Description of the OpenGL library and what all functions are doing

Question

Does anyone know a good book or website, where you can get a good description of all the functions in opengl. How they work. I know those sites where you get a short explanation and what the function expects. I mean a more accurate and exact description. Also how openGL works in general and how it works behind the scenes. Thanks in advance..

score 2 · Answer 1 · answered Jun 22 '11 at 10:59

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How about the OpenGL reference pages?

There's also the OpenGL Programming Guide

answered Jun 22 '11 at 10:59

JeremyP

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I'm sure this is just me being stupid, but why are basic commands like glColor* and glVertex* missing from the reference pages you've linked to? – Tim MB Dec 04 '12 at 10:58

score 2 · Answer 2 · edited May 23 '17 at 12:27

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We had the question about how OpenGL works behind the scenes a few days ago already. See my answer here: How does OpenGL work at the lowest level?

edited May 23 '17 at 12:27

Community

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answered Jun 22 '11 at 12:10

datenwolf

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+1 the linked answer is a nice summary. – JeremyP Jun 22 '11 at 12:44

score 0 · Answer 3 · answered Jun 22 '11 at 15:47

If you need the details of every function in the API, the links already mentioned are your best bet.

If you need an extremely thorough look into how OpenGL works, though, you can't beat the official specifications for completeness:

The OpenGL specification for the CPU side of things
the GLSL Language specification for the GPU (shaders) side

Description of the OpenGL library and what all functions are doing

3 Answers3