Sinen Tutorial

This page explains the fastest way to run a Luau app with Sinen.

1. Core Ideas

Sinen is based on three simple rules:

• Run main.luau as the entry script
• Split logic into setup, update, and draw
• Place assets under the runtime base directory

Here is the minimum script:

local sn = require("@sinen")
local font: sn.Font = sn.Font.new()

function setup()
    font:load(32)
end

function update()
    if sn.Keyboard.isPressed(sn.Keyboard.ESCAPE) then
        -- Move to another scene if needed
        -- sn.Script.load("main", ".")
    end
end

function draw()
    sn.Graphics.drawText("Hello Sinen!", font, sn.Vec2.new(0, 0), sn.Color.new(1.0), 32)
end

2. How to Run

Windows (this repository layout)

1. Build from the project root

build\generate_msvc2026-debug.bat
build\build_msvc2026-debug.bat

1. Move to your project directory and run

cd examples\01_helloworld
..\..\build\msvc2026-debug\sinen.exe

main.luau will be loaded.

Android

• build\generate_android.bat
• build\build_android.bat
• Open build/android in Android Studio and run
• Place your assets under /sdcard/Android/media/astomih.sinen.app

3. Lifecycle

• setup(): called once when a scene is loaded; use it for loading textures/models
• update(): called every frame; use it for input, game logic, and physics
• draw(): called every frame for rendering

setup is optional. update and draw are enough to run.

4. Draw an Image

local sn = require("@sinen")
local image: sn.Texture = sn.Texture.new()

function setup()
    image:load("logo.png")
end

function draw()
    sn.Graphics.drawImage(image, sn.Rect.new(sn.Vec2.new(0), image:size()))
end

5. Input and Sound

local sn = require("@sinen")
local se: sn.Sound = sn.Sound.new()

function setup()
    se:load("shot.wav")
end

function update()
    if sn.Keyboard.isPressed(sn.Keyboard.SPACE) then
        se:play()
    end
end

6. Scene Switching

Use sn.Script.load(filePath, baseDirPath) to switch scenes.

• filePath: script name without extension (for example, main)
• baseDirPath: base directory of that scene

Example: switch to scenes/title/main.luau

sn.Script.load("main", "scenes/title")

7. Example Directory Layout

my_game/
  main.luau
  player.luau
  logo.png
  shot.wav
  scenes/
    title/
      main.luau

For modules in the same directory, use normal require.

local Player = require("./player")

8. Next Examples to Read

• examples/01_helloworld: minimal setup
• examples/02_texture: image drawing
• examples/03_model: 3D model drawing
• examples/04_sound: sound playback
• examples/09_physics: physics
• examples/14_synth: synth

For the full API, see docs/en/luau_api.md.