OpenGL Programming Guide: The Official Guide to Learning OpenGL, Version 4.3, Eighth Edition

Compute Shader Redux

To use a compute shader in your program:

• Create a compute shader with glCreateShader() using the type GL_COMPUTE_SHADER.

• Set the shader source with glShaderSource() and compile it with glCompileShader().

• Attach it to a program object with glAttachShader() and link it with glLinkProgram().

• Make the program current with glUseProgram().

• Launch compute workloads with glDispatchCompute() or glDispatchComputeIndirect().

In your compute shader:

• Specify the local workgroup size using the local_size_x, local_size_y and local_size_z input layout qualifiers.

• Read and write memory using buffer or image variables, or by updating the values of atomic counters.

The special built-in variables available to a compute shader are ...