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Technical Q&As: Games
Mac OS X provides programming interfaces that work together to create a seamless visual environment for games. Developers can use three main graphics technologies: Quartz 2D, the graphics library that leverages the PDF drawing model; a platform-optimized OpenGL stack that handles three-dimensional graphics; and Quartz Extreme, the unique Mac OS X windowing system that brings together 2D and 3D graphics, and composites 2D images, 3D images, and video in real time.

View all Graphics & Imaging Technical Q&As.
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OpenGL Sample Code (HTML)
QA1166: Describes new naming convention for OpenGL sample code
2004-12-01
Using Interface Builder's NSOpenGLView or Custom View objects for an OpenGL application (HTML)
QA1167: Describes usage cases for both NSOpenGLViews and Custom Views for Cocoa OpenGL applications
2004-10-28
How do I determine how much VRAM is available on my video card? (HTML)
QA1168: Using Core Graphics and IOKit to find the physical size of VRAM on installed hardware.
2004-10-11
NSTimers and Rendering Loops (HTML)
QA1385: Using Cocoa timers (NSTimer) to drive a rendering loop
2004-10-04
CGBitmapContextCreate Supported Color Spaces (HTML)
QA1037: Lists the color space and alpha info combinations currently supported by CGBitmapContextCreate.
2004-09-09
Context Sharing Tips (HTML) ()
QA1248: How to correctly share OpenGL contexts and what the limits on this sharing are.
2003-06-24
Updating OpenGL Contexts (HTML) ()
QA1209: When and why to update an OpenGL context in response to system and user actions.
2003-06-19
Is ColorSync thread safe? (HTML) ()
QA1261: Discusses ColorSync thread-safety issues.
2003-04-17
Debugging Graphics with QuartzDebug (HTML) ()
QA1236: Explains how to use QuartzDebug to debug graphics issues.
2003-02-25
Finding Missing OpenGL CFM Entry Points (HTML) ()
QA1225: A resolution to Mac OS X 10.2 OpenGL CFM applications which break under Mac OS X 10.1.
2002-12-23
Using Clip Region and Buffer Rectangles with OpenGL Carbon (HTML) ()
QA1222: Shows the basics of using buffer rectangles and clip regions with AGL.
2002-12-19
How do I tell if a particular display is being hardware accelerated by Quartz Extreme? (HTML) ()
QA1218: Describes how to use CGDisplayUsesOpenGLAcceleration to see if a display is accelerated or not.
2002-12-04
How can I programmatically determine the DPI of the current video mode? (HTML) ()
QA1217: Describes how to compute the DPI for a given display in a given mode using Core Graphics.
2002-12-02
GetProcAdress and OpenGL Entry Points (HTML) ()
QA1188: Technique for finding function pointers for OpenGL entry points in Cocoa and Carbon
2002-11-25
Preserving embedded ICC profiles when using QuickTime Graphics Importer/Exporters (HTML) ()
QA1145: Shows how to preserve the embedded ICC profile when using the QuickTime Graphics Importer/Exporter routines
2002-09-04
Current GDevice Dependencies (HTML) ()
QA1115: Describes potential problems with creating windows or ports when the current GDevice isn't the main device.
2002-02-13
Setting the preferred CMM programatically? (HTML)
QA1086: Uses the NCMConcatProfileSet structure to specify the CMM to be used to make the CMWorldRef with the NCWConcatColorWorld function.
2001-10-24
Carbon Full Screen Conundrums (HTML)
QA1068: Describes the available Mac OS X DrawSprocket services.
2001-08-20
OpenGL Texture Sharing Between Contexts (HTML)
QA1031: Describes the process of creating shared OpenGL contexts and sharing textures between these contexts.
2001-05-01
How do I use QuickDraw with CGDirectDisplay? (HTML)
QA1011: Explains how to draw to a CGDirectDisplay-captured display using QuickDraw.
2001-04-11
QDFlushPortBuffer (HTML) ()
QD65: Describes a possible solution for window update problems under Carbon.
2000-11-08
Correct Setup of an AGLDrawable (HTML)
OGL02: Describes the setup of an AGLDrawable.
2000-10-04
aglChoosePixelFormat, The Inside Scoop (HTML)
OGL01: Describes the nuances of aglChoosePixelFormat, including specific information on multi-monitor support.
2000-04-03