Guide for setting up an Ogre application using Visual Studio 2010 (VC10).

Prerequisites

• Visual Studio 2010 must be installed. Express and higher.
• The Ogre SDK version 1.7 or greater must be installed.
  • Installing the Ogre SDK: Installing the Ogre SDK
  • Build Ogre from source with CMake: CMake Quick Start Guide If you are building Ogre from source, you must build the debug and release targets and execute the Install script for both targets as well. This will create a directory structure that is identical to the binary install structure.

Setting Up an Application for Visual Studio 2010

Environment Variables

Run setx OGRE_HOME path_to_ogre_sdk in a command console (cmd.exe):

Alternatively, create this handy batch script:

setx OGRE_HOME %CD%
pause

Save it as OGRE_HOME.bat and put it in the root directory of the Ogre SDK.
Run it, and the OGRE_HOME environment variable points to that directory.
Handy when you switch between several Ogre SDKs.

New Project

Create a new Win32 project (File -> New -> Project):

Make sure that Windows Application is selected and Empty Project is checked:

Tutorial Framework:

Download the Ogre Wiki Tutorial Framework here:
No such attachment on this page

Edit: If you are using Ogre 1.9, download this updated No such attachment on this page

Extract Tutorial Framework:

Add Existing Items to Project:

Select Files:

Project Configuration

Project Properties:

Common Settings

Switching to All Configurations:

General Configuration Properties

Set Character Set to Use Multi-Byte Character Set on the General Configuration Properties page:

Debugging Configuration Properties

Command:

$(OGRE_HOME)\Bin\$(Configuration)\$(ProjectName).exe

Working Directory:

$(OGRE_HOME)\Bin\$(Configuration)

Configuration Properties - C/C++ - General - Additional Include Directories

$(OGRE_HOME)\include
$(OGRE_HOME)\include\OIS
$(OGRE_HOME)\include\OGRE
$(OGRE_HOME)\Samples\Common\include
$(OGRE_HOME)\boost

Note: If you are using Ogre >1.9 also add "$(OGRE_HOME)\include\OGRE\Overlay"

Configuration Properties - Linker - General - Additional Library Directories

$(OGRE_HOME)\lib\$(Configuration)
$(OGRE_HOME)\boost\lib

Configuration Properties - Build Events - Post-Build Event - Command Line

copy "$(OutDir)\$(TargetFileName)" "$(OGRE_HOME)\Bin\$(Configuration)"

Configuration Specific Settings

Switch configuration to "Active(Debug)".

Configuration Properties - Linker - Input - Additional Dependencies - Debug

Add input libraries for debug:

OgreMain_d.lib
OIS_d.lib

Note: If you are using Ogre >1.9, also add "OgreOverlay_d.lib".

Configuration Properties - Linker - Input - Additional Dependencies - Release

Switch configuration from "Active(Debug)" to "Active(Release)".
Add input libraries for release:

OgreMain.lib
OIS.lib

Note: If you are using Ogre >1.9, also add " OgreOverlay.lib".

That's it!

You've set up an Ogre project succesfully.
All that remains is to build and run it. 😊

Note: If you are running Ogre 1.9 and are getting a runtime error saying: "Cannot locate resource shadows.glsl in resource group Popular or any...", you have to edit "resources_d.cfg" and "resources.cfg" and add "FileSystem=../../media/materials/programs/GLSL" to the files. See this troubleshooting guide if you can not find the files.

If you are getting errors like: "The program can't start because d3dx9_43.dll (or d3dcompiler_43.dll) is missing from your computer...." try to install the DXSDK_Jun10.exe, if you want to use a DirectX renderer. If you only want to use the OpenGL-renderer, edit the "plugins_d.cfg" and "plugins.cfg" files, and edit out the lines

Plugin=RenderSystem_Direct3D9_d
Plugin=RenderSystem_Direct3D11_d

(Put a # in front of them, or delete them!)

Make sure you optimize your build time with Precompiled headers

ogre.cfg

Render System=Direct3D9 Rendering Subsystem

[Direct3D9 Rendering Subsystem]
Allow NVPerfHUD=No
FSAA=0
Floating-point mode=Fastest
Full Screen=No
Rendering Device=NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200
VSync=No
Video Mode=800 x 600 @ 32-bit colour

[OpenGL Rendering Subsystem]
Colour Depth=32
Display Frequency=60
FSAA=0
Full Screen=Yes
RTT Preferred Mode=FBO
VSync=No
Video Mode=1024 x 768

Note: If you hear your graphics card squealing when showing the Ogre head, turn Vsync to "yes" in ogre.cfg! Your graphics card will squeal when there are too many frames per second being rendered.

-(Visual Studio 2008 - VC9)-

Prerequisites

• Visual Studio 2008 must be installed. Visual Studio Downloads
• The Ogre SDK version 1.7 or greater must be installed.
  • Installing the Ogre SDK: Installing the Ogre SDK
  • Build Ogre from source with CMake: CMake Quick Start Guide If you are building Ogre from source, you must build the debug and release targets and execute the Install script for both targets as well. This will create a directory structure that is identical to the binary install structure.

Tutorial

Creating a new project

• Start Visual Studio 2008
• Create a new project: File | New | Project
• Under project types select Visual C++ then under Templates select Win32 Project.
• Navigate to the location in which your project will be located by clicking the Browse button. It should not be in either the SDK directory or in the source files for Ogre.
  
• Click the OK button and the Win32 Application Wizard will be displayed.
  
• Click the Next Button.
• Select 'Windows Application' and 'Empty project' when prompted for the type of project to create.
  
• Click the Finish button.

Creating the directory structure and adding files

Download and extract the Ogre Wiki Tutorial Framework into your project directory and add them to the project.

• If you hover over the second button in the Solution Explorer's toolbar, you will see that it says "Show all files" It should not currently be toggled so you should click on it to toggle it. Now you will see this display of Solution Explorer.
  

• Open each of the folders by clicking on the + signs to the left of each folders name.
  
• Right click on the each of the files and select Include In Project.
  
• Select File|Save All from the Visual Studio menu.

Setting up the environment

• Right click on the project OgreTemplate and select properties. The following screen will be displayed.
  

The Properties Pages are arranged in a hierarchy.
By default, Visual Studio creates two configurations. The project is created with two configurations: Debug and Release. You will notice in the upper left corner of the last screen shot that the "Debug" configuration is currently the active configuration. You can change which configuration is being shown by selecting the arrow in that drop-down box. There is an additional value in that drop-down box that indicates that you wish to change a property in all configurations called, surprisingly enough, All Configurations.
This tutorial assumes that the operating system environment variable OGRE_HOME has been set up to point to the SDK directory.

• Select the All Configurations Configuration by selecting the Configuration drop-down box and selecting "All configurations". Set the variables according to the following chart. You should click Apply after each group of properties.
  
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  General | Output Directory          : bin\$(ConfigurationName)
  General | Intermediate Directory    : obj\$(ConfigurationName)
  General | Character Set             : Use Multi-Byte Character Set
  
  Debugging | Command                 : bin\$(ConfigurationName)\$(ProjectName).exe
  Debugging | Working Directory       : bin\$(ConfigurationName)
  Debugging | Environment             : path=$(OGRE_HOME)\Bin\$(ConfigurationName)
  
  C/C++ | General | Additional Include Directories : include;$(OGRE_HOME)\include;$(OGRE_HOME)\include\OIS;$(OGRE_HOME)\include\OGRE;$(OGRE_HOME)\boost
  
  Linker | General | Additional Library Directories : $(OGRE_HOME)\lib\$(ConfigurationName);$(OGRE_HOME)\boost\lib

• Select the Debug Configuration by selecting the Configuration drop-down box and selecting "Debug". Set the properties according to the following chart.
  
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  Linker | Input | Additional Dependencies            : OgreMain_d.lib OIS_d.lib
  Linker | Debugging | Generate Debug Info            : Yes (/DEBUG)

• Select the Release Configuration by selecting the Configuration drop-down box and selecting "Release". Set the properties according to the following chart.
  
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  Linker | Input | Additional Dependencies : OgreMain.lib OIS.lib
  Linker | Debugging | Generate Debug Info : No

Building the project

• Choose the Debug Solution Configuration.
• Right click on the project OgreTemplate and select Build Project.

There should be no compile or link errors.

• Choose the Release Solution Configuration.
• Right click on the project OgreTemplate and select Build Project.

There should be no compile or link errors.

Make sure you optimize your build time with Precompiled headers

Copying the config files from OGRE_HOME to the project

As a final step we need to copy some additional files that will be needed to run this project. The build steps just performed created a folder in the project folder called bin and underneath that folder two folders called release and debug. Each of these folders acts as the working directory for their respective configurations when Ogre runs. The Ogre framework will be looking in the working directory for some configuration files and they will be slightly different depending on whether a debug or release version is being run. The configuration files that you will need to run each version are located in $(OGRE_HOME)\bin\debug and $(OGRE_HOME)\bin\release. Copy the *.cfg files from the OGRE_HOME directory to the corresponding project directory.

Running the project

• Run each version of the Project. If it all works correctly, you will the following screen:
  

• Select a rendering subsystem from the select box in the middle of the window and click 'Ok'. You should see the following:
  
• If not, go back and verify that you entered all the project properties correctly. You are now ready to move on to the Basic Tutorials.

-(Visual Studio 2005 - VC8)-
TBD
-(Visual Studio 2003 - VC7.1)-
TBD