Benefits of the New API - Learn OpenGL ES: For Mobile Game and Graphics Development - page 27

Figure 1-20 . Blank OpenGL surface view
Take a closer look at this application's code listings ( Listings 1-3 and 1-4 ) . Under-
standing the structure of such projects and the flow of control will speed up your
learning process. Chapters 2 and 3 describe the details of this application, the classes
used, the interface Renderer , and the ES 2.0 functions used.
ES 2.0 Is for the Ambitious
As I mentioned earlier, OpenGL ES 2.0 is derived from OpenGL 2.0 API, the pro-
grammable pipeline for rendering graphics on desktop hardware. If you are able to
understand the concepts behind the programmable pipeline for ES 2.0, you will eas-
ily understand OpenGL 2.0 API. It is worth reiterating that OpenGL API is meant
only for desktops, not for embedded devices. There are various programming lan-
guages you can use to create 3D graphics applications based on OpenGL API, such
as Python, C, and C++. Similar to the OpenGL API, there are other programmable
graphic rendering APIs (for various platforms), and understanding the OpenGL ES
2.0 API makes understanding the others easy:
▪ Direct3D (the 3D graphics API within Microsoft's DirectX SDK)
is also based on programmable pipeline; however, it uses the
.NET Framework, not Java, for coding. If you understand the
.NET Framework and can code applications in C#, check out Mi-
crosoft XNA for Windows and Xbox. XNA is a collection of tools
that facilitate video game development. XNA Framework is based
on the .NET Framework and is the most popular framework for
creating 2D/3D games based on the programmable pipeline.
▪ Stage3D and its subset Starling are ActionScript 3 3D/2D frame-
works used for game development. Stage3D is available on
desktop through Flash Player 11 and AIR 3. Stage3D and Starling
use low-level GPU APIs running on OpenGL, DirectX on
desktop, and OpenGL ES 2.0 on mobiles. If you know how to
code in ActionScript 3, you have already mastered one of the pre-
requisites for Adobe programmable pipeline game development.
▪ Web Graphics Library ( WebGL ) is a JavaScript API for rendering
interactive 2D/3D graphics in web browsers without plug-ins; it
can be mixed with HTML. There are many JavaScript libraries for