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# docs.GL

OpenGL 4
OpenGL 3
OpenGL 2
OpenGL ES 3

# glDrawBuffers

## Name

glDrawBuffers — Specifies a list of color buffers to be drawn into

## C Specification

`void glDrawBuffers(` | GLsizei | n,
| const GLenum * | bufs`)`;

## Parameters

`n`

  Specifies the number of buffers in `bufs`.

`bufs`

  Points to an array of symbolic constants specifying the buffers into which fragment colors or data values will be written.

## Description

`glDrawBuffers` defines an array of buffers into which fragment color values or fragment data will be written. If no fragment shader is active, rendering operations will generate only one fragment color per fragment and it will be written into each of the buffers specified by `bufs`. If a fragment shader is active and it writes a value to the output variable `gl_FragColor`, then that value will be written into each of the buffers specified by `bufs`. If a fragment shader is active and it writes a value to one or more elements of the output array variable `gl_FragData[]`, then the value of `gl_FragData[0]` will be written into the first buffer specified by `bufs`, the value of `gl_FragData[1]` will be written into the second buffer specified by `bufs`, and so on up to `gl_FragData[n-1]`. The draw buffer used for `gl_FragData[n]` and beyond is implicitly set to be `GL_NONE`.

The symbolic constants contained in `bufs` may be any of the following:

`GL_NONE`

  The fragment color/data value is not written into any color buffer.

`GL_FRONT_LEFT`

  The fragment color/data value is written into the front left color buffer.

`GL_FRONT_RIGHT`

  The fragment color/data value is written into the front right color buffer.

`GL_BACK_LEFT`

  The fragment color/data value is written into the back left color buffer.

`GL_BACK_RIGHT`

  The fragment color/data value is written into the back right color buffer.

`GL_AUXi`

  The fragment color/data value is written into auxiliary buffer `i`.

Except for `GL_NONE`, the preceding symbolic constants may not appear more than once in `bufs`. The maximum number of draw buffers supported is implementation dependent and can be queried by calling glGet with the argument `GL_MAX_DRAW_BUFFERS`. The number of auxiliary buffers can be queried by calling glGet with the argument `GL_AUX_BUFFERS`.

## Notes

`glDrawBuffers` is available only if the GL version is 2.0 or greater.

It is always the case that `GL_AUXi` = `GL_AUX0` + `i`.

The symbolic constants `GL_FRONT`, `GL_BACK`, `GL_LEFT`, `GL_RIGHT`, and `GL_FRONT_AND_BACK` are not allowed in the `bufs` array since they may refer to multiple buffers.

If a fragment shader writes to neither `gl_FragColor` nor `gl_FragData`, the values of the fragment colors following shader execution are undefined. For each fragment generated in this situation, a different value may be written into each of the buffers specified by `bufs`.

## Errors

`GL_INVALID_ENUM` is generated if one of the values in `bufs` is not an accepted value.

`GL_INVALID_ENUM` is generated if `n` is less than 0.

`GL_INVALID_OPERATION` is generated if a symbolic constant other than `GL_NONE` appears more than once in `bufs`.

`GL_INVALID_OPERATION` is generated if any of the entries in `bufs` (other than `GL_NONE` ) indicates a color buffer that does not exist in the current GL context.

`GL_INVALID_VALUE` is generated if `n` is greater than `GL_MAX_DRAW_BUFFERS`.

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

## Associated Gets

glGet with argument `GL_MAX_DRAW_BUFFERS`

glGet with argument `GL_DRAW_BUFFERSi` where `i` indicates the number of the draw buffer whose value is to be queried

## Tutorials

## See Also

glBlendFunc, glColorMask, glDrawBuffers, glIndexMask, glLogicOp, glReadBuffer

## Copyright

Copyright © 2003-2005 3Dlabs Inc. Ltd. 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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