OpenGL
OpenGL (Open Graphics Library) is a programming interface for 3D graphics which helps computer programmers make their 3D graphics perform better and faster by running parts of their programs on a video card (GPU) rather than just the central processor (CPU). Programming interfaces like OpenGL are usually called an "API," which stands for "Application Programming Interface".
 | |
| Original author(s) | Silicon Graphics |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Khronos Group (formerly ARB) |
| Initial release | June 30, 1992 |
| Stable release | 4.6
/ July 31, 2017 |
| Written in | C[1] |
| Type | 3D graphics API |
| Website | opengl |
OpenGL is often compared to Direct3D, an API for 3D graphics on Windows. Programming for Direct3D is different in some ways because the APIs use different naming schemes for talking to a computer's graphics driver, which means that programmers need to write different code for OpenGL and Direct3D to do the same things.
OpenGL is owned by the Khronos Group, and is an example of open source software. This means that all of OpenGL's programming, and the explanations for how the programming all works, can be viewed, copied, revised, and re-released by anyone.
References
- Lextrait, Vincent (January 2010). "The Programming Languages Beacon, v10.0". Archived from the original on May 30, 2012. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
Further reading
- Shreiner, Dave; Sellers, Graham; et al. (March 30, 2013). OpenGL Programming Guide: The Official Guide to Learning OpenGL. Version 4.3 (8th ed.). Addison-Wesley. ISBN 978-0-321-77303-6.
- Sellers, Graham; Wright, Richard S.; Haemel, Nicholas (July 31, 2013). OpenGL SuperBible: Comprehensive Tutorial and Reference (6th ed.). Addison-Wesley. ISBN 978-0-321-90294-8.
- Rost, Randi J. (July 30, 2009). OpenGL Shading Language (3rd ed.). Addison-Wesley. ISBN 978-0-321-63763-5.
- Lengyel, Eric (2003). The OpenGL Extensions Guide. Charles River Media. ISBN 1-58450-294-0.
- OpenGL Architecture Review Board; Shreiner, Dave (2004). OpenGL Reference Manual: The Official Reference Document to OpenGL. Version 1.4. Addison-Wesley. ISBN 0-321-17383-X.
- OpenGL Architecture Review Board; Shreiner, Dave; et al. (2006). OpenGL Programming Guide: The Official Guide to Learning OpenGL. Version 2 (5th ed.). Addison-Wesley. ISBN 0-321-33573-2.
Other websites
- GLFW -- Library for creating OpenGL contexts.
- GLEW -- Extension wrangler library for newer OpenGL features.
- Official website
- OpenGL Overview and OpenGL.org's Wiki with more information on OpenGL Language bindings
- SGI's OpenGL website
- OpenGL at Curlie
- Khronos Group, Inc.
- Angel, Edward & Shreiner, Dave (2013). "An Introduction to OpenGL Programming". YouTube. SIGGRAPH University.
Version history
| Version | Released | Radeon Graphics Cards | Nvidia Graphics Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.6 | 31 July 2017 | AMD Radeon GCN | GeForce 400 and newer |
| 4.5 | 11 August 2014 | GeForce 400, 500, 600 and 700 Series | |
| 4.4 | 22 July 2013 | HD 5000, 6000, 7000, 8000 and Rx 200 Series | GeForce 400, 500, 600 and 700 Series |
| 4.3 | 6 August 2012 | HD 5000, 6000, 7000 and 8000 Series | GeForce 400, 500 and 600 Series |
| 4.2 | 8 August 2010 | HD 5000, 6000 and 7000 Series | GeForce 400, 500, and 600 Series |
| 4.1 | 26 July 2010 | HD 5000, 6000 and 7000 Series | GeForce 400 and 500 Series |
| 4.0 | 11 March 2010 | HD 5000, 6000 and 7000 Series | GeForce 400 and 500 Series |
| 3.3 | 11 March 2010 | GeForce 8, 9, 100, 200 and 300 Series | |
| 3.2 | 3 August 2009 | ||
| 3.1 | 24 March 2009 | ||
| 3.0 | 11 August 2008 | ||
| 2.1 | 2 July 2006 | ||
| 2.0 | 7 September 2004 | GeForce 4, 5(FX), 6, and 7 Series | |
| 1.5 | 29 July 2003 | ||
| 1.4 | 24 July 2002 | ||
| 1.3 | 14 August 2001 | ||
| 1.2.1 | 14 October 1998 | ||
| 1.2 | 6 March 1998 | ||
| 1.1 | 4 March 1994 | ||
| 1.0 | January 1992 |