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# docs.GL

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

# glStencilMask

## Name

glStencilMask — control the front and back writing of individual bits in the stencil planes

## C Specification

`void glStencilMask(` | GLuint mask`)`;

## Parameters

`mask`

  Specifies a bit mask to enable and disable writing of individual bits in the stencil planes. Initially, the mask is all 1's.

## Description

`glStencilMask` controls the writing of individual bits in the stencil planes. The least significant n bits of `mask`, where n is the number of bits in the stencil buffer, specify a mask. Where a 1 appears in the mask, it's possible to write to the corresponding bit in the stencil buffer. Where a 0 appears, the corresponding bit is write-protected. Initially, all bits are enabled for writing.

There can be two separate `mask` writemasks; one affects back-facing polygons, and the other affects front-facing polygons as well as other non-polygon primitives. glStencilMask sets both front and back stencil writemasks to the same values. Use glStencilMaskSeparate to set front and back stencil writemasks to different values.

## Notes

glStencilMask is the same as calling glStencilMaskSeparate with `face` set to `GL_FRONT_AND_BACK`.

## Associated Gets

glGet with argument `GL_STENCIL_WRITEMASK`, `GL_STENCIL_BACK_WRITEMASK`, or `GL_STENCIL_BITS`

## Tutorials

## Version Support

| OpenGL Version
--- | ---
Function / Feature Name | 2.0 | 2.1 | 3.0 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.5
`glStencilMask` | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔

## See Also

glColorMask, glDepthMask, glStencilFunc, glStencilFuncSeparate, glStencilMaskSeparate, glStencilOp, glStencilOpSeparate

## Copyright

Copyright © 1991-2006 Silicon Graphics, Inc. Copyright © 2010-2014 Khronos Group. This document is licensed under the SGI Free Software B License. For details, see https://web.archive.org/web/20171022161616/http://oss.sgi.com/projects/FreeB/.

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