OpenGL® texture mapping applies texture maps to digital geometry in 3D graphics programs, using programming calls to bring textures into the virtual environment. Texture mapping makes virtual objects more realistic by providing more detail and a more realistic look. Texture maps are brought into virtual memory, assigned an identification number, and applied to specific surfaces using code that dictates how the texture is oriented and applied. Greater control and customization is possible but requires an expert understanding of the process.
OpenGL® texture mapping is a process by which images, called texture maps, are applied to digital geometry within a three-dimensional (3D) graphics program. Different types of programs can use various processes to perform texture mapping, and OpenGL® methods use programming “calls” to bring a texture into the virtual environment. This is typically done by first calling a texture map in a program’s virtual memory, which then allows it to be applied to objects within that program. OpenGL® texture mapping therefore requires the use of code to indicate which surfaces the map should be applied to and how it is applied.
The purpose of OpenGL® texture mapping is to make virtual 3D objects in OpenGL® applications more realistic. Objects are created by generating and manipulating various two-dimensional (2D) surfaces that serve as the exterior of objects. However, these surfaces only have a simple, colorful appearance unless a texture map is applied to provide more detail and a more realistic look. A texture map used in OpenGL® texture mapping is an image that looks like the surface or texture of an object that, when applied to a virtual object, makes it look more like that real object.
OpenGL® texture mapping requires code created much like other types of software programming, which allows a program to use textures within it. This typically begins with a call into the software to help the program recognize the texture that will be used. Texture maps can come in different file types, although they are images that can be quite large or quite small.
The initial call for the OpenGL® texture mapping map allows the system to recognize different maps and assign each one an identification number. Texture maps are brought into the software’s virtual memory, allowing a program to access the texture map. Once it is in virtual memory, other processes can proceed without the program having to continually search for the texture again.
OpenGL® texture mapping therefore requires additional code to indicate which object the map should be applied to and how it is applied. This usually requires specific surfaces to be specified for the texture and uses the vertices on the surface to indicate how the texture is oriented and applied. Other aspects of the map may also be dictated in this code, such as how lighting and environmental effects should interact with the map and how it can be wrapped around the object or repeated across a surface. Greater control and customization when mapping is also possible, although this usually requires an expert understanding of the entire process.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
