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# docs.GL

OpenGL 4
OpenGL 3
OpenGL 2
OpenGL ES 3
OpenGL ES 2

# glBindBuffer

## Name

glBindBuffer — bind a named buffer object

## C Specification

`void glBindBuffer(` | GLenum target,
| GLuint buffer`)`;

## Parameters

`target`

  Specifies the target to which the buffer object is bound. The symbolic constant must be `GL_ARRAY_BUFFER`, `GL_COPY_READ_BUFFER`, `GL_COPY_WRITE_BUFFER`, `GL_ELEMENT_ARRAY_BUFFER`, `GL_PIXEL_PACK_BUFFER`, `GL_PIXEL_UNPACK_BUFFER`, `GL_TEXTURE_BUFFER`, `GL_TRANSFORM_FEEDBACK_BUFFER`, or `GL_UNIFORM_BUFFER`.

`buffer`

  Specifies the name of a buffer object.

## Description

`glBindBuffer` binds a buffer object to the specified buffer binding point. Calling `glBindBuffer` with `target` set to one of the accepted symbolic constants and `buffer` set to the name of a buffer object binds that buffer object name to the target. If no buffer object with name `buffer` exists, one is created with that name. When a buffer object is bound to a target, the previous binding for that target is automatically broken.

Buffer object names are unsigned integers. The value zero is reserved, but there is no default buffer object for each buffer object target. Instead, `buffer` set to zero effectively unbinds any buffer object previously bound, and restores client memory usage for that buffer object target (if supported for that target). Buffer object names and the corresponding buffer object contents are local to the shared object space of the current GL rendering context; two rendering contexts share buffer object names only if they explicitly enable sharing between contexts through the appropriate GL windows interfaces functions.

glGenBuffers must be used to generate a set of unused buffer object names.

The state of a buffer object immediately after it is first bound is an unmapped zero-sized memory buffer with `GL_READ_WRITE` access and `GL_STATIC_DRAW` usage.

While a non-zero buffer object name is bound, GL operations on the target to which it is bound affect the bound buffer object, and queries of the target to which it is bound return state from the bound buffer object. While buffer object name zero is bound, as in the initial state, attempts to modify or query state on the target to which it is bound generates an `GL_INVALID_OPERATION` error.

When a non-zero buffer object is bound to the `GL_ARRAY_BUFFER` target, the vertex array pointer parameter is interpreted as an offset within the buffer object measured in basic machine units.

While a non-zero buffer object is bound to the `GL_ELEMENT_ARRAY_BUFFER` target, the indices parameter of glDrawElements, glDrawElementsInstanced, glDrawElementsBaseVertex, glDrawRangeElements, glDrawRangeElementsBaseVertex, glMultiDrawElements, or glMultiDrawElementsBaseVertex is interpreted as an offset within the buffer object measured in basic machine units.

While a non-zero buffer object is bound to the `GL_PIXEL_PACK_BUFFER` target, the following commands are affected: glGetCompressedTexImage, glGetTexImage, and glReadPixels. The pointer parameter is interpreted as an offset within the buffer object measured in basic machine units.

While a non-zero buffer object is bound to the `GL_PIXEL_UNPACK_BUFFER` target, the following commands are affected: glCompressedTexImage1D, glCompressedTexImage2D, glCompressedTexImage3D, glCompressedTexSubImage1D, glCompressedTexSubImage2D, glCompressedTexSubImage3D, glTexImage1D, glTexImage2D, glTexImage3D, glTexSubImage1D, glTexSubImage2D, and glTexSubImage3D. The pointer parameter is interpreted as an offset within the buffer object measured in basic machine units.

The buffer targets `GL_COPY_READ_BUFFER` and `GL_COPY_WRITE_BUFFER` are provided to allow glCopyBufferSubData to be used without disturbing the state of other bindings. However, glCopyBufferSubData may be used with any pair of buffer binding points.

The `GL_TRANSFORM_FEEDBACK_BUFFER` buffer binding point may be passed to `glBindBuffer`, but will not directly affect transform feedback state. Instead, the indexed `GL_TRANSFORM_FEEDBACK_BUFFER` bindings must be used through a call to glBindBufferBase or glBindBufferRange. This will affect the generic `GL_TRANSFORM_FEEDBACK_BUFFER` binding.

Likewise, the `GL_UNIFORM_BUFFER` buffer binding point may be used, but does not directly affect uniform buffer state. glBindBufferBase or glBindBufferRange must be used to bind a buffer to an indexed uniform buffer binding point.

A buffer object binding created with `glBindBuffer` remains active until a different buffer object name is bound to the same target, or until the bound buffer object is deleted with glDeleteBuffers.

Once created, a named buffer object may be re-bound to any target as often as needed. However, the GL implementation may make choices about how to optimize the storage of a buffer object based on its initial binding target.

## Notes

The `GL_COPY_READ_BUFFER`, `GL_UNIFORM_BUFFER` and `GL_TEXTURE_BUFFER` targets are available only if the GL version is 3.1 or greater.

## Errors

`GL_INVALID_ENUM` is generated if `target` is not one of the allowable values.

`GL_INVALID_VALUE` is generated if `buffer` is not a name previously returned from a call to glGenBuffers.

## Associated Gets

glGet with argument `GL_ARRAY_BUFFER_BINDING`

glGet with argument `GL_COPY_READ_BUFFER_BINDING`

glGet with argument `GL_COPY_WRITE_BUFFER_BINDING`

glGet with argument `GL_ELEMENT_ARRAY_BUFFER_BINDING`

glGet with argument `GL_PIXEL_PACK_BUFFER_BINDING`

glGet with argument `GL_PIXEL_UNPACK_BUFFER_BINDING`

glGet with argument `GL_TRANSFORM_FEEDBACK_BUFFER_BINDING`

glGet with argument `GL_UNIFORM_BUFFER_BINDING`

## Examples

Load a vertex buffer into OpenGL for later rendering.

    // data_size_in_bytes is the size in bytes of your vertex data.
    // data_vertices is your actual vertex data, probably a huge array of floats

    GLuint vertex_buffer; // Save this for later rendering
    glGenBuffers(1, &vertex_buffer);
    glBindBuffer(GL_ARRAY_BUFFER, vertex_buffer);
    glBufferData(GL_ARRAY_BUFFER, data_size_in_bytes, 0, GL_STATIC_DRAW);
    glBufferSubData(GL_ARRAY_BUFFER, 0, data_size_in_bytes, data_vertices);

    GLint size = 0;
    glGetBufferParameteriv(GL_ARRAY_BUFFER, GL_BUFFER_SIZE, &size);
    if(data_size_in_bytes != size)
    {
        glDeleteBuffers(1, &vertex_buffer);
        // Log the error
        return;
    }

    // Success

Load an index buffer into OpenGL for later rendering.

    // data_size_in_bytes is the size in bytes of your vertex data.
    // data_indices is an array of integer offsets into your vertex data.

    GLuint index_buffer; // Save this for later rendering
    glGenBuffers(1, &index_buffer);
    glBindBuffer(GL_ELEMENT_ARRAY_BUFFER, index_buffer);
    glBufferData(GL_ELEMENT_ARRAY_BUFFER, data_size_in_bytes, 0, GL_STATIC_DRAW);
    glBufferSubData(GL_ELEMENT_ARRAY_BUFFER, 0, data_size_in_bytes, data_indices);

    GLint size = 0;
    glGetBufferParameteriv(GL_ELEMENT_ARRAY_BUFFER, GL_BUFFER_SIZE, &size);
    if(data_size_in_bytes != size)
    {
        glDeleteBuffers(1, &index_buffer);
        // Log the error
        return;
    }

    // Success

Render an indexed buffer object using texture UV and normal vertex attributes.

    glBindBuffer(GL_ARRAY_BUFFER, vertex_buffer); // vertex_buffer is retrieved from glGenBuffers
    glBindBuffer(GL_ELEMENT_ARRAY_BUFFER, index_buffer); // index_buffer is retrieved from glGenBuffers

    glEnableVertexAttribArray(texcoord_attrib_index); // Attribute indexes were received from calls to glGetAttribLocation, or passed into glBindAttribLocation.
    glEnableVertexAttribArray(normal_attrib_index);
    glEnableVertexAttribArray(position_attrib_index);

    // vertex_stride is the size of bytes of each vertex in the buffer object
    // vertex_position_offset and kin are the offset in bytes of the position data
    // in each vertex. For example if your vertex structure is
    // [ position, texcoord, normal ] then position vertex_position_offset will
    // have offset 0, vertex_texcoord_offset is 12 (position is 3 * sizeof(float)
    // bytes large, and texcoord comes just after) and vertex_normal_offset is
    // 20 = 5 * sizeof(float).
    GLintptr vertex_texcoord_offset = 3 * sizeof(float);
    GLintptr vertex_normal_offset = 5 * sizeof(float);
    GLintptr vertex_position_offset = 0 * sizeof(float);

    glVertexAttribPointer(texcoord_attrib_index, 2, GL_FLOAT, false, vertex_stride, (GLvoid*)vertex_texcoord_offset);
    glVertexAttribPointer(normal_attrib_index, 3, GL_FLOAT, false, vertex_stride, (GLvoid*)vertex_normal_offset);
    glVertexAttribPointer(position_attrib_index, 3, GL_FLOAT, false, vertex_stride, (GLvoid*)vertex_position_offset);

    // num_vertices is the number of verts in your vertex_data.
    // index_data is an array of unsigned int offsets into vertex_data.
    glDrawElements(GL_TRIANGLES, num_vertices, GL_UNSIGNED_INT, NULL);

    glDisableVertexAttribArray(position_attrib_index);
    glDisableVertexAttribArray(texcoord_attrib_index);
    glDisableVertexAttribArray(normal_attrib_index);

## Tutorials

Learning Modern 3D Graphics Programming - Chapter 5. Objects in Depth [Vertex Array Objects, Indexed Drawing]
Songho - OpenGL Pixel Buffer Object (PBO)
Songho - OpenGL Vertex Buffer Object (VBO)
open.gl - Geometry Shaders
open.gl - The Graphics Pipeline
open.gl - Transform Feedback
opengl-tutorial.org - Particles / Instancing
opengl-tutorial.org - Tutorial 13 : Normal Mapping
opengl-tutorial.org - Tutorial 14 : Render To Texture
opengl-tutorial.org - Tutorial 2 : The first triangle
opengl-tutorial.org - Tutorial 4 : A Colored Cube
opengl-tutorial.org - Tutorial 8 : Basic shading

## See Also

glGenBuffers, glBindBufferBase, glBindBufferRange, glMapBuffer, glUnmapBuffer, glDeleteBuffers, glGet, glIsBuffer

## Copyright

Copyright © 2005 Addison-Wesley. This material may be distributed subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Open Publication License, v 1.0, 8 June 1999. https://opencontent.org/openpub/.

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