Texture arrays and framebuffer attachment points

Is it possible to attach a texture array of arbitrary depth to a color buffer attachment point? If so, how does one write to it in a fragment shader? For instance, since the “n” in gl_FragData[n] refers to the attachment point, how would I refer to a specific level of a texture array attached to a particular attachment point? That is, I’m looking for something that’s used like “gl_layer” is used in geometry shaders, but for specifying a texture array level. If this isn’t possible, then is it true that the best one can do in a fragment shader is write up to four values to each of the textures attached to a framebuffer? In that case, if the maximum number of color buffer attachment points is, say, eight, then the maximum number of values one could write out to in a fragment shader would be 32.

Thanks everyone.

Attaching texture array to the FBO and drawing into it using gl_Layer is called Layered Rendering.

If you want to choose destination texture in fragment shader (or write to them all), then it’s MRT.

There is nothing in the middle, AFAIK.

What do you need it for? Maybe there is a better way to do it.

Specifically, I’m rendering in a spectral domain, preferably with each fragment represented by an arbitrary number of spectral samples that are calculated in a fragment shader, after which a different fragment shader converts the samples to RGB values in a texture applied to a full-screen quad. Basically, I’d like to be able to output an arbitrary number of values in a fragment shader.

So, when rendering to multiple targets one is limited to a single 2D texture per color buffer attachment point? If that’s the case, then a fragment can’t output more than 4N color values, where N is the number of available attachment points, right?

Basically, I’d like to be able to output an arbitrary number of values in a fragment shader.

There are a lot of things we’d like to do :wink: But right now (and for the foreseeable future), this goes on the pile of things that can’t be done.

If that’s the case, then a fragment can’t output more than 4N color values, where N is the number of available attachment points, right?

Plus depth.

If you choose RGBA_32F format for color and DEPTH_COMPONENT_32F for depth, you’ll have (M*4 + 1) float values output, where M is maximum MRT number. If the precision of 32bit float is too much, you can encode several values into it.

Also, as you are trying to do non-graphics-related calculations, consider using OpenCL (or any other GPGPU technology): it might afford better flexibility for the output.

Thanks for the info and advice. Being a GLSL and OpenGL newbie, I didn’t know that the current OpenGL model was so limited. Now that I know that a fragment shader can’t output more than 4M+1 values, I can quit banging my head against the wall looking for a way to output more than that. My application has already been implemented using CUDA, but I’m now trying to port it to GLSL, if possible. Unfortunately, I do need 32-bits of precision.

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