OpenGL vs. OpenCL, which to choose and why?

Question

What features make OpenCL unique to choose over OpenGL with GLSL for calculations? Despite the graphic related terminology and inpractical datatypes, is there any real caveat to OpenGL?

For example, parallel function evaluation can be done by rendering a to a texture using other textures. Reducing operations can be done by iteratively render to smaller and smaller textures. On the other hand, random write access is not possible in any efficient manner (the only way to do is rendering triangles by texture driven vertex data). Is this possible with OpenCL? What else is possible not possible with OpenGL?

Answer 1

OpenCL is created specifically for computing. When you do scientific computing using OpenGL you always have to think about how to map your computing problem to the graphics context (i.e. talk in terms of textures and geometric primitives like triangles etc.) in order to get your computation going.

In OpenCL you just formulate you computation with a calculation kernel on a memory buffer and you are good to go. This is actually a BIG win (saying that from a perspective of having thought through and implemented both variants).

The memory access patterns are though the same (your calculation still is happening on a GPU - but GPUs are getting more and more flexible these days).

But what else would you expect than using more than a dozen parallel "CPUs" without breaking your head about how to translate - e.g. (silly example) Fourier to Triangles and Quads...?

Answer 2

Something that hasn't been mentioned in any answers so far has been speed of execution. If your algorithm can be expressed in OpenGL graphics (e.g. no scattered writes, no local memory, no workgroups, etc.) it will very often run faster than an OpenCL counterpart. My specific experience of this has been doing image filter (gather) kernels across AMD, nVidia, IMG and Qualcomm GPUs. The OpenGL implementations invariably run faster even after hardcore OpenCL kernel optimization. (aside: I suspect this is due to years of hardware and drivers being specifically tuned to graphics orientated workloads.)

My advice would be that if your compute program feels like it maps nicely to the graphics domain then use OpenGL. If not, OpenCL is more general and simpler to express compute problems.

Another point to mention (or to ask) is whether you are writing as a hobbyist (i.e. for yourself) or commercially (i.e. for distribution to others). While OpenGL is supported pretty much everywhere, OpenCL is totally lacking support on mobile devices and, imho, is highly unlikely to appear on Android or iOS in the next few years. If wide cross platform compatibility from a single code base is a goal then OpenGL may be forced upon you.