🚀 go-pugleaf

Jason Collins (jason@iimage.com.au) wrote:
: Hi all,

[snip]

: I am trying to create a 3d graphics engine (what graphics programmer
: isn't) so if you have done something similar I would love to hear from
: you.

: Also, if anyone could point me in the direction of any existing code
: or graphics libraries that would be great.

: Thanks

	Jason,

	You might like to look at Mesa - a 3D graphics library which 
	has an API pretty much identical to OpenGL (originally developed
	by SGI). Any OpenGL program should compile with the Mesa library
	without any problems. 

	You can find out more about Mesa from the Mesa home page:

	http://www.ssec.wisc.edu/~brianp/Mesa.html

	You can download the Mesa source from this page and compile
	it on Linux (needs X Windows libs) - quite a few demo programs
	are included showing many different 3D effects. The distribution
	apart from containing code that will work on most Unix/X11 
	systems also has code for the Amiga, NeXT and even Windows.
	Note that for the moment there is no hardware accelerated 3D
	graphics - it is a purely software based implementation.

	I've been using Mesa on Linux and on IRIX (as well as 
	as SGI's OpenGL on an Onyx), quite happily for a while now
	and I would recommend it, if you are interested in 3D graphics
	programming. 

	Instead of reinventing the wheel by writing your own graphics
	library (unless you feel like a challenge), going with something
	like Mesa is a good choice because OpenGL is pretty much becoming
	a 3D graphics standard - it is supported by SGI, DEC, IBM,
	Microsoft and other smaller companies like Metro-Link,
	Evans & Sutherland and X-Inside. The last three I believe, all
	sell commercial OpenGL implementations for Linux.

	For information on OpenGL, you might like to try the following
	web pages:

	WWW Center:   http://www.sgi.com/Technology/openGL/
  	Man pages:    http://www.digital.com:80/pub/doc/opengl/
  	Spec doc:     http://www.sgi.com/Technology/openGL/glspec/glspec.html

	Hope this helps.

	Michael Papasimeon
	michp@ecr.mu.oz.au