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Text File | 1994-08-02 | 14.0 KB | 272 lines

~4Dgifts/toolbox/documents/OpenGL README `!' indicates new or updated as of version 4.2 Contents: ! opengl.ps: "The Design of the OpenGL Graphics Interface" ABSTRACT: OpenGL is an emerging graphics standard that provides advanced rendering features while maintaining a simple programming model. Because OpenGL is rendering-only, it can be incorporated into any window system (and has been, into the X Window System and a soon-to- be-released version of Windows) or can be used without a window system. An OpenGL implementation can efficiently accommodate almost any level of graphics hardware, from a basic framebuffer to the most sophisticated graphics subsystems. It is therefore a good choice for use in interactive 3D and 2D graphics applications. We describe how these and other considerations have governed the selection and presentation of graphical operators in OpenGL. Complex operations have been eschewed in favor of simple, direct control over the fundamental operations of 3D and 2D graphics. Higher-level graphical functions may, however, be built from OpenGL's low-level operators, as the operators have been designed with such layering in mind. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- OpenGLtutorial: this directory contains files of the tutorial notes for the "OpenGL and X" tutorial presented as the 8th Annual X Technical Conference in Boston, on January 24, 1994: woo.ps Mason Woo's presentation introducing OpenGL and its functionality (49 pages). mjk.showcase Mark Kilgard's presentation on how OpenGL integrates with the X Window System (53 pages). segal.ps Mark Segal and Kurt Akeley's paper describing the "The OpenGL Graphics Interface" (21 pages). ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- analysisPEX: Analysis of PEX 5.1 and OpenGL 1.0 PEX and OpenGL are two 3D graphics systems contending for the position of de facto standard in the workstation market. While they are similar in many ways, they also differ in important aspects of their application programming interfaces, functionality, performance, portability, openness, and responsiveness to changes in markets and in technology. To our knowledge, no detailed comparisons of PEX and OpenGL have been published. Perhaps this is because the two systems are evolving and few individuals have experience with both. With the release of PEX 5.1 and OpenGL 1.0, we believe the systems are relatively stable and it is now time to undertake a comparison. This paper analyzes some of the significant differences between PEX and OpenGL, with attention to issues faced by users as well as implementors. We hope it will be a positive contribution to the debate. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- irixgl2opengl.ascii: a list mapping IrisGL commands to similar OpenGL commands. Note in many cases the OpenGL commands listed function somewhat differently from the IrisGL commands, and the format of the parameters may be different as well. See the OpenGL man pages for detailed descriptions of the functions of the these commands and the parameters they take. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- irisgl2opengl.ps: PostScript version of the list mapping IrisGL commands to similar OpenGL commands--expanded contents Similar to the irisgl2opengl ascii text file, this file also includes a "Where Discussed" column for each command. This is Appendix A of "The OpenGL Porting Guide" Iris Insight Help book. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- intro.ps: "OpenGL(tm) and X, Part 1: An Introduction", Mark Kilgard, "The X Journal", November/December, 1993. The OpenGL graphics system is a high-performance, window system independent 2D and 3D graphics interface. The technology was developed by Silicon Graphics and is now controlled by the OpenGL Architecture Review Board. OpenGL's GLX extension integrates OpenGL with the X Window System. This article describes OpenGL's functionality and how it is used with X. A simple OpenGL program using Xlib is presented. OpenGL is compared and contrasted with PEX, a 3D graphics interface designed specifically for X. The two subsequent articles in this series describe how to integrate OpenGL with Xlib and Motif programs. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- xlib.ps: "OpenGL(tm) and X, Part 2: Using OpenGL with Xlib", Mark Kilgard, "The X Journal", January/February, 1994. This is the second article in a three-part series about using the OpenGL(tm) graphics system and the X Window System. A moderately complex OpenGL program for X is presented. Depth Buffering, back-face culling, lighting, display list modeling, polygon tessellation, double buffering, and shading are all demonstrated. The program adheres to proper X conventions for colormap sharing, window manager communication, command line argument processing, and event processing. After the example, advanced X and OpenGL issues are discussed including minimizing colormap flashing, handling overlays, using fonts, and performing animation. The last article in this series discussess integrating OpenGL with the Motif toolkit. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- motif.ps: "OpenGL(tm) and X, Part 3: Integrating OpenGL with Motif", Mark Kilgard, "The X Journal", May/June, 1994. This is the third article in a three-part series about using the ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- xtech.ps: "X Server Multi-rendering for OpenGL and PEX", presented at the 8th Annual X Technical Conference, Boston, Mass., 1/25/94. ABSTRACT: To support OpenGL (TM) and PEX rendering within the Silicon Graphics X server without compromising interactivity, we devised and implemented a scheme named "multi-rendering". Making minimal changes to the X Consortium sample server's overall structure, the scheme allows independent processes within the X server's address space to perform OpenGL rendering asynchronously to the X server's main thread of execution. The IRIX operating system's process share group facility, user-level and pollable semaphores, and support for virtualized direct access rendering are all leveraged to support multi-rendering. The Silicon Graphics implementation of PEX also uses the multi-rendering facility and works by converting rendering requests into OpenGL commands. Mutli-rendering is contrasted with other schemes for improving server interactivity. Unlike co-routines, multi-rendering supports multi- processing; unlike multi-threading, multi-rendering requires minimal locking overhead. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- gluSpec.ps: The OpenGL(TM) Graphics System Utility Library glxSpec.ps: OpenGL(TM) Graphics with the X Window System(R) OglSpec.ps: The OpenGL(TM) Graphics System: A Specification (Version 1.0) Copyright (c) 1992, 1993 Silicon Graphics, Inc. All Rights Reserved. gluSpec.ps: The OpenGL(TM) Graphics System Utility Library The GL Utilities (GLU) library is a set of routines designed to complement the OpenGL(TM) graphics system by providing support for mipmapping, matrix manipulation, polygon tessellation, quadrics, NURBS, and error handling. Mipmapping routines include image scaling and automatic mipmap generation. A variety of matrix manipulation functions build projection and viewing matrices, or project vertices from one coordinate system to another. Polygon tessellation routines convert concave polygons into triangles for easy rendering. Quadrics support renders a few basic quadrics such as spheres and cones. NURBS code maps complicated NURBS curves and trimmed surfaces into simpler OpenGL evaluators. Lastly, an error lookup routine translates OpenGL and GLU error codes into strings. glxSpec.ps: OpenGL(TM) Graphics with the X Window System(R) (Version 1.0) This document describes GLX, the OpenGL extension to the X Window System. It refers to concepts discussed in the OpenGL specification, and may be viewed as an X specific appendix to that document. Parts of the document assume some acquaintance with both the OpenGL and X. In the X Window System, OpenGL rendering is made available as an extension to X in the formal X sense: connection and authentication are accomplished with the normal X mechanisms. As with other X extensions, there is a defined network protocol for the OpenGL rendering commands encapsulated within the X byte stream. Since performance is critical in 3D rendering, there is a way for OpenGL rendering to bypass the data encoding step, the data copying, and interpretation of that data by the X server. This direct rendering is possible only when a process has direct access to the graphics pipeline. Allowing for parallel rendering has affected the design of the GLX interface. This has resulted in an added burden on the client to explicitly prevent parallel execution when that is inappropriate. X and the OpenGL have different conventions for naming entry points and macros. The GLX extension adopts those of the OpenGL. OglSpec.ps: The OpenGL(TM) Graphics System: A Specification (Version 1.0) This document describes the OpenGL graphics system: what it is, how it acts, and what is required to implement it. We assume that the reader has at least a rudimentary understanding of computer graphics. This means familiarity with the essentials of computer graphics, algorithms, as well as familiarity with basic graphics hardware and associated terms. These 3 documents first appeared on the OpenGL CD given out at out at siggraph 1993. From the top-level README of that CD: The spec directory contains no source code, but it does contain Release 1.0.10 of the OpenGL Specification, including the OpenGL Utility Library, and the API for the OpenGL extension to the X Window System, as released by the OpenGL Architectural Review Board. As of July, 1993, the OpenGL Architectural Review Board consists of Digital Equipment, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, and Silicon Graphics. The OpenGL Specification will enable people to get a more in-depth understanding of the internals of OpenGL. (For most people, the Addison-Wesley book series will be enough documentation.) However, this copy of the Specification is not a license to implement OpenGL or to use the trademark OpenGL(TM). Contact Mason Woo at Silicon Graphics, Inc. for more details about licensing. ------------ Copyright (c) 1992, 1993 Silicon Graphics, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The OpenGL(TM) Specification on this CD-ROM is protected by International Copyright Law, and is proprietary to Silicon Graphics, Inc. You may not copy, adapt, distribute, or publicly perform or display any portion of such material without the express, prior written consent of Silicon Graphics, Inc. Your receipt or possession of the OpenGL Specification does not grant to you or anyone else any right to reproduce, create derivative works based on or distribute or otherwise disclose any of its contents, or to manufacture, use or sell anything that embodies any of the material included herein, in whole or in part, provided, however, that you may print one interpreted copy of the PostScript(R) version of the OpenGL Specification provided on this CD-ROM for your personal reference in connection with your use of an OpenGL product. THE MATERIAL EMBODIED ON THIS CD-ROM IS PROVIDED TO YOU "AS-IS" AND WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR OTHERWISE, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL SILICON GRAPHICS, INC. BE LIABLE TO YOU OR ANYONE ELSE FOR ANY DIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OF ANY KIND, OR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, LOSS OF PROFIT, LOSS OF USE, SAVINGS OR REVENUE, OR THE CLAIMS OF THIRD PARTIES, WHETHER OR NOT SILICON GRAPHICS, INC. HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH LOSS, HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE POSSESSION, USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS CD-ROM, OR THE MATERIAL CONTAINED ON THIS CD-ROM. U. S. Government Restricted Rights Legend Use, duplication, or disclosure by the Government is subject to restrictions set forth in FAR 52.227.19(c)(2) or subparagraph (c)(1)(ii) of the Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software clause at DFARS 252.227-7013 and/or in similar or successor clauses in the FAR or the DOD or NASA FAR Supplement. Unpublished-- rights reserved under the copyright laws of the United States. Contractor/manufacturer is Silicon Graphics, Inc., 2011 N. Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View, CA 94039-7311. OpenGL is a trademark of Silicon Graphics, Inc. PostScript is a registered trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated.