OpenGL is an open source standard and API for programming 3D graphics into computer programs. The correct drivers must be installed for the API to work. Basic OpenGL drivers are produced by manufacturers of graphics cards, expansion cards, and graphics accelerators. The API has become a valuable choice for high-performance graphics applications. Different hardware components may have special features that can be included in the OpenGL API through extensions. As of 2011, there are individual OpenGL drivers for each hardware component that supports the standard.
OpenGL®, the open graphics language, is an open source standard and abstract programming interface (API) for programming three-dimensional (3D) graphics into computer programs. For the API to work when compiled and run, the computer running the program must have the correct OpenGL® drivers installed. There are many types of drivers, but they all serve the unique purpose of acting as an interface between code written using the OpenGL® API and the hardware that renders the graphics. OpenGL® drivers are not developed or released by the people who maintain the OpenGL® API; instead they are released by the manufacturers of the hardware inside the computer. The only difference, really, between the different types of OpenGL® drivers is the hardware code they interface with.
The standard for OpenGL® eventually became a unified and simple and mostly language independent platform of basic 3D graphics functions that could be used as a low-level way to interface with hardware. It has progressed in this direction due to a growing amount of proprietary 3D APIs, each with different design philosophies and functional signatures. The API was adopted by programmers and hardware manufacturers alike, because it was open source and did not require the purchase of a license to use as other operating systems or language-specific APIs did.
Basic OpenGL® drivers are produced by manufacturers of graphics cards, expansion cards, and graphics accelerators. This means that each driver is written to exacting and accurate specifications for the target hardware, and the hardware can be manufactured with driver-focused optimizations to increase performance. The wide acceptance of the API and the resulting relatively low overhead have made it a valuable choice for high-performance graphics applications and, in turn, has prompted hardware manufacturers to commit to low-level optimizations for integrate these services with their cards.
In response to the efforts of hardware manufacturers, the developers of OpenGL® provided a mechanism that would allow drivers to implement custom operations that could be encoded in OpenGL® drivers. These special features of different hardware components may be included in the OpenGL® API. This would allow a manufacturer to have a graphics card that supports hardware-accelerated features, such as fabric simulation algorithms, and would allow the OpenGL® API to call and interface with that functionality. These extensions provided a mechanism by which the OpenGL® API and drivers could become a smooth and extensible mechanism for programming 3D graphics.
As of 2011, OpenGL® drivers are individual for each hardware component that supports the standard. There can’t be a single unified driver, because every piece of hardware is distinctly different and sometimes uses proprietary information. This means that while there are technically many types of OpenGL® drivers, one for each hardware card, they all perform the exact same function from a programming standpoint.
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