Open Source Summit Europe 2024

Mesa3D, often called Mesa, is a key part of the Linux graphics system, serving as an open-source implementation of the OpenGL API for rendering 3D graphics. It also supports other APIs like Vulkan and OpenGL ES.

This session will demystify Mesa3D, starting with GPU functions and its interaction with computers, laying the groundwork for understanding how Mesa powers 3D graphics. We'll use rendering a triangle as a case study to explore Mesa3D’s architecture—from initiating EGL and compiling shaders to sending work to the GPU, making the complex process more accessible.

The goal is for everyone to walk away with a clearer understanding of Mesa’s role in Linux graphics and its importance to the open-source community, specially on embedded platforms, where open-source drivers are getting much more relevance for long term maintainability, feature support and customization.

Here, I mention embedded platforms because many of our customers use open-source drivers. This allows them to include these drivers in their products without depending on proprietary solutions from manufacturers, which may not even be available (some are only available on Android, not Linux).