OpenGL.Net

Modern OpenGL bindings for C#.

OpenGL.Net is a comprehensive C# binding for OpenGL, OpenGL ES, and related APIs. It provides strongly-typed, fully documented access to modern OpenGL functionality with automatic error checking, extension management, and cross-platform support.

Table of Contents

• Features
• Supported APIs
• Platform & Framework Support
• Installation
• Getting Started
• Building from Source
• Documentation
• Acknowledgements
• License

Features

• Generated from Official Specifications: Bindings are automatically generated from the latest official Khronos XML specifications
• Type Safety: Strongly typed enumerants and function signatures
• Memory Safety: Function pointer wrappers with safe and unsafe parameter variants, automatically pinning managed memory when necessary
• Smart Context Management: Automatic entry point aliasing - the function loader is context-aware, allowing you to share code between OpenGL and OpenGL ES
• Comprehensive Documentation: All OpenGL entry points are fully documented with official manual pages
• Extension Support: Automatic querying of OpenGL extensions and implementation limits
• Debug Features:
  • Automatic error checking after each OpenGL command (Debug builds only)
  • Integrated call logging for debugging (Debug builds only)
• Math Library: Vector, matrix, and color data structures with System.Numerics.Vector support
• Function Overloading: Multiple convenient overloads for OpenGL entry points
• ANGLE Support: Compatible with ANGLE backend for running OpenGL ES on DirectX

For a more object-oriented approach to OpenGL, see OpenGL.Net.Objects.

Supported APIs

OpenGL

• OpenGL 4.6 - Full support including compatibility profile
• OpenGL ES 3.2 - Complete support, including OpenGL ES 1.0
• OpenGL SC 2.0 - Safety Critical profile (OpenGL SC 1.0 is not supported)

Platform APIs

• WGL - Windows OpenGL interface
• GLX 1.4 - X Window System OpenGL interface
• EGL 1.5 - Native Platform Interface for embedded systems
• Broadcom VideoCore IV - Raspberry Pi GPU support

Utilities

• GLU - OpenGL Utility Library (tessellator commands only)

Installation

NuGet Packages

The easiest way to use OpenGL.Net is via NuGet. Open the Package Manager Console and run:

Core Library

Install-Package OpenGL.Net

Profile-Specific Variants

If you want to restrict the available OpenGL profile:

Install-Package OpenGL.Net.CoreProfile    # Core profile only
Install-Package OpenGL.Net.ES2Profile     # OpenGL ES 2.0 profile
Install-Package OpenGL.Net.SC2Profile     # OpenGL SC 2.0 profile

Math Library

Install-Package OpenGL.Net.Math

Platform Integration

Install-Package OpenGL.Net.WinForms           # Windows Forms
Install-Package OpenGL.Net.Xamarin.Android    # Xamarin Android
Install-Package OpenGL.Net.VideoCore          # Raspberry Pi
Install-Package OpenGL.Net.GTK3               # GTK# 3

Object-Oriented Layer

Install-Package OpenGL.Net.Objects

Getting Started

Basic Usage

using OpenGL;

// Initialize OpenGL
Gl.Initialize();

// Check OpenGL version
Console.WriteLine($"OpenGL Version: {Gl.CurrentVersion}");

// Use OpenGL functions
Gl.ClearColor(0.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f, 1.0f);
Gl.Clear(ClearBufferMask.ColorBufferBit);

With Windows Forms

using OpenGL;
using OpenGL.Net.WinForms;

// Use the GlControl in your form
var glControl = new GlControl();
glControl.Render += (sender, e) =>
{
    Gl.Clear(ClearBufferMask.ColorBufferBit);
    // Your rendering code here
};

For complete examples, see the Samples directory, including the comprehensive Hello Triangle sample.

Building from Source

Prerequisites

• Windows: Visual Studio 2022 (or Visual Studio 2017/2015 for older solution files)
• Linux/macOS: Mono 4.5+ or .NET Core SDK

Clone and Build

git clone https://github.com/luca-piccioni/OpenGL.Net.git
cd OpenGL.Net
msbuild /p:Configuration=Release OpenGL.Net.sln

Documentation

• Wiki - Comprehensive project documentation
• How Do I... - Common usage patterns and recipes
• Samples - Example applications for various platforms
• Hello Triangle - Comprehensive, documented starter application

Acknowledgements

OpenGL.Net is built with the help of many excellent tools and services:

CI/CD & Testing

Development Tools

License

OpenGL.Net is released under the MIT License.

Copyright © 2015-2025 Luca Piccioni

Previous versions of the project were licensed under LGPL2. The license was changed to MIT to ensure maximum compatibility across all platforms and use cases, aligning with the spirit of the .NET Foundation.

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Note: While OpenGL 4.6 (released July 2017) remains the latest version of OpenGL, the Khronos Group has shifted focus to Vulkan for future graphics API development. OpenGL.Net continues to provide comprehensive support for OpenGL 4.6 and OpenGL ES 3.2, which remain widely used across many platforms and applications.