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irrlicht VS OpenGL

Compare irrlicht VS OpenGL and see what are their differences

Contents:
  1. » Base Details
  2. » Videos
  3. » Reviews
  4. » Alternatives

irrlicht logo irrlicht

This caused the Irrlicht homepage and forum to work badly. Over the last days most things started working again – except the forum continues to be broken. Old posts can be read but everything else is currently not working.

OpenGL logo OpenGL

OpenGL is the premier environment for developing portable, interactive 2D and 3D graphics...
  • irrlicht Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-19
  • OpenGL Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-25

irrlicht features and specs

  • Open Source
    Irrlicht is open source, which provides developers the opportunity to modify the engine's code to suit their particular needs and contribute to the community.
  • Cross-Platform
    The engine supports multiple platforms, including Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X, which allows developers to target a broad audience with minimal adjustments.
  • Lightweight
    Irrlicht is known for being lightweight and efficient, making it suitable for projects that require lower system resources.
  • Ease of Use
    The engine offers a straightforward API, making it relatively easy for new developers to learn and integrate into their projects.
  • Active Community
    The engine has a dedicated community that contributes to its development and supports other users through forums and shared resources.

Possible disadvantages of irrlicht

  • Limited Features
    Compared to modern engines, Irrlicht may lack some advanced features such as sophisticated physics or advanced rendering techniques.
  • Outdated Technology
    Irrlicht has not seen significant updates in recent years, which can make it seem outdated compared to modern game engines.
  • Lack of Documentation
    Although there is some community-driven documentation, official resources are somewhat limited, which can be challenging for newcomers.
  • Small User Base
    As a less popular engine, there are fewer resources, tutorials, and third-party tools available compared to more widely used game engines.
  • Limited Support for Modern Graphics APIs
    Irrlicht may not fully support the latest graphics APIs and techniques which can be a limitation for developers aiming to leverage cutting-edge graphics.

OpenGL features and specs

  • Cross-platform Compatibility
    OpenGL is platform-independent, allowing developers to write code that can run on multiple platforms such as Windows, macOS, Linux, and others without modification.
  • Wide Hardware Support
    Extensive support across a broad range of graphics hardware, making it a reliable choice for ensuring that applications will work on various devices.
  • Open Source
    As an open-source graphics API, OpenGL allows for extensive collaboration and contributions from the community, improving its features and performance over time.
  • Industry Standard
    Used widely in the industry for professional applications in areas like CAD, virtual reality, and video games, providing good community support and documentation.
  • Rich Feature Set
    Provides a comprehensive set of features for rendering 2D and 3D vector graphics, offering flexibility for developers to create complex visual effects.

Possible disadvantages of OpenGL

  • Complexity
    OpenGL's vast array of features and options can lead to a steep learning curve for new developers who may find it challenging to implement even basic tasks.
  • Obsolete Features
    Some parts of OpenGL are considered outdated, with legacy functionality that may complicate development and require additional effort to modernize older codebases.
  • Performance Overhead
    While generally efficient, OpenGL can introduce overhead compared to lower-level APIs like Vulkan or Direct3D, which offer more direct control of graphics hardware resources.
  • Fragmented Support
    Different platforms and graphics card vendors may implement OpenGL features inconsistently, requiring extra testing and potentially platform-specific workarounds.
  • Low Abstraction
    Despite its flexibility, OpenGL provides a lower level of abstraction compared to some newer APIs, meaning that developers must manage more of the graphics pipeline manually.

irrlicht videos

+ Add

Album Review: Irrlicht by Klaus Schulze

More videos:

  • Review - Klaus Schulze - Irrlicht (1972)

OpenGL videos

+ Add

OSBUDDY 3.0 OPENGL REVIEW - Not as promised??

More videos:

  • Review - Latest OpenGL and Vulkan GPU drivers Pubg gaming Review Poco F1 | 0.18 Mad Miramar Update
  • Review - OpenGL Basic (Fastest Review)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to irrlicht and OpenGL)

irrlicht

OpenGL

Game Development
39 39%
Game Development
61% 61
Game Engine
39 39%
Game Engine
61% 61
3D Game Engine
38 38%
3D Game Engine
62% 62
2D Game Engine
42 42%
2D Game Engine
58% 58

User comments

Share your experience with using irrlicht and OpenGL. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, irrlicht seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 6 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

irrlicht mentions (6)

  • was there a game engine in the early 2000's called: Jet3D?
    The Irrlicht Engine seams like a better idea then. https://irrlicht.sourceforge.io/ it is supported and has a small community. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • My PC is really old ( 2007ish ) , So what Game engine/Framework that isn't simple but can work with that PC in mind ?
    I'd recommend Irrlicht Engine. It was very popular during mid-to-late 2000's , and it to my knowledge it still supports OpenGL 1.x as well as its' own software renderer. I once had a PC similar to your specs in 2008, and Irrlicht ran decently alongside ODE physics engine. Source: over 3 years ago
  • I want to make a game for Linux. Where do I even start?
    If we're going to list graphics libraries then bgfx and irrlicht are probably worth a mention as well. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Why do I only see tutorials on basic stuff?
    The make or break moment for me was working on an indie game dev team when I was a teenager. I joined a team and was immediately mentored in a way that made programming and code make sense. We developed using open source engines like Irrlichtand Ogre3D, where my mentor was able to detail what came with the different available libraries, and how to utilize them to create a game. He would assign us to create... Source: over 3 years ago
  • Hot loading C++ game code
    Although primarily intended for games, Irrlicht is a relatively simple library (compared to a full game engine). https://irrlicht.sourceforge.io/. - Source: Hacker News / over 3 years ago
View more

OpenGL mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of OpenGL yet. Tracking of OpenGL recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing irrlicht and OpenGL, you can also consider the following products

Godot Engine - Feature-packed 2D and 3D open source game engine.

SDL - Simple DirectMedia Layer is a cross-platform multimedia library designed to provide low level...

Unreal Engine - Unreal Engine 4 is a suite of integrated tools for game developers to design and build games, simulations, and visualizations.

Vulkan - Vulkan is a new generation graphics and compute API that provides high-efficiency, cross-platform access to modern GPUs used in a wide variety of devices from PCs and consoles to mobile phones and embedded platforms.

OpenSceneGraph - Project website for OpenSceneGraph

Urho3D - Urho3D is a lightweight, cross-platform rendering and game engine implemented in C++ and released...

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