Hi all,

I'm working on a new open-source project: a PHP extensions that wrap the 3dfx Glide 2 & 3 APIs.

The goal is to make it possible to interface with Glide from PHP – mostly as an experiment, but also to explore whether retro 3D graphics programming can be made accessible via a high-level scripting language.

The wrapper is still in early development, but I’d love to:
- Share progress
- Get feedback from the community
- Invite collaborators (especially those familiar with C extensions for PHP, or the internals of Glide 2x and 3x)

The project is inspired by PHP-GLFW, a PHP extension that wraps OpenGL.
In this case, I’m creating two PHP modules:

• One for Glide2x
• Another for Glide3x

Together, these modules will allow you to easily draw 3D graphics on a real 3dfx card or through a Glide wrapper — all from a scripting language like PHP, without needing a C compiler.

I chose PHP because it’s a language I’m proficient in, and it’s both easy to learn and accessible for newcomers.

Current Progress
Development is currently focused on Glide2x, although there’s already some early work on Glide3x.
Right now, the Glide2x module can:

• Draw polygons
• Apply fog effects

… and will soon support texture management.

Project Link
https://github.com/FedericoTech/php-glide

You’ll also find:

• A prebuilt binary for PHP 8.1, thread-safe, 32-bit
• Several demo scripts showing the module in action

If you're interested in retro 3D graphics, Glide internals, or low-level PHP development, I’d be happy to have you onboard.

Cheers,
FedericoTech