Extensions to promote to ARB/core

[Jan]

Here is a list of extensions, that i use but have found not to be in core yet, some of them not even EXT or ARB. Those are GL 2.1 extensions, some of them have been included in GL3, but not all. I am not sure, whether the ARB plans to release a GL 2.2 for all those "lazy CAD developers" i am more concerned with GL3 development. Still it is a bit crazy that there are extensions, which are used by nearly every GL application for many years, but have not yet been promoted to core, ARB or even EXT.


Not in GL3, not in core, most not even ARB:

GL_ARB_geometry_shader4
WGL_EXT_swap_control (!!!)
GL_S3_s3tc (!!!)
GL_EXT_texture_filter_anisotropic (!!!)
GL_EXT_stencil_two_side

Included in GL3, but not ARB or in core in GL 2.x
GL_NV_conditional_render
GL_EXT_texture_integer

Please correct me, if i got something wrong here.

Especially texture compression, anisotropic filtering and v-sync should become core soon, IMO.

There are certainly more extensions to be put on that list, but those are the ones, that i found in my code to be referenced.

Jan.

[mfort]

Totally agree. Recently I was doing cleanup of my code and I was very surprised that there is no "core" alternative for GL_EXT_texture_filter_anisotropic.
This extension was done in 2000! It is impossible to use mipmaping (in real applications) without this extension. I think the extensions is supported by all vendors.

[Eosie]

GL_EXT_stencil_two_side

There are similar and more DSA-friendly functions in GL2.0 already.

See:
http://www.opengl.org/sdk/docs/man/x...ncSeparate.xml
http://www.opengl.org/sdk/docs/man/x...skSeparate.xml
http://www.opengl.org/sdk/docs/man/x...OpSeparate.xml

[Dark Photon]

Here is a list of extensions, that i use but have found not to be in core yet...

...
GL_S3_s3tc (!!!)

Never heard of that specific one. Anything in this that isn't in EXT_texture_compression_s3tc (provides DXT1/3/5 compression)? We definitely use that one, along with the other DXT-related compressions (e.g. LATC). If this isn't core yet (along with anisotropic filtering), I too am kinda shocked.

[Jan]

Sorry, i just searched the registry for "s3tc", yeah EXT_texture_compression_s3tc is the one i actually meant, but afaik it is not core. I did search the GL 3.1 spec, ARB_texture_compression is core, but those give only the entry points for uploading a compressed texture, no internal formats are defined. So s3tc isn't core anywhere (except for D3D...).

[martinsm]

AFAIK s3tc is not in core because of patent issues. Somebody (probably S3 Graphics if I remember correctly) holds patent for dxt compression, so putting this extension in core will require for OpenGL vendors to acquire licence for usage of patent (read - it will cost them lot of $).

[Hampel]

But all of them do support the S3TC compression scheme, so they shoud already have corresponding licenses...

[Eosie]

Except Mesa, I think.

[praetor_alpha]

Aren't we forgetting EXT_direct_state_access? I'm wondering why that hasn't been promoted in/since GL 3.1.

That was the major thing that let me down in 3.0.

[PkK]

But all of them do support the S3TC compression scheme, so they shoud already have corresponding licenses...

Another reason for us to not want them to put S3TC support into core GL: It would lock out newcomers (which won't ge a license) and thus work against innovation.

Philipp