C++ Drawing Shapes (SFML)

In this page:

Drawing Circles
Drawing Rectangles
Convex and Custom Shapes
Transforming Shapes
Coloring and Outlines

Drawing Circles

sf::CircleShape draws a filled circle by specifying just its radius; SFML computes the outline as a many-sided polygon internally. You control its appearance with setFillColor() and can reposition it anywhere in the window with setPosition().

Example: Drawing Circles

cpp

#include <SFML/Graphics.hpp>

int main() {
	sf::CircleShape circle(50.f);
	circle.setFillColor(sf::Color::Green);
	circle.setPosition(100, 100);
	return 0;
}

Drawing Rectangles

sf::RectangleShape draws a rectangle whose width and height you define with an sf::Vector2f passed to setSize() -- this two-component vector type is used throughout SFML anywhere a 2D size or position is needed.

Example: Drawing Rectangles

cpp

#include <SFML/Graphics.hpp>

int main() {
	sf::RectangleShape rect;
	rect.setSize(sf::Vector2f(120.f, 50.f));
	rect.setFillColor(sf::Color::Blue);
	return 0;
}

Convex and Custom Shapes

sf::ConvexShape lets you draw arbitrary polygons beyond simple circles and rectangles. You must first call setPointCount() to declare how many vertices the shape has, then set each vertex's position individually with setPoint(index, position) -- SFML connects them in order to form the outline.

Example: Convex and Custom Shapes

cpp

#include <SFML/Graphics.hpp>

int main() {
	sf::ConvexShape triangle;
	triangle.setPointCount(3);
	triangle.setPoint(0, sf::Vector2f(0, 0));
	triangle.setPoint(1, sf::Vector2f(100, 0));
	triangle.setPoint(2, sf::Vector2f(50, 100));
	return 0;
}

Transforming Shapes

Every SFML shape supports setPosition(), setRotation(), and setScale(), which apply a transform independently of the shape's own geometry -- so you can move, spin, or resize a shape frame-to-frame (for animation) without redefining its underlying points each time.

Example: Transforming Shapes

cpp

#include <SFML/Graphics.hpp>

int main() {
	sf::CircleShape shape(30.f);
	shape.setPosition(50, 50);
	shape.setRotation(45.f);
	shape.setScale(1.5f, 1.5f);
	return 0;
}

Coloring and Outlines

Beyond a solid fill color, setOutlineColor() and setOutlineThickness() add a visible border around a shape's edge, which is useful for making overlapping shapes visually distinct or highlighting a shape the user has selected.

Example: Coloring and Outlines

cpp

#include <SFML/Graphics.hpp>

int main() {
	sf::CircleShape shape(40.f);
	shape.setFillColor(sf::Color::Yellow);
	shape.setOutlineColor(sf::Color::Black);
	shape.setOutlineThickness(3.f);
	return 0;
}

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