Getting Started with Traktor

This guide walks you through getting Traktor, creating your first project, and making a simple scene. By the end, you’ll have a working development environment and understand the basic workflow for making games with Traktor.

System Requirements

Before you start, make sure your system meets these requirements:

Graphics card: You need a Vulkan 1.3 capable GPU. Most modern graphics cards from NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel support this. If you’re unsure, check your GPU manufacturer’s specifications.

Operating system: Traktor’s editor and build tools run on Windows or Linux. macOS is not currently supported for development (though you can build games for macOS as a deployment target).

Build tools: On Windows, you need Visual Studio 2022 or newer with C++ development tools installed. On Linux, you need GCC or Clang with C++17 support.

Installation

You have two options for getting Traktor: download prebuilt binaries or build from source.

Download Prebuilt Binaries

The fastest way to try Traktor is to download the latest binary release from GitHub Releases. Download the appropriate package for your platform, extract it, and you’re ready to run the editor.

Important: Prebuilt releases may lag behind the latest source code. If you encounter bugs or want the newest features, build from source instead.

Building from source gives you the latest code, bug fixes, and features. It also lets you modify the engine and contribute improvements.

1. Clone the repository:

git clone --recursive https://github.com/apistol78/traktor.git
cd traktor

The --recursive flag is important. It fetches all submodules (third-party libraries) that Traktor depends on.

2. Build for your platform:

Follow the platform-specific instructions:

These guides walk you through configuring your build environment, compiling the engine, and running the editor for the first time.

Next Steps

Once you have Traktor built and the editor running, follow these tutorials in order:

  1. Tutorial 00: Create Your First Project - Create a workspace and understand the project structure
  2. Tutorial 01: Create Your First Scene - Build a lit scene with geometry
  3. Tutorial 02: Add Your First Script - Write Lua code to bring your scene to life
  4. Tutorial 03: Deploy and Run Your Game - Build and run your game on a target platform

Continue Learning

After completing the tutorials above, here’s where to go next:

Learn the workflow - Read the Editor Documentation to understand the Database, Pipeline, Scene Editor, and deployment tools. The editor is your primary workspace, so mastering it will make development much faster.

Understand the architecture - The Architecture guide explains how Traktor is organized. The module system, memory management, and core concepts. This helps you understand how everything fits together.

Add gameplay logic - The Scripting guide teaches you how to write Lua scripts for gameplay. You’ll learn about components, the update loop, input handling, and more.

Explore the systems - Dive into the Engine Documentation to learn about rendering, physics, audio, animation, AI, and all the other systems available.

See examples - Check the Example Projects page for sample projects that demonstrate various features.

Get help - Join the Discord community to ask questions, share projects, and connect with other Traktor developers. The community is friendly and helpful for both beginners and experienced users.

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