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The atlas pack command builds your project and packages it for distribution on the target platform. It creates platform-specific application bundles with all necessary resources.

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Usage

atlas pack [OPTIONS]
Run this command from your project root directory (where atlas.toml is located).

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Options

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—release, -r

Build in release mode with optimizations enabled. 
atlas pack --release
Values:
  • 0 - Debug build (default)
  • 1 or any non-zero value - Release build
Default: 0 (debug mode)

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Build Process

The pack command performs the following steps:
1

Clean previous builds

Removes existing build/ and app/ directories to ensure a fresh build.
2

Configure CMake

Runs CMake configuration with the appropriate build type:
cmake .. -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
3

Build executable

Compiles your C++ code and links all libraries:
cmake --build . --config Release
4

Create platform bundle

Packages the executable with resources for your target platform.

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Platform-Specific Packaging

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macOS

On macOS, the pack command creates a complete .app bundle: 
app/
└── MyGame.app/
    └── Contents/
        ├── Info.plist
        ├── MacOS/
        │   └── MyGame       # Executable
        └── Resources/
            └── AppIcon.icns # Application icon
The Info.plist is automatically generated with values from atlas.toml: 
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" 
 "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
    <key>CFBundleName</key>
    <string>MyGame</string>
    
    <key>CFBundleDisplayName</key>
    <string>MyGame</string>
    
    <key>CFBundleIdentifier</key>
    <string>com.example.mygame</string>
    
    <key>CFBundleVersion</key>
    <string>1.0</string>
    
    <key>CFBundleExecutable</key>
    <string>MyGame</string>
    
    <key>CFBundlePackageType</key>
    <string>APPL</string>
    
    <key>CFBundleIconFile</key>
    <string>AppIcon.icns</string>
    
    <key>LSMinimumSystemVersion</key>
    <string>10.13</string>
</dict>
</plist>

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Linux & Windows

On Linux and Windows, the pack command creates the executable in the build output directory: 
build/
└── bin/
    └── mygame       # or mygame.exe on Windows

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Configuration

Packing behavior is controlled by the [pack] section in atlas.toml: 
[project]
name = "MyGame"
app_name = "My Awesome Game"

[pack]
icon = "icon.icns"
supported_platforms = "macos,linux"
version = "1.2.3"
identifier = "mycompany"

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Pack Configuration Options

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icon

Path to the application icon file, relative to the assets/ directory.
  • macOS: Use .icns format
  • Windows: Use .ico format (when supported)
  • Linux: Varies by distribution
icon = "icon.icns"
If set to "none" or the file doesn’t exist, no icon will be included.

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supported_platforms

Comma-separated list of platforms this application supports. 
supported_platforms = "macos,linux,windows"
# or
supported_platforms = "all"
Values: "all", "macos", "linux", "windows" If the current platform is not in the list, a warning will be displayed but packing will continue.

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version

Application version string used in platform metadata. 
version = "1.2.3"
Default: "1.0" On macOS, this becomes the CFBundleVersion in Info.plist.

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identifier

Bundle identifier prefix for macOS applications. 
identifier = "mycompany"
Default: "example" Generates bundle IDs like com.mycompany.mygame.

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Example Output

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Debug Build

$ atlas pack
Packing project for target machine.
Using renderer: OpenGL
CMake configuration successful!
CMake build successful!
Executable found at: build/bin/mygame
Packing completed successfully.

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Release Build

$ atlas pack --release
Packing project for target machine.
Using renderer: OpenGL
CMake configuration successful!
CMake build successful!
Executable found at: build/bin/mygame
Packing completed successfully.
The packaged application will be in:
  • macOS: app/YourGame.app/
  • Linux/Windows: build/bin/

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Distributing Your Application

After packing:

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macOS

  1. Compress the .app bundle: 
    cd app
zip -r MyGame.zip MyGame.app
  2. For wider distribution, consider code signing: 
    codesign --force --deep --sign "Developer ID" MyGame.app

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Linux

Create a tarball or use platform-specific packaging: 
cd build/bin
tar -czf mygame-linux.tar.gz mygame

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Windows

Package the executable with any required DLLs: 
zip mygame-windows.zip mygame.exe

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Troubleshooting

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CMake Configuration Failed

Ensure all dependencies are installed: 
# macOS
brew install glfw glm assimp freetype openal-soft

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt-get install libglfw3-dev libglm-dev libassimp-dev libfreetype6-dev libopenal-dev

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Build Errors

Check your C++ code for compilation errors. Build output is displayed during the pack process.

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Missing Executable

If “No executable found in build directory” appears:
  1. Check for build errors in the output
  2. Verify CMakeLists.txt is properly configured
  3. Ensure source files are in the correct directory

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Platform Not Supported

Current platform 'linux' is not supported for packing.
Update supported_platforms in atlas.toml to include your platform or use "all".

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Next Steps

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