O'Reilly Network: Creating Real Time 3D Graphics with OpenGL

"You see a missile coming at you, fired by an opponent off on another platform. Its translucent smoke trail is more of a give-away than the rocket flame, which is mostly obscured by the missile as it hurls itself directly towards you. Dart to the right, off the ledge, while you rail-gun your opponent; his body comes apart into pieces, each bouncing around leaving bloody stains where they hit."

"While not everyone may agree with the content of Quake3 Arena, or any of a multitude of other violent games available, it's hard not to be impressed with the technical sophistication of the images produced. Many, including Q3A, rely on the OpenGL Application Programming Interface (API) to do the actual rendering. OpenGL is a good choice for developers who want to produce real-time 3D images because it's cross platform and mature. OpenGL (or a clone) API is available on most modern desktops, with some taking advantage of 3D hardware acceleration provided by the video card."

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