1. Learning with Modern OpenGL Evan Hart NVIDIA

2. Disclaimer  Deprecated functionality supported by many vendors  Old versions of OpenGL are still supported  Fortran and Cobol are still important even if most courses now focus on Java  This is about what to teach/learn, not about changing production code

3. Introduction with New APIs Focus on fundamentals of graphics Less focus on API mechanism Requires some tools to help things along Still provides access to fast feedback More marketable knowledge

4. Fundamental Focus Focus on core algorithms at the pixel and vertex level – Illumination models like Phong Rich C-like language for development – Algorithms are not hidden behind switches

5. API Mechanism Newer API mechanisms are more verbose Less reliance on API imposed anachronisms – Latching behavior of vertex submission – More orthogonality

6. Tools Good support code goes a long way Few would recommend starting without GLUT or GLU in ‘old’ OpenGL Is shader creation or VBO creation substantially different?

7. Tools vs Complexity Single Triangle, no tools – 126 lines (minor reformatting) Single Triangle, compile and link functions – 86 lines Single Triangle, create shader function – 74 lines Old OpenGL Single Triangle – 35 lines (no comment lines)

8. Marketability Most new 3D apps use shaders – Arguably most require them All APIs are eliminating fixed-function – OpenGL, OpenGL ES, and Direct3D Some PhD level graphics students have trouble explaining the math for Phong illum. – For better or worse this is probably the most common shader component (other than matrix multiplication)

9. Pros & Cons Advantages More closely tied to the core algorithms Better matched to new code development More closely matches other modern APIs presently in use Disadvantages More verbose API with fewer defaults No GLUT / GLU functions Still lots of apps using OpenGL 1.x