Construct shapes from geometric primitives, thereby creating
mathematical descriptions of objects.
Arrange the objects in three dimensional space and select the
desired vantage point for viewing the composed scene.
Calculate the color of all the objects. The color might be
explicitly assigned by the application, determined from specified
lighting conditions, or obtained by pasting a texture onto the
objects.
Convert the mathematical description of objects and their
associated color information to pixels on the screen. This process is
called rasterization.
During these stages, OpenGL might perform other operations, such as
eliminating parts of objects that are hidden by other objects.