GL Studio C++ Runtime API
GL Studio C++ Runtime API Documentation

The GL Studio C++ Runtime Application Programming Interface (API) is the set of functions and classes used to interact with objects created by the GL Studio editor.

The most fundamental classes in the object hierarchy are DisplayObject and Group. DisplayObject is the abstract base class of all objects in the GL Studio object hierarchy. Group, which is itself a DisplayObject, represents a collection of other DisplayObjects.

Ordinary drawing objects such as GLPolygon and GlsEllipse are instances of DisplayObject. Text objects like GlsTextBox and DisplayObject, which support ASCII and Unicode for languages such as Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, and GlsCTLTextBox, which supports complex text layout for languages such as Arabic, Hebrew, and Thai, are also DisplayObjects.

Collections of objects such as GlsPushButton, which collects and up state and down state as well as optional background objects, and a GlsMutexGroup, which shows one of its children at a time, are examples of Groups. (Note: Catalyzers, which use Python scripts to generate their child objects at design time, also turn into Groups at runtime.)

Other important objects include ComponentBase, which allows embedding one GLS file or Reusable Software Objects (RSOs) into another, and mesh objects such as GLTrimesh and GlsAdvancedMesh, which represent complex geometry and materials; and functional objects such as GlsEyePoint, which acts as a camera in the scene; GlsLightSource, which adds lighting to a scene, and GlsDynamicPath, which allows the animation of some object properties over time (see also the GlsAnimation package, which can animate any property over time).

The table below lists the objects that appear in the GL Studio Toolbox and a few that are created from user actions, like Groups and meshes. Click the toolbox object name for a guide on how to create each object in the editor. Click on the class name to access API documentation for that object.

Object Description API Documentation
Polygons
Line Click and drag the 3D Canvas to create a line. GLPolygon
Free Form Clicking places individual vertices, dragging creates scribbles, double click to finish the shape. GLPolygon
Polygon Click once for each vertex, double click to finish the shape. GLPolygon
Scribble Click and drag to create a smooth scribble. GLPolygon
Rectangle Click and drag to size a rectangle. GLPolygon
Text
Text Box Creates a text box that uses kerning to space each glyph. GlsTextBox
Text Grid Creates a text box that lays out text in a fixed width grid. GlsTextGrid
CTL Text Box Creates a text box capable of supporting complex layouts, e.g. Thai, Arabic. GlsCTLTextBox
Groups
Group Objects Groups the selected objects as a Group Group
Empty Group Creates an empty group, ready for new child objects. Group
Convert to 3D Cable Groups the selected objects and allows them to be affected by gravity and tension, like a real cable would. Gls3DCable
Convert to Clipping Group Groups the selected objects and clips geometry outside of a user defined range. GlsClippingGroup
Convert to Lod Group Groups the selected objects and draws one of the children based on how far away the viewer currently is. GlsLodGroup
Convert to Mimic Group Groups the selected objects and renders all children to a texture, improving performance. GlsMimicGroup
Convert to Multi-View Groups the selected objects and allows users to define additional viewport calculations to draw objects from multiple angles. GlsMultiView
Convert to Mutex Group Groups the selected objects and draws only one child at a time based on the current state index. GlsMutexGroup
2D Shapes
Angular Scale Creates tick marks in a ring around a center point. GlsAngularScale
Ellipse Creates a circle, ellipse, or n-gon. GlsEllipse
Linear Scale Creates tick marks in a line from a starting point. GlsLinearScale
Nine-Patch Creates a rectangle that can be scaled infinitely without loss in quality. GlsNinePatch
Nurb Curve Creates a smooth curve defined by a few points. GlsNurbCurve
Poly Line Creates a scalable line. GlsPolyLine
3D Shapes
Sphere Creates a sphere. GlsSphere
Cylinder Creates a cylinder or pyramid. GlsCylinder
Meshes
Trimesh Converts selected objects to a mesh made of triangles GLTrimesh
Imported Mesh An imported mesh supporting more features than GLTrimesh such as reflection maps GlsAdvancedMesh
Input
Convert to Knob Groups the currently selected objects as a knob. GlsKnob
Convert to Odometer Groups the currently selected objects as an odometer. GlsOdometer
Convert to Push Button Groups the currently selected objects as a push button. GlsPushButton
Convert to Switch Groups the currently selected objects as a switch. GlsSwitch
Convert to Thumbwheel Groups the currently selected objects as a thumbwheel. GlsThumbWheel
Components and References
Convert to Component Saves the currently selected objects into a new GLS file. ComponentBase
Insert an existing Component Adds a reference to an existing GLS file or RSO into the current one. ComponentBase
Catalyzer Creates a empty group, whose children are created by Python scripts selected by the user. Catalyzers are in the GL Studio editor only. At runtime they become a Group. Editor only; no runtime API.
Eyepoint and Lights
Light Creates an adjustable light source. GlsLightSource
Eyepoint Creates a camera view point, which can be set as the primary for the application. GlsEyePoint
Moving Eye Creates a camera view point capable of smoothly moving between eyepoints. GlsMovingEye
Dynamic Path
Insert a Dynamic Path Creates an object that can store keyframes for an animation. GlsDynamicPath
Insert a Path Manager Creates links between objects and dynamic paths, allowing many animations to be managed by one object. GlsPathManager
Video Toolkit
Movie Texture Creates a polygon that can have a video file mapped to at runtime. GlsMovieTexture (Windows only)
Video to Texture Creates a polygon that can have streaming video (from a webcam) mapped to at runtime. GlsVideoToTexture (Windows only)
Schematics
Schematic Poly Line Interconnect Creates an animated scalable line used to represent flow. GlsSchematicPolyLineInterconnect
Schematic Tee Interconnect Creates a tee junction for schematic lines to intersect with. GlsSchematicTeeInterconnect