CODEWITHSUNDEEP
openglglsl
FamZ
FamZ

Reputation: 481

Is it good to use a buffer as shader storage buffer and then as atomic counter buffer?

I'm using an atomic counter which has it's own buffer and i want to clear that counter in some other pass. So is it good to bind the buffer as shader storage buffer to clear it and then, in a second pass use it as atomic counter buffer? Also i would like to ask if it's even ok to use the same buffer as shader storage buffer and as atomic counter buffer at the same time in the same shader, let's say, 4 bytes at the start are intended only for the atomic counter, while in the same buffer is other data which is read/modified.

Upvotes: 3

Views: 488

Answers (1)

pleluron
pleluron

Reputation: 733

You can use the same buffer with different targets, but you have to manage alignment requirements yourself (All params for glGet with ALIGNMENT in their names).

Then you can invalidate a range with InvalidateBufferSubData as a performance hint (the GPU doesn't have to preserve content you will clear) and clear the range with ClearBufferSubData.

For better performance I would advise using double or triple buffering for the atomic counters, or any data that are often cleared or updated.

Upvotes: 2

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