The Khronos Group has launched version 4.1 of its OpenGL spec, which is expected to facilitate the easy porting of apps between desktop and mobile platforms.
“OpenGL ES compatibility is built into the latest version of OpenGL 4.1 for the first time,” Khronos spokesperson Jonathan Hirshon told TG Daily.
“As OpenGL ES is the leading 3D API on every smartphone, this makes porting 3D games from desktop (or consoles, where OpenGL is also favored) a much simpler process. [So], 4.1 should result in significantly more games on the mobile side.”
According to Hirshon, the latest iteration of the spec maintains “full backwards compatibility” and enables developers to portably access advanced GPU functionality across diverse operating systems.
It should be noted that OpenGL 4.1 has already garnered positive reviews from a number of analysts, including Jon Peddie.
“Khronos is methodically building their vision for pervasive developer access to cross-platform graphics, media and compute acceleration. The continued rapid-fire OpenGL evolution feeds high-end graphics innovation into that strategy,” explained Peddie.
“Just as significant as OpenGL 4.1’s new 3D functionality are the ever closer links with OpenCL and OpenGL ES 2.0 – another significant step in strengthening the Khronos API ecosystem.”
Additional OpenGL 4.1 features include:
- Cutting down re-compilation time by quering and loading a binary for shader program objects.
- Binding programs individually to programmable stages for programming flexibility.
- 64-bit floating-point component vertex shader inputs for higher geometric precision.
- Multiple viewports for a rendering surface for increased rendering flexibility.
