OpenGL

[Beej]

I'm doing a course in OpenGL. I'd love to be able code and run all my OpenGL programs from within Mac OS X (or 9), but I have no idea how to do it (or even if it's possible). Everything I do has to be compatible with the Mesa OpenGL implementation on Linux PCs.

If anyone has any idea what I'm talking about, please help me!

[irmongoose]

well, as you must know, OpenGL is integrated in both OS X and OS 9... do you mean OpenGL programs or programs accelerated with OpenGL? I don't know about the first... but if you make a cocoa app, you can accelerate it with OpenGL and it should work just fine...


sorry, i must not be helping... :( :(




irmongoose

[Beej]

I mean OpenGL programming. As in the way you can write a small C or C++ program, save it, then compile it using the Terminal.

[Decimal Dave]

Everything I do has to be compatible with the Mesa OpenGL implementation on Linux PCs.


Mesa is only an OpenGL workalike, and is technically not "real" OpenGL. You'll probably find that Mesa has less support and compatibility than OpenGL and may not be the best choice for a very large or advanced project.

If your really want to make a cross-platform OpenGL application that can be ported with a quick compile, the easiest way is to use the GLUT librarys. Apple provides all of the tools, libraries, and sample code that you need to do this in OS X for free. I would also recommend checking out the Mac OpenGL mailing list that Apple has, as well as the discussion forums at OpenGL.org. http://nehe.gamedev.net/ also has a good tutorial on how to set up a GLUT project in OS X.

[Beej]

Hey Decimal Dave - I have a few questions and it seems like you may be able to answer them! Could you give me an email? beej@futuremechanix.com

Thanks