OpenGL® for Embedded Systems (OpenGL® ES) is a scaled-down version of standard OpenGL® used for mobile devices and embedded systems. It renders 3D graphics with proprietary hardware and has different versions for fixed and programmable systems. The biggest challenge is the limited resources of mobile devices and individual hardware. The lightweight mobile library can create 3D graphics of the same quality and speed as desktop systems. It is a standard graphics programming tool used in various devices.
The OpenGL® Mobile Development Library, more commonly known as OpenGL® for Embedded Systems (OpenGL® ES or GLES), is a collection of functions based on the standard OpenGL® distribution that has been scaled down both in size and in inherent functionality to allow the library for use on a variety of mobile devices and embedded systems. An application using the OpenGL® mobile library can effectively render three-dimensional (3D) graphics with whatever proprietary hardware was used in the device, usually through a special intermediate driver or software layer. There are different versions of the OpenGL® mobile library to suit the various types of embedded hardware that can be used, from fixed systems to programmable systems. Just like the standard form of OpenGL®, the mobile version provides extensions for custom hardware functions developed by manufacturers.
The biggest challenge any mobile implementation of OpenGL® faces is the unusually small limitations of embedded systems and mobile devices. This means that libraries usually used for desktop or laptop systems, which were intended to be employed in a full operating system with at least moderate resources, must be modified to take up less space and cope with potential resource unavailability while a program is running. These resources can be memory, processing power, or even access to a display context, but they can also include much more complex things, such as file systems or input and output ports that may not be present on the device.
An OpenGL® mobile library implementation must also address the issue of individual, sometimes unique, hardware in the devices. Even though the library is largely abstracted from the actual low-level interface between the hardware and software, some OpenGL® functions may not fit perfectly into the operating paradigm of the display or graphics hardware. To avoid this problem, the organization that develops OpenGL® created a standard that proprietary interfaces can use to ensure that programmers can use common code in mobile applications and receive predictable results. Manufacturers have the option of not using developed standards, where they may need to create custom OpenGL® drivers and extensions for the hardware.
On advanced systems, such as console or tablet devices, the OpenGL® lightweight mobile library can be used to create 3D graphics of the same quality and speed as that of a desktop system. This is due to built-in support for features such as shaders and advanced graphics hardware that can accelerate rendering without the need to go through several intermediate hardware components, as might be the case on a computer that does not use an integrated graphics card. OpenGL® mobile libraries have become one of the standard graphics programming tools used in devices ranging from small console game systems to portable digital assistants.
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