diff --git a/.gitmodules b/.gitmodules
index 0ff41c15..7a552430 100644
--- a/.gitmodules
+++ b/.gitmodules
@@ -7,12 +7,6 @@
 [submodule "modules/utfcpp"]
 	path = modules/utfcpp
 	url = https://github.com/nemtrif/utfcpp
-[submodule "modules/glfw"]
-	path = modules/glfw
-	url = https://github.com/glfw/glfw
-[submodule "modules/glew"]
-	path = modules/glew
-	url = https://github.com/Perlmint/glew-cmake
 [submodule "modules/variant"]
 	path = modules/variant
 	url = https://github.com/mpark/variant
diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index f80f2b96..edfb1ff2 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -91,15 +91,50 @@ if(APPLE)
     find_library(Foundation Foundation)
 endif(APPLE)
 
-set(GLFW_INSTALL OFF CACHE BOOL "" FORCE)
-set(GLFW_BUILD_DOCS OFF CACHE BOOL "" FORCE)
-set(GLFW_BUILD_TESTS OFF CACHE BOOL "" FORCE)
-set(GLFW_BUILD_EXAMPLES OFF CACHE BOOL "" FORCE)
-add_subdirectory(modules/glfw)
+#
+# fetch 3rd party
+#
 
-set(glew-cmake_BUILD_SHARED OFF CACHE BOOL "" FORCE)
-set(glew-cmake_BUILD_MULTI_CONTEXT OFF CACHE BOOL "" FORCE)
-add_subdirectory(modules/glew)
+include(FetchContent)
+
+FetchContent_Declare(
+    assimp
+    GIT_REPOSITORY https://github.com/assimp/assimp)
+FetchContent_Declare(
+    glew
+    GIT_REPOSITORY https://github.com/Perlmint/glew-cmake)
+FetchContent_Declare(
+    glfw
+    GIT_REPOSITORY https://github.com/glfw/glfw)
+
+FetchContent_GetProperties(assimp)
+FetchContent_GetProperties(glew)
+FetchContent_GetProperties(glfw)
+
+if(NOT assimp_POPULATED)
+    FetchContent_Populate(assimp)
+    set(BUILD_SHARED_LIBS OFF CACHE BOOL "" FORCE)
+    set(ASSIMP_NO_EXPORT ON CACHE BOOL "" FORCE)
+    set(ASSIMP_BUILD_TESTS OFF CACHE BOOL "" FORCE)
+    set(ASSIMP_BUILD_ASSIMP_TOOLS OFF CACHE BOOL "" FORCE)
+    add_subdirectory(${assimp_SOURCE_DIR} ${assimp_BINARY_DIR})
+endif()
+
+if(NOT glew_POPULATED)
+    FetchContent_Populate(glew)
+    set(glew-cmake_BUILD_SHARED OFF CACHE BOOL "" FORCE)
+    set(glew-cmake_BUILD_MULTI_CONTEXT OFF CACHE BOOL "" FORCE)
+    add_subdirectory(${glew_SOURCE_DIR} ${glew_BINARY_DIR})
+endif()
+
+if(NOT glfw_POPULATED)
+    FetchContent_Populate(glfw)
+    set(GLFW_INSTALL OFF CACHE BOOL "" FORCE)
+    set(GLFW_BUILD_DOCS OFF CACHE BOOL "" FORCE)
+    set(GLFW_BUILD_TESTS OFF CACHE BOOL "" FORCE)
+    set(GLFW_BUILD_EXAMPLES OFF CACHE BOOL "" FORCE)
+    add_subdirectory(${glfw_SOURCE_DIR} ${glfw_BINARY_DIR})
+endif()
 
 #
 # e2d library target
@@ -118,9 +153,10 @@ source_group(TREE ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR} FILES
 target_include_directories(${PROJECT_NAME}
     PRIVATE headers
     PRIVATE sources
-    PRIVATE modules/glew/include
-    PRIVATE modules/glfw/include
-    PRIVATE ${OPENGL_INCLUDE_DIR})
+    PRIVATE ${assimp_SOURCE_DIR}/include
+    PRIVATE ${assimp_BINARY_DIR}/include
+    PRIVATE ${glew_SOURCE_DIR}/include
+    PRIVATE ${glfw_SOURCE_DIR}/include)
 
 set_target_properties(${PROJECT_NAME} PROPERTIES
     CXX_STANDARD 14
diff --git a/modules/glew b/modules/glew
deleted file mode 160000
index 6dbc9407..00000000
--- a/modules/glew
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-Subproject commit 6dbc9407729d653e4d254b772c66af138b00617c
diff --git a/modules/glfw b/modules/glfw
deleted file mode 160000
index 53c8c72c..00000000
--- a/modules/glfw
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-Subproject commit 53c8c72c676ca97c10aedfe3d0eb4271c5b23dba