OpenGL Utility Toolkit

The OpenGL Utility Toolkit (GLUT) is a <a href="/facts/Library_(computing)/xRzL3P7q">library</a> of utilities for <a href="/facts/OpenGL/xQoMWePr">OpenGL</a> programs, which primarily perform system-level <a href="/facts/Input/output/WQTE8Jas">I/O</a> with the host <a href="/facts/Operating_system/8XTuvMh2">operating system</a>. Functions performed include window definition, window control, and monitoring of <a href="/facts/Computer_keyboard/MczF9LIS">keyboard</a> and <a href="/facts/Computer_mouse/fJpa1tUE">mouse</a> input. Routines for drawing a number of geometric primitives (both in solid and wireframe mode) are also provided, including <a href="/facts/Cube_(geometry)/65lUaAqN">cubes</a>, <a href="/facts/Sphere/jywYLNM2">spheres</a> and the <a href="/facts/Utah_teapot/BdNUddCj">Utah teapot</a>. GLUT also has some limited support for creating pop-up menus.
GLUT was written by <a href="/facts/Mark_Kilgard/kUqzQvVz">Mark J. Kilgard</a>, author of OpenGL Programming for the X Window System and The Cg Tutorial: The Definitive Guide to Programmable Real-Time Graphics, while he was working for <a href="/facts/Silicon_Graphics/DKvkrfLX">Silicon Graphics</a> Inc.
The two aims of GLUT are to allow the creation of rather portable code between operating systems (GLUT is <a href="/facts/Cross-platform/16zqdvNR">cross-platform</a>) and to make learning OpenGL easier. Getting started with OpenGL programming while using GLUT often takes only a few lines of code and does not require knowledge of operating system–specific windowing <a href="/facts/Application_programming_interface/GMlN4vUr">APIs</a>.
All GLUT functions start with the glut prefix (for example, glutPostRedisplay marks the current window as needing to be redrawn).

OpenGL Utility Toolkit open-in-new

OpenGL Utility Toolkit