OpenGL

1. Platform, Price, and Company

   • Supported on all UNIX® workstations, and shipped standard with every Windows 95/98/2000/NT and MacOS PC. Today, OpenGL runs on every major operating system including Mac OS, OS/2, UNIX, Windows 95/98, Windows 2000, Windows NT, Linux, OPENStep, and BeOS; it also works with every major windowing system, including Win32, MacOS, Presentation anager, and X-Window System. OpenGL is callable from Ada, C, C++, Fortran, Python, Perl and Java and offers complete independence from network protocols and topologies.
   • Free
   • Industry standard (http://www.opengl.org), originally developed by Silicon Graphics, Inc. http://www.sgi.com/company_info/

2. Applications

   • OpenGL (Open Graphics Library) is a software interface to graphics hardware, or graphics API similar to Direct3D and PHIGS. It is the most popular low-level graphics library. The interface consists of a set of several hundred procedures and functions that allow a programmer to specify the objects and operations involved in producing graphical images. Most recent graphics tools and scientific applications are built on OpenGL. It's close competitor, Direct3D, is more popular on PC for game programming.

3. Example/Samples

   • CodeSampler.com http://www.codesampler.com/oglsrc.htm
   • OpenGL code samples from the official source: http://www.opengl.org/resources/code/index.html
   • Ultimate Game Programming: http://www.ultimategameprogramming.com/Tutorial.php?category=OpenGL&page=1
   • Author's sample programs: http://cs.gmu.edu/~jchen/graphics/

4. Functions

   • OpenGL provides a wide range of primitive graphics functions: from rendering a simple geometric point, line, or filled polygon, to texture mapping NURBS curved surfaces.

5. Web Resources

   • Everyting you need: http://www.opengl.org
   • http://glprogramming.com/
   • A debugger http://www.gremedy.com/
   • Books
     • a shortcut: http://www.cs.gmu.edu/~jchen/graphics/
     • a listing: http://www.opengl.org/documentation/books.html
     • The Red Book http://www.glprogramming.com/red/
     • The Blue Book http://www.glprogramming.com/blue/

© Jennifer Justus, All rights reserved.