Comments on: Sad facts about OpenGL extension libraries http://rastergrid.com/blog/2010/03/sad-facts-about-opengl-extension-libraries/ A technical blog from Daniel Rákos (aka aqnuep) Sun, 05 Feb 2012 15:56:22 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Brandon J. Van Every http://rastergrid.com/blog/2010/03/sad-facts-about-opengl-extension-libraries/comment-page-1/#comment-11215 Brandon J. Van Every Sun, 11 Dec 2011 01:21:28 +0000 http://rastergrid.com/blog/?p=224#comment-11215 Alfonse Reinheart maintains XML files of the OpenGL types and function interfaces. It's easier than working with .spec files in most instances, and he's corrected some errors in the .spec files as well. https://bitbucket.org/alfonse/gl-xml-specs/downloads This doesn't solve the problem of "infinite variety" but it does help if you don't like the available options for some reason and want to roll your own solution. Alfonse Reinheart maintains XML files of the OpenGL types and function interfaces. It’s easier than working with .spec files in most instances, and he’s corrected some errors in the .spec files as well. https://bitbucket.org/alfonse/gl-xml-specs/downloads This doesn’t solve the problem of “infinite variety” but it does help if you don’t like the available options for some reason and want to roll your own solution.

]]> By: Gregory http://rastergrid.com/blog/2010/03/sad-facts-about-opengl-extension-libraries/comment-page-1/#comment-11154 Gregory Sat, 10 Dec 2011 17:57:16 +0000 http://rastergrid.com/blog/?p=224#comment-11154 Did the situation improve? So far I found: glee, glew, gl3w, glex2, biggle... Too many options doesn't help :) Did the situation improve?

So far I found: glee, glew, gl3w, glex2, biggle… Too many options doesn’t help :)

]]> By: Brandon J. Van Every http://rastergrid.com/blog/2010/03/sad-facts-about-opengl-extension-libraries/comment-page-1/#comment-4388 Brandon J. Van Every Thu, 13 Oct 2011 06:06:01 +0000 http://rastergrid.com/blog/?p=224#comment-4388 Some of the .spec files refer to something called "libspec". I imagine this is, or was, a C library for parsing the .spec files. I found some code for that in the old SGI Sample Implementation, but I haven't found any modern supported equivalent. Even if the .spec format is not "modern," it seems rational to have some standard C code available to parse and work with that format. Where is that code? Does Khronos have it somewhere and just doesn't release it? I am still digging. Some of the .spec files refer to something called “libspec”. I imagine this is, or was, a C library for parsing the .spec files. I found some code for that in the old SGI Sample Implementation, but I haven’t found any modern supported equivalent. Even if the .spec format is not “modern,” it seems rational to have some standard C code available to parse and work with that format. Where is that code? Does Khronos have it somewhere and just doesn’t release it? I am still digging.

]]> By: Josh Simmons http://rastergrid.com/blog/2010/03/sad-facts-about-opengl-extension-libraries/comment-page-1/#comment-2820 Josh Simmons Sun, 21 Aug 2011 02:30:07 +0000 http://rastergrid.com/blog/?p=224#comment-2820 The real problem here is the core and extensions are supplied in rubbish .spec and .txt files that are painful at best to parse and use. If Khronos got around to modernising their pipeline (oh god please not XML, but even that would be better than the current situation) then these libraries would be much easier to write, especially for languages that are not C or C++. The real problem here is the core and extensions are supplied in rubbish .spec and .txt files that are painful at best to parse and use. If Khronos got around to modernising their pipeline (oh god please not XML, but even that would be better than the current situation) then these libraries would be much easier to write, especially for languages that are not C or C++.

]]> By: susheel http://rastergrid.com/blog/2010/03/sad-facts-about-opengl-extension-libraries/comment-page-1/#comment-2013 susheel Sun, 19 Jun 2011 13:45:35 +0000 http://rastergrid.com/blog/?p=224#comment-2013 I have been using GLee without any problems whatsoever for 5 years in our product/engine. The website often doesn't reflect the latest supported extensions, but the library usually is pretty fast at picking up newer extensions. It is NOT hard-coded and is generated automatically from the OpenGL registry http://www.opengl.org/registry/ It currently supports 4.1 and has been supporting 4.0 for sometime now. You just need to pick the latest source from the sourceforge page http://sourceforge.net/projects/glee/ GLee is by far the easiest to use of all the extension libraries and has a liberal BSD license, which allows static linking for all types of projects. I have been using GLee without any problems whatsoever for 5 years in our product/engine. The website often doesn’t reflect the latest supported extensions, but the library usually is pretty fast at picking up newer extensions. It is NOT hard-coded and is generated automatically from the OpenGL registry http://www.opengl.org/registry/ It currently supports 4.1 and has been supporting 4.0 for sometime now. You just need to pick the latest source from the sourceforge page http://sourceforge.net/projects/glee/

GLee is by far the easiest to use of all the extension libraries and has a liberal BSD license, which allows static linking for all types of projects.

]]> By: GTD http://rastergrid.com/blog/2010/03/sad-facts-about-opengl-extension-libraries/comment-page-1/#comment-1644 GTD Mon, 18 Apr 2011 13:26:38 +0000 http://rastergrid.com/blog/?p=224#comment-1644 Even tho this seems a bit old post, I'd like to point out that GLee now supports OpenGL 4.0. It's not written on their website but GLee on their SVN repo does support OpenGL 4.0. I started to use it when having some really weird segfault occuring when calling opengl 3.0+ features, with GLEW (eventho I could fetch the fn pointers thru wglGetProcAddress()... it's still a mystery to me). Also GLee is totally transparent, no initialization needed. #include and #pragma comment(lib, "glee.lib"), et voila! Even tho this seems a bit old post, I’d like to point out that GLee now supports OpenGL 4.0. It’s not written on their website but GLee on their SVN repo does support OpenGL 4.0. I started to use it when having some really weird segfault occuring when calling opengl 3.0+ features, with GLEW (eventho I could fetch the fn pointers thru wglGetProcAddress()… it’s still a mystery to me).

Also GLee is totally transparent, no initialization needed. #include and #pragma comment(lib, “glee.lib”), et voila!

]]> By: eyebex http://rastergrid.com/blog/2010/03/sad-facts-about-opengl-extension-libraries/comment-page-1/#comment-191 eyebex Wed, 05 May 2010 17:49:49 +0000 http://rastergrid.com/blog/?p=224#comment-191 As an update to my previous comment, GLEX [1] (note that the URL has changed) has become a semi-rewritten companion simply called GLEX 2 [2]. While GLEX 1 parses the human-readable *.txt extension specification text files, GLEX 2 parses the *.spec specification files. As a result, GLEX 2 can generate code to initialize core functions in addition to code to initialize extension functions. [1] http://gale.berlios.de/glex1/ [2] http://gale.berlios.de/glex2/ As an update to my previous comment, GLEX [1] (note that the URL has changed) has become a semi-rewritten companion simply called GLEX 2 [2]. While GLEX 1 parses the human-readable *.txt extension specification text files, GLEX 2 parses the *.spec specification files. As a result, GLEX 2 can generate code to initialize core functions in addition to code to initialize extension functions.

[1] http://gale.berlios.de/glex1/
[2] http://gale.berlios.de/glex2/

]]> By: MaNiAc http://rastergrid.com/blog/2010/03/sad-facts-about-opengl-extension-libraries/comment-page-1/#comment-190 MaNiAc Wed, 05 May 2010 12:43:08 +0000 http://rastergrid.com/blog/?p=224#comment-190 Don't say such things! I was planning to change to ATi, but this... meh... ruined my day! :) Are they back to their "crap driver" era again or what? (*tries to forget the forceware that fried some GF cards lately* Nah, it didn't happen. Really... oh wait. :D) Don’t say such things! I was planning to change to ATi, but this… meh… ruined my day! :) Are they back to their “crap driver” era again or what?

(*tries to forget the forceware that fried some GF cards lately* Nah, it didn’t happen. Really… oh wait. :D )

]]> By: Daniel Rákos http://rastergrid.com/blog/2010/03/sad-facts-about-opengl-extension-libraries/comment-page-1/#comment-189 Daniel Rákos Tue, 04 May 2010 15:42:25 +0000 http://rastergrid.com/blog/?p=224#comment-189 Yes, I've seen it on opengl.org and there was another news about GL3W that is an extension loader library especially targeting OpenGL version 3 and 4, but thanks for the info anyway :) Unfortunately now the blocking issue is the bad quality of ATI drivers as their preview GL3.3/4.0 driver is not working for my demo at all (at least it displays some weird results). Also the 10.4 driver is even worse as it does not even contain the GL3.3 extensions but contains the bugs I've identified with the preview driver. So things changed a bit but I still have no possibility yet to release the next version of my Nature demo... Yes, I’ve seen it on opengl.org and there was another news about GL3W that is an extension loader library especially targeting OpenGL version 3 and 4, but thanks for the info anyway :)

Unfortunately now the blocking issue is the bad quality of ATI drivers as their preview GL3.3/4.0 driver is not working for my demo at all (at least it displays some weird results). Also the 10.4 driver is even worse as it does not even contain the GL3.3 extensions but contains the bugs I’ve identified with the preview driver.

So things changed a bit but I still have no possibility yet to release the next version of my Nature demo…

]]> By: MaNiAc http://rastergrid.com/blog/2010/03/sad-facts-about-opengl-extension-libraries/comment-page-1/#comment-187 MaNiAc Mon, 03 May 2010 14:57:26 +0000 http://rastergrid.com/blog/?p=224#comment-187 http://www.geeks3d.com/20100503/glew-1-5-4-available-with-opengl-4-0-support/ There ya go :-) http://www.geeks3d.com/20100503/glew-1-5-4-available-with-opengl-4-0-support/

There ya go :-)

]]>