New to OpenGL, not sure where to start.

[skinnytron]

I am a developer with a pretty extensive background in web development and now iPhone app development for the last 6 months. I want to start learning OpenGL for the iPhone but I have absolutely no background with 2D or 3D game engines.

Where is a good place to start? Can someone recommend a good tutorial that walks through the basics or online classes or something of that nature?

Much appreciated.

[rilian]

There's some stuff to get you started on Jeff LaMarche's blog.
iPhone Development

(you'll have to search back into 2008)

He's working on an Open GL-ES particle system but hasn't posted the code yet - only teasing at it so far. :-)

[zhyla]

Lessons: NeHe Productions: Main Page
OpenGL ES reference: OpenGL ES 1.1 Reference Pages

One key thing to remember is that in plain OpenGL you can draw single vertices etc one at a time. In the embedded (ES) version you put all the vertices in one big array and hand the array to the hardware. It's no harder, but you will see single vertex operations in a lot of tutorials.

My advice when approaching OpenGL is to remember that you're dealing with a special piece of hardware. You tell it what you know about the world (triangle points, lighting options, textures, etc) and it renders it for you. Also the drawing of a scene as a whole is really complex, but each little piece is not. You can do it.

[smasher]

Originally Posted by skinnytron

I am a developer with a pretty extensive background in web development and now iPhone app development for the last 6 months. I want to start learning OpenGL for the iPhone but I have absolutely no background with 2D or 3D game engines.

Where is a good place to start? Can someone recommend a good tutorial that walks through the basics or online classes or something of that nature?

I suggest downloading the GLSprite example, and using that as a starting point. It already has the code for setting up a view and loading an image. Then start reading some opengl tutorials and modifying the example.

I used the OPENGL red book (this is not specific to ES, but had some great explanations of the core concepts)

Amazon.com: OpenGL(R) Programming Guide: The Official Guide to Learning OpenGL(R), Version 2.1 (6th Edition): OpenGL Architecture Review Board, Dave Shreiner, Mason Woo, Jackie Neider, Tom Davis: Books

and the online openGL spec:
OpenGL ES 1.1 Reference Pages