Thread: Learning OpenGL

I want to learn OpenGL from a book. I don't know anything about OpenGL, but i think i know C++ OK (i've gone through The C++ Programming Language). Do you think The OpenGL Programming Guide (The Redbook) is a good choice for me?

Originally Posted by Feite

Do you think The OpenGL Programming Guide (The Redbook) is a good choice for me?

Yes. It's a bit heavy but I think it's a must-read for any OpenGL programmer. If I recall correctly, it uses a cross-platform windowing toolkit called GLUT, which you can download from here. This library sets up the windows and allows you to process events from the keyboard and mouse. This saves you the trouble of learning windows programming, which is what the tutorials at Nehe use primarily.

Learning OpenGL at the beginning can be a bit tough, especially understanding how viewports and projections work. When learning these concepts, I found it helpful playing with these example programs to see how certain functions affect the rendering.

Thanks for the reply. I looked first at nehe, but like you've said I thought that there must be a simpler way to set up a window.

Originally Posted by Feite

Thanks for the reply. I looked first at nehe, but like you've said I thought that there must be a simpler way to set up a window.

There is a small downloadable framework on NeHe for GLUT and several other apis that handle windowing for OpenGL including some that due it more as an added benefit like SDL. But you'd still have to use those annoying tutorials. :P