OpenGL cross platform window

Question

I'm looking for a window... ugh... thing for OpenGL, I've been using SDL but more recently found that its not quite up to my needs in at least any code I've seen. I'd like to find some GUI library that allows me to develop using OpenGL (and SDL if at all possible) with a menu bar, possibly options at the side, and a working-out-of-the-box close button. Qt is the sort of thing I'm looking for, but I'd like to work with something that doesn't force me to make it open source.

A quick list of things I want, a working close button, ability to use OGL, cross platform, any licence that doesn't force me to become open source, free, and the ability to go full screen and change resolution on the fly.

I have searched myself, I'm not a lazy person really ;) I just want to get some opinions here before I dive off into anything and find its not really suitable for my needs.

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

Answer 1

Try wxWidgets. There's a link on using it with OpenGL here.

Answer 2

GLUT (GL Utility Toolkit) comes close to what you're looking for. It's quick and easy and cross-platform, although it does not have support for menu bars. This page also has a number of GLUT-like alternatives.

Answer 3

SDL can create OpenGL Windows.

http://gpwiki.org/index.php/C:SDL_OGL

Answer 4

When Qt 4.5 comes out (later this month, I think) it will be LGPL, so if you can wait a couple weeks, you can use Qt without having to open-source your program.

Answer 5

For the out-of-the-box close-button enabled window, you can have GLUT, as mentionned before, and if your additional GUI needs are really simple, I think GLUT can provide you some.

You could also go for simple OpenGL rendered menus and buttons, either using NVidia Widgets or AntTweakBar.

Answer 6

You don't need 'support' for OGL as long as you can pass it the correct the information. On windows at least, if you have a windowing API that you can hook the HWND from, you can set up OGL to use pretty much any window you want. I've done this successfully with wxWidgets and straight win32. I can't help you with other platforms, but I suspect you can do something similar.

This works with D3D too and is a nice way of separating your rendering code from your windowing API.

Answer 7

There are numerous rendered widget libraries such as those that rotoglup suggested. Have a peek at CEGUI and QuickGUI, they may make you happy (although CEGUI disappoints me with its abuse of XML). And here's a shameless plug: GLICT.