OPENGL User Interface Programming

Question

I\'m developing a graphical application to present data (not a game but a real workhorse app). It needs to be cross platform, so I have chosen:

• python

Answer 1

In the latest releases of QT you can draw widgets into your OpenGL context, if you really would like to do something like that. Otherwise there is CEGui that is used in some game engines.

Implementing GUI Widgets yourself unless you want to edify yourself is a waste of your time, unless you would be satisfied with the most rudimentary of looks and functionality.

Answer 2

Python + Qt + OpenGL - I surely believe any application can be written faster and better using python. QT4 is cross-platform, beautifull, implements everything you need from widgets (acessibility, etc...), and...it integrates with OpenGL. That means, you can simply have a widget that is a viewport to openGL stuff you render in your code.

Another 3D capable solution that would cover most things, but not so nioce on user interface is to extend Blender3D with a python script. It has the 3d capabilities and rendering , you script it in python all of the same, and it would be cross platform - and you get higher level tools for woriking with the 3D things than openGL alone. There are obvious drawbacks, mainly from the UI standpoint when compared with PyQT but it could be done.

Answer 3

You might want to look at Clutter, it looks pretty cool. I haven't used it yet but I intend to in an upcoming personal project.

Answer 4

"cegui" is a good choise there is also a gui editor called "ceed" to generate the layout xml files. cegui also has python bindings and its well documented and used in many game engines

Answer 5

my friend.
I believe I have found your answer ;)
http://glinter.sourceforge.net/

I havn't yet tried it, but it seems quite promising. (I'll edit this if it doesn't work)

EDIT:
eh...
it uses Tk, PMW, and WX...
(not quite what I want)

you can give the CVS download a try...
(there's no released packages, but the CVS runs)

Answer 6

This is not an answer, more of a plea: Please don't do that.

Your reimplemented widgets will lack all sorts of functionality that users will miss. Will your text-entry boxes support drag'n'drop? Copy/paste? Right-to-left scripts? Drag-select? Double-click-select? Will all these mechanisms follow the native conventions of each platform you support?

With Wx your widgets might look inconsistant with the app, but at least they'll look consistant with the OS which is just as important. And more importantly, they'll do what users expect.

(edit) Three posts, and -3 points? Screw this den of karma-whores. Original poster: I have implemented a basic set of widgets in OpenGL (for a game UI) and it was an endless nightmare of a job.