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# docs.GL

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

# glBufferData

## Name

glBufferData, glNamedBufferData — creates and initializes a buffer object's data store

## C Specification

`void glBufferData(` | GLenum target,
| GLsizeiptr size,
| const GLvoid * data,
| GLenum usage`)`;

`void glNamedBufferData(` | GLuint buffer,
| GLsizeiptr size,
| const void *data,
| GLenum usage`)`;

## Parameters

`target`

  Specifies the target to which the buffer object is bound for `glBufferData`, which must be one of the buffer binding targets in the following table:

  Buffer Binding Target | Purpose
  --- | ---
  `GL_ARRAY_BUFFER` | Vertex attributes
  `GL_ATOMIC_COUNTER_BUFFER` | Atomic counter storage
  `GL_COPY_READ_BUFFER` | Buffer copy source
  `GL_COPY_WRITE_BUFFER` | Buffer copy destination
  `GL_DISPATCH_INDIRECT_BUFFER` | Indirect compute dispatch commands
  `GL_DRAW_INDIRECT_BUFFER` | Indirect command arguments
  `GL_ELEMENT_ARRAY_BUFFER` | Vertex array indices
  `GL_PIXEL_PACK_BUFFER` | Pixel read target
  `GL_PIXEL_UNPACK_BUFFER` | Texture data source
  `GL_QUERY_BUFFER` | Query result buffer
  `GL_SHADER_STORAGE_BUFFER` | Read-write storage for shaders
  `GL_TEXTURE_BUFFER` | Texture data buffer
  `GL_TRANSFORM_FEEDBACK_BUFFER` | Transform feedback buffer
  `GL_UNIFORM_BUFFER` | Uniform block storage

`buffer`

  Specifies the name of the buffer object for `glNamedBufferData` function.

`size`

  Specifies the size in bytes of the buffer object's new data store.

`data`

  Specifies a pointer to data that will be copied into the data store for initialization, or `NULL` if no data is to be copied.

`usage`

  Specifies the expected usage pattern of the data store. The symbolic constant must be `GL_STREAM_DRAW`, `GL_STREAM_READ`, `GL_STREAM_COPY`, `GL_STATIC_DRAW`, `GL_STATIC_READ`, `GL_STATIC_COPY`, `GL_DYNAMIC_DRAW`, `GL_DYNAMIC_READ`, or `GL_DYNAMIC_COPY`.

## Description

`glBufferData` and `glNamedBufferData` create a new data store for a buffer object. In case of `glBufferData`, the buffer object currently bound to `target` is used. For `glNamedBufferData`, a buffer object associated with ID specified by the caller in `buffer` will be used instead.

While creating the new storage, any pre-existing data store is deleted. The new data store is created with the specified `size` in bytes and `usage`. If `data` is not `NULL`, the data store is initialized with data from this pointer. In its initial state, the new data store is not mapped, it has a `NULL` mapped pointer, and its mapped access is `GL_READ_WRITE`.

`usage` is a hint to the GL implementation as to how a buffer object's data store will be accessed. This enables the GL implementation to make more intelligent decisions that may significantly impact buffer object performance. It does not, however, constrain the actual usage of the data store. `usage` can be broken down into two parts: first, the frequency of access (modification and usage), and second, the nature of that access. The frequency of access may be one of these:

STREAM

  The data store contents will be modified once and used at most a few times.

STATIC

  The data store contents will be modified once and used many times.

DYNAMIC

  The data store contents will be modified repeatedly and used many times.

The nature of access may be one of these:

DRAW

  The data store contents are modified by the application, and used as the source for GL drawing and image specification commands.

READ

  The data store contents are modified by reading data from the GL, and used to return that data when queried by the application.

COPY

  The data store contents are modified by reading data from the GL, and used as the source for GL drawing and image specification commands.

## Notes

If `data` is `NULL`, a data store of the specified size is still created, but its contents remain uninitialized and thus undefined.

Clients must align data elements consistently with the requirements of the client platform, with an additional base-level requirement that an offset within a buffer to a datum comprising N bytes be a multiple of N.

The `GL_ATOMIC_COUNTER_BUFFER` target is available only if the GL version is 4.2 or greater.

The `GL_DISPATCH_INDIRECT_BUFFER` and `GL_SHADER_STORAGE_BUFFER` targets are available only if the GL version is 4.3 or greater.

The `GL_QUERY_BUFFER` target is available only if the GL version is 4.4 or greater.

## Errors

`GL_INVALID_ENUM` is generated by `glBufferData` if `target` is not one of the accepted buffer targets.

`GL_INVALID_ENUM` is generated if `usage` is not `GL_STREAM_DRAW`, `GL_STREAM_READ`, `GL_STREAM_COPY`, `GL_STATIC_DRAW`, `GL_STATIC_READ`, `GL_STATIC_COPY`, `GL_DYNAMIC_DRAW`, `GL_DYNAMIC_READ`, or `GL_DYNAMIC_COPY`.

`GL_INVALID_VALUE` is generated if `size` is negative.

`GL_INVALID_OPERATION` is generated by `glBufferData` if the reserved buffer object name 0 is bound to `target`.

`GL_INVALID_OPERATION` is generated by `glNamedBufferData` if buffer is not the name of an existing buffer object.

`GL_INVALID_OPERATION` is generated if the `GL_BUFFER_IMMUTABLE_STORAGE` flag of the buffer object is `GL_TRUE`.

`GL_OUT_OF_MEMORY` is generated if the GL is unable to create a data store with the specified `size`.

## Associated Gets

glGetBufferSubData

glGetBufferParameter with argument `GL_BUFFER_SIZE` or `GL_BUFFER_USAGE`

## 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

## Tutorials

Anton Gerdelan - "Hello Triangle" - OpenGL 4 Up and Running
Anton Gerdelan - Cube Maps: Sky Boxes and Environment Mapping
Anton Gerdelan - Vertex Buffer Objects
Songho - OpenGL Pixel Buffer Object (PBO)
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 7 : Model loading
opengl-tutorial.org - Tutorial 8 : Basic shading

## 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
`glBufferData` | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔
`glNamedBufferData` | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ✔

## See Also

glBindBuffer, glBufferSubData, glMapBuffer, glUnmapBuffer

## Copyright

Copyright © 2005 Addison-Wesley. Copyright © 2010-2014 Khronos Group. 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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