Metal.NET

C# bindings for Apple's Metal graphics API, auto-generated from metal-cpp headers.

Installation

dotnet add package Metal.NET

Requirements: .NET 10+, macOS 15+

Quick Start

using Metal.NET;

MTLDevice device = MTLDevice.CreateSystemDefaultDevice();

using MTLCommandQueue queue = device.NewCommandQueue();

using MTLLibrary library = device.NewDefaultLibrary();

Memory Management

Every NativeObject wrapper has a NativeObjectOwnership that controls its lifetime:

Ownership	Dispose() releases	Finalizer releases	Usage
Borrowed	✗	✗	Property getters, objectAtIndex:
Owned	✓	✗	Method return values, out NSError
Managed	✓	✓	Objects created via parameterless constructor (AllocInit)

// Managed
var desc = new MTLTextureDescriptor();

// Owned
using MTLLibrary library = device.NewDefaultLibrary();

// Borrowed
MTLDevice device = commandQueue.Device;

Project Structure

Metal.NET.slnx
├── Metal.NET/
│   ├── Common/
│   │   ├── NativeObject.cs
│   │   ├── ObjectiveC.cs              ← Auto-generated P/Invoke to libobjc (objc_msgSend)
│   │   ├── Selector.cs
│   │   └── Bool8.cs
│   ├── CoreGraphics/
│   │   └── CGColorSpace.cs
│   ├── Foundation/
│   │   ├── NSObject.cs
│   │   ├── NSString.cs
│   │   ├── NSError.cs
│   │   ├── NSArray.cs
│   │   ├── NSURL.cs
│   │   ├── NSDictionary.cs
│   │   ├── NSNumber.cs
│   │   ├── NSData.cs
│   │   ├── NSBundle.cs
│   │   ├── NSAutoreleasePool.cs
│   │   └── NSEnums.cs                 ← Auto-generated
│   ├── GCD/
│   │   ├── DispatchObject.cs
│   │   ├── DispatchData.cs
│   │   └── DispatchQueue.cs
│   ├── Metal/                          ← Auto-generated (231 files)
│   ├── MetalFX/                        ← Auto-generated (18 files)
│   └── QuartzCore/                     ← Auto-generated (2 files)
│
└── Metal.NET.Generator/
    ├── Program.cs
    ├── Generator.cs
    ├── CppParser.cs
    ├── CSharpEmitter.cs
    ├── TypeMapper.cs
    ├── GeneratorContext.cs
    ├── Models.cs
    └── metal-cpp/

Updating Bindings

1. Download the latest metal-cpp archive.

2. Replace the contents of Metal.NET.Generator/metal-cpp/.

3. Run the generator:

   dotnet run --project Metal.NET.Generator

4. Build and verify:

   dotnet build Metal.NET

Disclaimer

This library was built with AI assistance. It has undergone preliminary testing to verify basic usability, but has not been exhaustively validated in production scenarios. If you plan to use it in a real project, please ensure it meets your requirements through thorough testing.

Alternatives

• SharpMetal
• dotnet/macios

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

Trademarks

"Metal" is a trademark of Apple Inc. This project is not affiliated with or endorsed by Apple Inc.

Third-Party Notices

See THIRD-PARTY-NOTICES.md.