1991-2006
Silicon Graphics, Inc.
glColorMask
3G

# glColorMask

enable and disable writing of frame buffer color components

## C Specification

                    void glColorMask
                    GLboolean red
                    GLboolean green
                    GLboolean blue
                    GLboolean alpha

## Parameters

`red`
`green`
`blue`
`alpha`

  Specify whether red, green, blue, and alpha can or cannot be written into the frame buffer. The initial values are all `GL_TRUE`, indicating that the color components can be written.

## Description

`glColorMask` specifies whether the individual color components in the frame buffer can or cannot be written. If `red` is `GL_FALSE`, for example, no change is made to the red component of any pixel in any of the color buffers, regardless of the drawing operation attempted.

Changes to individual bits of components cannot be controlled. Rather, changes are either enabled or disabled for entire color components.

## Errors

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

## Associated Gets

glGet with argument `GL_COLOR_WRITEMASK`

glGet with argument `GL_RGBA_MODE`

## See Also

glClear, glColor, glColorPointer, glDepthMask, glIndex, glIndexPointer, glIndexMask, glStencilMask

## 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/.