With the SIGGRAPH OpenGL BOF now past, Nick Haemel from AMD has written a blog post about OpenGL 3 and the reasoning behind the choices made. "After testing an approach that would have a drastic effect on the API, requiring complete OpenGL application rewrites and not introducing any of the long awaited features modern GPUs are capable of [...] GL 3.0 takes two important steps to moving open standard graphics forward in a major way. The first is to provide core and ARB extension access to the new capabilities of hardware. The second is to create a roadmap that allows developers to see what parts of core specifications will be going away in the future, also providing the OpenGL ARB with a way to introduce new features faster."
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
Member since:2007-01-22
OpenGL was never focused on games. It was all about professional graphics such as CAD. That it could be used for games should be considered a bonus.
But make no mistake. If linux (or any other non windows OS) wants to be a viable game platform, it needs to come up with its own game solution to compete with directx and not depend on Khronos design by committee.
Member since:2005-07-20
Yet another Linux-only library like the sound libraries that no other OS in existence will ever support?
How did that work for the people who tried to get rid of X? Are DirectFB and GGI doing well these days?
It's not a good plan. As it is, by using OpenGL developers can at least target Linux and MacOS X at the same time.
If you just can't stand OpenGL, then a native DirectX port (using Wine code but not run in Wine) would be a much better idea than a completely new system.
Member since:2005-09-14
The problem with that viewpoint is that DirectX covers significantly more than OpenGL does. OpenGL just covers the graphics side of things whereas DirectX is a complete toolkit covering graphics as well as sound, networking, input and everything else needed with consistent APIs. OpenGL on its own is simply not comparable.
Member since:2005-06-30
Actually, the latest versions of DirectX are getting closer to a 3D-only API. Many DirectX parts have been deprecated (DirectDraw, DirectPlay) while others are getting replaced (DirectSound by XACT, DirectInput by the Windows message loop/XInput).
The only subsystem that really got attention since DirectX 8 is Direct3D. I wouldn't be surprised if it's the only subsystem left in future revisions (unless you use the old interfaces).
Member since:2007-09-08
On OpenGL not being equivalent to DirectX...
I'm kind of sick of this fallacy.
Historically, DirectX contained a number of components:
DirectDraw - Deprecated in DirectX 8. Irrelevant for modern software.
DirectSound - Deprecated as of Windows Vista, but the only useful way to access the sound hardware. Hardly anyone used this directly anyway - they either used a third-party library, or DirectSound 3D.
DirectSound 3D - Deprecated as of Windows Vista. Can't use hardware acceleration, so it's no better than a third-party library. Most third-party libraries have far better functionality, and are much easier to use. Developers have started moving to those, or to OpenAL.
DirectMusic - Basically a MIDI softsynth, used in half a dozen games ever. Deprecated in DirectX 8.
DirectInput - Provides mouse and keyboard input that nobody ever uses. The only useful way to access joysticks until XInput. Deprecated in favour of XInput, which only works with Xbox 360 controllers.
DirectPlay - All it really did was allow the game to work over serial cables and modems. Didn't provide any other useful functionality, but caused lots of problems. Developers stopped using it once they went TCP/IP only.
Direct3D - Still actively supported.
The only APIs still in use are Direct3D, DirectInput, and DirectSound. None of the rest are relevant, and even DirectSound tends to be used through third-party libraries.
So what, exactly, is supposed to be missing from the OpenGL + some other libraries stack that's present in DirectX?
Member since:2008-03-17
Yah...
The PS3 can use OpenGl ES which is the embedded system version of ogl and as a result has a cleaner and simpler api . Shaders, however, are written in Cg (which is nvidia's c for graphics). This means that it doesn't use glsl for shaders.
Dunno about the wii, but seeing as the gamecube could use it (and the wii is just an upgrade) I imagine it is also the case...
Edited 2008-08-18 23:18 UTC
Member since:
2005-07-09
is OpenGL break the deathgrip that DirectX has on the gaming community. Frankly I think its bullshit that one has to upgrade to Vista to be able to enjoy DX 10 based games. Sure theres not much benefit to DX10 right now but in the next few years more and more games will be written with that in mind and then gamers like me will have to upgrade to Vista and pay Microsoft a few hundred for that privilege. I can see and understand Microsoft's POV but I for one don't like it one bit.
OpenGL works pretty much on both *nix based OSes and as well as the *doze based OSes. I dont see why more game developers dont embrace that as their main development platform. I believe other than the Xbox the PS3, and the Wii possibly are compatible with OpengL?