OpenGL in CLion (MinGW Windows only)

If you have CLion IDE, and you want to run OpenGL programs on it, This simple guide helps you to set up OpenGL project on CLion. Only you need have required tools and download GLUT library from here freeglut

Requirements for this setup

• Jetbrains CLion
• CMake (bundled with CLion)
• freeglut
• MinGW with GCC

Set up

• Create a new project from start up window of IDE. Select C++ Executable, and add project name and Create
• Download and extract freeglut inside project's directory. After that your directory structure will look:

├── CMakeLists.txt
├── freeglut
│   ├── Copying.txt
│   ├── Readme.txt
│   ├── bin
│   │   ├── freeglut.dll
│   │   └── x64
│   │       └── freeglut.dll
│   ├── include
│   │   └── GL
│   │       ├── freeglut.h
│   │       ├── freeglut_ext.h
│   │       ├── freeglut_std.h
│   │       └── glut.h
│   └── lib
│       ├── libfreeglut.a
│       ├── libfreeglut_static.a
│       └── x64
│           ├── libfreeglut.a
│           └── libfreeglut_static.a
└── main.cpp

• Then configure your includes by adding line in your CMakeLists.txt include_directories(freeglut/include)

  For 32 bit GCC compiler

  Add library for linking in CMakeLists.txt

  • link_directories(freeglut/lib)

  For 64 bit compiler

  Add library for linking in CMakeLists.txt

  • link_directories(freeglut/lib/x64)

• Link GL libraries

  • target_link_libraries(${PROJECT_NAME} glu32 opengl32 freeglut)

• Before start build / running program you need to place freeglut.dll file in to one of directory of your %PATH% environmental variable.

  For 32 bit compiler

  Place freeglut.dll from freeglut/freeglut.dll to your %PATH%

  For 64 bit compiler

  Place freeglut.dll from freeglut/x64/freeglut.dll to your %PATH%

Note:

• Ensure that you have completed MinGW installation, because this completely depends on MinGW.

• • If you have 32bit GCC compiler then you need to use only 32bit library and DLL's
  • If your system has 64bit GCC compiler then you must use 64bit libraries otherwise you will encounter runtime error

Global configuration

• Place files in freeglut/include to your include/ directory
• Place files in freeglut/lib to your lib/ directory
• Place freeglut.dll from bin/ to your %PATH% path

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Checkout demo branch to test out

demo branch included with freeglut library, adjust the link libraries according to your system's arch.

Press Ctrl+Shift+` or select Git > Branches and select demo branch, then build and run in your CLion.