The Mac has fully embraced OpenGL throughout its visual systems. In fact, Apple's highly efficient, modern OpenGL implementation makes Mac OS X one of today's best platforms for OpenGL development. OpenGL® Programming on Mac OS® X is the first comprehensive resource for every graphics programmer who wants to create, port, or optimize OpenGL applications for this high-volume platform.

Leading OpenGL experts Robert Kuehne and J. D. Sullivan thoroughly explain the Mac's diverse OpenGL APIs, both old and new. They illuminate crucial OpenGL setup, configuration, and performance issues that are unique to the Mac platform. Next, they offer practical, start-to-finish guidance for integrating key Mac-native APIs with OpenGL, and leveraging the full power of the Mac platform in your graphics applications.

Coverage includes

A thorough review of Mac hardware and software architectures and their performance implications

In-depth, expert guidance for accessing OpenGL from each of the Mac's core APIs: CGL, AGL, and Cocoa

Interoperating with other Mac APIs: incorporating video with QuickTime, performing image effects with Core Image, and processing CoreVideo data

Analyzing Mac OpenGL application performance, resolving bottlenecks, and leveraging optimizations only available on the Mac

Detecting, integrating, and using OpenGL extensions

An accompanying Web site (www.macopenglbook.com) contains the book's example code, plus additional OpenGL-related resources.

OpenGL® Programming on Mac OS® X will be valuable to Mac programmers seeking to leverage OpenGL's power, OpenGL developers porting their applications to the Mac platform, and cross-platform graphics developers who want to take advantage of the Mac platform's uniquely intuitive style and efficiency.

Robert P. Kuehne leads Blue Newt Software, a consultancy that specializes in helping clients enhance their 3D graphics applications. Formerly Technical Lead for Silicon Graphics' OpenGL Shading Language, Kuehne has been involved with OpenGL since it was created, in roles ranging from programmer to shader compiler developer to SIGGRAPH presenter. He has also been a Macintosh developer since the early 1990s.

J. D. Sullivan is an OpenGL driver engineer who has been writing graphics software professionally for more than fifteen years. While at Silicon Graphics, Inc., he was one of the original designers and implementers of the Volumizer API and later worked as part of the OpenGL software team focused on the Cobalt and Krypton graphics chipsets. Since SGI, Sullivan has worked on the Mac as his primary development platform, and he serves on the OpenGL Architecture Review Board.