Editorial Review:
OpenGL® Programming Guide, Sixth EditionOpenGL is a powerful software interface used to produce high-quality, computergenerated images and interactive applications using 2D and 3D objects, bitmaps, and color images. The OpenGL® Programming Guide, Sixth Edition, provides definitive and comprehensive information on OpenGL and the OpenGL Utility Library. The previous edition covered OpenGL through Version 2.0. This sixth edition of the best-selling "red book" describes the latest features of OpenGL Version 2.1. You will find clear explanations of OpenGL functionality and many basic computer graphics techniques, such as building and rendering 3D models; interactively viewing objects from different perspective points; and using shading, lighting, and texturing effects for greater realism. In addition, this book provides in-depth coverage of advanced techniques, including texture mapping, antialiasing, fog and atmospheric effects, NURBS, image processing, and more. The text also explores other key topics such as enhancing performance, OpenGL extensions, and cross-platform techniques. This sixth edition has been updated to include the newest features of OpenGL Version 2.1, including: - Using server-side pixel buffer objects for fast pixel rectangle download and retrieval
- Discussion of the sRGB texture format
- Expanded discussion of the OpenGL Shading Language
This edition continues the discussion of the OpenGL Shading Language (GLSL) and explains the mechanics of using this language to create complex graphics effects and boost the computational power of OpenGL. The OpenGL Technical Library provides tutorial and reference books for OpenGL. The Library enables programmers to gain a practical understanding of OpenGL and shows them how to unlock its full potential. Originally developed by SGI, the Library continues to evolve under the auspices of the OpenGL Architecture Review Board (ARB) Steering Group (now part of the Khronos Group), an industry consortium responsible for guiding the evolution of OpenGL and related technologies.
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Customer Reviews
Average Customer Rating: 
an Historical text  2008-10-27
Don't buy this book. It is simply an accumulation and rehash of all the previous versions lacking the grace of somebody editing out things that have become, to all practical purposes, obsolete.
It will have you believe that certain features of OpenGL are alive and well, when in fact they are archaic, and have been replaced by new facilities in the language. This is not a book that will assist a beginner, it may be of use to a technical historian.
As an example, extensive sample code is provided to illustrate gluBuild2DMipmaps() but no code is provided for the more uptodate GL_GENERATE_MIPMAPS and there is no explanation of it's use with borders...
If you are beginning OpenGL look elsewhere.
Excellent Reference  2008-10-08
Though you can probably find most of the content in this book on the internet, the OpenGL Programmer's Guide is a great reference when programming using opengl. It has easily understandable explanations for every function, as well as many great examples. When I need to use a refernce to see if there are any functions that suit my needs, I can usually find them faster in this book than through google.
Untrustworthy  2008-08-21
Well written in simple English, but I found a couple of typos / bugs in example 15-2. "glProgramGetInfoLog" should read "glGetProgramInfoLog". The compiler catches this error, so it isn't too bad.
The other error is more difficult because the program will compile and link: "glShaderSource(shader, 1, shaderSrc, NULL);" should read "glShaderSource(shader, 4, shaderSrc, NULL);". Took me a while to find this. Did the authors not test their own code? This seems inexcusable.
Disappointed in Windows 2008-07-31
Since the core OpenGL libraries haven't been updated in Windows since Open GL 1.1 the present book can be frustrating for Windows programmers in that it provides you with options that can only be pursued if you figure out OpenGL extensions.
definitive guide 2008-02-29
If you are interested in computer graphics, a very good language to learn is OpenGL. It is widely used and freely available for most operating systems. As this book demonstrates, it has impressive capabilities, with many graphics algorithms implemented.
The text starts off simply, with a quick introduction to basic operations, like setting a point size or line width. These exist in almost every graphics system, and in OpenGL, the syntax for calling these in your code is straightforward. Embedded throughout the book are code samples written in C, showing how to use numerous OpenGL routines. A quick way to get up to speed with accessing those routines.
The authors also thoughtfully included several colour plates. Illustrating results of rendering operations. Most plates are quite vivid and good pedagogy. As referenced in relevant sections of the text, the plates artfully demonstrate the efficacies of different rendering methods.
For the experienced graphics coder, later sections of the book show how you can make your own shaders (renderers). OpenGL turns out to be quite extensible, so you improve it on your own if you wish.
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