Clamping (graphics)
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Clamping Graphics

In computer graphics, clamping is the process of limiting a position to an area. Unlike wrapping, clamping merely moves the point to the nearest available value.

To put clamping into perspective, pseudocode for clamping is as follows:

Pseudocode (clamping):

```function clamp(x, min, max):
if (x < min) then
x = min
else if (x > max) then
x = max
return x
```

## Uses

In general, clamping is used to restrict a value to a given range. For example, in OpenGL the `glClearColor` function takes four `GLfloat` values which are then 'clamped' to the range ${\displaystyle [0,1]}$.[1]

Y = clamp(X, 1, 5)
X Y
X < 1 1
1 1
1.5 1.5
2 2
3 3
4 4
5 5
X > 5 5

One of the many uses of clamping in computer graphics is the placing of a detail inside a polygon--for example, a bullet hole on a wall. It can also be used with wrapping to create a variety of effects.

## References

1. ^ "OpenGL 4 Reference Pages". www.khronos.org. Retrieved .