Thread: Downloading OpenGL - cannot find anywhere?

  1. #1
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    Downloading OpenGL - cannot find anywhere?

    I thought learning OpenGL would be the hard bit, not downloading it. After many google searches, forum searches, Yahoo answers requests, I cannot find a download for just normal OpenGL. Surely it can't be that hard?!

    If anyone could point me in the right direction then that would be great!

    Thanks in advance,

    Jake

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    What platform? Windows and Linux, I'm pretty sure (Windows I'm 100% sure, and 99% sure on Linux) comes with OpenGL in the original distribution media. Other platforms may or may not.

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    Mats
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    Please don't PM me for help - and no, I don't do help over instant messengers.

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    Windows - I tried compiling an OpenGL basic application but it didn't recognise the headers or functions.

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    When I did a search for "gl", I found it here:
    Code:
    E:\Dev-Cpp\include\GL
    E:\MinGW\include\GL
    E:\Program Files\GnuWin32\share\locale\gl
    E:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio .NET\Vc7\PlatformSDK\Include\gl
    I don't think the third one is valid, but the others seem like they are good candidates. (And yes, I have more than one installation of gcc-mingw!)

    My guess is that your include path(s) aren't set up correctly.

    Also, have a look here:
    http://www.opengl.org/wiki/Getting_started

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    Last edited by matsp; 02-27-2009 at 05:46 PM.
    Compilers can produce warnings - make the compiler programmers happy: Use them!
    Please don't PM me for help - and no, I don't do help over instant messengers.

  5. #5
    Cat without Hat CornedBee's Avatar
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    There's no OpenGL to download because OpenGL is a specification. You need concrete implementations from different sources.

    Under Windows, there should be a basic SDK with the Windows SDK. Also, you can download your graphic card vendor's OpenGL SDK, which is probably more up-to-date. Finally, you might want a 3rd party support library like the OpenGL Extension Wrangler, to get easier access to the most recent OpenGL features. (GLEW is included in the nVidia SDK.)
    All the buzzt!
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    Quote Originally Posted by CornedBee View Post
    There's no OpenGL to download because OpenGL is a specification. You need concrete implementations from different sources.

    Under Windows, there should be a basic SDK with the Windows SDK. Also, you can download your graphic card vendor's OpenGL SDK, which is probably more up-to-date. Finally, you might want a 3rd party support library like the OpenGL Extension Wrangler, to get easier access to the most recent OpenGL features. (GLEW is included in the nVidia SDK.)
    Thing is, I hate using MSVC++ Express. It just seems over complicated to me when I just want to write basic code. So I need to find a place to download the headers and DLLs for C so I can learn.

    Alternatively, I've got a copy on Ubuntu Linux coming in the post - would it be easier for me to wait and learn OpenGL on that?

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jake.c View Post
    Thing is, I hate using MSVC++ Express. It just seems over complicated to me when I just want to write basic code. So I need to find a place to download the headers and DLLs for C so I can learn.
    Huh? And how is downloading headers (that you probably already have on your machine) going to make anything easier...?
    [/quote]
    Alternatively, I've got a copy on Ubuntu Linux coming in the post - would it be easier for me to wait and learn OpenGL on that?[/QUOTE]
    Probably not.

    Note that OpenGL programming is NOT entirely trivial, and requires a bit of programming experience.

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    Please don't PM me for help - and no, I don't do help over instant messengers.

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    Well I've done alot of C so I don't really know if there's an inbetween bit beetween learning C and learning OpenGL but I have to move on to something, so that's why I chose OpenGL. I've had a search through my machine but I can't seem to find some of the files. Thanks for all the help so far, it's given me some ideas as for where to look next.

  9. #9
    Cat without Hat CornedBee's Avatar
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    If you have the Express edition, download the Windows SDK.
    All the buzzt!
    CornedBee

    "There is not now, nor has there ever been, nor will there ever be, any programming language in which it is the least bit difficult to write bad code."
    - Flon's Law

  10. #10
    C++まいる!Cをこわせ!
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jake.c View Post
    Thing is, I hate using MSVC++ Express. It just seems over complicated to me when I just want to write basic code. So I need to find a place to download the headers and DLLs for C so I can learn.
    Are you willing to learn just a few things to make it work, then?
    It seems complicated because it packs a huge amount of features, all very easy to use.
    IDE + IntelliSense + compiler + debugger (and more) all in one package.

    But still, OpenGL isn't bound to a specific compiler/IDE. It will work with whatever you want to use it with.
    Quote Originally Posted by Adak View Post
    io.h certainly IS included in some modern compilers. It is no longer part of the standard for C, but it is nevertheless, included in the very latest Pelles C versions.
    Quote Originally Posted by Salem View Post
    You mean it's included as a crutch to help ancient programmers limp along without them having to relearn too much.

    Outside of your DOS world, your header file is meaningless.

  11. #11
    spurious conceit MK27's Avatar
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    Ahem.

    I know with gcc you must use some linker switches (for the GLX libraries, plus for the X libraries used by openGL, -lGLU -lGL -lXext -lX11 -lm, and that math one is necessary too) in addition to having the right "includes". GLUT requires even more.

    Also -- while an openGL distribution is probably standard everywhere, there is no reason it would include all the source files, since most people who use it probably do not have to compile anything which uses it.

    If you don't like your compiler, and all you need from a compiler is a compiler, switch to gcc. It's free, it almost certainly works everywhere, it's very widespread, and I have yet to hear anything ill said of it by anyone, except perhaps icc does better optimization.

    ps. there is quite a forum run by the openGL people themselves: http://www.opengl.org/discussion_boards/
    Last edited by MK27; 03-01-2009 at 11:00 AM.
    C programming resources:
    GNU C Function and Macro Index -- glibc reference manual
    The C Book -- nice online learner guide
    Current ISO draft standard
    CCAN -- new CPAN like open source library repository
    3 (different) GNU debugger tutorials: #1 -- #2 -- #3
    cpwiki -- our wiki on sourceforge

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