In openGL 2.1 certain features became core, such as GL_PIXEL_PACK_BUFFER types for buffers in vram.
How does ‘pixel pack buffer’ types relate to FBO extensions in openGL 2.0 and is it possible to create and use FBO like objects without using the old EXT functions in openGL 2.1 (i.e. only using core opengl funtions)?
I’m trying to implement ‘Render-To-FBO’ behaviour for a particle system to feed back information into itself without involving copying back and forward between main memory.
I guess im just confused by many tutorials using similar functions for the same(ish) behaviour which are already a few years old and I cant find a good definitive description of what the current ‘best’ way to do this.
VBOs and PBOs are essentially the same. They’re essentially arrays on the GPU. The only difference is how the data in them is interpreted. You can put data into a PBO and then rebind it as a VBO if you want; no problems.
FBOs are like a struct of pointers. You use them by attaching memory locations to those pointers, and specifying which pointer to render to or read from. The memory locations can take the form of textures or renderbuffers.