OES_texture_half_float extension

Baseline Widely available

This feature is well established and works across many devices and browser versions. It’s been available across browsers since August 2016.

The OES_texture_half_float extension is part of the WebGL API and adds texture formats with 16- (aka half float) and 32-bit floating-point components.

WebGL extensions are available using the WebGLRenderingContext.getExtension() method. For more information, see also Using Extensions in the WebGL tutorial.

Note: This extension is only available to WebGL1 contexts. In WebGL2, the functionality of this extension is available on the WebGL2 context by default. The constant in WebGL2 is gl.HALF_FLOAT.

Constants

ext.HALF_FLOAT_OES

Half floating-point type (16-bit).

Extended methods

This extension extends WebGLRenderingContext.texImage2D() and WebGLRenderingContext.texSubImage2D():

  • The type parameter now accepts ext.HALF_FLOAT_OES.

Limitation: Linear filtering

Linear filtering on half floating-point textures is not allowed with this extension. If you set the magnification or minification filter in the WebGLRenderingContext.texParameter() method to one of gl.LINEAR, gl.LINEAR_MIPMAP_NEAREST, gl.NEAREST_MIPMAP_LINEAR, or gl.LINEAR_MIPMAP_LINEAR, and use half floating-point textures, the texture will be marked as incomplete.

To use linear filtering on half floating-point textures, enable the OES_texture_half_float_linear extension in addition to this extension.

Half floating-point color buffers

This extension implicitly enables the EXT_color_buffer_half_float extension (if supported), which allows rendering to 16-bit floating point formats.

Examples

js
const ext = gl.getExtension("OES_texture_half_float");

const texture = gl.createTexture();
gl.bindTexture(gl.TEXTURE_2D, texture);

gl.texImage2D(gl.TEXTURE_2D, 0, gl.RGBA, gl.RGBA, ext.HALF_FLOAT_OES, image);

Specifications

Specification
WebGL OES_texture_half_float Khronos Ratified Extension Specification

Browser compatibility

Report problems with this compatibility data on GitHub
desktopmobile
Chrome
Edge
Firefox
Opera
Safari
Chrome Android
Firefox for Android
Opera Android
Safari on iOS
Samsung Internet
WebView Android
WebView on iOS
OES_texture_half_float

Legend

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Full support
Full support

See also