Starting with 3D coordinates and vertices
The world around us is three-dimensional, so in order to simulate parts of the world, we can create a 3D representation and display it on our 2D screen.
The Raspberry Pi enables us to simulate a 3D space, place 3D objects within it, and observe them from a selected viewpoint. We will use the GPU to produce a representation of the 3D view as a 2D image to display it on the screen.
The following example will show how we can use Pi3D (an OpenGL ES library for the Raspberry Pi) to place a single 3D object and display it within the 3D space. We will then allow the mouse to rotate the view around the object.
![Starting with 3D coordinates and vertices](https://static.packt-cdn.com/products/9781785288326/graphics/graphics/6623_05_001.jpg)
Getting ready
The Raspberry Pi must be directly connected to a display, either via the HDMI or an analog video output. The 3D graphics rendered by the GPU will only be displayed on a local display, even if you are connecting to the Raspberry Pi remotely over a network. You will also need to use a locally connected mouse for control (however, keyboard...