Dear ImGui Bundle: Plotting, Node Editors, and Markdown for C++ and Python
You want to build a desktop tool with a real interface—sliders, plots, maybe a node graph—but you don't want to spend a week wrestling with a GUI framework's build system before you write a single line of application logic. Dear ImGui Bundle is aimed squarely at that problem. It's a framework built on top of Dear ImGui that packages the core library together with a whole ecosystem of add-ons, so you can get to the interesting part faster.
What It Does
Dear ImGui Bundle is a cross-platform GUI framework for both C++ and Python, built on top of Dear ImGui. The "bundle" part is literal: instead of hunting down compatible versions of a dozen separate libraries and wiring them together yourself, you get an integrated set of tools in one package. That includes ImPlot and ImPlot3D for 2D and 3D plotting, ImmVision for image inspection, imgui-node-editor, ImGuizmo, file dialogs, knobs, spinners, toggles, and a command palette.
The framework targets Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, and WebAssembly, and the C++ and Python APIs are structured similarly, so moving between the two isn't a jarring context switch. On top of the raw libraries, there are optional high-level runners: Hello ImGui handles window, backend, docking, and asset management, while ImmApp makes it easy to switch on add-ons like ImPlot or Markdown support. For the web, C++ goes through Emscripten and Python goes through Pyodide.
Why It's Cool
You can try it before you install anything. This is the detail that stands out most. The project hosts an Interactive Explorer that showcases every library with browsable C++ and Python source, functioning as a living reference manual. There's also a Playground—a live Python sandbox built on Pyodide where you can edit code and see results instantly. That's a genuinely useful way to evaluate a GUI framework, since screenshots rarely tell you how something feels to use.
The ecosystem is the point. Dear ImGui itself is excellent at immediate-mode widgets, but the moment you need plotting or a node editor, you're off assembling dependencies. Bundling ImPlot, ImPlot3D, imgui-node-editor, ImGuizmo, and the rest into one coherent package removes a real chunk of friction. You get the batteries without the scavenger hunt.
Two languages, one mental model. The C++ and Python APIs share a very similar structure. If you're prototyping in Python and later porting to C++ (or maintaining both), you're not relearning the framework—you're translating it.
Web deployment is a first-class concern. C++ via Emscripten and Python via Pyodide mean you can ship to the browser without a separate rewrite. The playground itself is proof that the Pyodide path works, and there are deployable HTML templates if you want to follow the same route.
The documentation has an AI layer. There's a DeepWiki integration trained on the full documentation and source code, where you can ask questions and get answers. The README is refreshingly honest about it—expect some inconsistencies, but it's still helpful. That kind of candor is rare and welcome.
How to Try It
The fastest path requires no installation at all:
- Launch the Interactive Explorer to see all the libraries in action with browsable C++ and Python source.
- Open the Playground to edit Python in a live sandbox and see results immediately.
If you want to go further, head to the repository:
- Repository: https://github.com/pthom/imgui_bundle
- Documentation: https://imgui-bundle.pages.dev/doc
- API reference for every library: https://imgui-bundle.pages.dev/doc/api/
The README also points to a single page listing all resources—docs, interactive manuals, videos, and community links. If you get stuck or want to see what others are building, there's a Discord server for questions and discussion.
Final Thoughts
Dear ImGui Bundle is best suited to developers who already appreciate immediate-mode GUI and want the surrounding ecosystem without the assembly work—whether you're building an internal tool, a debug interface, a visualization app, or something that needs to run on desktop and web from the same codebase. The dual C++/Python support and the no-install explorer lower the barrier to evaluating it, which matters when you're deciding whether to commit to a framework. It's not trying to be a general-purpose application framework with a designer and a widget hierarchy; it's a focused, practical toolkit for people who'd rather write code than configure build files. If that sounds like you, the playground is right there.