Where is OpenGL 3?

[Zengar]

Usually, you specify the video card (like "This program requires a 6xxx series or newer card")

Actually, the OpenGL shading language was a bit of design failure. The idea was very nice, but the implementation was really messy. Somethimes, you compile a shader and it compiles ok, starts ok and then runs in software, without a warning. Very inconvenient. Similar with floating-point textures. You may be able to create it, but it can't use linear filtering. Really inconvenient.

The new API will provide a very nice approach: you say what you want to do, it tells you if it can. So you don't really need to know what the hardware is capable of. Like that:

App "I want to do HDR with MSSA: can you create such rendering buffer? BTW. I want to use blending with it"
GL3: "Nope".
App: "Ok, I just want 32-bit FP RGB buffer with blending for HDR, screw the MSAA"
GL3: "Nope, can't do"
App: "Grr. Then give me at least a 16-bit FP RGB buffer!"
GL3: "This is ok".

I personaly find this approach to be very intuitive.

 

[Rodéric]

Yes the new mechanism in 3.0 to create objects is very useful and will be a much needed improvment over the problems we have today.
Also, having a single path for each operation will make it way easier for everyone.

About target... well you just mention the minimal GeForce/RadeOn and you're basically done

 

[iwod]

Still no News? Where is the newletter?
Just Hype but no go?

 

[iwod]

So its OpenGL3 now officially dead?

 

[Demirug]

The official state of OpenGL 3.0 hasn’t changed. Therefore it is still in development. But in comparison to the past there isn’t even a target date for presenting the specification.

 

[Rodéric]

It's not dead, but it's fucking late.

 

[zsouthboy]

No OpenGL 3 and no beer make zsouthboy something something.

Does anyone have *any* news? Like, they got held up deciding what color and font to use for the opengl 3 logo or something?

 

[Demirug]

That’s the best I can offer: http://www.opengl.org/events/details/siggraph_2008_los_angeles_california/

 

[WhiteDwarf]

OpenGL 3.0 and updated related specifications are now available at http://www.khronos.org/opengl/

Short description of what I can see changed (as someone who has only done a bit of dabbling with OpenGL) is that some, mostly NVIDIA extensions got promoted to the core or to ARB extensions, and a bunch of fixed function stuff that is no longer needed in a modern renderer got marked as depreciated.

I have to say I am disappointed about it. I had delayed jumping further into OpenGL in anticipation of [my interpretation of] what was described by the Pipeline newsletters, which was not delivered.