Problems with online tutorial

Hi everybody,

i am trying to learn OpenGl for some days now but i still get a problem after this tutorial.

youtube[dot]com/watch?v=qniXE1wi0Po

when i try to start the program with the example source code, the cube isn´t rotating smoothly, it stucks and it´s jerky.

can somebody help me with this problem?

here is the source code:

#include <GL\glut.h>
 GLfloat xRotated, yRotated, zRotated;
void init(void)
{
glClearColor(0,0,0,0);
 
}

void DrawCube(void)
{

     glMatrixMode(GL_MODELVIEW);
    // clear the drawing buffer.
    glClear(GL_COLOR_BUFFER_BIT);
   glLoadIdentity();
        glTranslatef(0.0,0.0,-10.5);
    glRotatef(xRotated,1.0,0.0,0.0);
    // rotation about Y axis
    glRotatef(yRotated,0.0,1.0,0.0);
    // rotation about Z axis
    glRotatef(zRotated,0.0,0.0,1.0);
  glBegin(GL_QUADS);        // Draw The Cube Using quads
    glColor3f(0.0f,1.0f,0.0f);    // Color Blue
    glVertex3f( 1.0f, 1.0f,-1.0f);    // Top Right Of The Quad (Top)
    glVertex3f(-1.0f, 1.0f,-1.0f);    // Top Left Of The Quad (Top)
    glVertex3f(-1.0f, 1.0f, 1.0f);    // Bottom Left Of The Quad (Top)
    glVertex3f( 1.0f, 1.0f, 1.0f);    // Bottom Right Of The Quad (Top)
    glColor3f(1.0f,0.5f,0.0f);    // Color Orange
    glVertex3f( 1.0f,-1.0f, 1.0f);    // Top Right Of The Quad (Bottom)
    glVertex3f(-1.0f,-1.0f, 1.0f);    // Top Left Of The Quad (Bottom)
    glVertex3f(-1.0f,-1.0f,-1.0f);    // Bottom Left Of The Quad (Bottom)
    glVertex3f( 1.0f,-1.0f,-1.0f);    // Bottom Right Of The Quad (Bottom)
    glColor3f(1.0f,0.0f,0.0f);    // Color Red    
    glVertex3f( 1.0f, 1.0f, 1.0f);    // Top Right Of The Quad (Front)
    glVertex3f(-1.0f, 1.0f, 1.0f);    // Top Left Of The Quad (Front)
    glVertex3f(-1.0f,-1.0f, 1.0f);    // Bottom Left Of The Quad (Front)
    glVertex3f( 1.0f,-1.0f, 1.0f);    // Bottom Right Of The Quad (Front)
    glColor3f(1.0f,1.0f,0.0f);    // Color Yellow
    glVertex3f( 1.0f,-1.0f,-1.0f);    // Top Right Of The Quad (Back)
    glVertex3f(-1.0f,-1.0f,-1.0f);    // Top Left Of The Quad (Back)
    glVertex3f(-1.0f, 1.0f,-1.0f);    // Bottom Left Of The Quad (Back)
    glVertex3f( 1.0f, 1.0f,-1.0f);    // Bottom Right Of The Quad (Back)
    glColor3f(0.0f,0.0f,1.0f);    // Color Blue
    glVertex3f(-1.0f, 1.0f, 1.0f);    // Top Right Of The Quad (Left)
    glVertex3f(-1.0f, 1.0f,-1.0f);    // Top Left Of The Quad (Left)
    glVertex3f(-1.0f,-1.0f,-1.0f);    // Bottom Left Of The Quad (Left)
    glVertex3f(-1.0f,-1.0f, 1.0f);    // Bottom Right Of The Quad (Left)
    glColor3f(1.0f,0.0f,1.0f);    // Color Violet
    glVertex3f( 1.0f, 1.0f,-1.0f);    // Top Right Of The Quad (Right)
    glVertex3f( 1.0f, 1.0f, 1.0f);    // Top Left Of The Quad (Right)
    glVertex3f( 1.0f,-1.0f, 1.0f);    // Bottom Left Of The Quad (Right)
    glVertex3f( 1.0f,-1.0f,-1.0f);    // Bottom Right Of The Quad (Right)
  glEnd();            // End Drawing The Cube
glFlush();
}


void animation(void)
{
 
     yRotated += 0.01;
     xRotated += 0.02;
    DrawCube();
}


void reshape(int x, int y)
{
    if (y == 0 || x == 0) return;  //Nothing is visible then, so return
    //Set a new projection matrix
    glMatrixMode(GL_PROJECTION);  
    glLoadIdentity();
    //Angle of view:40 degrees
    //Near clipping plane distance: 0.5
    //Far clipping plane distance: 20.0
     
    gluPerspective(40.0,(GLdouble)x/(GLdouble)y,0.5,20.0);
    glMatrixMode(GL_MODELVIEW);
    glViewport(0,0,x,y);  //Use the whole window for rendering
}

int main(int argc, char** argv){

glutInit(&argc, argv);
//we initizlilze the glut. functions
glutInitDisplayMode(GLUT_SINGLE|GLUT_RGB);
glutInitWindowPosition(100, 100);
glutCreateWindow(argv[0]);
init();
glutDisplayFunc(DrawCube);
glutReshapeFunc(reshape);
//Set the function for the animation.
glutIdleFunc(animation);
glutMainLoop();
return 0;
}

Right off the bat I can see one issue that might be the source of your problem.
You call ‘DrawCube’ inside the ‘Animation’ function.
That’s not supposed to be how OGL/GLUT works.
‘DrawCube’ is designated as the primary rendering routine in ‘main’ with the
statement ‘glutDisplayFunc(DrawCube)’.
Therefore GLUT automatically calls ‘DrawCube’ after the Idle Function is executed.
You do not have to explicitly call ‘DrawCube’ from within ‘Animation’.
In fact this will screw things up because ‘DrawCube’ is now being called twice -
once by GLUT (because it’s the DisplayFunc), and once from ‘Animation’.

Try commenting out the call to ‘DrawCube’ inside ‘Animation’ and see if that helps.

i´ve tried your idea but without the “drawCube” Methode the cube isn´t rotating…

i think the code must be right because it is an old online tutorial and i am certainly not the first one learning opengl with this tutorial :wink:

Hey there I updated your source code to a program that’s about 75% less sucky :wink:

#include <GL\glut.h>
 GLfloat xRotated, yRotated, zRotated;
void init(void)
{
glClearColor(0.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f); //Changed to reflect floating point numbers
 
}
 
void DrawCube(void)
{
 
     glMatrixMode(GL_MODELVIEW);
    // clear the drawing buffer.
    glClear(GL_COLOR_BUFFER_BIT);
   glLoadIdentity();
        glTranslatef(0.0,0.0,-10.5);
    glRotatef(xRotated,1.0,0.0,0.0);
    // rotation about Y axis
    glRotatef(yRotated,0.0,1.0,0.0);
    // rotation about Z axis
    glRotatef(zRotated,0.0,0.0,1.0);

  glBegin(GL_QUADS);        // Draw The Cube Using quads
    glColor3f(0.0f,1.0f,0.0f);    // Color Blue
    glVertex3f( 1.0f, 1.0f,-1.0f);    // Top Right Of The Quad (Top)
    glVertex3f(-1.0f, 1.0f,-1.0f);    // Top Left Of The Quad (Top)
    glVertex3f(-1.0f, 1.0f, 1.0f);    // Bottom Left Of The Quad (Top)
    glVertex3f( 1.0f, 1.0f, 1.0f);    // Bottom Right Of The Quad (Top)
    glColor3f(1.0f,0.5f,0.0f);    // Color Orange
    glVertex3f( 1.0f,-1.0f, 1.0f);    // Top Right Of The Quad (Bottom)
    glVertex3f(-1.0f,-1.0f, 1.0f);    // Top Left Of The Quad (Bottom)
    glVertex3f(-1.0f,-1.0f,-1.0f);    // Bottom Left Of The Quad (Bottom)
    glVertex3f( 1.0f,-1.0f,-1.0f);    // Bottom Right Of The Quad (Bottom)
    glColor3f(1.0f,0.0f,0.0f);    // Color Red    
    glVertex3f( 1.0f, 1.0f, 1.0f);    // Top Right Of The Quad (Front)
    glVertex3f(-1.0f, 1.0f, 1.0f);    // Top Left Of The Quad (Front)
    glVertex3f(-1.0f,-1.0f, 1.0f);    // Bottom Left Of The Quad (Front)
    glVertex3f( 1.0f,-1.0f, 1.0f);    // Bottom Right Of The Quad (Front)
    glColor3f(1.0f,1.0f,0.0f);    // Color Yellow
    glVertex3f( 1.0f,-1.0f,-1.0f);    // Top Right Of The Quad (Back)
    glVertex3f(-1.0f,-1.0f,-1.0f);    // Top Left Of The Quad (Back)
    glVertex3f(-1.0f, 1.0f,-1.0f);    // Bottom Left Of The Quad (Back)
    glVertex3f( 1.0f, 1.0f,-1.0f);    // Bottom Right Of The Quad (Back)
    glColor3f(0.0f,0.0f,1.0f);    // Color Blue
    glVertex3f(-1.0f, 1.0f, 1.0f);    // Top Right Of The Quad (Left)
    glVertex3f(-1.0f, 1.0f,-1.0f);    // Top Left Of The Quad (Left)
    glVertex3f(-1.0f,-1.0f,-1.0f);    // Bottom Left Of The Quad (Left)
    glVertex3f(-1.0f,-1.0f, 1.0f);    // Bottom Right Of The Quad (Left)
    glColor3f(1.0f,0.0f,1.0f);    // Color Violet
    glVertex3f( 1.0f, 1.0f,-1.0f);    // Top Right Of The Quad (Right)
    glVertex3f( 1.0f, 1.0f, 1.0f);    // Top Left Of The Quad (Right)
    glVertex3f( 1.0f,-1.0f, 1.0f);    // Bottom Left Of The Quad (Right)
    glVertex3f( 1.0f,-1.0f,-1.0f);    // Bottom Right Of The Quad (Right)
  glEnd();            // End Drawing The Cube
  
  glutSwapBuffers();      //Removed glFlush() command
  glutPostRedisplay();    //added this to swap buffers since we are now in double buffered mode.

}
 
 
void animation(void)
{
 
     yRotated += 0.1f; //It moved slow when I fixed it so I made it a little faster.
     xRotated += 0.2f;
    DrawCube();
}
 
 
void reshape(int x, int y)
{
    if (y == 0 || x == 0) return;  //Nothing is visible then, so return
    //Set a new projection matrix
    glMatrixMode(GL_PROJECTION);  
    glLoadIdentity();
    //Angle of view:40 degrees
    //Near clipping plane distance: 0.5
    //Far clipping plane distance: 20.0
 
    gluPerspective(40.0,(GLdouble)x/(GLdouble)y,0.5,20.0);
    glMatrixMode(GL_MODELVIEW);
    glViewport(0,0,x,y);  //Use the whole window for rendering
}
 
int main(int argc, char** argv){
 
glutInit(&argc, argv);
//we initizlilze the glut. functions
glutInitDisplayMode(GLUT_DOUBLE|GLUT_RGBA); //Switched from GLUT_SINGLE to GLUT_DOUBLE so have double buffering| switched GLUT_RGB to GLUT_RGBA 
glutInitWindowPosition(100, 100);
glutCreateWindow("THERE I FIXED IT");
init();

//Set the function for the animation.
glutDisplayFunc(animation);   //Removed glutIdleFunc, You should only use that for operations when the screen isn't drawing
glutReshapeFunc(reshape);
glutMainLoop();
return 0;
}

The code itself is commented with the changes but the biggest no-no was drawing with a combination of glFlush() and singlebuffering. Second, your program
was trying to draw and animate in between drawing processes. Your program was most likely not able to complete vertex operations before your double glFlush() calls. The
way it works now is that you now have two buffers (places in video memory)
for final drawing to the output device. The scene is rendered and displayed, all the while the next frame is rendered to the back buffer. When the next frame is ready,
the buffers are switched and the process starts all over again. Voila, you have animation.

To make the program better, I would advise you to learn how to do things without the fixed function pipeline. As a beginner, it is good to know how things were done, but
modern openGL programs are going to require shaders (little programs written in C) for EVERYTHING.