OpenGL SuperBible, Second Edition (2nd Edition)

The OpenGL SuperBible lives up to its name: nearly 700 pages of examples, function descriptions, and code snippets for the Windows-based programmer trying to get up to speed on coding OpenGL graphics.

This new edition has been revised and updated to include OpenGL 1.2, which offers more features and tighter integration with hardware accelerators than any earlier version. Sections are logically broken down into graphics fundamentals and an introduction to OpenGL, the "Meat and Potatoes" of OpenGL rendering, and the specifics of OpenGL programming for Windows.

Long on examples and function descriptions, the book is a bit short on pictures, color plates, and screen shots. However, the accompanying CD-ROM has all the examples used in the book, some other exciting examples of OpenGL programming (the flight simulator with the terrain generator is remarkably smooth, for example), and the OpenGL library toolkits (GLUT 3.7, MESA 3, ZLIB 1.1.3, and others). It doesn't contain, however, a searchable electronic version of the book, which would have been very valuable given its complexity. But the book is thorough, and it covers every aspect of OpenGL programming, making it a good reference for anyone who codes for graphics applications, in spite of its shortcomings. --Mike Caputo