The OpenGL 4.6 and OpenGL Shading Language 4.60 Specifications were released on July 31, 2017.
New features of OpenGL 4.6 include:
- GL_ARB_gl_spirv and GL_ARB_spirv_extensions to standardize SPIR-V support for OpenGL
- GL_ARB_indirect_parameters and GL_ARB_shader_draw_parameters for reducing the CPU overhead associated with rendering batches of geometry
- GL_ARB_pipeline_statistics_query and GL_ARB_transform_feedback_overflow_query standardize OpenGL support for features available in Direct3D
- GL_ARB_texture_filter_anisotropic (based on GL_EXT_texture_filter_anisotropic) brings previously IP encumbered functionality into OpenGL to improve the visual quality of textured scenes
- GL_ARB_polygon_offset_clamp (based on GL_EXT_polygon_offset_clamp) suppresses a common visual artifact known as a “light leak” associated with rendering shadows
- GL_ARB_shader_atomic_counter_ops and GL_ARB_shader_group_vote add shader intrinsics supported by all desktop vendors to improve functionality and performance
- GL_KHR_no_error reduces driver overhead by allowing the application to indicate that it expects error-free operation so errors need not be generated
New extensions to OpenGL 4.6 include:
- GL_KHR_parallel_shader_compile
- WGL_ARB_create_context_no_error
- GLX_ARB_create_context_no_error
- GL_EXT_memory_object
- GL_EXT_memory_object_fd
- GL_EXT_memory_object_win32
- GL_EXT_semaphore
- GL_EXT_semaphore_fd
- GL_EXT_semaphore_win32
- GL_EXT_win32_keyed_mutex
- OpenGL 4.6 Core Profile Specification
- OpenGL 4.6 Compatibility Profile Specification
- OpenGL Shading Language 4.60 Specification
Specifications and documentation for the OpenGL API and OpenGL Shading Language, as well as related APIs such as GLX, are available from OpenGL.org: