2003-2004 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 glDrawArrays or glDrawElements 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.

Primitive Type of Polygon i | Vertex
--- | ---
Triangle strip | i + 2
Triangle fan | i + 2
Independent triangle | 3 ⁢ 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`.

## See Also

glColor, glColorPointer, glLight, glLightModel, glMaterial

## Copyright

Copyright 2003-2004 Silicon Graphics, Inc. This document is licensed under the SGI Free Software B License. For details, see http://oss.sgi.com/projects/FreeB/.