Abstract: OpenGL is a kind of development criterion of 3D graphics and a necessary toolkit for development of 3D graphics. Its stability, reliability, and expansibility make it unbelievably powerful and widely applicable. OpenGL has been widely applied in many fields such as Computer Aided Design (CAD), Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM), Computer Aided Education (CAE), medical image manipulation, virtualreality, entertainment, and advertisement business. OpenGL can also be applied in presentation of some special three-dimension problem, such as reservoir exploitation. Reservoir is a complicated spatio-tem-poral system. Reservoir dynamic and static characterization
would be achieved through analysis of dynamic monitoring data and employment of geostatistics method. By means of OpenGL, the interior state of underground oil field will be presented visually and vividly to the administrative levels of oil field and engineers. As a result, the work efficiency will be improved evidently. This paper introduces the basic conception, characteristic, principle, working flow and drawing flow of OpenGL. The
three-dimension visual toolkit of reservoir construction based on OpenGL techniques is inset in the oil field management system of geographic information system (GIS). It will enhance its inadequate description ability for three-dimensional space in current GIS system.

Key words: OpenGL, virtual reality, reservoir management, geographic information system (GIS)