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# docs.GL

OpenGL 4
OpenGL 3
OpenGL 2

# glMultiDrawArrays

## Name

glMultiDrawArrays — render multiple sets of primitives from array data

## C Specification

`void glMultiDrawArrays(` | GLenum | mode,
| GLint * | first,
| GLsizei * | count,
| GLsizei | primcount`)`;

## Parameters

`mode`

  Specifies what kind of primitives to render. Symbolic constants `GL_POINTS`, `GL_LINE_STRIP`, `GL_LINE_LOOP`, `GL_LINES`, `GL_TRIANGLE_STRIP`, `GL_TRIANGLE_FAN`, `GL_TRIANGLES`, `GL_QUAD_STRIP`, `GL_QUADS`, and `GL_POLYGON` are accepted.

`first`

  Points to an array of starting indices in the enabled arrays.

`count`

  Points to an array of the number of indices to be rendered.

`primcount`

  Specifies the size of the first and count

## Description

`glMultiDrawArrays` specifies multiple sets of geometric primitives with very few subroutine calls. Instead of calling a GL procedure to pass each individual vertex, normal, texture coordinate, edge flag, or color, you can prespecify separate arrays of vertices, normals, and colors and use them to construct a sequence of primitives with a single call to `glMultiDrawArrays`.

`glMultiDrawArrays` behaves identically to glDrawArrays except that `primcount` separate ranges of elements are specified instead.

When `glMultiDrawArrays` is called, it uses `count` sequential elements from each enabled array to construct a sequence of geometric primitives, beginning with element `first`. `mode` specifies what kind of primitives are constructed, and how the array elements construct those primitives. If `GL_VERTEX_ARRAY` is not enabled, no geometric primitives are generated.

Vertex attributes that are modified by `glMultiDrawArrays` have an unspecified value after `glMultiDrawArrays` returns. For example, if `GL_COLOR_ARRAY` is enabled, the value of the current color is undefined after `glMultiDrawArrays` executes. Attributes that aren't modified remain well defined.

## Notes

`glMultiDrawArrays` is available only if the GL version is 1.4 or greater.

`glMultiDrawArrays` is included in display lists. If `glMultiDrawArrays` is entered into a display list, the necessary array data (determined by the array pointers and enables) is also entered into the display list. Because the array pointers and enables are client-side state, their values affect display lists when the lists are created, not when the lists are executed.

## Errors

`GL_INVALID_ENUM` is generated if `mode` is not an accepted value.

`GL_INVALID_VALUE` is generated if `primcount` is negative.

`GL_INVALID_OPERATION` is generated if a non-zero buffer object name is bound to an enabled array and the buffer object's data store is currently mapped.

`GL_INVALID_OPERATION` is generated if `glMultiDrawArrays` is executed between the execution of glBegin and the corresponding glEnd.

## See Also

glArrayElement, glColorPointer, glDrawElements, glDrawRangeElements, glEdgeFlagPointer, glFogCoordPointer, glGetPointerv, glIndexPointer, glInterleavedArrays, glNormalPointer, glSecondaryColorPointer, glTexCoordPointer, glVertexPointer

## Copyright

Copyright © 1991-2006 Silicon Graphics, Inc. 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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