1991-2006
Silicon Graphics, Inc.
glShadeModel
3G
glShadeModel
select flat or smooth shading
C Specification
void glShadeModel
GLenum mode
Parameters
mode
Specifies a symbolic value representing a shading technique.
Accepted values are GL_FLAT and GL_SMOOTH.
The initial value is GL_SMOOTH.
Description
GL primitives can have either flat or smooth shading.
Smooth shading,
the default,
causes the computed colors of vertices to be interpolated as the
primitive is rasterized,
typically assigning different colors to each resulting pixel fragment.
Flat shading selects the computed color of just one vertex
and assigns it to all the pixel fragments
generated by rasterizing a single primitive.
In either case, the computed color of a vertex is the result of
lighting if lighting is enabled,
or it is the current color at the time the vertex was specified if
lighting is disabled.
Flat and smooth shading are indistinguishable for points.
Starting when glBegin is issued and counting vertices and
primitives from 1, the GL gives each flat-shaded line segment
i
the
computed color of vertex
i
+
1
,
its second vertex.
Counting similarly from 1,
the GL gives each flat-shaded polygon the computed color of the vertex listed
in the following table.
This is the last vertex to specify the polygon in all cases except single
polygons,
where the first vertex specifies the flat-shaded color.
Primitive Type of Polygon
i
Vertex
Single polygon
(
i
==
1
)
1
Triangle strip
i
+
2
Triangle fan
i
+
2
Independent triangle
3
⁢
i
Quad strip
2
⁢
i
+
2
Independent quad
4
⁢
i
Flat and smooth shading are specified by glShadeModel with mode set to
GL_FLAT and GL_SMOOTH, respectively.
Errors
GL_INVALID_ENUM is generated if mode is any value other than
GL_FLAT or GL_SMOOTH.
GL_INVALID_OPERATION is generated if glShadeModel
is executed between the execution of glBegin
and the corresponding execution of glEnd.
Associated Gets
glGet with argument GL_SHADE_MODEL
See Also
glBegin,
glColor,
glLight,
glLightModel
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/.