Install the OPENGL module

OpenGL support module for Chrono.

Compared to the IRRLICHT module this provides a lower-level access to real-time 3D visualization and a more limited set of visualization features, but it uses less resources and it can be useful in case of large amounts of objects.

Features

The OPENGL module is used for showing simulations in a OpenGL view.

Requirements

  • To run applications based on this module you need:
  • To build this module you need:

Building instructions

  1. Download and install these libraries (depending on the platform, the process can be different)
  2. Repeat the instructions for the full installation, but when you see the CMake window, you must add the following steps:
  3. Set the ENABLE_MODULE_OPENGL as 'on', then press 'Configure' (to refresh the variable list)
  4. Set all the values for GLM_..., GLEW_..., GLFW_... to proper directory / file values.
  5. Press 'Configure' again, then 'Generate', and proceed as usual in the installation instructions.
Most demos and tutorials do not use this module for visualization, as they use the IRRLICHT module, which is easier to use, and at a more advanced stage of development.

MacOS issues

You can configure and build this module on the Mac, but due to malconfigured shader programs you cannot run it.

Vulkan Scene Graph (VSG) support module for Chrono.

OpenGL has become very popular with the time. It is supported by a lot of systems. Over the decades it turned out, that OpenGL is not flexible enough to get all of the power a modern GPU can offer. Vulkan has been developed as a successor. The developers of Vulkan state: "Vulkan is not for everybody". When you try to write a program to draw a triangle on the screen, you have to write around 1300 lines of code and you have an idea what was meant.

Fortunately the makers of OpenSceneGraph (OSG) decided to develop their VulkanSceneGraph (VSG) to ease the development of 3D graphics software based on Vulkan. It is still under development but constantly growing.

Chrono::VSG is meant as a successor for Chrono::IRRLICHT and Chrono::OPENGL. It is aktually in an embrionic state.

Features

The VSG module is used for showing simulations in a VSG view. It comes with a simple graphical user interface based on the ImGUI library.

Requirements

  • To run applications based on this module you need:
    • the VULKAN library, it is highly recommended also to install the libraries in debug mode
    • the vsgExamples data folder, which contains a lot of important resources

To find the resources an environment variable has to be set correctly: Windows: set VSG_FILE_PATH=c:\your\vsg_install_path\data Linux/Mac: export VSG_FILE_PATH=/your/vsg/install_path/data

Use the appropriate paths for your needs. Actually all VSG related libraries are in static mode. This may change in future.

  • To build this module you need:
    • the VULKAN library, it is highly recommended also to install the libraries in debug mode
    • the VulkanSceneGraph library
    • the vsgXchange library and converter tool 'vsgconv'
    • the vsgImGui library
    • the vsgExamples data folder, which contains a lot of important resources

You may want to be able to debug your code, then you should build these libraries in Release and Debug mode as well. To ease the configuration process for cmake, the VSG libraries should be installed in a single directory like c:\VSG on Windows. The vsgXchange library can have additional dependencies (OSG, assimp,...), you can play with it, but for working with Chrono::VSG you will actually not need it.

Building instructions

  1. Download and install these libraries (depending on the platform, the process can be different)
    • the VULKAN library, it is highly recommended also to install the libraries in debug mode
    • the VulkanSceneGraph library
    • the vsgXchange library and converter tool 'vsgconv'
    • the vsgImGui library
    • the vsgExamples data folder, which contains a lot of important resources

The Vulkan SDK comes with an installer, the debug libraries must be copied by hand yet. The VSG library sources can be loaded in form of zip files or by means of git: git clone https://github.com/vsg-dev/VulkanSceneGraph.git for example. You can configure every project with cmake, on Windows you will like Visual Studio 2019, on the Mac you can build with Xcode. A nice commandline alternative is to use 'ninja', it is available for Linux/Mac/Windows. When you use cmake -G "Ninja Multi-config" .... you get the makefiles for Release and Debug mode. In the build directory you write ninja -f build-Release.ninja install ninja -f build-Debug.ninja install You can build also the documentation for VulkanSceneGraph by ninja -f build-Release.ninja docs It generates an html directory, which has to be copied to the install directory by hand.

  1. Repeat the instructions for the full installation, but when you see the CMake window, you must add the following steps:
  2. Set the ENABLE_MODULE_VSG as 'on', then press 'Configure' (to refresh the variable list)
  3. Set all the values for VulkanSceneGraph_..., vsgExchange_..., vsgImGui_... and so on to proper directory / file values.
  4. Press 'Configure' again, then 'Generate', and proceed as usual in the installation instructions.
Actually there is only one example, which is going to be changed every day...