So, what I’m trying to do here is just like render to vertex buffers (using an FBO, GL_PIXEL_PACK_BUFFER_EXT and glReadPixels), just that I want to update my element array - the indices to the vertices for each face - instead of the vertex coordinates themselves.
Two problems, though:
First, when I read from the FBO texture and/or buffer, that should have the updated indices, there’s a small error. Sometimes an index will be one above or below the supposed index. This is due to precision problems when OpenGL does its multiplication thing when storing integers into a float. Is there a way to either disable the multiplication, or have it store integer values past 255 (and have these values available on a shader)?
Second, the readPixels is exceedingly slow. I suppose it’s because of the conversion from GL_FLOAT_R32_NV to unsigned integers, but element arrays can’t be anything other than signed or unsigned bytes or integers, apparently. Any way around this?
Well, I guess, you answered your question yourself… Current generations only work with floats and there are no integer-storage textures. I doubt you can do it with current hardware, due to precision issues.
Well, I can write and read back an “integer” value from a float point texture just fine, if I pass it as a float. The problem is on the conversion, since the element draw call function requires an integer value type. What I want to do is simple: when passing floats, OpenGL doesn’t do anything with the value, it’s stored as-is. I want to know if it’s possible to disable the multiplication it does with integer values when storing and reading back, just like it is with float values.
I don’t think it’s possible, but I thought it was worth a shot trying to ask it around here anyway.
