| Solar 2D | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developers | Vlad Shcherban,Corona Labs Inc. |
| Initial release | 1.0 / December 2009; 16 years ago (2009-12) |
| Stable release | |
| Written in | Lua (Corona API) |
| Operating system |
|
| Available in | English Russian |
| Type | Software development kit Game engine |
| License | MIT License |
| Website | solar2d |
| Repository | github |
Solar2D (formerly Corona SDK) is afree and open-source,cross-platformsoftware development kit originally developed byCorona Labs Inc. and now maintained byVlad Shcherban. Released in late 2009, it allowssoftware programmers to build 2Dmobile applications foriOS,Android, andKindle,desktop applications forWindows,Linux andmacOS, and connected TV applications forApple TV,Fire TV andAndroid TV.[2]
Solar2D uses integratedLua layered on top ofC++/OpenGL to build graphic applications. The software has two operational modes: the Solar2D Simulator and Solar2D Native. With the Solar2D Simulator, apps are built directly from the Solar2D Simulator. Solar2D Native allows the integration of Lua code and assets within anXcode orAndroid Studio project to build apps and include native features.
Walter Luh and Carlos Icaza started Ansca Mobile, later renamed Corona Labs, after departing fromAdobe in 2007. At Adobe, Luh was the lead architect working on theFlash Lite team and Icaza was the engineering manager responsible for mobile Flash authoring. In June 2009, Ansca released the first Corona SDK beta free for early adopters.[3][4][5]
In December 2009, Ansca launched Corona SDK 1.0 foriPhone. The following February, the Corona SDK 1.1 was released with additional features.[6][7]
In September 2010, Ansca released version 2.0 of Corona SDK and added Corona Game Edition. Version 2.0 added cross-platform support foriPad andAndroid, while Game Edition added a physics engine and other advanced features aimed specifically atgame development.[8][9]
In January 2011, Corona SDK was released forWindows XP and newer, giving developers the opportunity to buildAndroid applications onPC.[10]
In April 2012, co-founder and CEO Icaza left Ansca, and CTO Luh took the CEO role.[11] Shortly after, in June 2012, Ansca changed its name to Corona Labs.[12] In August 2012, Corona Labs announced Enterprise Edition, which added native bindings for Objective-C.[13]
In March 2015, duringGDC 2015 announcement was made that Corona SDK is completely free and will support Windows and Mac OS X deployment targets.[14][15]
In November 2015,Corona Labs Inc. announced support for tvOS development for Apple TV.
In March 2017, Corona Labs was acquired by Appodeal and announced that the Enterprise version of Corona would also become free.[16]
In June 2017, Corona Labs announced that Enterprise was renamed to Corona Native, is free for everyone and included as part of the core product."[17]
In January 2019, Corona Labs announced that Corona 2D will be open sourced under theGNU GPLv3 license, while offering the option of acommercial license upon agreement with Corona Labs.[18]
In April 2020, the engine was renamed from Corona SDK to Solar2D. This was done in response to the closure of Corona Labs,[19] as well as theCOVID-19 pandemic. Corona Labs also stopped offering commercial licenses and changed its open source license from GPLv3 to the more permissiveMIT License.[20]
Solar2D's API suite features API calls for audio and graphics, cryptography, networking and device information such as accelerometer information, GPS, and user input as well as widgets, particle effects, and more.[21]
Corona will be dual-licensed under both commercial and open source licenses. The open source license is the GNU GPLv3 license, and commercial license will be available upon agreement with Corona Labs.
Pretty much all code related to Corona Labs has been made available under the MIT license.