Getting started with NXP MCUs: i.MX RT700 - VGLite
i.MX RT700 Evaluation Kit (MIMXRT700-EVK).
The following article explains all necessary steps to create an Embedded Wizard UI application suitable for the i.MX RT700 Evaluation Kit (MIMXRT700-EVK) from NXP.
Please follow these instructions carefully and step by step in order to ensure that you will get everything up and running on your target. In case you are not familiar with Embedded Wizard, please read first the chapter basic concepts and the Quick Tour tutorial to understand the principles of Embedded Wizard and the GUI development workflow.
Prerequisites
First, make sure you have all of the following items:
Hardware components
★MIMXRT700-EVK development board from NXP
★Power supply for the MIMXRT700-EVK development board
★USB cable to connect the board with your PC
Software components
★Embedded Wizard Studio
You can download Embedded Wizard Studio directly from the following link:
EmbeddedWizard_Studio_x64-V15.01.msi
Customers can also find all their licensed software packages in the Embedded Wizard Download Center (login required).
★Embedded Wizard Build Environment for IMXRT700-EVK with VGLite graphics acceleration (IMXRT700-EVK-VGLite)
You can download the suitable Build Environment from the following link:
IMXRT700-EVK-VGLite-BuildEnvironment-V15.00.00.00.zip
Customers can also find the latest version of the Build Environment and their licensed Platform Package source codes in the Embedded Wizard Download Center (login required).
★NXP LinkServer from NXP
★Optional: NXP MCUXpresso IDE
IMPORTANT
Display Selection:
Select your display module by setting the define DEMO_PANEL in the file \TargetSpecific\Drivers\display_support.h or in your makefile/project configuration:
•DEMO_PANEL_RK055AHD091 for old display module RK055HDMIPI4M (720x1280)
•DEMO_PANEL_RK055MHD091 for new display module RK055HDMIPI4MA0 (720x1280)
Silicon Revision:
Please ensure that a suitable silicon revision is mounted on your board! Only i.MXRT700 Revision B (RT798SGFOB or later) is supported by this Build Environment.
Installing Tools and Software
★Step 1: Install the latest version of Embedded Wizard Studio.
★Step 2: Connect your development board with the power supply. Connect your board with your PC via USB. Power on the board using the power switch.
★Step 3: Unpack the provided Embedded Wizard Build Environment for IMXRT700-EVK to your local file system (e.g. C:\NXP\IMXRT700-EVK). Please make sure to use a short working folder path because MCUXpresso IDE (to be more precise: Eclipse) has restrictions regarding the file path length.
★Step 4: Install the NXP LinkServer utility from NXP. This tool is required for flashing the binary to your target.
★Step 5: Take a text editor and open the file FlashDownload.cfg that you will find in the subdirectory \Application\FlashDownload of the Build Environment. At the beginning of the file, the following environment variable has to be set to the installation path of the NXP LinkServer:
•LinkServerPath - Absolute path of your installed NXP LinkServer (Step 4).
Embedded Wizard GUI Demos
If you just want to run our GUI demos on your MIMXRT700-EVK development board without building the different examples, you can simply flash the binary file of the Embedded Wizard Master Demo.
The Embedded Wizard Master Demo combines a variety of examples within one huge demo application. It can be used for presentations and showcases. Each demo application can be activated from a common main menu. To return back from a demo application to the main menu, a small home button appears on top of every demo. Additionally, the Master Demo contains an auto-demo mode that presents one demo application after the other. The auto-demo starts automatically and stops as soon as the user touches the screen.
In order to flash the binary file to your target, please follow these steps:
★Open the batch file FlashMasterDemo.bat with a text editor. You will find the file in the subdirectory \MasterDemo within the provided Build Environment. Select your display by uncommenting the corresponding line. Save the file.
★Connect your development board with the power supply. Connect your board with your PC via USB. Power on the board using the power switch.
★Execute the batch file FlashMasterDemo.bat. A console window will appear and the flash tool will download the binary file of the Master Demo.
'Master Demo' running on MIMXRT700-EVK development board.
Exploring the Build Environment
The provided Embedded Wizard build environment for IMXRT700-EVK contains everything you need to create, compile, link and flash an Embedded Wizard UI application for the MIMXRT700-EVK target. After unpacking, you will find the following subdirectories and files:
•StartGccBuildEnvironment.bat - This script file is provided to start a windows command line to build your GUI applications for the target.
•\Application - This folder contains ready-to-use projects to compile and link an Embedded Wizard generated UI application. They are used for all provided examples and they can be used to build your own UI applications.
•\FlashDownload - This folder contains a script to load the created binaries into the flash of your target by using the NXP LinkServer flash utility.
•\GeneratedCode - This folder is used to receive the generated code from an Embedded Wizard UI project. All template projects are building the UI application out of this folder. You can create your own UI project and generate the code into the subdirectory \GeneratedCode without the need to adapt the project.
•\Project - This folder contains the prepared projects for GCC (make) and NXP MCUXpresso IDE.
•\Source - This folder contains the files main.c and ewmain.c. There you will find the initialization of the system and the main loop to drive an Embedded Wizard GUI application. The file ewconfig.h contains general configuration settings for the target system, like memory ranges and display parameter and configuration settings for the Embedded Wizard Graphics Engine and Runtime Environment. Additionally, this folder contains a configuration file for FreeRTOS and the device driver C/H files used for the DeviceIntegration example.
•\Examples\<ScreenSize> - This folder contains a set of demo applications prepared for a dedicated screen size (1280x720 pixel). Each example is stored in a separate folder containing the entire Embedded Wizard UI project. Every project contains the necessary profile settings for the MIMXRT700-EVK target. For a complete overview and detailed descriptions of all available examples, including their features and usage, see Examples.
•\MasterDemo - This folder contains the binary files of the Embedded Wizard Master Demo application and a script file to flash the demo on your target. The Master Demo combines a variety of examples within one huge demo application. It can be used for presentations and showcases.
•\PlatformPackage - This folder contains the necessary source codes and/or libraries of the iMX_RT_VGLite Platform Package: Several Graphics Engines for the supported color formats (RGBA8888 and RGB565) and the Runtime Environment (in the subdirectory \RTE).
•\TargetSpecific - This folder contains all configuration files and platform specific source codes. The different ew_bsp_xxx files implement the bridge between the Embedded Wizard UI application and the underlying board support package (NXP hardware drivers) in order to access the display, the serial interface and the clock.
•\ThirdParty - This folder contains third-party source codes and tools:
•\gcc-arm-none-eabi - This folder contains a subset of the ARM GNU toolchain to compile the examples.
•\Make - This folder contains a make tool to build the entire GUI application via command line.
•\MCUXpressoSDK - This folder contains the necessary subset of the Software Development Kit (SDK) for MIMXRT700-EVK used for the Embedded Wizard UI applications (BSP, drivers, FreeRTOS).
Creating the UI Examples
For the first bring up of your system, we recommend to use the example 'HelloWorld':
Example 'HelloWorld' within Embedded Wizard Studio.
The following steps are necessary to generate the source code of this sample application:
★Navigate to the directory \Examples\<ScreenSize>\HelloWorld.
★Open the project file HelloWorld.ewp with your previously installed Embedded Wizard Studio. The entire project is well documented inline. You can run the UI application within the Prototyper by pressing Ctrl+F5.
★To start the code generator, select the menu items - or simply press F8. Embedded Wizard Studio generates now the sources files of the example project into the directory \Application\GeneratedCode.
Compiling, Linking and Flashing
The following steps are necessary to build and flash the Embedded Wizard UI sample application using the GCC ARM embedded toolchain:
★Navigate to the top level of the Build Environment.
★Open StartGccBuildEnvironment.bat - as a result, a windows command line window should open. In case there are error messages, please edit the file and double-check the path settings.
★Now start compiling, linking and flashing:
make make install
If everything works as expected, the application is now executed on your MIMXRT700-EVK target.
Example 'HelloWorld' running on MIMXRT700-EVK development board.
All other examples can be created in the same way: Just open the desired example with Embedded Wizard Studio, generate code and rebuild the whole application using simply:
make install
Creating your own UI Applications
In order to create your own UI project suitable for the MIMXRT700-EVK target, you can create a new project and select the IMXRT700-EVK VGLite project template:
As a result you get a new Embedded Wizard project, that contains the necessary Profile attributes suitable for the MIMXRT700-EVK development board:
The following profile settings are important for your target:
★The attribute PlatformPackage should refer to the iMX_RT_VGLite Platform Package.
★The attribute ScreenSize should correspond to the display size of the MIMXRT700-EVK development board.
★The attribute OutputDirectory should refer to the \Application\GeneratedCode directory within your Build Environment. By using this template, it will be very easy to build the UI project for your target.
★The attribute CleanOutputDirectories should be set to true to ensure that unused source code within the output directory \Application\GeneratedCode will be deleted.
★The attribute PostProcess should refer to \Application\Project\MCUXpresso\IMXRT700-EVK-VGLite\MCUXpresso_ew_post_process.cmd if you are working with the NXP MCUXpresso IDE. In case of the GCC ARM embedded toolchain leave it blank
Now you can use the template project in the same manner as it was used for the provided examples to compile, link and flash the binary.
After generating code, please follow these steps, in order to build your own UI application:
★Start the batch file 'StartGccBuildEnvironment.bat'. Again, a windows command line window should open.
★Start compiling, linking and flashing:
make install
Most of the project settings are taken directly out of the generated code, like the color format or the screen orientation. Only a few additional settings can be configured directly within the Makefile, like the usage of the FreeRTOS operating system. All other settings can be made directly within the file ewconfig.h, which contains general configuration settings for the target system.
Console output
In order to receive error messages or to display simple debug or trace messages from your Embedded Wizard UI application, a serial terminal like 'Putty' or 'TeraTerm' should be used.
★As soon as you connect your MIMXRT700-EVK target with the PC via USB, a new virtual Com Port appears within your system device list. Open the device manager to get the port number of this COM port.
★Now you can open your terminal application and connect it via COMx with the following settings: 115200-8-N-1
During a successful application startup, the console displays the following information:
Initialize Display... [OK] Initialize Touch Driver... [OK] Initialize Memory Manager... [OK] Initialize Graphics Engine... [OK] Initialize Invocation Queue... [OK] Create Embedded Wizard Root Object... [OK] Create Embedded Wizard Viewport... [OK] --------------------------------------------- Embedded Wizard System Info --------------------------------------------- Target system IMXRT700-EVK Color format RGB565 Build Environment version V15.00.00.00 Runtime Environment (RTE) version V15.00 Graphics Engine (GFX) version V15.00 MemoryPool address 0x20081094 MemoryPool size 1331200 bytes ExtraPool address 0x60000000 ExtraPool size 33554432 bytes Framebuffer address 0x203C2000 Doublebuffer address 0x20200000 Display size 720 x 1280 Framebuffer size 720 x 1280 Surface rotation 90 EwScreenSize 1280 x 720 Graphics accelerator VGLite Warp function support enabled Vector graphics support enabled Gradients support enabled Blur support enabled Mask support enabled Tint support enabled Bidirectional text support enabled Compression support enabled Index8 bitmap resource support enabled RGB565 bitmap resource support enabled Native bitmap resource support enabled Max surface cache size 8388608 bytes Glyph cache size 512 x 512 Max issue tasks 512 External Flash memory disabled Operating system FreeRTOS Toolchain GCC C-Compiler version 14.3.1 Build date and time Jan 16 2026, 10:07:53 ---------------------------------------------
This terminal connection can be used for all trace statements from your Embedded Wizard UI applications or for all debug messages from your C code.
Using NXP MCUXpresso IDE
If you want to use the NXP MCUXpresso IDE instead of the GCC ARM embedded toolchain, please follow these instructions:
The subdirectory \Application\Project\MCUXpresso contains a template project that is commonly used for all provided Embedded Wizard examples. All Embedded Wizard examples will store the generated code within the common /Application/GeneratedCode folder.
The following steps are needed to establish this automatic project import:
★Open the desired Embedded Wizard example project.
★Select the Profile and set the attribute PostProcess to the file ..\..\..\Application\Project\MCUXpresso\IMXRT700-EVK-VGLite\MCUXpresso_ew_post_process.cmd.
After the Embedded Wizard code generation the installed post process will adapt the .cproject XML file. All necessary libraries and include paths (depending on the color format and screen rotation) will be set automatically.
The given MCUXpresso example under \Application\MCUXpresso contains a workspace which has all adaptions for an Embedded Wizard project. For using this within NXP MCUXpresso IDE do following steps:
★Open NXP MCUXpresso IDE and select the directory \Application\Project\MCUXpresso as workspace directory.
★To import the C project, select the menu item and choose General - Existing Projects into Workspace and press Next.
★Choose Select root directory - Browse and select the directory \Application\Project\MCUXpresso\IMXRT700-EVK-VGLite.
★Press Finish.
★To compile the project select .
★Choose the GUI Flash Tool for running the application on the target or use the build in debug function for debugging the application on your target. The GUI Flash Tool can be executed by pressing the blue chip button from the menu bar.
If the color format or the screen orientation was changed, please do a clean in NXP MCUXpresso IDE.
Custom specific hardware
In order to bring-up an Embedded Wizard generated UI application on your i.MX RT700 custom hardware, you can use the provided Embedded Wizard Build Environment for MIMXRT700-EVK development board as a template. For general information about porting Embedded Wizard to custom hardware, please refer to the article Custom Hardware Integration.
Assuming that your custom hardware is similar to the MIMXRT700-EVK development board, the following target-specific adaptations are typically necessary:
★System clock (ew_bsp_system.c) - Configure the system and peripheral clock according to your hardware. Depending on your hardware you can use the internal or external clock as source. Please take care that your LTDC and USART are connected to the selected clock source and configured correctly. The Embedded Wizard UI application runs independent from the chosen system frequency, however, with a slow system clock, all components need more time for their tasks (e.g. display refresh).
★USART (ew_bsp_console.c) - Typically, the USART configuration just requires a new pinout according your hardware layout. The usage of the serial connection is highly recommended in order to get status and debug messages during runtime. In case of using a NXP BSP it is possible to use the preconfigured debug console.
★eLCDIF (ew_bsp_display.c) - The eLCDIF is an integrated display controller which allows you to connect many different display types to a NXP device. Here you have to adjust the interface to your display. It is important to adjust, polarity, timings, color format and layer settings according your dedicated display.
★Pinout (Drivers/pin_mux.c) - To configure the pinout of your custom hardware you need adapt the pin routing. All the information how the UI relevant hardware is connected to your MCU is configured centrally in one file.
★Touch (ew_bsp_touch.c) - If your application requires touch support, you can integrate a given touch driver provided by the touch controller manufacturer or write your own. As a result the current touch position should be returned.
★Screen size - If the size of your display is different compared to the display of the MIMXRT700-EVK development board (1280x720 pixel), please adapt the attribute ScreenSize of the UI project and the size of the framebuffer within the file ewconfig.h accordingly.
Release notes
The following section contains the version history of the Build Environment (including Graphics Engine and Runtime Environment) for IMXRT700-EVK with VGLite graphics acceleration (IMXRT700-EVK-VGLite). These release notes describe only the platform specific aspects - for all general improvements and enhancements please see the Embedded Wizard release notes.
Version 15.00.00.00
★Initial support of i.MX RT700.
★Using Graphics Engine (GFX) and Runtime Environment (RTE) V15.00.
★Using MCUXpresso SDK V25.12.00.
★Using Arm GNU Toolchain V14.3.Rel1.
★Using NXP LinkServer V25.12.83.
★Using MCUXpresso IDE V25.6.136.