Documentation

CNA Documentation

Everything you need to understand, build, and develop with CNA. Documentation is growing alongside the project — contributions welcome.

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CNA is a work in progress. Documentation reflects the current state of the codebase and is updated as features are implemented. For the most authoritative source, consult the source code and README on GitHub.

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Getting Started

Quick introduction to CNA — what it is, prerequisites, first build, and a minimal game skeleton.

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Building

Full build instructions for Linux and Windows, backend selection, cross-compilation with MinGW-w64, and optional system SDL.

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Platforms

Detailed platform support matrix: Linux, Windows, Android, and web (Emscripten) — current status and future targets.

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Rendering Backends

Comparison and guide for SDL_Renderer, EasyGL (OpenGL), bgfx, and Vulkan backends — tradeoffs and when to use each.

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XNA Compatibility

API coverage table — which XNA 4.0 classes and namespaces are implemented, partially implemented, or planned.

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Roadmap

Detailed development roadmap — current sprint, upcoming milestones, and long-term vision including Nova-3D integration.

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FAQ

Frequently asked questions about CNA, its goals, differences from FNA/MonoGame, and how to contribute.

External references

CNA targets compatibility with the Microsoft XNA 4.0 API. These external resources are useful for understanding the target API surface:

Microsoft XNA 4.0 API Reference

Official Microsoft documentation for XNA Game Studio 4.0 on Microsoft Learn.

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FNA Documentation

FNA is a managed C# reimplementation of XNA 4.0. Its documentation is a useful cross-reference.

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MonoGame Documentation

MonoGame extends the XNA API. Good reference for API patterns and expected behaviour.

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SDL3 Documentation

SDL3 is CNA's platform foundation. The SDL3 wiki is the reference for the underlying platform APIs.

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