OpenGL Functionality by Version

The core OpenGL functionality changes with each new version of the OpenGL API. This appendix describes the functionality that was added with each version. See the official OpenGL specification for detailed information.

The functionality for each version is guaranteed to be available through the core OpenGL API even if a particular renderer does not support all of the extensions in a version. For example, a renderer that claims to support OpenGL 1.3 might not export the GL_ARB_texture_env_combine or GL_EXT_texture_env_combine extensions. It's important that you query both the renderer version and extension string to make sure that the renderer supports any functionality that you want to use.

Note: It's possible for vendor and ARB extensions to provide similar functionality. As particular functionality becomes widely adopted, it can be moved into the core OpenGL API. As a result, functionality that you want to use could be included as an extension, as part of the core API, or both. You should read the extensions and the core OpenGL specifications carefully to see the differences. Furthermore, as an extension is promoted, the API associated with that functionality can change. For more information, see “Determining the OpenGL Capabilities Supported by the Hardware.”

In the following tables, the extensions describe the feature that the core functionality is based on. The core functionality might not be the same as the extension. For example, compare the core texture crossbar functionality with the extension that it's based on.




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OpenGL Functionality by Version

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