CUDA + OpenGL Demos

Interactive 3D graphics demos with real-time UI controls. Includes a rotating cube with Phong shading (OpenGL) and Mandelbrot fractal explorer (CUDA).

Prerequisites

• Windows 10/11 (64-bit)
• Visual Studio 2019 or 2022 with C++ workload
• CUDA Toolkit (project uses 12.2, but 11.x or 12.x work)
• NVIDIA GPU with CUDA support

Quick Setup

1. Install vcpkg and Libraries

Important: vcpkg must be installed at the same level as the cuda-demos folder.

parent-folder/
  cuda-demos/          <- This project
  vcpkg/              <- vcpkg installation (same level)

# Navigate to the parent directory of cuda-demos
cd ..

# Clone vcpkg at the same level as cuda-demos
git clone https://github.com/Microsoft/vcpkg.git
cd vcpkg
.\bootstrap-vcpkg.bat

# Install dependencies (static libraries)
.\vcpkg install freeglut:x64-windows-static glew:x64-windows-static imgui[opengl3-binding,glut-binding]:x64-windows-static tinygltf:x64-windows-static

# Note: vcpkg integration is disabled for this project to avoid path conflicts.
# The project uses explicit relative paths to vcpkg libraries.

2. Build and Run

1. Open CudaDemos.sln in Visual Studio
2. Set platform to x64
3. Build: Ctrl+Shift+B
4. Run: Ctrl+F5

Demos

1. 3D Boxes (OpenGL)

A rotating cube with Phong shading. Features:

• Real-time Phong lighting (ambient, diffuse, specular)
• Full 3D camera navigation (WASD + mouse)
• Adjustable rotation speed
• Adjustable light position and material properties

2. Mandelbrot Fractal (CUDA)

GPU-accelerated Mandelbrot set visualization. Features:

• Real-time zoom and pan with mouse
• Smooth color gradients
• Arrow key navigation

Controls

General

• 1: Switch to 3D Boxes demo
• 2: Switch to Mandelbrot Fractal demo
• H: Hide/show UI panel
• R: Start/stop video recording (requires ffmpeg)
• ESC: Exit

3D Camera (Boxes Demo only)

• W/A/S/D: Move forward/left/backward/right
• Q/E: Move down/up
• Left Mouse Drag: Orbit around clicked point
• Middle Mouse Drag: Pan/translate camera
• Right Mouse Drag: Rotate view (first-person)
• Mouse Wheel: Zoom in/out

Mandelbrot Demo

• Mouse Wheel: Zoom
• Click and Drag: Pan
• Arrow Keys: Pan

Video Recording

Press R to start/stop recording demos to MP4 video.

Requirements:

• Download ffmpeg: https://ffmpeg.org/download.html
• Add ffmpeg to your system PATH, or place ffmpeg.exe in the project directory
• Videos save as output.mp4 (30 FPS, overwritten each recording)

Verification:

ffmpeg -version  # Should display ffmpeg version info

Troubleshooting

CUDA Version Mismatch

Error: CUDA 12.2.props not found

Fix: Edit CudaDemos.vcxproj, search for CUDA 12.2 and replace with your version (e.g., CUDA 11.8)

Note: The project uses $(CUDA_PATH_V12_2) instead of $(CUDA_PATH) to avoid conflicts when multiple CUDA versions are installed. If you're using a different version, replace all instances of CUDA_PATH_V12_2 with your version (e.g., CUDA_PATH_V11_8 or CUDA_PATH_V12_8)

Build Tools Not Found

Error: The build tools for v142 cannot be found

Fix: Install VS 2019 build tools, or change <PlatformToolset>v142</PlatformToolset> to v143 in the .vcxproj

Libraries Not Found

Error: cannot open file 'imgui.lib' / 'glew32.lib' / 'freeglut.lib'

Fix:

1. Ensure you installed static versions: .\vcpkg install freeglut:x64-windows-static glew:x64-windows-static imgui[opengl3-binding,glut-binding]:x64-windows-static
2. Verify vcpkg is installed at the same level as the cuda-demos folder (see setup instructions)
3. Check that the relative path ../vcpkg/installed/x64-windows-static/lib is correct

Runtime: GPU Not Found

Error: This project requires a CUDA capable GPU

Fix: Update NVIDIA drivers, verify GPU with nvidia-smi command

Runtime: DLL Not Found

Error: glew32.dll or freeglut.dll not found

Fix: This shouldn't happen with static build. Verify GLEW_STATIC and FREEGLUT_STATIC are in preprocessor definitions.

Project Files

CudaDemos.sln        - Visual Studio solution
CudaDemos.vcxproj    - Project configuration
main.cpp             - Application and UI code
BoxesDemo.h/cpp      - OpenGL 3D cube with Phong shading
MandelbrotDemo.h/cpp - Mandelbrot fractal
MandelbrotDemo.cu    - CUDA kernel for Mandelbrot
Demo.h               - Base demo interface

License

Educational and demonstration purposes. Feel free to modify and extend.