glGenSamplers

glGenSamplers is an OpenGL function used to generate sampler objects. Sampler objects store the state associated with texture sampling, such as filtering modes, wrapping modes, and LOD bias. This allows for more efficient management and application of texture sampling parameters compared to setting them directly on a bound texture.

When glGenSamplers is called, it returns one or more unique names (handles) for new sampler objects. These names are essentially identifiers that can be used to refer to the sampler objects later. Initially, these newly generated sampler objects are in an undefined state.

To use a sampler object, it must first be created and configured. The glGenSamplers function itself only generates the names. The actual state of the sampler is set using functions like glSamplerParameteri, glSamplerParameterf, and glSamplerParameterfv. Once configured, a sampler object can be bound to a specific texture unit using glBindSampler. This binding associates the sampler object's state with the texture currently bound to that texture unit.

This mechanism separates texture data from sampling parameters, providing several benefits. It allows for multiple texture units to sample the same texture using different filtering or wrapping modes. It also improves performance by avoiding redundant state changes when sampling the same texture multiple times with different parameters. Sampler objects are explicitly deleted using glDeleteSamplers.