# OpenGL support **URL:** \ **Category:** ruby-talk\ **Created:** [20 December 2010 20:12 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/opengl-support/61201 "2010-12-20T20:12:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chananya\_Freiman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Chananya\_Freiman](https://rubytalk.org/u/Chananya_Freiman)\ **Post date:** [20 December 2010 20:12 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/opengl-support/61201/1 "2010-12-20T20:12:02Z")
Will there ever be updated bindings to OpenGL? I can't understand how there's a language without working bindings to the biggest open source graphics API out there. ruby-opengl only seems to work on Ruby 1.8, and ruby/glew is from 2006. So we get outdated bindings that aren't worth a thing today. If I knew how to make them, I'd do it by myself, but I don't. ๐Ÿ˜• > **ยทยทยท** > > -- > Posted via [http://www.ruby-forum.com/](http://www.ruby-forum.com/). ---
**Author:** ![Chananya\_Freiman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Chananya\_Freiman](https://rubytalk.org/u/Chananya_Freiman)\ **Post date:** [20 December 2010 21:09 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/opengl-support/61201/2 "2010-12-20T21:09:45Z")
By the way, I don't know much about writing C extensions, but is it possible (not for me โ˜น ) to tell a Ruby program to open this page [http://www.opengl.org/registry/api/gl3.h](http://www.opengl.org/registry/api/gl3.h) and dynamically making the bindings from that file? If someone could make that, the bindings will be automatically updated (you'll just need to run the "bindings maker" and upload the gem using the new bindings it created). > **ยทยทยท** > > -- > Posted via [http://www.ruby-forum.com/](http://www.ruby-forum.com/). ---
**Author:** ![Marcelo1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/439d5e/32.png) [@Marcelo1](https://rubytalk.org/u/Marcelo1)\ **Post date:** [21 December 2010 02:24 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/opengl-support/61201/3 "2010-12-21T02:24:29Z")
Sorry for being lazy. Can you point me to an URL to download those two? I have a soft spot for OpenGL and I'm one of the original authors of GLEW, and I would like to see if I can update the bindings for both of those libraries and keep them updated. Thanks, Marcelo > **ยทยทยท** > > On Mon, Dec 20, 2010 at 14:12, Chananya Freiman \ wrote: > > > ruby-opengl only seems to work on Ruby 1.8, and ruby/glew is > > from 2006. So we get outdated bindings that aren't worth a > > thing today. ---
**Author:** ![Andrea\_Fazzi1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andrea\_Fazzi1](https://rubytalk.org/u/Andrea_Fazzi1)\ **Post date:** [21 December 2010 12:55 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/opengl-support/61201/4 "2010-12-21T12:55:39Z")
Chananya Freiman wrote in post #969634: > Will there ever be updated bindings to OpenGL? > I can't understand how there's a language without working bindings to > the biggest open source graphics API out there. > > ruby-opengl only seems to work on Ruby 1.8, and ruby/glew is from 2006. > So we get outdated bindings that aren't worth a thing today. > > If I knew how to make them, I'd do it by myself, but I don't. ๐Ÿ˜• Perhaps, you may be interested in ffi-opengl too:   [GitHub - remogatto/ffi-opengl: A ruby-ffi binding to OpenGL libraries](https://github.com/remogatto/ffi-opengl) I don't know if it is still working with latest ruby-ffi. In case, I'll be happy to accept patches ๐Ÿ™‚ Cheers, Andrea > **ยทยทยท** > > -- > Posted via [http://www.ruby-forum.com/\](http://www.ruby-forum.com/%5C). ---
**Author:** ![Chananya\_Freiman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Chananya\_Freiman](https://rubytalk.org/u/Chananya_Freiman)\ **Post date:** [24 December 2010 19:43 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/opengl-support/61201/5 "2010-12-24T19:43:29Z")
I looked a bit into C extensions and I thought of a pretty easy way of making the bindings. However, this way isn't really "portable" in the sense that you have to run a Ruby file on every computer, and have to have something that can create an OpenGL context (I am using GLFW at the moment). All these steps are done in an rb file, no need to do it manually. Step 1) Download the gl3.h file from [opengl.org](http://opengl.org) Step 2) Create a tiny C extension that creates an OpenGL context, gets the OpenGL version supported by the computer, and terminates the context. Step 3) Start creating the bindings by parsing gl3.h and taking the version into consideration. Parsing should be too hard. You figure where the first occurrence of "#define GL\_VERSION\_x\_y", where x and y are your major and minor parts of the GL version. You find the next occurrence of any GL\_VERSION. This is where your drivers stop supporting constants, so you parse everything that far. Now, you get the next occurrence of "#define GL\_VERSION\_x\_y", and again the next occurrence of any GL\_VERSION. This is where the drivers stop supporting actual GL function entry points, so you parse the entry points until there. And...that's basically it. The parsing itself is pretty easy. Constants are a quick one-liner in a String#scan: data.scan(/#define (GL\_[A-Z0-9\_]+)[\t]+([0-9A-Fx]+)/) { |block|     f.puts "rb\_define\_const(GL, \"#{block[0]}\", INT2FIX(#{block[1]}));" } Functions are a little harder because of the argument types that need to be taken into account, but it shouldn't be too hard (I started working on them and then realized that I forgot to remove functions of higher GL version then I have so I got tons of linker errors :P). The main problem of this as I see it is the fact that you must create a context to get the GL version. Running a Ruby file is sort of an annoyance, but then installing gems is more work. Having to have a specific library, however, is sort of un-portable and annoying. What do you guys think about this? > **ยทยทยท** > > -- > Posted via [http://www.ruby-forum.com/](http://www.ruby-forum.com/). ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Brooks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5fc32e/32.png) [@Michael\_Brooks](https://rubytalk.org/u/Michael_Brooks)\ **Post date:** [21 December 2010 03:25 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/opengl-support/61201/6 "2010-12-21T03:25:27Z")
"Marcelo" \ wrote in message news:AANLkTinHKY3ZOKSFZq5zSvq3cL7WFB\_q5E8h6jc3E+m1@mail.gmail.com... > **ยทยทยท** > > > On Mon, Dec 20, 2010 at 14:12, Chananya Freiman \> \ wrote: > > > > > ruby-opengl only seems to work on Ruby 1.8, and ruby/glew is > > > from 2006. So we get outdated bindings that aren't worth a > > > thing today. > > > > Sorry for being lazy. Can you point me to an URL to download > > those two? I have a soft spot for OpenGL and I'm one of the > > original authors of GLEW, and I would like to see if I can > > update the bindings for both of those libraries and keep them > > updated. > > > > Thanks, > > > > Marcelo > > Hello Marcelo: > > Ruby Glew [http://rubyforge.org/projects/rubyglew/](http://rubyforge.org/projects/rubyglew/) > Ruby OpenGL [http://ruby-opengl.rubyforge.org/](http://ruby-opengl.rubyforge.org/) > > Thanks in advance for anything you do to update these. > > Michael ---
**Author:** ![Ralf\_Mueller1](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/rubytalk.org/ralf_mueller1/32/2123_2.png) [@Ralf\_Mueller1](https://rubytalk.org/u/Ralf_Mueller1)\ **Post date:** [21 December 2010 09:03 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/opengl-support/61201/7 "2010-12-21T09:03:21Z")
Hi Marcelo >   Sorry for being lazy. Can you point me to an URL to download >   those two? I have a soft spot for OpenGL and I'm one of the >   original authors of GLEW, and I would like to see if I can >   update the bindings for both of those libraries and keep them >   updated. This would be great! Thanx for the work. regards ralf