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Equipment and Facilities

You will be using C or C++ under Windows on any computer that supports the OpenGL and GLUT libraries. Completed programs will be submitted through the Blackboard site. The submitted programs will be evaluated using the Visual C++ compiler on a WindowsXP workstation in 502 Packard Lab. The program source code will be read. Source code documentation and organization should make your program easy to read, and convey your understanding of the techniques your program demonstrates.

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Setting Up OpenGL and Running a Test Program

Instructions on WIRED LAN computers (PL502, library, …)

Note that Microsoft Visual Studio (including Visual C++) is available via “Install Software” on the WIRED LAN. The steps to set up the environment are as follow.

§ Install MS Visual C++ 6.0.

§ Download GLUT from: http://www.xmission.com/~nate/glut.html; additional information on GLUT can be found at: http://www.opengl.org/resources/libraries/glut/glut_downloads.php.

§ Start VC++, create a new Win32 console application in a local directory. Add the test program (courtesy of F. S. Hill, Jr.) to your new project.

§ Go to Project, Settings. Click on the “C/C++” tab, choose category “Preprocessor”, and under “Additional include directories”, type in the path to the directory where “glut.h” is located. Then switch to the “Link” tab, choose category “Input”, and under “Additional library path”, type in the path to the directory where “glut32.lib” is located; also under “Object/Library Modules”, at the beginning of the line, add “OpenGL32.lib Glu32.lib Glut32.lib”. Finally, copy “glut32.dll” to a system directory, e.g. C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM or C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32.

§ Build the project and run it. Once you see an OpenGL window with a rotating Rosette, press the following keys and observe what happens!

• n:
• N:
• r:
• R:
• q: exit

Instructions on a personal computer

Students can borrow a copy of Microsoft Visual C++ from the CSE department system administrator Bryan Hodgson (PL200) or from the Fairchild Martindale Library Circulation Desk to install on their own computers. OpenGL (gl.h, OpenGL32.lib, OpenGL32.dll) and GLU (glu.h, Glu32.lib, Glu32.dll) will come with the VC++ installation. You can download GLUT from: http://www.xmission.com/~nate/glut.html; additional information on GLUT can be found at: http://www.opengl.org/resources/libraries/glut/glut_downloads.php. Once downloaded, you can put GLUT either under your local directory, or in appropriate system folders.

Once you have installed VC++ on your computer, start VC++, follow the steps below to set up the OpenGL environment and run the test program:

• Create a new Win32 console application.
• Go to Project, Settings, then click on the LINK tab. Under “Object/Library Modules”, at the beginning of the line, add “OpenGL32.lib Glu32.lib Glut32.lib”. Click on OK once you are done. Save your project settings. Now you are ready to write an OpenGL program.
• Note: all the header files (GL.h, GLU.h, Glut.h) should be in the directory $Your_VC_path\Include\GL\ or $Your_local_path\Include\GL\. All the .lib files should be in the directory $Your_VC_path\Lib\, and all corresponding .dll files should be in the SYSTEM path, e.g. C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM or C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32. If you find any file missing, download it from online, and put it under the appropriate path.
• Add the test program (courtesy of F. S. Hill, Jr.) to your new project. Build the project and run it. Once you see an OpenGL window with a rotating Rosette, press the following keys and observe what happens!
• n:
• N:
• r:
• R:
• q: exit

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Other Resources

• ACM SIGGRAPH
• OpenGL Programmer's Reference Guide
• OpenGL.org
• A useful tutorial for OpenGL.
• Nate Robin’s OpenGL tutors
• GPU Programming
• Alice: Learn to program interactive 3D Graphics