Opengl Development For Mac

Important OpenGL was deprecated in macOS 10.14. To create high-performance code on GPUs, use the Metal framework instead.

OpenGL is an open, cross-platform graphics standard with broad industry support. OpenGL greatly eases the task of writing real-time 2D or 3D graphics applications by providing a mature, well-documented graphics processing pipeline that supports the abstraction of current and future hardware accelerators.

At a Glance OpenGL is an excellent choice for graphics development on the Macintosh platform because it offers the following advantages:. Reliable Implementation.

The OpenGL client-server model abstracts hardware details and guarantees consistent presentation on any compliant hardware and software configuration. Every implementation of OpenGL adheres to the OpenGL specification and must pass a set of conformance tests. Performance.

Applications can harness the considerable power of the graphics hardware to improve rendering speeds and quality. Industry acceptance. The specification for OpenGL is controlled by the Khronos Group, an industry consortium whose members include many of the major companies in the computer graphics industry, including Apple. In addition to OpenGL for OS X, there are OpenGL implementations for Windows, Linux, Irix, Solaris, and many game consoles. OpenGL Is a C-based, Platform-Neutral API Because OpenGL is a C-based API, it is extremely portable and widely supported. As a C API, it integrates seamlessly with Objective-C based Cocoa applications.

OpenGL provides functions your application uses to generate 2D or 3D images. Your application presents the rendered images to the screen or copies them back to its own memory. The OpenGL specification does not provide a windowing layer of its own. It relies on functions defined by OS X to integrate OpenGL drawing with the windowing system.

Your application creates an OS X OpenGL rendering context and attaches a rendering target to it (known as a drawable object). The rendering context manages OpenGL state changes and objects created by calls to the OpenGL API. The drawable object is the final destination for OpenGL drawing commands and is typically associated with a Cocoa window or view. Relevant Chapters:, and OpenGL on Macs Exists in a Heterogenous Environment Macs support different types of graphics processors, each with different rendering capabilities, supporting versions of OpenGL from 1.x through OpenGL 3.2. When creating a rendering context, your application can accept a broad range of renderers or it can restrict itself to devices with specific capabilities. Once you have a context, you can configure how that context executes OpenGL commands.

OpenGL on the Mac is not only a heterogenous environment, but it is also a dynamic environment. Users can add or remove displays, or take a laptop running on battery power and plug it into a wall. When the graphics environment on the Mac changes, the renderer associated with the context may change.

Your application must handle these changes and adjust how it uses OpenGL. Relevant Chapters:, and OpenGL Helps Applications Harness the Power of Graphics Processors Graphics processors are massively parallelized devices optimized for graphics operations. To access that computing power adds additional overhead because data must move from your application to the GPU over slower internal buses.

Accessing the same data simultaneously from both your application and OpenGL is usually restricted. To get great performance in your application, you must carefully design your application to feed data and commands to OpenGL so that the graphics hardware runs in parallel with your application. A poorly tuned application may stall either on the CPU or the GPU waiting for the other to finish processing. When you are ready to optimize your application’s performance, Apple provides both general-purpose and OpenGL-specific profiling tools that make it easy to learn where your application spends its time. Relevant Chapters:, and Concurrency in OpenGL Applications Requires Additional Effort Many Macs ship with multiple processors or multiple cores, and future hardware is expected to add more of each.

Designing applications to take advantage of multiprocessing is critical. OpenGL places additional restrictions on multithreaded applications. If you intend to add concurrency to an OpenGL application, you must ensure that the application does not access the same context from two different threads at the same time. Relevant Chapters: Performance Tuning Allows Your Application to Provide an Exceptional User Experience Once you’ve improved the performance of your OpenGL application and taken advantage of concurrency, put some of the freed processing power to work for you. Higher resolution textures, detailed models, and more complex lighting and shading algorithms can improve image quality. Full-scene antialiasing on modern graphics hardware can eliminate many of the “jaggies” common on lower resolution images. Relevant Chapters:, How to Use This Document If you have never programmed in OpenGL on the Mac, you should read this book in its entirety, starting with.

Critical Mac terminology is defined in that chapter as well as in the. If you already have an OpenGL application running on the Mac, but have not yet updated it for OS X v10.7, read to learn how to choose an OpenGL profile for your application. To find out how to update an existing OpenGL app for high resolution, see. Once you have OpenGL content in your application, read to learn fundamental patterns for implementing high-performance OpenGL applications, and the chapters that follow to learn how to apply those patterns to specific OpenGL problems. Important: Although this guide describes how to create rendering contexts that support OpenGL 3.2, most code examples and discussion in the rest of the book describe the earlier legacy versions of OpenGL. See for more information on migrating your application to OpenGL 3.2. Prerequisites This guide assumes that you have some experience with OpenGL programming, but want to learn how to apply that knowledge to create software for the Mac.

Although this guide provides advice on optimizing OpenGL code, it does not provide entry-level information on how to use the OpenGL API. If you are unfamiliar with OpenGL, you should read to get an overview of OpenGL on the Mac platform, and then read the following OpenGL programming guide and reference documents:., by Dave Shreiner and the Khronos OpenGL Working Group; otherwise known as 'The Red book.”. OpenGL Shading Language, by Randi J. Rost, is an excellent guide for those who want to write programs that compute surface properties (also known as shaders).

Before reading this document, you should be familiar with Cocoa windows and views as introduced in. See Also Keep these reference documents handy as you develop your OpenGL program for OS X:., and provide a complete description of the classes and methods needed to integrate OpenGL content into a Cocoa application. CGL Reference describes low-level functions that can be used to create full-screen OpenGL applications. OpenGL Extensions Guide provides information about OpenGL extensions supported in OS X. The OpenGL Foundation website, provides information on OpenGL commands, the Khronos OpenGL Working Group, logo requirements, OpenGL news, and many other topics.

It's a site that you'll want to visit regularly. Among the many resources it provides, the following are important reference documents for OpenGL developers:. OpenGL Specification provides detailed information on how an OpenGL implementation is expected to handle each OpenGL command. OpenGL Reference describes the main OpenGL library. OpenGL GLU Reference describes the OpenGL Utility Library, which contains convenience functions implemented on top of the OpenGL API. OpenGL GLUT Reference describes the OpenGL Utility Toolkit, a cross-platform windowing API.

provides code examples for fundamental tasks, such as modeling and texture mapping, as well as for advanced techniques, such as high dynamic range rendering (HDRR).

'Dirt Rally' for macOS, a game that uses the Metal API Discovered within Apple's developer documentation for, it was revealed that OpenGL and OpenCL, APIs used in graphics-intensive apps and games as well as computational tasks, would be depreciated in the operating system. While macOS 10.14 would still support software using OpenGL and OpenCL, Apple is advising developers using OpenGL to move their applications over to Metal, promoting a move from OpenCL to Metal and Metal Performance Shaders. While the support for OpenGL is still available, it is unknown when Apple will remove it from macOS completely, but it is not entirely unexpected. OpenGL on macOS High Sierra uses version 3.3 that was released in 2010, rather than using the more up-to-date version 4.6 released in 2017.

Indeed, Apple's lack of interest in the technology has led to OpenGL standard maintainer Kronos Group to release to allow Vulkan, a cross-platform 3D graphics API, to work on iOS and macOS. Vulkan has been usable on a number of major platforms, including Windows and Android, with the tools release in February enabling developers to continue producing games across multiple platforms, using a newer technology. Some major game developers for their Mac products, with notable releases including 'World of Warcraft,' 'The Witness,' 'Deus Ex: Mankind Divided,' and 'Dirt Rally.' Developers have been quick to comment about Apple's move away from OpenGL, largely centering around having to change their work from using a cross-platform API to cope with a platform-specific technology. Vlambeer designer Rami Ismail PC Gamer the ultimate time of abandonment can vary between 'soon' and 'never.' 'All we know is Apple seems to have shown intent to rid itself of OpenGL in favor of its own graphics API,' Ismail said.

'The problem with Metal is very similar to the problem with DirectX: it's not cross-platform.' Ismail went on to say 'the worst that's going to happen is old stuff will break, and our engines and libraries will grow a bit to support both Direct3D and Metal. Not having a clear guideline for future actions Apple might take in this regard isn't very good for developer confidence, I'd guess, and not having a single cross-platform graphics API is just a pain.'

'The Witness,' another game that uses the Metal API Bridge Builder and Ponifex developer suggested the change will cause more work when attempting to port games to the Mac. He has historically developed primarily for Windows and then spent 'a couple hours' to port the same game to Mac and Linux. But he notes already facing issues with macOS's OpenGL support given he has to employ older versions on the Mac, forcing rewrites of how the games render graphics.

'I'm not going to spend any time on Metal because Macs are a pretty small percentage of the market, and really probably not worth it even now,' suggests Austin. 'I just do it because I try to support fans if I can.'

Of Flying Oak Games was more direct on Twitter, advising 'I'm sorry Mac users, but this means we will stop publishing games on Mac if it ever stop(s) shipping with the OS.' In the following thread, Altenburger notes his love for OpenGL due to its cross-compatibility, but notes that Apple's push for developers to use platform-specific technologies 'implies breaking any cross-platform pipeline' in development. 'The cost of maintaining a dedicated pipeline is clearly higher than the Mac users potential,' Altenburger adds. 'Breaking OpenGL on one single OS means that I would have to do a custom pipeline and build for that specific OS.

If that OS represents 1 percent of players. Former BioShock 2 developer and half of Minor Key Games highlighted that the combination of depreciated OpenGL and 32-bit apps could lead to older apps failing to run. 'That's awful for older games, and no-one is going to rebuild games from a decade ago for 64-bit/Metal,' he suggests. Pittman also warns he would have to delist the Mac versions of his games.

'Converting to 64-bit wouldn't be too much trouble, though I haven't had time yet, but porting to Metal isn't feasible for 3 games that aren't making money on Mac anymore anyway.' AppleInsider has reached out to Aspyr and Feral Interactive for comment on the matter. Well, OpenGL has been known to be behind times, so I totally get it why Microsoft and Apple are creating their own frameworks.

More control, more optimization. It is a significant issue to developers though. Engines like Unity basically deliver an abstraction layer where only the top layer is touched by devs (unless they specifically don't choose to). The bottom layer is then handled by by Unity, handling the actual instructions to Metal (or DirectX). If you developed your own engine instead, you basically have to develop your rendering layer twice, which is not a trivial matter. Apple could easily keep OpenGL in the operating system, but it's 'cleaner' not to.

They are not a dominant platform for gaming so I guess many developers will in fact drop macOS support. Edited June 5. I am not sure people realize that Microsoft does not support OpenGL either. Out of the box windows only supports only an ancient version of OpenGL -v1.2. Every graphics card manufacturer for windows has to ship their own up to date OpenGL drivers. The problem on macOS is that Apple controls the hardware and has to supply the drivers.

Nobody does OpenGL development for Windows. Even with up-to-date video card drivers, it's buggy and slow compared to DirectX. But yet game developers don't complain about having to write games for Microsoft's proprietary API. A quick Google search shows that there's a technology called to allow developers to use Vulkan (the cross-platform Metal alternative) on top of Metal.

So the whining game developers who are happy to use proprietary APIs from Microsoft, but not Apple, are free to keep using cross-platform technologies. I am not sure people realize that Microsoft does not support OpenGL either. Out of the box windows only supports only an ancient version of OpenGL -v1.2. Every graphics card manufacturer for windows has to ship their own up to date OpenGL drivers.

The problem on macOS is that Apple controls the hardware and has to supply the drivers. Nobody does OpenGL development for Windows. Even with up-to-date video card drivers, it's buggy and slow compared to DirectX. But yet game developers don't complain about having to write games for Microsoft's proprietary API. A quick Google search shows that there's a technology called to allow developers to use Vulkan (the cross-platform Metal alternative) on top of Metal. So the whining game developers who are happy to use proprietary APIs from Microsoft, but not Apple, are free to keep using cross-platform technologies. Well, DirectX has been out for years.

I recall back in the day that ID Software (Doom and Quake) and Epic (Unreal) were once staunch supporters of OpenGL. Apple was once too. 'I'm not going to spend any time on Metal because Macs are a pretty small percentage of the market, and really probably not worth it even now,' suggests Austin. “ just do it because I try to support fans if I can.' He’s probably right. Apple is not into gaming, never has been, probably never will be. Those claiming this action will kill Apple gaming and the Mac along with it are just pissing into the wind.

If that were true the Mac would have been dead a decade ago. The PC gaming market is not as big as the enthusiasts would have you believe. I am not sure people realize that Microsoft does not support OpenGL either. Out of the box windows only supports only an ancient version of OpenGL -v1.2. Every graphics card manufacturer for windows has to ship their own up to date OpenGL drivers. The problem on macOS is that Apple controls the hardware and has to supply the drivers.

Nobody does OpenGL development for Windows. Even with up-to-date video card drivers, it's buggy and slow compared to DirectX. But yet game developers don't complain about having to write games for Microsoft's proprietary API. A quick Google search shows that there's a technology called to allow developers to use Vulkan (the cross-platform Metal alternative) on top of Metal. So the whining game developers who are happy to use proprietary APIs from Microsoft, but not Apple, are free to keep using cross-platform technologies. Well, DirectX has been out for years. True, but DirectX hasn't stayed the same for years.

Going from DX9 to DX10 required moving from a procedural pipeline to shaders (much like going from OpenGL 1 to 2). Then DX11 to DX12 is like going from OpenGL to Vulkan. Both transitions required a significant amount of work (not unlike going from OpenGL to Metal). I recall back in the day that ID Software (Doom and Quake) and Epic (Unreal) were once staunch supporters of OpenGL. Apple was once too. Yes, those developers were.

But those 3D game engines could never compete with modern 3D game engines. And while it is certainly possible to build modern 3D game engines in OpenGL, as any game developer will tell you, it's much easier to use the latest version of DirectX than OpenGL to do so.

So that's where Metal fits in on macOS/iOS/tvOS. Giving developers that same ease of development and performance on Apple's platforms. Forcing Apple to stay with OpenGL is shackling them to the past and preventing them from taking full advantage of modern GPU advancements and getting new, more powerful games and apps on their platforms.

Edited June 5. Cry me a river.

Opengl Extensions Download

Why is that some developers are fine with doing this and it comes out pretty damn well and others are just ugh now we have to actually make a Mac game instead of a shitty port that runs half-ass? And then wonder why the Mac isn't a large market for games. You just answered your own question. For some developers, it doesn't make sense to put time and money into a game that isn't going to sell enough to make what they believe is a reaonsable profit. That is why you see ports. The Mac platform was never a large one for gaming.

It's kinda fun to think these threats will have some kind of impact, but. Great gaming has moved away from computers. Go check out the metacritic.com scores for most PC titles and you'll find something quite disturbing - not very many titles score into the 90's.

The PC suffers from an abundance of 'meh'. And PC games have lots of bugs - it's the nature of the platform. To much disparate hardware and lots of sketchy drivers. Game companies can't make good titles.

For some reason this has spilled over into the XBox One too. For gaming I strongly recommend two consoles. The Nintendo Switch and the PlayStation 4. On the Switch, The Legend of Zelda - Breath of the Wild is probably the best game ever made. It has many finely tuned game systems: Physics, Time, Weather, Floral & Fauna, Meticulous sound, and the most immersive open world gaming I have ever experienced. I'll hop in to kill 10 minutes and spend two hours.

It's not perfect. But it's the closest thing to a Masterpiece the gaming world has seen thus far. On the PlayStation 4 you have many great titles. 'Grand Theft Auto V', 'The Last of Us Remastered', 'Uncharted 4', and the new 'GOD of War' title. Plus all the best games ported from the PC.

It's probably the best console to get for PG-13 gaming on up. Edited June 5. What these developers don't factor in is that a rewrite to Metal makes the road to iOS devices very short for their games. Of course many of the same developers are under the impression that iOS devices are not to even be considered for game titles in that their graphics performance is very low. The real situation is by the time they have done their port, yet another iteration of iOS devices are in the market with ever increasing performance both on the device itself, but also on the big screen. So the upside is only increasing - primarily in the iOS device market, but you sort of get the Mac for free as part of the package.

Opengl Programming Guide For Mac

Now, Apple has not exactly been very helpful in promoting graphics performance on their Macs with only up till recently underperforming mobile GPUs even in the desktop configurations, where the lack of will to make space for sufficient cooling and inability to upgrade GPUs have added little encouragement. As one of the developers stated, the rather short 1 year future horizon WWDC presents to developers is often a deterrent for developers to start complicated rewrites. Edited June 5.