Which library in Visual C# for graphics programming, Tao or OpenTK?

Question

I heard that newest OpenGL does not have glBegin anymore. In other words things change a lot, and I was wondering which library should I use for OpenGL programming in c#?

I will do graphics programming for a CAD modeling application.

Thank you

Answer 1

As mentioned in some of the comments, the Tao Framework has not been actively developed since 2008. However, I believe there is still some merit in using the framework. For example, the C# Game Programming: For Serious Game Creation book used the Tao framework for it's sample project (built in stages through the entire book). This is in spite of the book being published in mid 2010. Still, OpenTK will continue to evolve, so it is probably the better route if you want to stay on top of new features.

PS - The book was a great read in my opinion.

Answer 2

I also recommend OpenTK for OpenGL development using C#.

You are correct that the new versions of OpenGL (version 3 and 4) support a shader-based approach to rendering, and this is encouraged as the "forward compatible" path for all new OpenGL development.

That said, you can initialize OpenGL with either a "core" (shader-based) or "compatible" (old-style) profile on startup. The compatible profile supports the classic OpenGL fixed-pipeline programming API.

You can review more here