This teaching resource is designed to help students understand how to create an OpenGL application using C++. The example provided sets up a simple rendering pipeline to draw a colored square on the screen. It makes use of libraries like GLFW for window management, GLAD for OpenGL function loading, and GLM for mathematical calculations.
- C++ Compiler (e.g., GCC, MSVC) For detailed instructions on installing each library, please follow the links below:
- GLFW: Download and install.
- GLAD: For an in-depth guide on setting up GLAD, please refer to GLAD_Setup.md.
- GLM: Clone or download and include it in your project.
OS: This guide assumes you are using Windows 11. For other OS, the setup might differ slightly.
main.cpp
: The main C++ source file that contains all the OpenGL logic.ShaderUtils.h
andShaderUtils.cpp
: Utilities for loading and compiling shaders.vertex.glsl
: The vertex shader file.fragment.glsl
: The fragment shader file.
For detailed instructions on installing each library, please follow the links below:
- GLFW: For an in-depth guide on setting up and linking GLFW, please refer to GLFW_Setup.md.
- GLAD: For an in-depth guide on setting up and linking GLAD, please refer to GLAD_Setup.md.
- GLM: For an in-depth guide on including GLM in your project, please refer to GLM_Setup.md.
- Create a new C++ project in your favorite IDE or text editor.
- Add the
main.cpp
file into the project. - Add
ShaderUtils.h
andShaderUtils.cpp
into the project. - Place
vertex.glsl
andfragment.glsl
in the project directory.
- Link GLFW, GLAD, and any other required libraries.
Compile the project and run it. You should see a window displaying a colored square.
The main steps in the code are as follows:
- Initialization: Initialize GLFW and create a window.
- OpenGL Setup: Load OpenGL functions using GLAD.
- Shader Setup: Load and compile vertex and fragment shaders.
- Data Buffers: Create Vertex Buffer Object (VBO) and Element Buffer Object (EBO) and upload vertex and index data.
- Rendering Loop: Clear screen, draw elements, swap buffers, and poll events.
For a more detailed explanation, please refer to the inline comments in the main.cpp
file.
- Compilation Errors: Make sure all libraries are correctly linked.
- Runtime Errors: Make sure the shader files
vertex.glsl
andfragment.glsl
are in the correct directory.