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Learn OpenGL, extensive tutorial resource for learning Modern OpenGL

learnopengl.com

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Re: Learn OpenGL, extensive tutorial resource for learning Modern OpenGL

#101

Post by grishka »

pjmlp wrote: post #70
grishka wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

OpenGL is the only truly cross-platform graphics API out there. Vulkan isn't on Apple platforms, unless you use MoltenVK which implements it on top of Metal. Also I don't know why, but Windows games tend to use Direct3D even though afaik GPU drivers do implement Vulkan on Windows, so there must be a good reason for that. It's also much easier to grasp than Vulkan, Metal, or Direct3D.

Contrary to urban myths, OpenGL never was a big thing on game consoles. Windows official API is DirectX, OpenGL and Vulkan use a plugin API, ICD, which is nonetheless DirectX underneath. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/d...

> OpenGL never was a big thing on game consoles.

I've never tried developing anything for a 3D-capable console, but I've always had the feeling that their graphics APIs are bespoke, thin abstraction layers on top of the raw graphics hardware just so you don't have to poke the GPU registers directly.

Re: Learn OpenGL, extensive tutorial resource for learning Modern OpenGL

#102

Post by [deleted] »

cyber_kinetist wrote: post #27

The one and only Holy Bible of Graphics Programming. If you're starting to learn computer graphics, just study through the entire site and do the examples one by one. It doesn't matter one bit that it uses a slightly outdated API called OpenGL - you're supposed to learn how to render things first, not about some weird obscure hardware / driver details! After you've learned it, you can start learning CUDA if you want…

[deleted]

Re: Learn OpenGL, extensive tutorial resource for learning Modern OpenGL

#103

Post by [deleted] »

jplusequalt wrote: post #86
cyber_kinetist wrote: post #27

The one and only Holy Bible of Graphics Programming. If you're starting to learn computer graphics, just study through the entire site and do the examples one by one. It doesn't matter one bit that it uses a slightly outdated API called OpenGL - you're supposed to learn how to render things first, not about some weird obscure hardware / driver details! After you've learned it, you can start learning CUDA if you want…

>The one and only Holy Bible of Graphics Programming. The textbooks Real Time Rendering and Physically Based Rendering are far more deserving of such claims.

[deleted]

Re: Learn OpenGL, extensive tutorial resource for learning Modern OpenGL

#104

Post by badsectoracula »

jplusequalt wrote: post #88
throwaway2046 wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Even if you use OpenGL you still need to write shaders. Not in OpenGL 1.x

OpenGL 1.x is older than the hills.

It is also the simplest and most widely available one[0], working from decades old PCs to whatever is latest one, not only from the official drivers but also 3rd party implementations[1] that target other lower level APIs for environments where there isn't an official implementation.

[0] on open platforms at least

[1] it most likely wont be a 100% compliant one (even SGI had trouble on that front :-P) but in practice it'd be usable

Re: Learn OpenGL, extensive tutorial resource for learning Modern OpenGL

#105

Post by chainingsolid »

BraveOPotato wrote: post #100
zokier wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> executes on all pixels sequentially or in parallel?

Now that I think about it, parallel makes more sense since it's GPU accelerated, but now I'm back to being confused lol

Well depending on transparency and depth buffer it either doesn't matter or really really does....

Also for your confusion it truely is parallel, the best kind in fact. The trivial kind, each pixel's color is independent of every other pixel so you can and thus want too do them ALL at the same time!

Re: Learn OpenGL, extensive tutorial resource for learning Modern OpenGL

#106

Post by rezmason »

torlok wrote: post #98
coffeeaddict1 wrote: post #43

Honestly, in 2026 I would not really bother with OpenGL. Just start with WebGPU, it's much nicer. You can use it easily on most modern browsers or better can even use native libraries like Dawn or WGPU.

OpenGL is still the simplest way to start learning hardware accelerated rendering, and it runs on all modern platforms.

In light of WebGPU, I respectfully disagree. Because it has us building shader modules, buffers, and pipelines up-front with descriptors, the task of figuring out why something isn't working is often front-loaded. Pair that with its eloquent warnings (in comparison to, like, gl.getProgramParameter(shader, gl. COMPILE_STATUS) ) and the ability to label all your stuff to see it referred to by name in aforementioned warnings text... I'm rambling, but, there's just a lot of helpful stuff in WebGPU that I don't think OpenGL has, that stands to really help newcomers along

Re: Learn OpenGL, extensive tutorial resource for learning Modern OpenGL

#107

Post by godwinson__4-8 »

fsloth wrote: post #81
godwinson__4-8 wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Indeed, and a well regarded WebGPU guide is also trending on the front page at the same time :P The "universal" nature of WebGPU with the "web" focus feels a lot like the graphics API equivalent of WASM. In that regard there are also some interesting projects/opportunities.

"The "universal" nature of WebGPU with the "web" focus feels a lot like the graphics API equivalent of WASM" Having shipped non-trivial WASM code in two projects That's not a positive thing. WASM is stuck in zone between living and the dead - just good enough (barely) to merit creating production code when you need the perf in browser but not good enough to register as industrial quality tool as it's not possible rea…

Idk maybe you were working on far more complex things but personally I didn't feel this way.

Then again perhaps the devx was just not as bad as I expected given how often I had heard this warning.

Re: Learn OpenGL, extensive tutorial resource for learning Modern OpenGL

#109

Post by dilawar »

mawadev wrote: post #79

I cannot imagine a field more rewarding than programming with opengl when you grew up playing games. I'm talking about hobbyist engine type of development. It is almost like therapy for any dev that does web/cloud stuff during a day job.

Lol.. I am the same. My day job is Rust + car headunit development. My drugs of choice are tikz and openscad..

Re: Learn OpenGL, extensive tutorial resource for learning Modern OpenGL

#110

Post by topspin »

ivanjermakov wrote: post #72
the__alchemist wrote: post #7

In 2026: Please don't learn this; it's obsolete. Learn Vulkan (Or another modern API; or how to build engines on top of them; or how to write shaders; or how to do GPU compute using CUDA etc)

Wonder how this opinion will age. Won't be surprised if in 10 years OpenGL will be more widely supported and used than Vulkan. It's the Lindy effect after all.

All I can say for certain is that 10 years from now there will great OpenGL-to-VulcanMetalWhatever translators, at least as good as the ones already built-in to several graphics stacks today, and the learnopengl.com tutorial and examples will still work. So unless you actually intend to compete with AAA game engine designers, you may safely invest your time in OpenGL.
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