Making a circle

OpenGL OpenGL: Basic Coding
1

How can i draw a circle and a ellipse using OpenGL.

2

void DrawCircle( double r )
{
DrawEllipse( r, r );
}

void DrawEllipse( double a, double b )
{
double const TWO_PI = 6.2831853071795865;
int const NSTEPS = 100;

double t = 0.;

glBegin( GL_LINE_LOOP );

for ( int i = 0; i < NSTEPS; ++i )
{
    glVertex2d( a * cos( t ), b * sin( t ) );
    t += TWO_PI / NSTEPS;
}

glEnd();

}

3

Thanks, i wil try it.

4

When I tried the DrawCircle function, I found that if NSTEPS > 36, the beginning and ending edges of the circle do not line up.

Can anyone explain why I might be seeing this behavior?

5

Floating point precision errors. Simply change the condition to i<(NSTEPS-1).

[This message has been edited by DFrey (edited 03-25-2002).]

6

Thanks for the reply DFrey. I tried your suggestion but this did not solve the problem.

To clear things up a bit, it is not that the beginning and ending points of the circle do not connect. Sometimes really wierd things happen. For example, if I set NSTEPS=100, the circle looks like this:

----------*****
------------***
-----–---------**
--------------------*
-----------------—*
--------------------*
-----–*---------
------------***
----------**

A circle with a sideways V in the middle.

I have seen this effect with various circle drawing examples on the web. If I ever go above 36 points, the circle is not drawn correctly.

Thanks for any help,
jpummill

[This message has been edited by jpummill (edited 03-25-2002).]

[This message has been edited by jpummill (edited 03-25-2002).]

[This message has been edited by jpummill (edited 03-25-2002).]

[This message has been edited by jpummill (edited 03-25-2002).]

7

Then that sounds like a bug in your OpenGL driver, because the above code worked flawlessly for me.

8

I am trying it on an ATI M1 notebook graphics processor (supports OpenGL). I will try it at home on a GeForce2 MX.

If it does appear to be a driver issue, is this something that should be communicated to ATI???

Also, if anyone is interested, here is the code. Nice and short:

//----------------------------------------
// DRAW A CIRCLE USING GLUT AND OPENGL –
//----------------------------------------

#include <windows.h> // Standard Header For Most Programs
#include <gl/gl.h> // The GL Header File
#include <gl/glut.h> // The GL Utility Toolkit (Glut) Header
#include <stdio.h>
#include <math.h>

void DrawCircle( double );
void DrawEllipse( double, double );

void init ( GLvoid ) // Create Some Everyday Functions
{

glShadeModel(GL_FLAT);					// 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
glEnable ( GL_COLOR_MATERIAL );
glHint(GL_PERSPECTIVE_CORRECTION_HINT, GL_NICEST);

}

void display ( void ) // Create The Display Function
{

glClear(GL_COLOR_BUFFER_BIT | GL_DEPTH_BUFFER_BIT); // Clear Screen And Depth Buffer
glLoadIdentity(); // Reset The Current Modelview Matrix

glPolygonMode(GL_FRONT, GL_LINE);
glPolygonMode(GL_BACK, GL_LINE);

glColor3f(0.0f,1.0f,0.0f);
glTranslatef(0.0f, 0.0f, -3.0f);

DrawCircle(1.0);

glutSwapBuffers ( );
// Swap The Buffers To Not Be Left With A Clear Screen
}

void reshape ( int w, int h ) // Create The Reshape Function (the viewport)
{
glViewport ( 0, 0, w, h );
glMatrixMode ( GL_PROJECTION ); // Select The Projection Matrix
glLoadIdentity ( ); // Reset The Projection Matrix
if ( h==0 ) // Calculate The Aspect Ratio Of The Window
gluPerspective ( 80, ( float ) w, 1.0, 5000.0 );
else
gluPerspective ( 80, ( float ) w / ( float ) h, 1.0, 5000.0 );
glMatrixMode ( GL_MODELVIEW ); // Select The Model View Matrix
glLoadIdentity ( ); // Reset The Model View Matrix
}

void keyboard ( unsigned char key, int x, int y ) // Create Keyboard Function
{
switch ( key ) {
case 27: // When Escape Is Pressed…
exit ( 0 ); // Exit The Program
break; // Ready For Next Case
default: // Now Wrap It Up
break;
}
}

void arrow_keys ( int a_keys, int x, int y ) // Create Special Function (required for arrow keys)
{
switch ( a_keys ) {
case GLUT_KEY_UP: // When Up Arrow Is Pressed…
glutFullScreen ( ); // Go Into Full Screen Mode
break;
case GLUT_KEY_DOWN: // When Down Arrow Is Pressed…
glutReshapeWindow ( 640, 480 ); // Go Into A 640 By 480 Window
break;
default:
break;
}
}

void main ( int argc, char** argv ) // Create Main Function For Bringing It All Together
{
glutInit ( &argc, argv ); // Erm Just Write It =)
init ();
glutInitDisplayMode ( GLUT_RGB | GLUT_DOUBLE ); // Display Mode
glutInitWindowSize ( 640, 480 ); // If glutFullScreen wasn’t called this is the window size
glutCreateWindow ( “NeHe’s OpenGL Framework” ); // Window Title (argv[0] for current directory as title)
glutDisplayFunc ( display ); // Matching Earlier Functions To Their Counterparts
glutReshapeFunc ( reshape );
glutKeyboardFunc ( keyboard );
glutSpecialFunc ( arrow_keys );
glutMainLoop ( ); // Initialize The Main Loop
}

//----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
//-- Other Functions –
//----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
void DrawCircle( double r )
{
DrawEllipse( r, r );
}

void DrawEllipse( double a, double b )
{
double const TWO_PI = 6.2831853071795865;
int const NSTEPS = 100;
double t = 0.;
glBegin( GL_LINE_LOOP );
for ( int i = 0; i < (NSTEPS-1); ++i )
{
glVertex2d( a * cos( t ), b * sin( t ) );
t += TWO_PI / NSTEPS;
}
glEnd();
}

9

Ok, this is annoying. I just tried the code on my Geforce2 MX at home and it works like a charm. No problems drawing the circle when exceeding 36 points.

So what now. Should I contact Dell and tell them to fix their drivers??? Any hope in that?

10

I’d suggest:

  1. Search some forums for people who are having the same problem… ask them for their machine specs… if there are a number of people with the same problem… look at whats similar in the machines… etc!

  2. You could always try it on another machine (that has the same specs as yours)

  3. Phone dell and ask if there a fix.

  4. Seek further help from openGL creators etc =x