25.11.2017 
Introduction Qt 3D has a flexible and extensible architecture that allows us to easily add our own new functionality to it without disrupting the existing features. The functionality of Qt 3D is divided among so-called aspects, each of which encapsulates a particular subject domain such as rendering, input, or animation. This short series of articles […]
Author Archives: Sean Harmer
Sean Harmer is a senior software engineer at KDAB where he heads up our UK office and also leads the 3D R&D team. He has been developing with C++ and Qt since 1998 and is Qt 3D Maintainer and lead developer in the Qt Project. Sean has broad experience and a keen interest in scientific visualization and animation in OpenGL and Qt. He holds a PhD in Astrophysics along with a Masters in Mathematics and Astrophysics.
Qt 3D Animation Easter Teaser Using Blender and Qt 3D in Qt 5.9 to create, texture, and animate a model
As an Easter treat here is a quick taster of some of the animation goodies coming to Qt 3D along with Qt 5.9. In this post we will briefly outline the steps needed to create a simple Qt 3D application and the assets it uses to produce this little animation:
Safety critical drawing with OpenGL SC The main sticking points when migrating OpenGL ES software to functionally safe OpenGL SC
Bringing software into a safety critical environment can be tricky, especially when using the complex APIs needed for modern 3D graphics. That’s what makes OpenGL SC (Safety Critical) so important: it bridges the gap between beautiful displays and functional safety, while trying to remain as close to existing embedded standards that we all know and love. OpenGL SC will only […]
Qt 3D and Physics Based Rendering QtCon presentation
Physics Based Rendering (PBR) is the latest and greatest trend in real-time rendering yielding much more visually believable images than the traditional Phong or ad-hoc lighting models. The underlying concept is that the shaders should use physical principles in the encoded models – chief of which are conservation of energy and the Fresnel effect. PBR […]
Physically Based Rendering (PBR) in 10 minutes Understanding a new rendering model for realistic and consistent graphics
If you happened to be at the NVIDIA GTC conference last week, you may have seen a Qt demo we developed showing a Dodge Viper in the Toradex booth. If that Viper looked especially cool, that’s partially because it was displayed using Physically Based Rendering (PBR). Alright… what exactly is PBR, and can I use it in my […]
Nine Steps to Vulkan Literacy What the powerful new 3D graphics API can bring to your applications
No, this isn’t about Star Trek. If you’ve accidentally stumbled onto this blog to learn about the language of Spock’s homeland, try here instead. Vulkan (spelled with a “k”, not a “c”) is a powerful new 3D graphics API from the Khronos Group, the same consortium that developed its spiritual predecessor, OpenGL, and other related […]
C and Its Offspring: OpenGL and OpenCL – Parts 1 & 2 OpenGL Speeds High-End Graphics for On-Chip GPUs
An in-depth look at improving the visual quality and computational throughput of systems with OpenGL, from a KDAB expert and the maintainer of Qt 3D, writing for the USA’s premium magazine for embedded computing: RTC magazine.
Learn OpenGL with KDAB New dedicated UK training facility
To meet the growing demand for professional OpenGL, C++ and Qt trainings, KDAB has decided to open a dedicated training facility in the UK, just 20 minutes from Manchester airport. Now, in the UK, you can easily get the top quality experience you have come to expect from KDAB’s expert trainings at our Berlin facility […]
Qt 3D Technology Preview Released with Qt 5.5.0
KDAB is pleased to announce that the Qt 5.5.0 release includes a Technology Preview of the Qt3D module. Qt3D provides a high-level framework to allow developers to easily add 3D content to Qt applications using either QML or C++ APIs. The Qt3D module is released with the Technology Preview status. This means that Qt3D will […]
OpenGL with Qt 5
Abstract: Qt5 introduces better support for OpenGL from the QPA/Lighthouse abstraction, through a new set of OpenGL classes up to QtQuick 2 and Qt3D. OpenGL is also very often used for games and as the central content widget in desktop applications. With the advent of QtQuick 2 it is now easy to write entire user […]