ClayPOT — OpenGL Renderer

ClayPOT is a modular C++17 3D rendering engine built with a focus on clean architecture, system-level design, and extensibility. The engine core is compiled as a shared library (DLL), while a standalone Editor application serves as a sandbox for rendering experiments and feature development.

---

🔥 Preview

(To be added once rendering output is ready)

---

✨ Features

• Decoupled Engine Architecture — Engine core is separated as a DLL for a clean client-engine relationship
• Modern C++ (C++17) — Uses contemporary language features for performance and safety
• OpenGL Rendering Pipeline — Built on a programmable pipeline using GLSL
• Editor Sandbox — Dedicated environment for testing and experimentation
• Automated Build System — Premake5-based setup with post-build automation

---

🧱 Architecture Overview

The project is divided into two main components:

1. ClayPOT (Shared Library)

• Core engine systems (rendering, windowing, input)

• OpenGL initialization and abstractions

• Third-party integrations:

  • GLFW
  • Glad
  • spdlog

2. Editor (Executable)

• Entry point of the application
• Acts as a client of the engine
• Used for testing and development of rendering features

---

🛠️ Tech Stack

• Language: C++17
• Graphics API: OpenGL
• Libraries: GLFW, Glad, spdlog
• Build System: Premake5
• IDE: Visual Studio 2022 (recommended)

---

🚀 Getting Started

Requirements

• Visual Studio 2022 (MSVC, x64)
• Premake5 installed and available in PATH

Setup & Build

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone --recursive https://github.com/Uzair62/OpenGL---Renderer.git

2. Generate project files:

   premake5 vs2022

3. Build and run:

   • Open ClayPOT.sln
   • Set Editor as the startup project
   • Press F5 to build and run

---

📂 Project Structure

ClayPOT/
├── bin/            # Final binaries (DLLs, EXEs)
├── bin-int/        # Intermediate build files
├── ClayPOT/        # Engine source
│   ├── src/
│   └── vendor/
├── Editor/         # Client application
│   └── src/

---

⚙️ Build System Notes

• The engine is built as a DLL and dynamically linked to the Editor

• Premake automates:

  • Project generation
  • Configuration management (Debug / Release / Dist)
  • Post-build steps to sync the latest engine build

---

🚧 Future Work

• Entity Component System (ECS)
• Scene management and serialization
• ImGui-based editor tools
• Advanced rendering techniques (lighting, shadows, post-processing)
• Potential Vulkan backend

---

📜 License

This project is intended for educational and portfolio purposes. Feel free to use the architecture as a reference for your own systems.