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OpenGL: A Primer, 3rd edition

Published by Pearson (April 25, 2007) © 2008

  • Edward Angel

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OpenGL®: A Primer is a concise presentation of fundamental OpenGL, providing readers with a succinct introduction to essential OpenGL commands as well as detailed listings of OpenGL functions and parameters. Angel uses a top-down philosophy to teach computer graphics based on the idea that students learn modern computer graphics best if they can start programming significant applications as soon as possible. The book makes it easy for students to find functions and their descriptions, and supplemental examples are included in every chapter to illustrate core concepts. This primer can be used both as a companion to a book introducing computer graphics principles and as a stand-alone guide and reference to OpenGL for programmers with a background in computer graphics.
  • The 3rd Edition introduces a set of OpenGL functions and commands, and develops running program examples that apply these functions in each chapter.
  • Presents a non-mathematical treatment of OpenGL that covers the "how to" and gets students programming quickly with OpenGL.
  • Alert boxes notify students to common pitfalls and solutions.
  • All examples have been tested on Windows and Linux.
  • Chapter 11 discusses the evolution and future of OpenGL, addressing the graphics pipeline and ideas behind the programmable pipelines that are on the latest graphics cards, including OpenGL 1.2, 1.2, 1.4, and 1.5, the OpenGL shading language, and vertex and fragment shaders.
  • Examples include interactive programs, three-dimensional geometry, texture mapping, and pixel processing.
  • 1. Introduction.
  • 2. Two-Dimensional Programming in OpenGL.
  • 3. Interaction and Animation.
  • 4. Basic Three-Dimensional Programming.
  • 5. Transformations.
  • 6. Lights and Materials.
  • 7. Images.
  • 8. Texture Mapping.
  • 9. Curves and Surfaces.
  • 10. Putting It Together.
  • 11. Looking to the Future.
  • Index.

Edward S. Angel is a Professor of Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Media Arts at the University of New Mexico. He received his PhD from the University of Southern California and his BS in engineering from the California Institute of Technology. His present research interests are in computer graphics and scientific visualization. He is also the author of the best-selling book, Interactive Computer Graphics: A Top-Down Approach Using OpenGL, Third Edition, also published by Addison-Wesley.
Professor Angel is the Principal Investigator of the NSF-funded Digital Pueblo Project, which is combining arts and technology to promote economic development among the communities in New Mexico through collaborative graphics and animation projects.

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