# helix-toolkit/helix-toolkit

Helix Toolkit is a collection of 3D components for .NET.

Repository: https://github.com/helix-toolkit/helix-toolkit
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/helix-toolkit
Homepage: https://helix-toolkit.github.io/
Language: C#
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: sharpdx, c-sharp, wpf, helix-toolkit, uwp, 3d, 3d-engine, data-visualization, dotnet, directx, graphics
Last push: 2026-08-08T01:39:22+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 84/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 96, release rhythm 58, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4389, "days_push": 26, "days_rel": 281, "gap_med": 14, "n_releases_24m": 8}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 2274, forks 702 (observed 2026-08-28T04:06:33.288959+00:00)

## What it is
Helix Toolkit is a collection of 3D components for .NET, providing XAML/MVVM-compatible scene graphs and 3D rendering for WPF, WinUI, and Avalonia applications. It includes a custom DirectX 11-based 3D engine built on SharpDX, geometry builders, and 3D model import/export via Assimp.

## Use cases
- render 3D scenes in a WPF application
- build 3D data visualizations in .NET
- import and export 3D models in C#
- create MVVM-compatible 3D scene graphs with XAML
- display 3D meshes and geometry in WinUI or Avalonia apps
- build a custom DirectX 11 rendering engine in .NET

## When to choose
- you need 3D graphics in WPF, WinUI, or Avalonia with XAML/MVVM support
- you want a high-level .NET wrapper over DirectX 11 for 3D rendering
- you need 3D model import/export (Assimp) in a .NET application
- you're building scientific or engineering 3D visualizations in .NET

## When to avoid
- you need cross-platform GPU rendering beyond Windows-targeted UI frameworks
- you want a full game engine rather than a component library
- your project is not on the .NET ecosystem
- you need Vulkan or modern graphics APIs (the next-gen engine is still experimental)

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: active
- function: graphics, data-visualization, ui-components, image-processing
- domain: graphics, data-visualization, cross-platform, developer-tools
- platform: windows, dotnet, cross-platform
- tags: 3d-engine, wpf, sharpdx, directx, avalonia, winui, scene-graph, xaml, mvvm, 3d-model-import, desktop

## Member repositories
- helix-toolkit/helix-toolkit (main) score 84

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:33.288959+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T02:41:32.428316+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/helix-toolkit/helix-toolkit (fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:33.288959+00:00, sha 2da791e5ad86)
  - homepage: https://helix-toolkit.github.io/ (fetched 2026-08-29T10:22:00.050361+00:00, sha 0e859528745d)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.