Hi I am trying to load a 3ds model into OpenGL. I did some research and found that lib3ds is a popular solution.

https://code.google.com/p/lib3ds/

I read this tutorial on how to use it, which wasn't too hard

www.donkerdump.nl/node/207

but after downloading the zip folder and unzipping I have no idea how to install it.

I've never really installed a library before, is there a generic tutorial on how to do this?

I am using code blocks.

Is lib3ds is a good solution for this?

If so could I get some instructions for installing lib3ds into codeblocks.

Cheers.

There is not really much to install for a library. Just put all librarys in a subfolder of some common folder like C:\libs, compile the library if it doesnt come precompiled and then add search paths for preprocessor and linker and the actual librarys to the projects. You can make this a bit easier if you go to settings, global variables in code::blocks and add one with the path you can then reference in all your projects instead of typing in the whole paths everytime.

You can find enough information on that in the codeblocks wiki.

There is no .dll files or .lib files (just .h, .cpp and some make files). So does that mean I do not link anything?

I redirected my compiler in code blocks to the folder with the lib3ds h files (settings->compiler->search directories tab).

Here is a picture of my problem.

• It detects the included header file <lib3ds.h>
• It understands the type Lib3dsFile from <lib3ds.h>
• but I can't get it to understand the function 'lib3ds_file_open'. It gives me an "undefined reference to 'lib3ds_file_open' error.

but when I hover my mouse over the function it displays the function prototype (as seen in the .h file), I also went to the included .h file for <lib3ds.h> and checked that the function is there (which it is).

Why can I detect the lib3ds.h file, read in a struct from it, but fail to find a reference to the lib3ds_file_open function?

I already said if the library does not come precompiled you have to compile the library first. If it doesnt exist you cannot link your project with it.

Look for documentation of the library on how to compile it, typically there is a file called readme or usage! If there are makefiles you are probably supposed to use make with one of them.

Hey so the readme file just gave me a link to the website in which to download it but there is a file called "INSTALL", but it gives me instructions on how to compile it in linux and I am working in windows.

Is there a way to run make files in windows? Or do I have download it on linux, precompile it there and transfer it to my windows machine?

Cheers

Just a hypothesis but, when I've installed other libraries (opengl, glut, sdl) in the past I often have to edit the linker settings via "Build options". i.e.