LIFE_OPENGL
Conway's Game of Life, OpenGL Implementation

LIFE_OPENGL is a C program which implements John Conway's Game of Life, presenting the evolution graphically, using OpenGL.

OpenGL on Macintosh OS X

OpenGL ships with OS9 and OSX for the Macintosh. You can obtain the latest software version on the Apple OpenGL web site.

Note that the source code and compilation script have been adapted for use on a Macintosh running OS X.

For that reason, the include file references have been changed from:

        # include <GL/gl.h>
        # include <GL/glu.h>
        # include <GL/glut.h>
      

        # include <OpenGL/gl.h>
        # include <OpenGL/glu.h>
        # include <GLUT/glut.h>
      

The compilation statement, which might ordinarily be

        gcc life_opengl.c -lGL -lGLU -lglut 
      

        gcc life_opengl.c -framework OpenGL -framework GLUT
      

Languages:

LIFE_OPENGL is available in a C version and a C++ version.

Related Data and Programs:

FERN_OPENGL, a C program which uses OpenGL to display the Barnsley fractal fern.

FLOOD_OPENGL, a C program which allows a user to select a region and flood it with color, using OpenGL, by Art Wetzel.

LIFE_SERIAL, a C program which computes a few steps of the evolution of John Conway's Game of Life, intended as a starting point for implementing a parallel version.

LIGHTS_OUT_OPENGL, a C program which sets up a Lights Out game and allows the user to solve it, using the OpenGL graphics window.

OPENGL, C programs which demonstrate the use of OpenGL for graphics applications.

SCREENSHOT_OPENGL, a C program which shows how a program using the OpenGL graphics library can save a screenshot of the graphics being displayed.

Author:

Simon Green

Reference:

• Martin Gardner,
  Mathematical Games: The Fantastic Combinations of John Conway's new solitaire game "Life",
  Scientific American,
  Volume 223, Number 4, October 1970, pages 120-123.
• Mason Woo, Jackie Neider, Tom Davis,
  OpenGL Programming Guide,
  Addison-Wesley, 1997,
  ISBN: 0-201-46138-2,
  LC: T385.N435.

Source Code:

• life_opengl.c, the source code;

List of Routines:

• CHECKERRORS ???
• DRAWPATTERN ???
• DRAWQUAD ???
• GENERATION computes the next generation.
• DISPLAY ???.
• IDLE ???.
• RESHAPE ???.
• KEY ???.
• INITGL initializes OpenGL.
• MAIN is the main program for LIFE_OPENGL.

You can go up one level to the C source codes.