Most developers associate game engines with video games. But what if we could use their performance, real-time rendering, and input flexibility to build modern, interactive GUI applications—especially for embedded devices?
In this talk, we’ll explore how Bevy, a modern data-driven game engine written in Rust, can be used beyond traditional games to power beautiful and responsive graphical user interfaces.
We'll cover:
1. The limitations of existing GUI frameworks like GTK, Iced, and Dioxus—especially when it comes to animations, hardware acceleration and responsiveness and on embedded platforms.
2. Why a game engine? – How Bevy’s frame-based rendering, ECS architecture, and GPU rendering solve many challenges in building custom GUI systems.
A practical introduction to Bevy’s ECS (Entity Component System) and how it maps elegantly to UI composition and dynamic layouts.
3. Techniques for managing state, theming, and interactivity in complex GUI applications.
4. Building Real-world applications—from a launcher application to a fully interactive on-screen keyboard.
5. Deployment and performance considerations for low-power or embedded environments (e.g., Raspberry Pi, Mecha Comet, custom hardware).
Target Audience
1. Embedded developers creating UIs for touchscreens or constrained environments
2. Rust developers exploring GUI options
3. Engineers building custom OS shells, dashboards, or kiosk apps
4. Hobbyists and makers working with Raspberry Pi, Jetson Nano, or other ARM boards
5. Anyone curious about using game engines for real-world application development
1. Understand the tradeoffs and limitations of traditional GUI libraries on embedded systems.
2. Learn how game engines provide a compelling alternative for building interactive UIs with rich visuals.
3. See real examples of responsive and animations built with Bevy, designed specifically for embedded or touchscreen devices.
4. Discover the power of ECS architecture in building clean, modular GUI application.
5. Gain practical knowledge on how to structure and theme GUI applications in Bevy.
6. Leave with inspiration and code patterns to start building your own custom GUIs with a game engine.