OpenGL programming.

[n72.75]

Does anyone have advice on which way to go with OpenGL; my options, as I see them are GLUT or GLFW.

I'm working on a secret project, and I want to know which will be the least "limiting", ease of use notwithstanding.

If I give details, I'll jinx myself and be doomed to never complete it.

 

[MikeB]

I can give you some advice, but first you'll have to tell me all about your secret project. :lol:

 

[Jarvitä]

Have you considered SDL?

 

[escapetomsfate]

GLUT's my favourite. It condenses all the OS-specific tasks (like opening a window with an OpenGL view inside it, or capturing keypresses) into simple functions with syntax that's really easy to remember. The actual graphics-drawing part is just the usual OpenGL functions, so you can define models/animations/whatever else however you like. If you prefer doing things the low level way, but don't want to write the OS-specific stuff yourself, I think you should go with GLUT :thumbup:

There's no functions for reading texture files in GLUT, so you'd have to write that code yourself or use a texture library like DevIL.

Another option might be SDL. You can set it up somehow so that you can draw using OpenGL directly rather than SDL's surface blitting functions. You'd also have a solution for sound and a wider range of input, and I think there's even some way to convert an SDL_Surface into an OpenGL texture id.

Whichever library you choose, good luck for the secret project!

 

[Artlav]

Depends on what you want.

If you want a fast start, use GLUT, SDL or any other library - they only wrap the OS-dependent things into nice functions and do all the initialization, allowing you to get cracking on the actual idea.

If you want to learn, or get something highly custom (i.e. render 3D into an Orbiter texture a-la Dragonfly's navball), set up the OpenGL on your own (not good if your project is ever to leave Widows).

OpenGL part would be the same regardless of the bottom level.

 

[Spacethingy]

Dunno if this helps but the TORCS car-racing sim made some choices about SDL/GLUT etc. There is some serious stuff past the joking...
http://torcs.sourceforge.net/index.php?name=Sections&op=viewarticle&artid=30#c1_8

 

[jedidia]

(not good if your project is ever to leave Widows).

Most epic misspelling ever! :lol: :thumbup:

 

[dumbo2007]

(i.e. render 3D into an Orbiter texture a-la Dragonfly's navball),

Just wondering...why not use directX to do it since Orbiter uses DirectX already ? Seems a bit of an overkill to link with opengl just to render a navball !

 

[Quick_Nick]

Just wondering...why not use directX to do it since Orbiter uses DirectX already ? Seems a bit of an overkill to link with opengl just to render a navball !

Orbiter is not just DirectX anymore.
http://orbiter-forum.com/showthread.php?t=16141

 

[dumbo2007]

Hehe, yeah I know

Hmm I guess for a vessel addon developer, it doesnt matter.