OpenGL API Documentation Overview

OpenGL is the industry's most widely used, supported and best documented 2D/3D graphics API making it inexpensive & easy to obtain information on implementing OpenGL in hardware and software. There are numerous books, tutorials, online coding examples, coding seminars, and classes that document the API, Extensions, Utility Libraries, and Platform Specific Implementations.

The two essential documentation resources that every developer should have are the latest releases of:

The documentation section of OpenGL.org contains:
  • What's New in OpenGL
    • A review of the new features and extensions in the most recent version of the OpenGL specification
  • Download the OpenGL Specification and Utility Library Specifications
    • Download OpenGL 2.0 Specification, OpenGL 1.5 Specification, OpenGL 1.4 Specification, OpenGL 1.3 Specification, OpenGL 1.2 Specification, OpenGL 1.1 Specification, OpenGL 1.1 State Machine Diagram, OpenGL Manual Pages, GLUT Specification, The GLUT 3.5 Manual Pages, GLX spec and GLU spec.
  • The OpenGL Shading Language
    • The recent trend in graphics hardware has been to replace fixed functionality with programmability in areas that have grown exceedingly complex (e.g., vertex processing and fragment processing). The OpenGL Shading Language allows application programmers to express the processing that occurs at those programmable points of the OpenGL pipeline. This document specifies the programming language.
  • OpenGL Extensions & OpenGL Extension Registry
    • Using the OpenGL extension mechanism, hardware developers can differentiate their products and incorporate new features by developing extensions that allow software developers to access additional performance and technological innovations. These extensions provide OpenGL application developers with new rendering features above and beyond the features specified in the official OpenGL standard. OpenGL extensions keep the OpenGL API current with the latest innovations in graphics hardware and rendering algorithms.
  • OS/Platform Implementations
    • Supported on all UNIX workstations, and shipped standard with every Windows and MacOS PC, no other graphics API operates on a wider range of hardware platforms and software environments. OpenGL runs on every major operating system including Mac OS, OS/2, UNIX, Win32/64, Linux, OPENStep and BeOS as well as embedded Real Time OSs and game consoles. OpenGL is callable from Ada, C, C++, Fortran, Python, Perl and Java and offers complete independence from network protocols and topologies
  • OpenGL Reference Manual - Release 1: Online
    • The OpenGL Reference Manual is the comprehensive and definitive documentation of all OpenGL functions. This is an older, but still useful online version for OpenGL 1.0 and should only be used as a getting-started supplement to the current OpenGL 1.4 published version.
  • OpenGL Programming Guide - Release 1.1: Online
    • The OpenGL Programming Guide provides definitive and comprehensive information on OpenGL and the OpenGL Utility Library. This book discusses all OpenGL functions and their syntax shows how to use those functions to create interactive applications and realistic color images. This is an older, but still useful online version for OpenGL 1.1 and should only be used as a getting-started supplement to the current published OpenGL 2 version.
  • OpenGL Books
    • Books which range from covering core functionality to advanced rendering tips and techniques, to game programming, to 3D terrain rendering, to niche applications.
Column Header

Documentation

Column Footer