ABSTRACT
A shading API (application programming interface) is the interface an application uses to specify and control the shading programs run by a graphics accelerator. A detailed survey of graphics APIs is beyond the scope of this book. We will, however, present three representative and complementary examples of research-level APIs, or at least their shading subsystems. We will assume the reader is already familiar with OpenGL and DX8/9 and the various shading extensions supported by hardware vendors. The purpose of this chapter is not to act as a reference to existing APIs, but to illuminate some design choices that may influence the development of future APIs.
