To Create & Rotate a Star-Shape Object

Hi all,
I just learned first few lesseons of OpenGL Tutorial from NeHe.gamedev.net: Setting up an OpenGl window, Polygons of Triangle, Cube, etc. I used glBegin(GL_LINE_LOOP)and 10 vertices (X-, Y-, Z-coordinates) to create a Star-Shape figure and glBegin(GL-LINES) and the origin (0,0,0)/the 10 vertices to draw the 10 lines connecting the origin point and each vertix point of the star. I do not know (1) how to make these two OpenGL results as an object and name it ‘Star’, and (2) how to rotate the ‘Star’ around the X-, Y-, or Z-Axis. Please help and give me some detailed instructions of OpenGL commands to do the (1) and (2) tasks.
Thanks in advance,
Scott Chang

Hello.

  1. Firstful, I’d like to warn you that OpenGL is far from being object-oriented. There is no way you can create any object here which would be understandable by OGL. It’s pretty common mistake so don’t worry. Just keep in mind that there isn’t anything like ‘object’ in this API. Of course - you can create your own object but it’s based on your programming language and certainly not on OpenGL.

  2. All the transformation (as well as rotations) are performed by operating on modelview matrix. You don’t have to bother about it for now (If you’ve just started). You should just know that there are some OpenGL functions which transforms modelview matrix and so vertices coordinates changes. Meaby try to read NeHe tuts once againe because these functions were described there fairly enough. Look for : glRotatef() and glTranslatef().

Hope it helps!

Hi, Orzech. Thanks for your response.

I did the OpenGL work on my Microsoft Visual C++ .NET 2002 - Windows XP Pro PC. I am new to the Visual C++ .NET 2002 programming too and I have no clue in getting an object by using the VC++ .NET 2002 commands in the middle of OpenGL Window. Do you have any ideas in using the VC++ .NET 2002 commands to make the ‘Star’ object from the two OpenGL results? Please help me in changing the ‘Star’-related portion of the following code to form an object in VC++ .NET 2002 coding:
//------RoratingStar.cpp-----------
#include <windows.h> // Header File For Windows
#include <gl\gl.h> // Header File For The OpenGL32 Library
#include <gl\glu.h> // Header File For The GLu32 Library
#include <gl\glaux.h> // Header File For The Glaux Library
#pragma comment( lib, “opengl32.lib” ) // Search For OpenGL32.lib While Linking
#pragma comment( lib, “glu32.lib” ) // Search For GLu32.lib While Linking
#pragma comment( lib, “glaux.lib” ) // Search For GLaux.lib While Linking

HDC hDC=NULL; // Private GDI Device Context
HGLRC hRC=NULL; // Permanent Rendering Context
HWND hWnd=NULL; // Holds Our Window Handle
HINSTANCE hInstance; // Holds The Instance Of The Application

bool keys[256]; // Array Used For The Keyboard Routine
bool active=TRUE; // Window Active Flag Set To TRUE By Default
bool fullscreen=TRUE; // Fullscreen Flag Set To Fullscreen Mode By Default

GLfloat rstar; //Angle for the star (new)/

LRESULT CALLBACK WndProc(HWND, UINT, WPARAM, LPARAM); // Declaration For WndProc

GLvoid ReSizeGLScene(GLsizei width, GLsizei height) // Resize And Initialize The GL Window
{
if (height==0) // Prevent A Divide By Zero By
{
height=1; // Making Height Equal One
}

glViewport(0,0,width,height);						// Reset The Current Viewport

glMatrixMode(GL_PROJECTION);						// Select The Projection Matrix
glLoadIdentity();									// Reset The Projection Matrix

// Calculate The Aspect Ratio Of The Window
gluPerspective(45.0f,(GLfloat)width/(GLfloat)height,0.1f,100.0f);

glMatrixMode(GL_MODELVIEW);							// Select The Modelview Matrix
glLoadIdentity();									// Reset The Modelview Matrix

}

int InitGL(GLvoid) // All Setup For OpenGL Goes Here
{
glShadeModel(GL_SMOOTH); // Enable Smooth Shading
glClearColor(0.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f, 0.5f); // Black Background
glClearDepth(1.0f); // Depth Buffer Setup
glEnable(GL_DEPTH_TEST); // Enables Depth Testing
glDepthFunc(GL_LEQUAL); // The Type Of Depth Testing To Do
glHint(GL_PERSPECTIVE_CORRECTION_HINT, GL_NICEST); // Really Nice Perspective Calculations
return TRUE; // Initialization Went OK
}

int DrawGLScene(GLvoid) // Here’s Where We Do All The Drawing
{
glClear(GL_COLOR_BUFFER_BIT | GL_DEPTH_BUFFER_BIT); // Clear Screen And Depth Buffer
glLoadIdentity(); // Reset The Current Modelview Matrix
glTranslatef(-1.5f,0.0f,-6.0f); // Move Left 1.5 Units And Into The Screen 6.0
glRotatef(rstar, 0.0f, 1.0f, 0.0f); //*Rotate the star on the Y-axis (new)
glBegin(GL_LINE_LOOP); // Drawing a star by using 10 vertices for the outer rims of a star
glVertex3f (0, 0.5, 0); //Specify the next 10 vertices
glVertex3f (-0.2, 0.2, 0); //Specify the next 10 vertices
glVertex3f (-0.5, 0.1, 0);
glVertex3f (-0.2, -0.1, 0);
glVertex3f (-0.3, -0.5, 0);
glVertex3f (0, -0.2, 0);
glVertex3f (0.3, -0.5, 0);
glVertex3f (0.2, -0.1, 0);
glVertex3f (0.5, 0.1, 0);
glVertex3f (0.2, 0.2, 0);
glVertex3f (0, 0.5, 0);
glEnd(); // Finished drawing the star shape
//glColor3f (0.0, 1.0, 0.0); //Set the color to green
glBegin(GL_LINES); //Draw 10 lines radiating from (0,0,0) to each vertice
glVertex3f (0, 0.5, 0); //1st vertix to connect the origin to form a line
glVertex3f (0, 0, 0);
glVertex3f (-0.2, 0.2, 0); //2nd vertix
glVertex3f (0, 0, 0);
glVertex3f (-0.5, 0.1, 0);
glVertex3f (0, 0, 0);
glVertex3f (-0.2, -0.1, 0);
glVertex3f (0, 0, 0);
glVertex3f (-0.3, -0.5, 0);
glVertex3f (0, 0, 0);
glVertex3f (0, -0.2, 0);
glVertex3f (0, 0, 0);
glVertex3f (0.3, -0.5, 0);
glVertex3f (0, 0, 0);
glVertex3f (0.2, -0.1, 0);
glVertex3f (0, 0, 0);
glVertex3f (0.5, 0.1, 0);
glVertex3f (0, 0, 0);
glVertex3f (0.2, 0.2, 0);
glVertex3f (0, 0, 0);
glColor3f (0.5, 0.5, 1.0); //Set the color to blue
glVertex3f (0, 0.5, 0);// last vertix
glVertex3f (0, 0, 0);
glEnd(); // Finished drawing the last line
return TRUE; // Keep Going
}

GLvoid KillGLWindow(GLvoid) // Properly Kill The Window
{
if (fullscreen) // Are We In Fullscreen Mode?
{
ChangeDisplaySettings(NULL,0); // If So Switch Back To The Desktop
ShowCursor(TRUE); // Show Mouse Pointer
}

if (hRC)											// Do We Have A Rendering Context?
{
	if (!wglMakeCurrent(NULL,NULL))					// Are We Able To Release The DC And RC Contexts?
	{
		MessageBox(NULL,"Release Of DC And RC Failed.","SHUTDOWN ERROR",MB_OK | MB_ICONINFORMATION);
	}

	if (!wglDeleteContext(hRC))						// Are We Able To Delete The RC?
	{
		MessageBox(NULL,"Release Rendering Context Failed.","SHUTDOWN ERROR",MB_OK | MB_ICONINFORMATION);
	}
	hRC=NULL;										// Set RC To NULL
}

if (hDC && !ReleaseDC(hWnd,hDC))					// Are We Able To Release The DC
{
	MessageBox(NULL,"Release Device Context Failed.","SHUTDOWN ERROR",MB_OK | MB_ICONINFORMATION);
	hDC=NULL;										// Set DC To NULL
}

if (hWnd && !DestroyWindow(hWnd))					// Are We Able To Destroy The Window?
{
	MessageBox(NULL,"Could Not Release hWnd.","SHUTDOWN ERROR",MB_OK | MB_ICONINFORMATION);
	hWnd=NULL;										// Set hWnd To NULL
}

if (!UnregisterClass("OpenGL",hInstance))			// Are We Able To Unregister Class
{
	MessageBox(NULL,"Could Not Unregister Class.","SHUTDOWN ERROR",MB_OK | MB_ICONINFORMATION);
	hInstance=NULL;									// Set hInstance To NULL
}

}

/* This Code Creates Our OpenGL Window. Parameters Are: *

  • title - Title To Appear At The Top Of The Window *
  • width - Width Of The GL Window Or Fullscreen Mode *
  • height - Height Of The GL Window Or Fullscreen Mode *
  • bits - Number Of Bits To Use For Color (8/16/24/32) *
  • fullscreenflag - Use Fullscreen Mode (TRUE) Or Windowed Mode (FALSE) */

BOOL CreateGLWindow(char* title, int width, int height, int bits, bool fullscreenflag)
{
GLuint PixelFormat; // Holds The Results After Searching For A Match
WNDCLASS wc; // Windows Class Structure
DWORD dwExStyle; // Window Extended Style
DWORD dwStyle; // Window Style
RECT WindowRect; // Grabs Rectangle Upper Left / Lower Right Values
WindowRect.left=(long)0; // Set Left Value To 0
WindowRect.right=(long)width; // Set Right Value To Requested Width
WindowRect.top=(long)0; // Set Top Value To 0
WindowRect.bottom=(long)height; // Set Bottom Value To Requested Height

fullscreen=fullscreenflag;			// Set The Global Fullscreen Flag

hInstance			= GetModuleHandle(NULL);				// Grab An Instance For Our Window
wc.style			= CS_HREDRAW | CS_VREDRAW | CS_OWNDC;	// Redraw On Size, And Own DC For Window.
wc.lpfnWndProc		= (WNDPROC) WndProc;					// WndProc Handles Messages
wc.cbClsExtra		= 0;									// No Extra Window Data
wc.cbWndExtra		= 0;									// No Extra Window Data
wc.hInstance		= hInstance;							// Set The Instance
wc.hIcon			= LoadIcon(NULL, IDI_WINLOGO);			// Load The Default Icon
wc.hCursor			= LoadCursor(NULL, IDC_ARROW);			// Load The Arrow Pointer
wc.hbrBackground	= NULL;									// No Background Required For GL
wc.lpszMenuName		= NULL;									// We Don't Want A Menu
wc.lpszClassName	= "OpenGL";								// Set The Class Name

if (!RegisterClass(&wc))									// Attempt To Register The Window Class
{
	MessageBox(NULL,"Failed To Register The Window Class.","ERROR",MB_OK|MB_ICONEXCLAMATION);
	return FALSE;											// Return FALSE
}

if (fullscreen)												// Attempt Fullscreen Mode?
{
	DEVMODE dmScreenSettings;								// Device Mode
	memset(&dmScreenSettings,0,sizeof(dmScreenSettings));	// Makes Sure Memory's Cleared
	dmScreenSettings.dmSize=sizeof(dmScreenSettings);		// Size Of The Devmode Structure
	dmScreenSettings.dmPelsWidth	= width;				// Selected Screen Width
	dmScreenSettings.dmPelsHeight	= height;				// Selected Screen Height
	dmScreenSettings.dmBitsPerPel	= bits;					// Selected Bits Per Pixel
	dmScreenSettings.dmFields=DM_BITSPERPEL|DM_PELSWIDTH|DM_PELSHEIGHT;

	// Try To Set Selected Mode And Get Results.  NOTE: CDS_FULLSCREEN Gets Rid Of Start Bar.
	if (ChangeDisplaySettings(&dmScreenSettings,CDS_FULLSCREEN)!=DISP_CHANGE_SUCCESSFUL)
	{
		// If The Mode Fails, Offer Two Options.  Quit Or Use Windowed Mode.
		if (MessageBox(NULL,"The Requested Fullscreen Mode Is Not Supported By

Your Video Card. Use Windowed Mode Instead?",“NeHe GL”,MB_YESNO|MB_ICONEXCLAMATION)==IDYES)
{
fullscreen=FALSE; // Windowed Mode Selected. Fullscreen = FALSE
}
else
{
// Pop Up A Message Box Letting User Know The Program Is Closing.
MessageBox(NULL,“Program Will Now Close.”,“ERROR”,MB_OK|MB_ICONSTOP);
return FALSE; // Return FALSE
}
}
}

if (fullscreen)												// Are We Still In Fullscreen Mode?
{
	dwExStyle=WS_EX_APPWINDOW;								// Window Extended Style
	dwStyle=WS_POPUP;										// Windows Style
	ShowCursor(FALSE);										// Hide Mouse Pointer
}
else
{
	dwExStyle=WS_EX_APPWINDOW | WS_EX_WINDOWEDGE;			// Window Extended Style
	dwStyle=WS_OVERLAPPEDWINDOW;							// Windows Style
}

AdjustWindowRectEx(&WindowRect, dwStyle, FALSE, dwExStyle);		// Adjust Window To True Requested Size

// Create The Window
if (!(hWnd=CreateWindowEx(	dwExStyle,							// Extended Style For The Window
							"OpenGL",							// Class Name
							title,								// Window Title
							dwStyle |							// Defined Window Style
							WS_CLIPSIBLINGS |					// Required Window Style
							WS_CLIPCHILDREN,					// Required Window Style
							0, 0,								// Window Position
							WindowRect.right-WindowRect.left,	// Calculate Window Width
							WindowRect.bottom-WindowRect.top,	// Calculate Window Height
							NULL,								// No Parent Window
							NULL,								// No Menu
							hInstance,							// Instance
							NULL)))								// Dont Pass Anything To WM_CREATE
{
	KillGLWindow();								// Reset The Display
	MessageBox(NULL,"Window Creation Error.","ERROR",MB_OK|MB_ICONEXCLAMATION);
	return FALSE;								// Return FALSE
}

static	PIXELFORMATDESCRIPTOR pfd=				// pfd Tells Windows How We Want Things To Be
{
	sizeof(PIXELFORMATDESCRIPTOR),				// Size Of This Pixel Format Descriptor
	1,											// Version Number
	PFD_DRAW_TO_WINDOW |						// Format Must Support Window
	PFD_SUPPORT_OPENGL |						// Format Must Support OpenGL
	PFD_DOUBLEBUFFER,							// Must Support Double Buffering
	PFD_TYPE_RGBA,								// Request An RGBA Format
	bits,										// Select Our Color Depth
	0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,							// Color Bits Ignored
	0,											// No Alpha Buffer
	0,											// Shift Bit Ignored
	0,											// No Accumulation Buffer
	0, 0, 0, 0,									// Accumulation Bits Ignored
	16,											// 16Bit Z-Buffer (Depth Buffer)  
	0,											// No Stencil Buffer
	0,											// No Auxiliary Buffer
	PFD_MAIN_PLANE,								// Main Drawing Layer
	0,											// Reserved
	0, 0, 0										// Layer Masks Ignored
};

if (!(hDC=GetDC(hWnd)))							// Did We Get A Device Context?
{
	KillGLWindow();								// Reset The Display
	MessageBox(NULL,"Can't Create A GL Device Context.","ERROR",MB_OK|MB_ICONEXCLAMATION);
	return FALSE;								// Return FALSE
}

if (!(PixelFormat=ChoosePixelFormat(hDC,&pfd)))	// Did Windows Find A Matching Pixel Format?
{
	KillGLWindow();								// Reset The Display
	MessageBox(NULL,"Can't Find A Suitable PixelFormat.","ERROR",MB_OK|MB_ICONEXCLAMATION);
	return FALSE;								// Return FALSE
}

if(!SetPixelFormat(hDC,PixelFormat,&pfd))		// Are We Able To Set The Pixel Format?
{
	KillGLWindow();								// Reset The Display
	MessageBox(NULL,"Can't Set The PixelFormat.","ERROR",MB_OK|MB_ICONEXCLAMATION);
	return FALSE;								// Return FALSE
}

if (!(hRC=wglCreateContext(hDC)))				// Are We Able To Get A Rendering Context?
{
	KillGLWindow();								// Reset The Display
	MessageBox(NULL,"Can't Create A GL Rendering Context.","ERROR",MB_OK|MB_ICONEXCLAMATION);
	return FALSE;								// Return FALSE
}

if(!wglMakeCurrent(hDC,hRC))					// Try To Activate The Rendering Context
{
	KillGLWindow();								// Reset The Display
	MessageBox(NULL,"Can't Activate The GL Rendering Context.","ERROR",MB_OK|MB_ICONEXCLAMATION);
	return FALSE;								// Return FALSE
}

ShowWindow(hWnd,SW_SHOW);						// Show The Window
SetForegroundWindow(hWnd);						// Slightly Higher Priority
SetFocus(hWnd);									// Sets Keyboard Focus To The Window
ReSizeGLScene(width, height);					// Set Up Our Perspective GL Screen

if (!InitGL())									// Initialize Our Newly Created GL Window
{
	KillGLWindow();								// Reset The Display
	MessageBox(NULL,"Initialization Failed.","ERROR",MB_OK|MB_ICONEXCLAMATION);
	return FALSE;								// Return FALSE
}

return TRUE;									// Success

}

LRESULT CALLBACK WndProc( HWND hWnd, // Handle For This Window
UINT uMsg, // Message For This Window
WPARAM wParam, // Additional Message Information
LPARAM lParam) // Additional Message Information
{
switch (uMsg) // Check For Windows Messages
{
case WM_ACTIVATE: // Watch For Window Activate Message
{
if (!HIWORD(wParam)) // Check Minimization State
{
active=TRUE; // Program Is Active
}
else
{
active=FALSE; // Program Is No Longer Active
}

		return 0;								// Return To The Message Loop
	}

	case WM_SYSCOMMAND:
	{
		switch (wParam)
		{
			case SC_SCREENSAVE:
			case SC_MONITORPOWER:
				return 0;
		}
		break;
	}

	case WM_CLOSE:								// Did We Receive A Close Message?
	{
		PostQuitMessage(0);						// Send A Quit Message
		return 0;								// Jump Back
	}

	case WM_KEYDOWN:							// Is A Key Being Held Down?
	{
		keys[wParam] = TRUE;					// If So, Mark It As TRUE
		return 0;								// Jump Back
	}

	case WM_KEYUP:								// Has A Key Been Released?
	{
		keys[wParam] = FALSE;					// If So, Mark It As FALSE
		return 0;								// Jump Back
	}

	case WM_SIZE:								// Resize The OpenGL Window
	{
		ReSizeGLScene(LOWORD(lParam),HIWORD(lParam));  // LoWord=Width, HiWord=Height
		return 0;								// Jump Back
	}
}

// Pass All Unhandled Messages To DefWindowProc
return DefWindowProc(hWnd,uMsg,wParam,lParam);

}

int WINAPI WinMain( HINSTANCE hInstance, // Instance
HINSTANCE hPrevInstance, // Previous Instance
LPSTR lpCmdLine, // Command Line Parameters
int nCmdShow) // Window Show State
{
MSG msg; // Windows Message Structure
BOOL done=FALSE; // Bool Variable To Exit Loop

// Ask The User Which Screen Mode They Prefer
if (MessageBox(NULL,"Would You Like To Run In Fullscreen Mode?", "Start FullScreen?",MB_YESNO|MB_ICONQUESTION)==IDNO)
{
	fullscreen=FALSE;							// Windowed Mode
}

// Create Our OpenGL Window
if (!CreateGLWindow("OpenGL - Star with 10 radiating lines from the origin",640,480,16,fullscreen))
{
	return 0;									// Quit If Window Was Not Created
}

while(!done)									// Loop That Runs While done=FALSE
{
	if (PeekMessage(&msg,NULL,0,0,PM_REMOVE))	// Is There A Message Waiting?
	{
		if (msg.message==WM_QUIT)				// Have We Received A Quit Message?
		{
			done=TRUE;							// If So done=TRUE
		}
		else									// If Not, Deal With Window Messages
		{
			TranslateMessage(&msg);				// Translate The Message
			DispatchMessage(&msg);				// Dispatch The Message
		}
	}
	else										// If There Are No Messages
	{
		// Draw The Scene.  Watch For ESC Key And Quit Messages From DrawGLScene()
		if ((active && !DrawGLScene()) | | keys[VK_ESCAPE])	// Active?  Was There A Quit Received?
		{
			done=TRUE;							// ESC or DrawGLScene Signalled A Quit
		}
		else									// Not Time To Quit, Update Screen
		{
			SwapBuffers(hDC);					// Swap Buffers (Double Buffering)
		}

		if (keys[VK_F1])						// Is F1 Being Pressed?
		{
			keys[VK_F1]=FALSE;					// If So Make Key FALSE
			KillGLWindow();						// Kill Our Current Window
			fullscreen=!fullscreen;				// Toggle Fullscreen / Windowed Mode
			// Recreate Our OpenGL Window
			if (!CreateGLWindow("NeHe's First Polygon Tutorial",640,480,16,fullscreen))
			{
				return 0;						// Quit If Window Was Not Created
			}
		}
	}
}

// Shutdown
KillGLWindow();									// Kill The Window
return (msg.wParam);							// Exit The Program

}

Thanka again,
Scott Chang