concept

G-Buffer

A G-Buffer (Geometry Buffer) is a data structure used in computer graphics, particularly in deferred rendering pipelines, to store per-pixel geometric and material information from a 3D scene. It captures attributes like position, normal vectors, albedo, specular coefficients, and depth in multiple render targets during an initial geometry pass. This stored data is then used in subsequent lighting passes to compute shading without re-rendering geometry, enabling efficient handling of complex lighting scenarios.

Also known as: Geometry Buffer, G Buffer, Gbuffer, Deferred Buffer, GB

🧊Why learn G-Buffer?

Developers should learn about G-Buffers when working on real-time rendering engines, especially for games or simulations requiring advanced lighting effects like multiple light sources, shadows, or global illumination. They are crucial for deferred rendering, which decouples geometry processing from lighting calculations, improving performance in scenes with many lights by avoiding per-light geometry passes. Use cases include modern video games, architectural visualization, and VR applications where visual fidelity and efficiency are priorities.