1991-2006 Silicon Graphics, Inc.
glDrawArrays 3G
glDrawArrays render primitives from array data

## C Specification

void `glDrawArrays` GLenum mode GLint first GLsizei count

## Parameters

mode

  Specifies what kind of primitives to render. Symbolic constants `GL_POINTS`, `GL_LINE_STRIP`, `GL_LINE_LOOP`, `GL_LINES`, `GL_TRIANGLE_STRIP`, `GL_TRIANGLE_FAN`, `GL_TRIANGLES`, `GL_QUAD_STRIP`, `GL_QUADS`, and `GL_POLYGON` are accepted.

first

  Specifies the starting index in the enabled arrays.

count

  Specifies the number of indices to be rendered.

## Description

`glDrawArrays` specifies multiple geometric primitives with very few subroutine calls. Instead of calling a GL procedure to pass each individual vertex, normal, texture coordinate, edge flag, or color, you can prespecify separate arrays of vertices, normals, and colors and use them to construct a sequence of primitives with a single call to `glDrawArrays`.

When `glDrawArrays` is called, it uses count sequential elements from each enabled array to construct a sequence of geometric primitives, beginning with element first. mode specifies what kind of primitives are constructed and how the array elements construct those primitives. If `GL_VERTEX_ARRAY` is not enabled, no geometric primitives are generated.

Vertex attributes that are modified by `glDrawArrays` have an unspecified value after `glDrawArrays` returns. For example, if `GL_COLOR_ARRAY` is enabled, the value of the current color is undefined after `glDrawArrays` executes. Attributes that aren't modified remain well defined.

## Notes

`glDrawArrays` is available only if the GL version is 1.1 or greater.

`glDrawArrays` is included in display lists. If `glDrawArrays` is entered into a display list, the necessary array data (determined by the array pointers and enables) is also entered into the display list. Because the array pointers and enables are client-side state, their values affect display lists when the lists are created, not when the lists are executed.

## Errors

`GL_INVALID_ENUM` is generated if mode is not an accepted value.

`GL_INVALID_VALUE` is generated if count is negative.

`GL_INVALID_OPERATION` is generated if a non-zero buffer object name is bound to an enabled array and the buffer object's data store is currently mapped.

`GL_INVALID_OPERATION` is generated if `glDrawArrays` is executed between the execution of glBegin and the corresponding glEnd.

## See Also

glArrayElement, glColorPointer, glDrawElements, glDrawRangeElements, glEdgeFlagPointer, glFogCoordPointer, glGetPointerv, glIndexPointer, glInterleavedArrays, glNormalPointer, glSecondaryColorPointer, glTexCoordPointer, glVertexPointer

## Copyright

Copyright 1991-2006 Silicon Graphics, Inc. This document is licensed under the SGI Free Software B License. For details, see http://oss.sgi.com/projects/FreeB/.