freeglut is an open source program that provides you with instruments for creating and managing windows containing OpenGL contexts on a wide array of platforms. This distribution serves as a replacement for the original GLUT toolkit, offering improved functionality, better performance, and broader compatibility.
Main capabilities
The software simplifies the process of generating windows, along with handling user input events, such as keyboard and mouse interactions. It provides an intuitive interface that abstracts the underlying platform-specific details, enabling you to focus on the application logic.
The library offers convenient timer and idle function mechanisms. This means you can configure time-based events and animations, and achieve smooth rendering and interaction in OpenGL projects. There are also additional callback functions which enhance flexibility and control over program behavior.
Community driven development
Due to the fact that freeglut is an open source project, it has an active community of developers. This ensures continuous growth, bug fixes, and improvements. The accessible nature of the toolkit also encourages contributions and user driven innovations.
It is also necessary to note that with this utility, you can write OpenGL apps that are not tied to a specific operating system or platform. This allows for broader reach and reduces the effort required to port projects across different OSs. If you want to work with Vulkan API, you may try another distribution called Vulcan Runtime Libraries.
Features
- free to download and use;
- compatible with modern Windows versions;
- allows you to develop various OpenGL projects;
- you are able to add a range of callback functions;
- it is possible to create cross-platform apps.
