EGL is an
interface
Interface or interfacing may refer to:
Academic journals
* ''Interface'' (journal), by the Electrochemical Society
* '' Interface, Journal of Applied Linguistics'', now merged with ''ITL International Journal of Applied Linguistics''
* '' Int ...
between
Khronos rendering APIs (such as
OpenGL
OpenGL (Open Graphics Library) is a cross-language, cross-platform application programming interface (API) for rendering 2D and 3D vector graphics. The API is typically used to interact with a graphics processing unit (GPU), to achieve hardwa ...
,
OpenGL ES or
OpenVG
OpenVG is an API designed for hardware-accelerated 2D vector graphics. Its primary platforms are mobile phones, gaming & media consoles and consumer electronic devices. It was designed to help manufacturers create more attractive user interfac ...
) and the underlying native platform
windowing system. EGL handles graphics context management,
surface/
buffer
Buffer may refer to:
Science
* Buffer gas, an inert or nonflammable gas
* Buffer solution, a solution used to prevent changes in pH
* Buffering agent, the weak acid or base in a buffer solution
* Lysis buffer, in cell biology
* Metal ion buffer ...
binding,
rendering synchronization, and enables "high-performance, accelerated, mixed-mode
2D and
3D rendering using other Khronos APIs." EGL is managed by the
non-profit technology consortium
Khronos Group
The Khronos Group, Inc. is an open, non-profit, member-driven consortium of 170 organizations developing, publishing and maintaining royalty-free interoperability standards for 3D graphics, virtual reality, augmented reality, parallel computatio ...
.
The acronym ''EGL'' is an
initialism
An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...
, which starting from EGL version 1.2 refers to ''Khronos Native Platform Graphics Interface''. Prior to version 1.2, the name of the EGL specification was ''OpenGL ES Native Platform Graphics Interface''.
X.Org development documentation glossary defines EGL as "Embedded-System Graphics Library".
Adoption
* The
BlackBerry 10 and
BlackBerry Tablet OS mobile device operating system uses EGL for 3D graphics rendering. Both support EGL version 1.4.
* The
Android mobile device operating system uses EGL for 3D graphics rendering.
* The
Wayland display server protocol uses EGL. It is implemented in a way that Wayland clients will draw directly to the framebuffer using EGL.
*
Mesa 3D
Mesa, also called Mesa3D and The Mesa 3D Graphics Library, is an open source implementation of OpenGL, Vulkan, and other graphics API specifications. Mesa translates these specifications to vendor-specific graphics hardware drivers.
Its most i ...
has an implementation of EGL formerly known as Eagle.
* The
Mir
''Mir'' (russian: Мир, ; ) was a space station that operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, operated by the Soviet Union and later by Russia. ''Mir'' was the first modular space station and was assembled in orbit from 1986 to& ...
display server protocol by
Canonical Ltd.
Canonical Ltd. is a UK-based privately held computer software company founded and funded by South African entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth to market commercial support and related services for Ubuntu and related projects. Canonical employs staff ...
uses EGL.
* The
Simple DirectMedia Layer toolkit has been ported to use EGL. It can use
Xlib
Xlib (also known as libX11) is an X Window System protocol client library written in the C programming language. It contains functions for interacting with an X server. These functions allow programmers to write programs without knowing the d ...
, write directly to the
framebuffer or use EGL.
* The
Raspberry Pi single-board computer has an EGL interface to hardware-accelerated 3D graphics rendering.
* The proprietary
Nvidia
Nvidia CorporationOfficially written as NVIDIA and stylized in its logo as VIDIA with the lowercase "n" the same height as the uppercase "VIDIA"; formerly stylized as VIDIA with a large italicized lowercase "n" on products from the mid 1990s to ...
driver 331.13 BETA from 4 October 2013 supports the EGL API.
*
Tizen OS uses EGL with either OpenGL ES 1.1 or OpenGL ES 2.0 for 3D graphics rendering
Implementations
*
Mesa is a
free and open-source software implementation of many graphic rendering APIs; among them is EGL.
*
Generic Buffer Management
Mesa, also called Mesa3D and The Mesa 3D Graphics Library, is an open-source software, open source implementation of OpenGL, Vulkan, and other computer graphics, graphics Application programming interface, API specifications. Mesa translates the ...
is an API to manage buffers.
See also
*
WGL – the equivalent
Windows interface to OpenGL
*
CGL – the equivalent
OS X
macOS (; previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a Unix operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac computers. Within the market of desktop and lap ...
interface to OpenGL
*
GLX
GLX (initialism for "OpenGL Extension to the X Window System") is an extension to the X Window System core protocol providing an interface between OpenGL and the X Window System as well as extensions to OpenGL itself. It enables programs wishi ...
– the equivalent
X11 interface to OpenGL
**
AIGLX
Accelerated Indirect GLX ("AIGLX") is an open source project founded by Red Hat and the Fedora community, led by Kristian Høgsberg, to allow accelerated indirect GLX rendering capabilities to the X.Org Server and DRI drivers. This allows r ...
– an attempt to accelerate GLX
*
WSI – the Vulkan Window System Interface (WSI) does for Vulkan what EGL does for OpenGL ES.
References
External links
*
{{Khronos Group standards
Application layer protocols
Application programming interfaces
Free graphics software
Free windowing systems