Pathfinder Visualizer

A visualization tool for popular pathfinding algorithms including A*, Dijkstra, and BFS.

Features

• Interactive grid-based visualization
• Multiple pathfinding algorithms:
  • A* (A-Star) algorithm
  • Breadth-First Search (BFS)
  • Dijkstra's algorithm
• Wall placement to create obstacles
• Reset functionality

Prerequisites

None! This project includes all necessary libraries (SDL2 and SDL2_image) pre-compiled and ready to use.

Building the Project

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/pathfinder.git
cd pathfinder

make

./pathfinder

Usage

To set the START node hover over a Tile and press s.

To set the END node hover over a Tile and press e.

To set the WALL node hover over a Tile and click Left Mouse Button.

Project Structure

pathfinder/
├── include/       # SDL2 and SDL2_image headers
├── lib/           # Pre-compiled static libraries
└── src/           # Source code
    ├── Algo/      # Pathfinding algorithms
    │   ├── Astar/
    │   ├── BFS/
    │   └── Dijkstra/
    ├── Buttons/   # UI button resources
    ├── Map/       # Grid and map representation
    ├── Screen/    # Rendering and UI
    └── main.cpp   # Main entry point

How It Works

The visualization shows how different pathfinding algorithms traverse a grid to find the shortest path:

• A* - Uses a heuristic to find the shortest path efficiently
• Dijkstra - Explores all possible paths to find the shortest one
• BFS - Explores the grid level by level

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details

Acknowledgments

• SDL2 and SDL2_image libraries