Foreword

Five years have passed since the OpenGL ES 2.0 version of this reference book helped alert developers everywhere that programmable 3D graphics on mobile and embedded systems had not just arrived, but was here to stay.

Five years later, more than 1 billion people around the world use OpenGL ES every day to interact with their computing devices, for both information and entertainment. Nearly every pixel on nearly every smartphone screen has been generated, manipulated, or composited by this ubiquitous graphics API.

Now, OpenGL ES 3.0 has been developed by Khronos Group and is shipping on the latest mobile devices, continuing the steady flow of advanced graphics features into the hands of consumers everywhere—features that were first developed and proven on high-end systems shipping with desktop OpenGL.

In fact, OpenGL is now easily the most widely deployed family of 3D APIs, with desktop OpenGL and OpenGL ES being joined by WebGL to bring the power of OpenGL ES to web content everywhere. OpenGL ES 3.0 will be instrumental in powering the evolution of WebGL, enabling HTML5 developers to tap directly into the power of the latest GPUs from the first truly portable 3D applications.

OpenGL ES 3.0 not only places more graphics capabilities into the hands of developers across a huge range of devices and platforms, but also enables faster, more power-efficient 3D applications that are easier to write, port, and maintain—and this book will show you how.

There has never been a more fascinating and rewarding time to be a 3D developer. My thanks and congratulations go to the authors for continuing to be a vital part of the evolving story of OpenGL ES, and for working hard to produce this book that helps ensure developers everywhere can better understand and leverage the full power of OpenGL ES 3.0.

—Neil Trevett
   President, Khronos Group
   Vice President Mobile Ecosystem, NVIDIA