Homebrew installed, you can easily install SCons using the following command:

  1. brew install scons

Installing Homebrew will also fetch the Command Line Tools for Xcode automatically if you don’t have them already.

Similarly, if you have MacPorts installed, you can easily install SCons using the following command:

  1. sudo port install scons

See also

To get the Godot source code for compiling, see Getting the source.

For a general overview of SCons usage for Godot, see Introduction to the buildsystem.

Compiling

Open a Terminal, go to the root folder of the engine source code and type the following to compile a debug build:

  1. scons platform=ios target=template_debug generate_bundle=yes

To compile a release build:

  1. scons platform=ios target=template_release generate_bundle=yes

Alternatively, you can run the following command for Xcode simulator libraries (optional):

  1. scons platform=ios target=template_debug ios_simulator=yes arch=arm64
  2. scons platform=ios target=template_debug ios_simulator=yes arch=x86_64 generate_bundle=yes

These simulator libraries cannot be used to run the exported project on the target device. Instead, they can be used to run the exported project directly on your Mac while still testing iOS platform-specific functionality.

To create an Xcode project like in the official builds, you need to use the template located in misc/dist/ios_xcode. The release and debug libraries should be placed in libgodot.ios.debug.xcframework and libgodot.ios.release.xcframework respectively. This process can be automated by using the generate_bundle=yes option on the last SCons command used to build export templates (so that all binaries can be included).

The MoltenVK static .xcframework folder must also be placed in the ios_xcode folder once it has been created. MoltenVK is always statically linked on iOS; there is no dynamic linking option available, unlike macOS.

Run

To run on a device or simulator, follow these instructions: Exporting for iOS.

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