# Openglsurface

**URL:** <https://forum.xojo.com/t/openglsurface/41901>\
**Category:** General\
**Created:** [February 1, 2018, 9:57pm UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/openglsurface/41901 "2018-02-01T21:57:36Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![dave\_duke](https://forum.xojo.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/c77e96/32.png) [@dave\_duke](https://forum.xojo.com/u/dave_duke)\
**Post date:** [February 1, 2018, 9:57pm UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/openglsurface/41901/1 "2018-02-01T21:57:36Z")

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I want to put a canvas or text in front of an openglsurface. However it seems that opengldurface is always on top?, anyone know a way around this.

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**Author:** ![Tim\_Parnell](https://forum.xojo.com/user_avatar/forum.xojo.com/tim_parnell/32/161_2.png) [@Tim\_Parnell](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Tim_Parnell)\
**Post date:** [February 1, 2018, 10:10pm UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/openglsurface/41901/3 "2018-02-01T22:10:37Z")

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Whatever you’re planning on doing with the Canvas, do it in OpenGL.  
No need for overlapping, fewer moving parts, and likely it’d draw faster since it’d all be in one technology.

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**Author:** ![Tim\_Parnell](https://forum.xojo.com/user_avatar/forum.xojo.com/tim_parnell/32/161_2.png) [@Tim\_Parnell](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Tim_Parnell)\
**Post date:** [February 2, 2018, 12:07am UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/openglsurface/41901/5 "2018-02-02T00:07:57Z")

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> [@371912:@dave duke](#):
>
> I’m only looking at canvas to draw text, doing it in open GL is slow, and very “grainy”

Have you gone through the steps toward determining if these issues are your implementation or a massive OpenGL issue that would affect hundreds of existing delivered products that don’t experience slow text drawing and a grain issue?

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**Author:** ![Sam\_Rowlands](https://forum.xojo.com/user_avatar/forum.xojo.com/sam_rowlands/32/265_2.png) [@Sam\_Rowlands](https://forum.xojo.com/u/Sam_Rowlands)\
**Post date:** [February 2, 2018, 12:37am UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/openglsurface/41901/6 "2018-02-02T00:37:05Z")

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> [@371890:@dave duke](#):
>
> I want to put a canvas or text in front of an openglsurface. However it seems that opengldurface is always on top?, anyone know a way around this.

OpenGL is deprecated on the Mac, it still kinda works but Metal is the only 3D library going forwards.

You can use CALayers (Mac only) to overlay other elements onto a OpenGLSurface. Also OpenGL is not natively Retina ready and requires extra work to get it there. High Sierra broke it for a month or two.

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**Author:** ![system](https://forum.xojo.com/uploads/default/original/1X/455b4dcc0e61630e9f81940004ddffa49c432a46.png) [@system](https://forum.xojo.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [October 29, 2020, 7:05pm UTC](https://forum.xojo.com/t/openglsurface/41901/7 "2020-10-29T19:05:33Z")

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