OpenGL(R) is the software interface for graphics hardware that allows graphics programmers to produce high-quality color images of 3D objects. OpenGL is a rendering only, vendor neutral API providing 2D and 3D graphics functions, including modelling, transformations, color, lighting, smooth shading, as well as advanced features like texture mapping, NURBS, fog, alpha blending and motion blur. OpenGL works in both immediate and retained (display list) graphics modes.

Forum regular JavaCoolDude has kindly donated his own GUI framework for poeple to use, the relivent thread on it can be found here

OpenGL is now available from many sources and is included with many popular Linux distributions. Most vendors (including SGI) pre-bundle accelerated OpenGL drivers with their systems; some (nVidia, ATI, et al) have accelerated drivers available on their web sites; and other vendors (3dfx, Matrox, ATI, etc) use drivers created by the DRI Project or the Utah-GLX Project. Which implementation of OpenGL to choose is ultimately dependent upon the type of graphics card you have.

The Windows operating systems include high-performance 3D graphics capabilities as a native part of the operating system using the OpenGL API. It was announced at MacWorld on January 5, 1999, that Apple Computer, Inc. has licensed OpenGL, and will incorporate OpenGL into future versions of the Macintosh® operating system, starting with the next release of Mac OS 8 and the first release of Mac OS X. Mesa (see www.mesa3d.org) is an implementation of OpenGL written for Linux systems.

The OpenGL ARB is the OpenGL Architecture Review Board. It is an independent consortium, formed in 1992, that governs the OpenGL specification.

The fastest method is to use bitmap fonts. Typically you would create a greyscale texture which includes all of the letters on a black background, aligned in order of their ASCII codes. You'd then load the texture into your program as a 4 channel image (with each channel a duplicate of the first). Each letter requires texture coordinates, so you'd need to store these in a structure of some sort.

You have to write your own. OpenGL is a graphics library, it doesn't do collision detection. Neither does it do audio, wash dishes, unblock drains, or remove stubborn stains from carpets. As such, questions relating to collision detection should be asked in Math and Physics.

Noisecrime has supplied a list of locations people might find some usefull OpenGL Shading Language tutorials; Yes it does, the more you have the more work the driver and graphics card is having todo, however some state changes cost less than others, as such the type of state change tends to matter more as you shouldnt be doing redundant changes anyway.

Contact an SGI sales representative. In the United States, call SGI direct toll-free at (800) 800-7441. If you are outside the U.S.A., contact the SGI subsidiary or authorized distributor in your area.

The OpenGL Performance Characterization (OPC) project subgroup of the Graphics Performance Characterization (GPC) group manages two benchmarks. viewperf which tests performance of viewsets representative of different real-world workloads, and GLperf which tests the performance of low-level primitive operations such as drawing triangle strips and copying pixels. OPC maintains an independent Web site that describes the benchmarks in more detail and summarizes results reported by OpenGL vendors.

One user has reported successfully using with OpenGL. If you are interested in contributing code that adds OpenGL support to Amulet, wewould be most happy to make it available to other Amulet users.

OpenGL is supported by many hardware and software vendors. As of September, 1995, OpenGL has been licensed to:

The OpenGL Programming Guide (The red book) version 1.1 ( pdf version ): A comprehensive guide to using OpenGL The OpenGL extension registry : For the latest OpenGL extension specifications and the essential glExt.h header file.

Although the current OpenGL version is 1.5 (as of 2004/03/29) , and this has been implemented by all major hardware manufacturers, Microsoft has only released OpenGL32.dll and OpenGl32.lib files corresponding to version OpenGL 1.1. In order to use newer core functions or any OpenGL extensions, you have to link the functions you want manually. To do this, download the latest glext.h from SGI.com which includes typedefs for all registered extension functions. After including glext.

Point to the chart and press the middle mouse button. Hold the button and drag to the desired position. You can also move the legend and the title of the chart in the same way.

OpenGL currently provides no services for printing. The OpenGL ARB has discussed a GLS stream protocol, which would enable a more common interface for printing, but for now, printing is only accomplished by system-specific means. On a Microsoft Windows platform, ALT-PrintScreen copies the active window to the clipboard. (To copy the entire screen, make the desktop active by clicking on it, then use ALT-PrintScreen.

Yes, MKS Toolkit for Enterprise Developers contains OpenGL header files, libraries, and DLLs. In addition, we also offer the Hummingbird OpenGL Development Option for those customers who want to use Hummingbird's Exceed X server and Exceed 3D for OpenGL.

OpenGL Performer is a powerful and comprehensive programming interface for developers creating real-time visual simulation and other performance-oriented 3D graphics applications. It simplifies development of complex applications used for visual simulation, manufacturing, simulation-based design, virtual reality, scientific visualization, interactive entertainment, broadcast video, architectural walk-through, and computer-aided design.

OpenGL doesn't contain any direct support for radiosity, it doesn't prevent you from displaying a database containing precomputed radiosity values. application needs to perform its own radiosity iterations over the database to be displayed. After sufficient color values are computed at each vertex, the application renders the database as normal OpenGL primitives, specifying the computed color at each vertex. glShadeModel() should be set to GL_SMOOTH and lighting should be disabled.

You might want to use raytracing to produce realistic shadows and reflections. However, you can simulate in many ways these effects in OpenGL without raytracing. See the section on shadows or the section on texture mapping for some algorithms. You can use OpenGL as part of the ray intersection test. For example, a scene can be rendered with a unique color assigned to each primitive in the scene. This color can be read back to determine the primitive intersected by a ray at a given pixel.

OpenGL-compatible API is currently under development. For custom applications, TransGaming will accelerate this development. Electronic Arts & TransGaming to bring Harry Potter and other top-tier games to MAC OS X powered by TransGaming's Cider engine.

OpenGL GL calls can only be made from a process that has a OpenGL GL context. In multiprocess OpenGL Performer applications only the draw process has OpenGL GL context, so you must make your OpenGL GL calls in a function called in the draw process. The pipe initialization callback, draw function callback, and node draw callbacks are all executed in the draw process.

Windows XP's drivers are basic ones that just allow you to manipulate the desktop (and possibly DirectX also). You have to get updated XP drivers from your card's manufacturer. Riva TNT, TNT2, Geforce cards can try nVidia's Forceware drivers. dfx has closed down. Fortunately, some geeks have hacked (or tweaked) 3dfx's original drivers to make it compatible with Windows XP.

What's that grid-like pattern of dots I see all over the screen? It's annoying me, and it doesn't happen with [some other PlayStation emulator(s)]! It's a little something called "dithering," which is done natively on the real PlayStation. You probably don't notice this on the TV because of the inherent differences between a television and a computer monitor. You probably don't see this in the other emulator(s) because the emulator isn't emulating the dithering. A[2]. [As of pSX 1.