OpenGL Programming Guide

Chapter 1
Introduction to OpenGL

Chapter Objectives

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

• Appreciate in general terms what OpenGL offers
  
  

• Identify different levels of rendering complexity
  
  

• Understand the basic structure of an OpenGL program
  
  

• Recognize OpenGL command syntax
  
  

• Understand in general terms how to animate an OpenGL program

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.
  
  

• "A Very Simple OpenGL Program" presents a small OpenGL program and briefly discusses it. This section also defines a few basic computer-graphics terms.
  
  

• "OpenGL Command Syntax" explains some of the conventions and notations used by OpenGL commands.
  
  

• "OpenGL as a State Machine" describes the use of state variables in OpenGL and the commands for querying, enabling, and disabling states.
  
  

• "OpenGL-related Libraries" describes sets of OpenGL-related routines, including an auxiliary library specifically written for this book to simplify programming examples.
  
  

• "Animation" explains in general terms how to create pictures on the screen that move, or animate.

What Is OpenGL?
A Very Simple OpenGL Program
OpenGL Command Syntax
OpenGL as a State Machine
OpenGL-related Libraries
Animation

OpenGL Programming Guide