WARNING: This page is about how to build the older OpenGL Utility Toolkit (GLUT) Library last updated on November 8^th, 2001, not the "newer" Free OpenGL Utility Toolkit (FreeGLUT) Library.
If you are just starting out (and not maintaining or porting from an older GLUT project), you should build FreeGLUT ... not the GLUT described below.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

How To Build the OpenGL Utility Toolkit (GLUT) Library for Win32 using MinGW and MSYS

Downloads:

• MinGW and MSYS - for gcc, windres, mingw32-make, msys, cp, and rm.
  
• GLUT for Win32 - for the GLUT for Win32 source files.
  
• makefile - to make the GLUT for Win32 AFTER two small changes have been made to the GLUT for Win32 source files.
  
• OPTIONAL: Eclipse IDE for C/C++ Developers - for a C/C++ development environment that wraps around MinGW.
  
• OPTIONAL: get-path-info.js - to troubleshoot DLL and EXE conflicts caused by multiple folders listed in the PATH environment variable having DLLs or EXEs with the same name.
  

Outline:

1. Download and Install MinGW and MSYS
2. Download and Unzip the GLUT-for-Win32 Source Code
3. Download the Makefile
4. Make Two Modifications to the GLUT-for-Win32 Source Code
5. Make the GLUT for Win32
6. Install the GLUT for Win32
7. Test the GLUT for Win32

Procedure:

1. Download and Install MinGW and MSYS
   

   • Download the Automated MinGW Installer from sourceforge.net:
     http://sourceforge.net/projects/mingw/
     NOTE: During the writing of this procedure, the following Automated MinGW Installer was used:
     mingw-get-inst-20101030.exe
   • Run the Automated MinGW Installer.
     NOTE: The Automated MinGW Installer does not require administrative rights.
   • Choose to download the latest repository catalogues.
   • Choose to install into a folder with no spaces in its path (i.e. C:\MinGW).
   • Select all components.
     NOTE: At a minimum, select the C++ Compiler and MSYS Basic System in addition to the default C Compiler.
   • Install the components.
     NOTE: The latest repository catalogues will be downloaded and read. Then, the latest components will be downloaded and installed.
   NOTE: During the writing of this procedure, version 4.5.0 of gcc and g++ was installed.
   
   Click here for detailed instructions on how to complete this step.
   
   
   

2. Download and Unzip the GLUT-for-Win32 Source Code
   ~~~~TODO~~~~
   
   http://www.xmission.com/~nate/glut.html
   
   During the writing of this procedure, the following source code was used:
   http://www.xmission.com/~nate/glut/glut-3.7.6-src.zip
   
   Click here for detailed instructions on how to complete this step.
   
   
   

3. Download the Makefile
   ~~~~TODO~~~~
   
   Right click the following link and save the file:
   makefile
   
   Save the makefile to the root of the unzipped GLUT-for-Win32 folder (i.e. glut-3.7.6/ where the README is located).
   
   Click here for detailed instructions on how to complete this step.
   
   
   

4. Make Two Modifications to the GLUT-for-Win32 Source Code
   
   Make the following modifications:

   1. Add the following lines to include/GL/glut.h starting at line 12:
      
      
      #ifdef __MINGW32__
#define APIENTRY __stdcall
#define CALLBACK __stdcall
#endif

      
      
   2. Comment out line 21 in lib/glut/win32_winproc.c so that it reads:
      
      
      //#include <crtdbg.h>

      
      
   Note: After these modifications have been made glut.h and win32_winproc.c should look like the following:
   • glut.h
   • win32_winproc.c
   
   Click here for detailed instructions on how to complete this step.
   
   
   

5. Make the GLUT for Win32
   ~~~~TODO~~~~
   
   In the MinGW Shell (also known as MSYS), cd to the root of the GLUT-for-Win32 folder (i.e. glut-3.7.6/ where the makefile was saved).
   

   make

   or
   mingw32-make

   
   This will make glut32.dll and libglut32.a.
   
   Click here for detailed instructions on how to complete this step.
   
   
   

6. Install the GLUT for Win32
   ~~~~TODO~~~~
   
   

   make install

   or
   mingw32-make install

   
   This will install glut.h in /mingw/include/GL, glut32.dll in /mingw/bin, and libglut32.a in /mingw/lib.
   
   Click here for detailed instructions on how to complete this step.
   
   
   

7. Test the GLUT for Win32
   ~~~~TODO~~~~
   
   

   make test

   or
   mingw32-make test

   
   This will build and run the gears program in progs/mesademos/. The following window will be produced:
   
   
   Click here for detailed instructions on how to complete this step.
   
   
   

Relevant gcc and g++ Flags:

• gcc
  
  Description:
  
  Example:
  
  Reference:
  
  
  
• g++
  
  Description:
  
  Example:
  
  Reference:
  http://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/Invoking-G_002b_002b.html
  
  
• -o filename.exe
  
  Description:
  
  Example:
  
  Reference:
  http://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/Overall-Options.html#index-output-file-option-80
  
  
• filename.c
  
  Description:
  
  Example:
  
  Reference:
  http://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/Overall-Options.html#index-file-name-suffix-74
  
  
• filename.cpp
  
  Description:
  
  Example:
  
  Reference:
  http://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/Overall-Options.html#index-file-name-suffix-74
  
  
• -mthreads
  
  Description:
  
  Example:
  
  Reference:
  http://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/i386-and-x86_002d64-Options.html#index-mthreads-1368
  
  
• -std=c++0x
  
  Description:
  
  Example:
  
  Reference:
  http://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/C-Dialect-Options.html#index-std-101
  
  
• -ftemplate-depth=n
  
  Description:
  
  Example:
  
  Reference:
  http://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/C_002b_002b-Dialect-Options.html#index-ftemplate_002ddepth-156
  
  
• -march=cpu-type
  
  Description:
  
  Note: Specifying the type of CPU architecture allows for the most relevant instructions to be selected during compilation, vice just the instructions that work on most CPUs, which may lead to dramatically faster execution on newer processors.
  
  -march=native enables all the instruction sets supported by the local machine's CPU; hence, the result might not run on different CPU types.
  
  Example:
  
  Reference:
  http://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/i386-and-x86_002d64-Options.html#index-march-1329
  http://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/i386-and-x86_002d64-Options.html#index-mtune-1328
  
  
• -O3
  
  Description:
  
  Example:
  
  Reference:
  http://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/Optimize-Options.html#index-O3-679
  
  
• -Wall
  
  Description:
  
  Example:
  
  Reference:
  http://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/Warning-Options.html#index-Wall-242
  
  
• -Wextra
  
  Description:
  
  Example:
  
  Reference:
  http://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/Warning-Options.html#index-Wextra-245
  
  
• -Werror
  
  Description:
  
  Example:
  
  Reference:
  http://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/Warning-Options.html#index-Werror-234
  
  
• -Iinclude-path
  
  Description:
  
  Example:
  
  Reference:
  http://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/Directory-Options.html#index-I-989
  
  
• -Llibrary-path
  
  Description:
  
  Example:
  
  Reference:
  http://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/Directory-Options.html#index-L-991
  
  
• -lglut32
  
  Description:
  
  Example:
  
  Reference:
  http://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/Link-Options.html#index-Libraries-961
  
  
• -lopengl32
  
  Description:
  
  Example:
  
  Reference:
  http://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/Link-Options.html#index-Libraries-961
  
  
• -lglu32
  
  Description:
  
  Example:
  
  Reference:
  http://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/Link-Options.html#index-Libraries-961
  
  
• -mwindows
  
  Description:
  
  Example:
  
  Reference:
  http://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/gcc/i386-and-x86_002d64-Windows-Options.html#index-mwindows-2125
  
  
• -enable-auto-import
  
  Description:
  
  Example:
  
  Reference:
  
  
  

Troubleshooting:

References:

• Using GLUT with MinGW
• HOWTO Use Mark J. Kilgard's OpenGL Utility Toolkit (GLUT) with MinGW
• MSVC and MinGW DLLs
• MS resource compiler

UNDER CONSTRUCTION