A quick query - when you pass the pointer to pixel data to the last parameter of glTexImage2D(), OpenGL creates it's own internal reference to the pixel data? So, as you're effectively now keeping two copies of the pixel data, you're able to just pass the pixel data pointer to free()?

Correct, unless you're using the GL_CLIENT_STORAGE_APPLE extension. (Perhaps someone more knowledgeable (Keith?) wants to explain further?)

Alex Diener

Thanks, that's all I needed to know; I'm not/won't be using GL_CLIENT_STORAGE_APPLE as I'm trying for cross-platform niceness.

It's a 70% texture upload speedup. Worth using if you animate any textures.

client storage typically isn't difficult to slot into cross-platform code, so it might well still be worthwhile doing.

Without client storage, there are typically three copies of your texture, one in application memory (which you can free at will), one in driver memory, and one in VRAM. With APPLE_client_storage, you can cut that down to two (you become responsible for the driver copy), and with APPLE_texture_range you can sometimes cut it down to one (if the texture is better off in AGP memory).