List of rendering APIs

Rendering APIs typically provide just enough functionality to abstract a graphics accelerator, focussing on rendering primitives,state management, command lists, and as such differ from fully fledged 3D graphics libraries or 3D engines (which handle scene graphs, lights, animation, materials etc); Some provide fallback software rasterisers, which were important for compatibility and adoption before graphics accelerators became widespread.

Some have been extended to include support for compute shaders.

Low level rendering APIs typically leave more responsibility with the user for resource management and require more verbose control, but have vastly lower CPU overhead.

2D rendering APIs

• OpenVG
• Direct2D
• Quartz 2D
• SDL
• X11

Offline rendering

• RenderMan aimed at offline rendering for CG films.

Software rasterising

• BRender by argonaut software
• Surrender

3D rendering APIs

These libraries are designed explicitly to abstract 3D graphics hardware for CAD and video games, with possible software fallbacks.

Cross platform

• OpenGL and the OpenGL Shading Language
• OpenGL ES 3D API for embedded devices
• OpenGL SC a version of openGL for safety critical systems.
• RenderWare (combined game engine and cross platform rendering API. Became popular since the playstation 2 had no rendering API, initially relying on bare metal programming.)
• Vulkan

Vendor specific

• Direct3D (a subset of DirectX)
• Mantle developed by AMD.
• Metal developed by Apple.
• Glide API for the pioneering 3DFX accelerators
• QuickDraw 3D developed by Apple Computer starting in 1995, abandoned in 1998
• PSGL for the Playstation 3, designed to work in a manner similar to openGL
• LibGCM for the Playstation 3, a lower level API managing command lists directly
• LibGXM for the Playstation Vita
• LibGNM for the playstation 4
• Redline , for the obsolete Rendition Verite accelerator
• Kamui for the Dreamcast