Hi all -- It seems like there has been a rash of "help me debug my
code"-type questions lately, so I thought I'd post a short list of debugging
techniques and other aids to help people out. I hope people find this
information to be useful.

1) You are a software engineer and you have the OSG source code. Use it.
Step through it in a debugger. (Many of the posts I've seen lately indicate
that the poster has not looked inside the OSG code at all. This is a great,
free resource; learn to use it. The code doesn't lie.)

2) For simple rendering problems, use a tool like GLIntercept to capture the
OpenGL calls. If you know OpenGL, this is a great way to track down why
things don't render correctly. If you don't know OpenGL, buy the red book
and learn it, otherwise you'll never be effective at coding OSG.

3) Here are a few ways to learn some basic OSG concepts that get covered in
this email list very frequently:
  a) Buy/download the Quick Start Guide
 
http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/openscenegraph-quick-start-guide/
767629
     There is a color version, b&w (which is cheaper), PDF (which is free),
and a Chinese version.
  B) Search the mail list archives: 
     http://groups.google.com/group/osg-users?hl=en
     If you're a beginner, your question has probably been discussed and
answered multiple times.
  C) Get familiar with the OSG wiki:
     http://www.openscenegraph.org

4) If you really need professional help, consider purchasing a support
contract from myself or Robert Osfield, or contracting with someone else on
the list for support. You are more likely to get quality help if you pay for
it.

Paul Martz
Skew Matrix Software LLC
http://www.skew-matrix.com <http://www.skew-matrix.com/> 
+1 303 859 9466

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