OpenGL is an abbreviation of OpenGraphicslib, a set of 3D graphics processing libraries and industry standards in this field.
The computer three-dimensional graphics refers to the technique of converting the three-dimensional space described by the data to convert to a two-dimensional image and displayed or printed.
OpenGL is a library that supports this conversion. It stems from the IRIS GL developed by SGI for its graphics workstation, developing in cross-platform transplantation into OpenGL. SGI issued a version 1.0 version in July 1992, and became an industrial standard, which was controlled by an independent consignment of the independent consortium in 1992. ARB. ARB members such as SGI produce standards in voting, and make specific documents announced, and software and hardware vendors have developed their own system. Only the implementation of all the tests of the ARB specification can be called OpenGL. In December 1995, ARB approved 1.1 version, the latest version of the specification was 1.2.1 passed by 1999.5.
OpenGL is designed to be independent of hardware, independent of window system, can be used on various computers running various operating systems, and can work in customer / server mode in network environments, is professional graphics processing, scientific computing and other high-end Standard graphics library in the field. It is MS-Direct3D in its low-end application, which is provided in the form of COM interface, so it is extremely complex, stable, and Microsoft has copyright, currently available on the Windows platform. The advantage of D3D is on the speed, but now the low-cost graphics can provide good OpenGL hardware acceleration, so 3D use Direct3D has no special necessary, and there is currently no Direct 3D technology in professional graphics, especially high-end applications. The foundation example, and the low-end application of the game also has the trend to turn OpenGL.
Microsoft's support in Windows NT begins with 3.51, and supports in Windows 9x begin with Win95 OEM Service Release 2. There are two OpenGL libraries for Windows, and the MS implementation and SGI implementation are automatically detected. Otherwise, the CPU is used to calculate, so the OpenGL acceleration capability of the display card can be used. It is not a difference between the usage method for developers, just if there is an ICD driver. The SGI version is that pure software does not use hardware acceleration and SGI has announced its stop support in 1999, but this library is easy to debug the program, there are still many developers.
Recently, SGI announced the Internet fluidization SIMD extension optimization OpenGL for the current and future IA systems. This obviously means that OpenGL will make big light color in the Intel system and Internet applications in the INTEL system.
SGI has announced the development of OpenGL . The biggest feature of the graphic library is an interim object, providing tree scene support, big × towering OpenGL handling complex scene workload. Later (1999) SGI announced the development of Ferihant, the next-generation graphics processing system, including Windows, including DirectX and OpenGL's low graphics processing interface, and advanced interfaces featured by the scene map, and stopped under Windows. OpenGL implementation is determined by determination. This is a world-famous, everyone thinks that Windows graphics will have a happy life, but soon, SGI announces suspension of cooperation, and withdraws the scientists who sent them, Ferihant basically died. SGI said that the reason for the termination of cooperation is that M $ is not willing to actively cooperate. It is ideal that SGI's technology into DirectX, and truly inside. However, it is still a bit of credibility based on the boss of the SGI in the graphic process, because M $ initial support OpenGL is not active. Although it has already implemented its OpenGL version as early as WinNT3.51, it is refused to provide with its Windows95, saying that the API is suitable for high-end applications, while Win95 is not used for general consumers, and in its Win3. Based on the WING chart library developed by X, the later DirectX library, said that the library is specifically designed for high-performance game development, which is undentative, this is undoubtedly, And soon becoming a standard API for game development in a Windows environment. The library is essentially a way to bypass Windows direct access to memory, thereby solving the shortcomings of GDI system performance, but because it is provided in the form of COM interface, it is quite complicated, and stability is not very good. So some people say that Direct3D is used for companies that pursue speed and unscrupulous means. In this period, the three-dimensional graphics acceleration card began to travel to commercial and home, that is, S3 companies accelerated with the three-dimensional graphics, the S3 company accelerated, and the board card has launched a challenge at the time of Trident. . In addition, the real-time three-dimensional game began to popular, and the first person under DOS was shot. In today (2000.4) game circle, no one does not know, is it? 1996.12. Id Software Master John Carmack writes the following words in its .plan when developing the next generation 3D graphics engine:
Direct-3D IM is a horribly broken API. It inflicts great pain and suffering on the programmers using it, without returning any significant advantages. I do not think there is ANY market segment that D3D is apropriate for, OpenGL seems to work just fine For Everything from Quake To Softimage. There is no good Technical Reason for the Existance Of D3D.
I'm sure D3D will suck less with each forthcoming version, but this is an oportunity to just bypass dragging the entire development community through the messy evolution of an ill-birthed API. After that he represented a large number of multi-party game developers start Calls for MS to actively support OpenGL. M US finally integrates OpenGL in the Win95 OSR2 version, and provides separate OpenGL implementations for previous versions of Win95. (Maybe you still don't understand the influence of these people, I don't know if you have heard 3DFX companies that are known for the production of VOODOO system graphic acceleration cards? The newly selling of Quake is refused to optimize Voodoo's Glide API The version, I almost didn't scare 3DFX, so I quickly made a set of OpenGL subsets for the game: Minigl, let id Software people only use the Minigl API to optimize only when making OpenGL, so that Quake can use VOODOO Hardware acceleration capabilities. This also creates a new name: MCD - MINIGL Client Driver, MINIGL driver for Windows, and standard OpenGL relies on ICD driver).
