Mailing List Archive

Built-in Modules gl, GL for SGI IRIX
While perusing the documentation that came with Python (1.5.1 on SuSE
6.0 Linux distribution), I noticed pythong modules for interfacing
with OpenGL. I am running Linux on an Intel, not IRIX on an SGI
MIPS. I was wondering if anyone has patched the modules to work with
Mesa, an OpenGL clone.

I am still very new to Python, and haven't been through the C linkage
referance yet. How difficult is it to set up the gl and GL modules to
look on the system for Mesa, GL or Windows OpenGL dlls and use the
appropriate shared objects for a Python program?

I would like to use Python for a program that will need to display 3D
graphics using OpenGL. I would like the program to work on all POSIX
compliant systems and possibly Windows as well if the GUI elements (I
haven't looked into that yet either) are portable.

--
David Steuber
http://www.david-steuber.com

If you wish to reply by mail, _please_ replace 'trashcan' with 'david'
in the e-mail address. The trashcan account really is a trashcan.

The big problem with pornography is defining it. You can't
just say it's pictures of people naked. For example, you have these
primitive African tribes that exist by chasing the wildebeest on foot,
and they have to go around largely naked, because, as the old tribal
saying goes: "N'wam k'honi soit qui mali," which means, "If you think
you can catch a wildebeest in this climate and wear clothes at the same
time, then I have some beach front property in the desert region of
Northern Mali that you may be interested in."
So it's not considered pornographic when National Geographic
publishes color photographs of these people hunting the wildebeest
naked, or pounding one rock onto another rock for some primitive reason
naked, or whatever. But if National Geographic were to publish an
article entitled "The Girls of the California Junior College System
Hunt the Wildebeest Naked," some people would call it pornography. But
others would not. And still others, such as the Spectacularly Rev.
Jerry Falwell, would get upset about seeing the wildebeest naked.
-- Dave Barry, "Pornography"
Built-in Modules gl, GL for SGI IRIX [ In reply to ]
David Steuber <trashcan@david-steuber.com> asked:
> How difficult is it to set up the gl and GL modules to
> look on the system for Mesa, GL or Windows OpenGL dlls and use the
> appropriate shared objects for a Python program?

GL and OpenGL are quite different libraries, with different
function names, different ways of viewing the world, and even
different transformation matricies (post- vs. pre- multiply).
It would be hard to make them work together at the level you want.

However, since you don't have to worry about supporting SGI
hardware from about 1996 or earlier, just use the PyOpenGL module

http://starship.python.net/crew/da/PyOpenGL/

and ignore that section in the Python manual.

Andrew
dalke@acm.org
Built-in Modules gl, GL for SGI IRIX [ In reply to ]
Andrew Dalke <dalke@bioreason.com> writes:

-> However, since you don't have to worry about supporting SGI
-> hardware from about 1996 or earlier, just use the PyOpenGL module
->
-> http://starship.python.net/crew/da/PyOpenGL/
->
-> and ignore that section in the Python manual.

Thanks for the link, Andrew.

I'll let you guys know how it works out for me in the uncertain
future.

--
David Steuber
http://www.david-steuber.com

If you wish to reply by mail, _please_ replace 'trashcan' with 'david'
in the e-mail address. The trashcan account really is a trashcan.

Trying to be happy is like trying to build a machine for which the only
specification is that it should run noiselessly.
Built-in Modules gl, GL for SGI IRIX [ In reply to ]
Andrew Dalke <dalke@bioreason.com> writes:

-> However, since you don't have to worry about supporting SGI
-> hardware from about 1996 or earlier, just use the PyOpenGL module
->
-> http://starship.python.net/crew/da/PyOpenGL/
->
-> and ignore that section in the Python manual.

Thanks for the link, Andrew.

I'll let you guys know how it works out for me in the uncertain
future.

--
David Steuber
http://www.david-steuber.com

If you wish to reply by mail, _please_ replace 'trashcan' with 'david'
in the e-mail address. The trashcan account really is a trashcan.

Trying to be happy is like trying to build a machine for which the only
specification is that it should run noiselessly.
Built-in Modules gl, GL for SGI IRIX [ In reply to ]
Andrew Dalke <dalke@bioreason.com> writes:
> However, since you don't have to worry about supporting SGI
> hardware from about 1996 or earlier, just use the PyOpenGL module
>
> http://starship.python.net/crew/da/PyOpenGL/
>
> and ignore that section in the Python manual.

I'll add a reference to this in the "gl" section of the Python
Library Reference.


-Fred

--
Fred L. Drake, Jr. <fdrake@acm.org>
Corporation for National Research Initiatives