Treffer: OpenGL Programming Guide About This Guide

The OpenGL graphics system is a software interface to graphics hardware. (The GL stands for Graphics Library.) It allows you to create interactive programs that produce color images of moving three−dimensional objects. With OpenGL, you can control computer−graphics technology to produce realistic pictures or ones that depart from reality in imaginative ways. This guide explains how to program with the OpenGL graphics system to deliver the visual effect you want. What This Guide Contains This guide has the ideal number of chapters: 13. The first six chapters present basic information that you need to understand to be able to draw a properly colored and lit three−dimensional object on the screen: • Chapter 1, "Introduction to OpenGL, " provides a glimpse into the kinds of things OpenGL can do. It also presents a simple OpenGL program and explains essential programming details you need to know for subsequent chapters. • Chapter 2, "Drawing Geometric Objects, " explains how to create a three−dimensional geometric description of an object that is eventually drawn on the screen.