OpenGL Programming Guide: The Official Guide to Learning OpenGL, Version 2 (Paperback)

The guide uses code examples in C, and is targeted at programmers with experience in coding, yet new to coding for OpenGL applications. The opening chapters go into descriptive detail of how OpenGL, the software interface for hardware 3D chipsets, works and what you can expect from it, which turns out to be much more than expected. Colour plates are used, for example, to show how OpenGL handles such effects as motion blur and depth-of-field blur, in addition to shadows and texture mapping.

This is not a beginners guide to programming computer graphics. Some foreknowledge of both programming in general and computer graphics in particular is required. For example, code snippets are used to describe how to implement these effects, but because OpenGL is platform-independent, some code examples may need to be modified when used with your specific compiler.

Written by members of the OpenGL Architecture Review Board, there is no better reference volume for learning and understanding OpenGL. The examples cited are clear, commented and explained. The only drawback to the book is that it lacks a companion CD--all examples must be either typed in or downloaded from an internet FTP site (the URL is listed in the preface). --Mike Caputo, amazon.com --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

OpenGL is a powerful software interface used to produce high-quality, computer-generated images and interactive applications using 2D and 3D objects, bitmaps, and color images.

The OpenGL® Programming Guide, Fifth Edition, provides definitive and comprehensive information on OpenGL and the OpenGL Utility Library. The previous edition covered OpenGL through Version 1.4. This fifth edition of the best-selling "red book" describes the latest features of OpenGL Versions 1.5 and 2.0, including the introduction of the OpenGL Shading Language.

You will find clear explanations of OpenGL functionality and many basic computer graphics techniques, such as building and rendering 3D models; interactively viewing objects from different perspective points; and using shading, lighting, and texturing effects for greater realism. In addition, this book provides in-depth coverage of advanced techniques, including texture mapping, antialiasing, fog and atmospheric effects, NURBS, image processing, and more. The text also explores other key topics such as enhancing performance, OpenGL extensions, and cross-platform techniques.

This fifth edition has been extensively updated to include the newest features of OpenGL Versions 1.5 and 2.0, including:

• Storage of vertex arrays in buffer objects for faster rendering
• Occlusion queries for course-grain visibility testing
• Non-power-of-two dimensioned texture maps
• Point sprites
• Separate stencil operations for RGB and alpha
• Rendering to multiple color buffers using GLSL

Most importantly, this edition discusses the OpenGL Shading Language (GLSL) and explains the mechanics of using this new language to create complex graphics effects and boost the computational power of OpenGL.