Memory Management in WebGL Applications

Provide an example of managing memory in WebGL applications by correctly deleting unused textures and buffers to prevent memory leaks in graphics-intensive JavaScript applications.

// Function to create a texture
function createTexture(gl) {
    const texture = gl.createTexture();
    // ... additional texture setup ...
    return texture;
}

This function demonstrates the creation of a texture in WebGL. By calling 'gl.createTexture()', a new WebGLTexture is created and can be configured for use with various WebGL commands.

// Function to delete a texture when it is no longer needed
function deleteTexture(gl, texture) {
    gl.deleteTexture(texture);
    texture = null;
}

This function properly deletes a WebGLTexture by calling 'gl.deleteTexture()'. Setting the texture variable to null helps JavaScript's garbage collector identify it as reclaimable memory.

// Function to create a buffer
function createBuffer(gl) {
    const buffer = gl.createBuffer();
    // ... additional buffer setup ...
    return buffer;
}

Similar to the texture creation, this function creates a WebGLBuffer using 'gl.createBuffer()' that can be used for storing vertex data, for example.

// Function to delete a buffer when it is no longer needed
function deleteBuffer(gl, buffer) {
    gl.deleteBuffer(buffer);
    buffer = null;
}

Here, 'gl.deleteBuffer()' safely disposes of a WebGLBuffer. It's crucial to also nullify the reference to help with memory management.