Khronos Group releases OpenGL 4.2 along with WebCL and StreamInput updates

Graphics platform updated with faster performance and better image quality

The Khronos Group has released an update for the OpenGL platform, promising improved performance and image quality for the open graphics standard.

OpenGL 4.2 features a 32-bit technique to reduce memory footprint, and increases integration with GPU hardware by improving the handling of texture data, object placement and manipulation commands.

The update builds on OpenGL 4, released in 2010, and looks to streamline graphics performance by increasingly relying on GPU hardware for computing tasks.

OpenGL competes with formats such as DirectX, but is backed by CPU and GPU hardware vendors such as Nvidia and AMD.

"OpenGL 4.2 has integrated feedback from developers shipping significant OpenGL-based applications and games, making for a faster, more capable API which will continue to evolve to meet market needs," said Barthold Lichtenbelt, OpenGL ARB working group chairman and Nvidia Tegra graphics director.

"As with previous OpenGL releases Nvidia is committed to ship productised implementations as rapidly as possible after specification release."

Khronos Group is also preparing to update its WebCL and StreamInput projects. The WebCL update adds Java bindings to the OpenCL platform, allowing web-based applications to take advantage of multi-core processors and GPU hardware.

Meanwhile, the StreamInput project aims to create an API for an open platform to support sensors and input devices such as touch screens.

Khronos Group will reveal detailed plans for all three platforms later this week at the Siggraph conference.