Recently, I have been working on libx11-compat, an in-process implementation of the X Window System client library (Xlib) built on top of SDL (SDL2 or SDL3), SDL_ttf, and pixman. It allows existing Xlib applications to run on macOS without XQuartz while keeping their source code unchanged.
As suggested by @RTimothyEdwards, a preliminary integration of the Tcl/Tk-based Magic VLSI layout tool with libx11-compat is already working. It drives Magic's Tk-based UI over an Xlib-rendered layout canvas, including the menu bar, layer palette, DRC toggle, tutorial cell, scrolling, and redraws during window resizing. With Magic's OpenGL graphics enabled, it also opens Magic's 3D rendering window, allowing the 2D Tk editor and a live 3D view of the same cell to be displayed simultaneously without requiring an X server. I hope this work will be useful to community members who would like to use the excellent Tcl/Tk-based EDA tools on macOS without relying on an X server.
Recently, I have been working on libx11-compat, an in-process implementation of the X Window System client library (Xlib) built on top of SDL (SDL2 or SDL3), SDL_ttf, and pixman. It allows existing Xlib applications to run on macOS without XQuartz while keeping their source code unchanged.
As suggested by @RTimothyEdwards, a preliminary integration of the Tcl/Tk-based Magic VLSI layout tool with libx11-compat is already working. It drives Magic's Tk-based UI over an Xlib-rendered layout canvas, including the menu bar, layer palette, DRC toggle, tutorial cell, scrolling, and redraws during window resizing. With Magic's OpenGL graphics enabled, it also opens Magic's 3D rendering window, allowing the 2D Tk editor and a live 3D view of the same cell to be displayed simultaneously without requiring an X server. I hope this work will be useful to community members who would like to use the excellent Tcl/Tk-based EDA tools on macOS without relying on an X server.