My OpenGL Learning Journey

Recently, I started learning OpenGL by following this awesome tutorial that I’ve found on the internet. I’m tracking my progress in GitHub. I know that I’m a complete noob right now but I’m trying my best learning this thing. At least I feel happy when learning about these things. Here are some of my updates;

Update 13th March 2021 – I’ve implemented Basic Lighting with Cubes

specular

Here, I’m learning how to update model matrices and it is seen that I’ve also implemented the camera movements with taking mouse inputs in glfw3. In the scene we see that there are cubes with different colors and a point light drawing circles. I’m also learning how to write basic vertex and fragment shaders here.

specular material

In the above gif, I’m learning how to change color of light source during the game loop. I’m here just messing around with the results.

Update 14th March 2021 – Diffuse, Specular and Emission Maps

Here, I’m learning how to add different texture maps to the objects and use them in fragment shader. In addition to the tutorial, I’ve also animated the emission map by passing time as a uniform value.

texture maps

Later that day, I was able to implement directional, point and spot lights.

different light types together

Midnight Update 15th March 2021 – Multiple Light sources

As in the tutorial

• there is one directional light
• one flashlight
• 4 point lights having different colors

multiple lights

Midnight Update 19th March 2021 – First Model

I was able to process my first model using Assimp library. I can load models and apply GLSL shaders and use it with my point lights, directional light and flashlight.

first model

Midnight Update 23th March 2021 – New Model Types

Before diving into advanced stuff, I saw that I have to learn how to add new models instead of the modified one in the tutorial. New scene contains;

• davy jones => Batuhan13 (https://sketchfab.com/Batuhan13)
• backpack => Berk Gedik (https://sketchfab.com/berkgedik)
• bristleback => Nikolay_Tsys (https://sketchfab.com/Tolst)
• sponza scene => kevin.kayu (https://sketchfab.com/kevin.kayu)

2nd Midnight Update 23th March 2021 – Depth Buffer

I started learning depth buffers and rendered the previous scene with linearizing z values of frag coordinates which I had recorded by opengl itself.

Progress Tracker

When I return back learning OpenGL in a couple of days, I’m going to start with stencil buffers. I hope I will learn OpenGL and be a good graphics programmer in the future…