Setting Up GLFW, GLEW, and GLM in Microsoft Visual Studio 2022

Setting up a powerful OpenGL development environment in Microsoft Visual Studio 2022 with the help of GLFW (for window and input handling), GLEW (for OpenGL extension management), and GLM (for math operations) allows you to dive into 3D graphics programming. Here is a step-by-step guide to getting everything up and running smoothly.

Prerequisites

Before diving into the setup, ensure you have the following installed:

• Visual Studio 2022 with Desktop Development with C++ installed.
• GLFW (Download from GLFW Website)
• GLEW (Download from GLEW Website)
• GLM (Download from GLM GitHub)

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Step 1: Creating a Visual Studio Project

1. Open Visual Studio 2022 and create a new project.

• Go to File > New > Project.
• Select Empty Project under the C++ category.
• Set a project name and location, then click Create.

Step 2: Downloading and Adding Dependencies

2.1 Downloading GLFW, GLEW, and GLM

GLFW:

• Download the binary for your system from the GLFW website.
• Extract it to a directory (e.g., C:/Libraries/GLFW).

GLEW:

• Download the binary from the GLEW website.
• Extract it to a directory (e.g., C:/Libraries/GLEW).

GLM:

• Download the source from the GLM GitHub.
• Extract it to a directory (e.g., C:/Libraries/GLM).

Step 3: Configure Visual Studio Project

3.1 Add Include Directories

1. Right-click your project in Solution Explorer and select Properties.
2. Under Configuration Properties > VC++ Directories, modify the following:

• Include Directories: Add paths to the include directories of GLFW, GLEW, and GLM.
• E.g., C:/Libraries/GLFW/include, C:/Libraries/GLEW/include, C:/Libraries/GLM.

3.2 Add Library Directories

1. Under the same VC++ Directories tab, modify the Library Directories:

• Add paths to the lib directories of GLFW and GLEW.
• E.g., C:/Libraries/GLFW/lib-vc2022, C:/Libraries/GLEW/lib/Release/x64 (for 64-bit).

Step 4: Link the Libraries

4.1 Add GLFW and GLEW Libraries

1. Go to Configuration Properties > Linker > Input.
2. In Additional Dependencies, add the following:

• glfw3.lib
• opengl32.lib
• glew32.lib (or glew32s.lib if you’re using the static version).

Step 5: Copy DLL Files

After linking the libraries, you need to ensure that the corresponding DLL files (Dynamic-Link Libraries) for GLFW and GLEW are accessible by your executable.

1. Navigate to the bin folder where you extracted GLEW and GLFW binaries.

• For GLEW, the glew32.dll file is usually in glew/bin/Release/x64/ (for 64-bit).
• For GLFW, find the glfw3.dll in lib-vc2022

2. Copy the DLL files (glew32.dll and glfw3.dll) into your project’s output directory where the compiled executable (.exe) is located.

Note: Without these DLLs in the executable’s directory, the application will fail to run, even if it compiles successfully.

Step 6: Write Sample OpenGL Code

Now that your project is configured, you can write some basic OpenGL code to test your setup. Below is a simple example that opens a window using GLFW and GLEW.

main.cpp

Sample Code

You can download the complete source code and watch a setup video for easy step-by-step guidance. Get started quickly by following the link below:

**Download Source Code & Watch Video**

Step 7: Build and Run

1. Build the Project:

• Go to Build > Build Solution or press Ctrl+Shift+B.
• Ensure that there are no errors during the build.

2. Run the Program:

• Press F5 to run the program. If everything is set up correctly, you should see an OpenGL window pop up.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully set up GLFW, GLEW, and GLM in Visual Studio 2022. You are now ready to start exploring OpenGL and creating 3D graphics applications. You can expand this base project by adding shaders, more advanced math using GLM, and more complex rendering techniques.