OpenGL and GL 3.2 Version 4.1 for AIX

Industry standard 3D graphics rendering

Contents

• Highlights
• About the OpenGL API
• About the GL 3.2 API
• OpenGL and GL 3.2 Version 4.1 for AIX operating environment at a glance

The OpenGL(tm) and GL 3.2 Version 4.1 for AIX^(r) product offering provides three-dimensional rendering capabilities for the RISC System/6000^(r) (RS/6000(tm)) workstation family. This includes support for OpenGL 1.0 and IBM^(r) GL 3.2 on a wide variety of graphics accelerators through either software or hardware.

These application programming interfaces (APIs) provide a suite of advanced graphics functions that can be utilized to develop complex 3D applications in areas such as industrial design, computer-aided design and manufacturing, petroleum and chemical engineering, scientific visualization, and entertainment.

Highlights

OpenGL and GL 3.2 Version 4.1 for AIX provides a variety of benefits, including:

• A wide range of graphics functions, from drawing simple geometry to sophisticated rendering of complex surfaces
• Full-featured debugging tools for tracing and checkpointing calls to the graphics libraries
• Performance characterization tools and online hypertext information

About the OpenGL API

The OpenGL is carefully architected to support a broad array of advanced graphics rendering techniques, such as texture mapping, antialiasing, transparency and fog, as well as to achieve real-time rendering performance on accelerated graphics hardware.

This emerging industry-standard interface is controlled by the OpenGL Architecture Review Board (ARB), of which IBM is a founding member along with SGI, Digital Equipment Corporation, Intel and Microsoft. There are more than 25 OpenGL licensees, ensuring broad market support for the OpenGL API, related technologies, programming expertise, and applications.

In order to guarantee compatibility and interoperability between different OpenGL implementations, the ARB provides a robust conformance test suite that must be satisfied before the OpenGL trademark can be used.

OpenGL and GL 3.2 Version 4.1 for AIX provides OpenGL 1.0 compatibility, which is an excellent choice for the development of new applications. It enables hardware-accelerated graphics for the POWER

GXT1000(tm) and the Freedom Series(tm) 6000 accelerators. Both of these subsystems offload virtually all graphics functions (geometry and rasterization and for the Freedom Series, display lists) from the host CPU.

The OpenGL API is also supported on most entry-level RS/6000 graphics accelerators through Softgraphics. Softgraphics is a highly tuned software implementation of the geometry processing pipeline, the raster subsystem and the fragment (pixel) processing pipeline. The performance of Softgraphics scale with CPU processor performance.

OpenGL API technical content

• A rendering library
• A utility toolkit
• An X11 Window System integration suite
• A networking protocol
• An OpenGL widget

The rendering library provides:

• Basic 3D rendering features including:
  • Gouraud shaded points, lines, and polygons
  • Matrix and attribute stacks
  • Per-vertex Phong lighting
  • Depth (Z) buffering
  • Display list creation and manipulation facilities
• Antialiased points, lines, and polygons
• Sub-pixel accurate point, line, and polygon rasterization
• User-defined clipping planes
• Texture mapping support
  • Nearest, linear, bilinear and trilinear MIPMAP interpolation
  • Texture decaling, modulation and blending
  • Automatic texture coordinate generation for environment mapping
• Fog and atmospheric effects
• Stencil buffering for constructive solid geometry, interference, mirror reflection and shadow algorithms
• Accumulation buffering for image post-processing, motion blur and depth-of-field effects
• Alpha buffering for transparency algorithms
• Image processing

The OpenGL Utility (GLU) toolkit provides the following useful features:

• Non-Uniform Rational B-Spline (NURBS) support
• Basic disk, cylinder, sphere and quadric capabilities
• Concave and multicontour polygon tessellation capabilities
• Rendering X and OpenGL into the same window

The OpenGL extension to X (GLX) library provides function that integrates the rendering library with X11.
GLX provides:

• Creation and binding of rendering contexts to windows
• Window creation aids through the Extended Visual types mechanism
• Synchronization of the OpenGL API with X11 data stream
• Renderer access to X11 fonts
• 3D widgets

The OpenGL rendering library is integrated with the X11 Window System using the standard X11 Extension mechanism.

OpenGL development environment

• OpenGL library and header files
• OpenGL utility library and header files
• X11/OpenGL interface library and header files
• GLX X server extension and related supporting extensions
• Zapp debugging and tracing tool
• Viewperf performance characterization tool
• Source code and binary for the aux library and tk library
• Source code for example programs
• Demo programs

About the GL 3.2 API

For existing applications, IBM provides the IBM GL 3.2 API, which supports a full-featured 3D rendering interface as well as windowing system interfaces.

The GL 3.2 API is supported on the POWER Gt4e(tm), Gt4i(tm), Gt4xi(tm) and GXT1000 graphics accelerators.

GL 3.2 API technical content

• Basic 3D rendering features include:
  • Gouraud shaded points, lines, and polygons
  • Matrix and attribute stacks
  • Per-vertex Phong lighting
  • Depth (Z) buffering
  • Display list creation and manipulation facilities
• Concave polygon support
• Antialiased points and lines
• Sub-pixel accurate point and line rasterization
• Alpha buffering for transparency algorithms
• Non-Uniform Rational B-Spline (NURBS) support
• Windowing support, including window creation, movement and stacking
• Input device (keyboard, mouse and Spaceball) support
• Pop-up menu support
• Integration with X11 for window and event handling
• Renderer access to X11 fonts
• 3D widgets

GL 3.2 development environment

• GL library and header files
• Zapp debugging and tracing tool
• Source code for example programs
• Demo programs

The Zapp debugger

The Zapp debugging tool is a graphical, Motif-based application especially designed to help locate programming problems in GL and OpenGL applications. Applications need not be recompiled or relinked to use the Zapp debugger.

You can use the Zapp debugger to trace, skip or place breakpoints on selected calls. The debugger also maintains a resetable call counter that provides profiling information by indicating the number and frequency of calls made to different OpenGL and GL subroutines.

The Zapp debugger can also display information about display lists, including IDs, sizes and the number of times each has been invoked.

In summary

IBM's stand-alone offering of the OpenGL and GL 3.2 Version 4.1 for AIX provides maximum flexibility in graphics API choice. These APIs support advanced 3D graphics function across IBM's graphics family, providing customers a wide range of systems that can be configured to meet their specific workstation needs.

OpenGL and GL 3.2 Version 4.1 for AIX operating environment at a glance

• Supported adapters

  • OpenGL POWER GXT100(tm)
    • POWER GXT150(tm)
    • POWER GXT150L(tm)
    • POWER GXT155L(tm)
    • POWER GXT150M(tm)
    • POWER Gt3i(tm)
    • POWER Gt4e
    • POWER Gt4i
    • POWER GT4xi
    • POWER GXT1000 (models 001 and 002)
    • Freedom Series 6000 (models 001, 002 and 003)

  • GL 3.2 POWER Gt4e
    • POWER Gt4i
    • POWER Gt4xi
    • POWER GXT1000 (models 001 and 002)

• Programming requirements

  • IBM AIX Version 4.1

• Options for 5696-939 OpenGL and GL 3.2 Version 4.1 for AIX

  • Feature 4001 (basic license)
  • Feature 4003 (upgrade from IBM AIXwindows^(r) 3D feature 5601-257)
  • Feature 4500 (upgrade from IBM AIXwindows 3D feature when ordered in conjunction with 5696-907 PEX and PHIGS Version 4.1 for AIX)

You can also call 1 800 IBM-4FAX (1 800 426-4329) and more information will be faxed immediately to your location.

If you have access to the Internet, you can find additional information on IBM's Worldwide Web server at http://www.ibm.com

^(r)

AIX, AIXwindows, IBM, and RISC System/6000 are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation.

(tm)

POWER Gt3i, POWER Gt4e, POWER Gt4i, POWER Gt4xi, POWER GXT100, POWER GXT150, POWER GXT150L, POWER GXT155L, POWER GXT150M, POWER GXT1000, and RS/6000 are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation.

^(r)

Spaceball is a registered trademark of Spacetec IMC Corporation.

(tm)

Freedom Series is a trademark of Evans & Sutherland Computer Corporation.

All other products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

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