OpenGL Programming Guide: The Official Guide to Learning OpenGL, Version 4.3, Eighth Edition

Chapter 1. Introduction to OpenGL

Chapter Objectives

After reading this chapter, you’ll be able to do the following:

• Describe the purpose of OpenGL, what it can and cannot do in creating computer-generated images.

• Identify the common structure of an OpenGL application.

• Enumerate the shading stages that compose the OpenGL rendering pipeline.

This chapter introduces OpenGL. It has the following major sections:

• “What Is OpenGL?” explains what OpenGL is, what it does and doesn’t do, and how it works.

• “Your First Look at an OpenGL Program” provides a first look at what an OpenGL program looks like.

• “OpenGL Syntax” describes the format of the command names that OpenGL uses.

• “OpenGL’s Rendering Pipeline” discusses the processing pipeline ...