Demoscene Lab prelude

Post structure

I will try to structure each post in the following manner:

• target
• design
• link to sources containing implementation + screenshot

Granted, the structure of the posts may change in the future once I get more feedback.

Prerequisites

What you will need:

• C++ knowledge
• OpenGL 2.1 knowledge
• a linux or mac to run the sample code. If you are knowledgeable enough you can try to compile the sources on Windows. The code should be crossplatform granted you do have libsdl installed
• patience for my poor writing skills. I tend to come back to the articles and rephrase things to make them clearer so do check back from time to time to the very same read content.

What to expect

• C++11 feature usage (where they make sense)
• info on how to structure a graphical scene
• explanation of various effects
• evolutionary design

Q&A

Why?

Because I wanted to share what I know with the wide audience. Mind you, this will not turn you into a demoscene superstar but will give you a decent understanding of how things are done and a base to start evolving from.

Why OpenGL 2.1?

That's a bit embarassing actually. My desktop has a card that supports OpenGL 3.1 but I also have an old laptop which I use to code on while in bed. I bet you can figure out the answer from here onwards :-)