[c++] Creating a 3D sphere in Opengl using Visual C++

In OpenGL you don't create objects, you just draw them. Once they are drawn, OpenGL no longer cares about what geometry you sent it.

glutSolidSphere is just sending drawing commands to OpenGL. However there's nothing special in and about it. And since it's tied to GLUT I'd not use it. Instead, if you really need some sphere in your code, how about create if for yourself?

#define _USE_MATH_DEFINES
#include <GL/gl.h>
#include <GL/glu.h>
#include <vector>
#include <cmath>

// your framework of choice here

class SolidSphere
{
protected:
    std::vector<GLfloat> vertices;
    std::vector<GLfloat> normals;
    std::vector<GLfloat> texcoords;
    std::vector<GLushort> indices;

public:
    SolidSphere(float radius, unsigned int rings, unsigned int sectors)
    {
        float const R = 1./(float)(rings-1);
        float const S = 1./(float)(sectors-1);
        int r, s;

        vertices.resize(rings * sectors * 3);
        normals.resize(rings * sectors * 3);
        texcoords.resize(rings * sectors * 2);
        std::vector<GLfloat>::iterator v = vertices.begin();
        std::vector<GLfloat>::iterator n = normals.begin();
        std::vector<GLfloat>::iterator t = texcoords.begin();
        for(r = 0; r < rings; r++) for(s = 0; s < sectors; s++) {
                float const y = sin( -M_PI_2 + M_PI * r * R );
                float const x = cos(2*M_PI * s * S) * sin( M_PI * r * R );
                float const z = sin(2*M_PI * s * S) * sin( M_PI * r * R );

                *t++ = s*S;
                *t++ = r*R;

                *v++ = x * radius;
                *v++ = y * radius;
                *v++ = z * radius;

                *n++ = x;
                *n++ = y;
                *n++ = z;
        }

        indices.resize(rings * sectors * 4);
        std::vector<GLushort>::iterator i = indices.begin();
        for(r = 0; r < rings; r++) for(s = 0; s < sectors; s++) {
                *i++ = r * sectors + s;
                *i++ = r * sectors + (s+1);
                *i++ = (r+1) * sectors + (s+1);
                *i++ = (r+1) * sectors + s;
        }
    }

    void draw(GLfloat x, GLfloat y, GLfloat z)
    {
        glMatrixMode(GL_MODELVIEW);
        glPushMatrix();
        glTranslatef(x,y,z);

        glEnableClientState(GL_VERTEX_ARRAY);
        glEnableClientState(GL_NORMAL_ARRAY);
        glEnableClientState(GL_TEXTURE_COORD_ARRAY);

        glVertexPointer(3, GL_FLOAT, 0, &vertices[0]);
        glNormalPointer(GL_FLOAT, 0, &normals[0]);
        glTexCoordPointer(2, GL_FLOAT, 0, &texcoords[0]);
        glDrawElements(GL_QUADS, indices.size(), GL_UNSIGNED_SHORT, &indices[0]);
        glPopMatrix();
    }
};

SolidSphere sphere(1, 12, 24);

void display()
{
    int const win_width  = …; // retrieve window dimensions from
    int const win_height = …; // framework of choice here
    float const win_aspect = (float)win_width / (float)win_height;

    glViewport(0, 0, win_width, win_height);

    glClear(GL_COLOR_BUFFER_BIT | GL_DEPTH_BUFFER_BIT);

    glMatrixMode(GL_PROJECTION);
    glLoadIdentity();
    gluPerspective(45, win_aspect, 1, 10);

    glMatrixMode(GL_MODELVIEW);
    glLoadIdentity();

#ifdef DRAW_WIREFRAME
    glPolygonMode(GL_FRONT_AND_BACK, GL_LINE);
#endif
    sphere.draw(0, 0, -5);

    swapBuffers();
}

int main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
    // initialize and register your framework of choice here
    return 0;
}