What is the primary benefit of texture atlasing?

• A. Reduces draw calls by packing multiple textures into a single atlas
• B. Increases memory usage
• C. Increases draw calls
• D. Reduces texture resolution

Answer: (A)

Texture atlasing packs many smaller textures into one larger texture, so multiple objects can sample from the same resource. The main advantage is reducing draw calls by eliminating the need to switch textures for every object. When several objects use different parts of the same atlas, the GPU can render them in fewer batches because the bound texture remains the same across those objects. This improves rendering efficiency, especially in scenes with lots of tiled surfaces, sprites, or repeated materials.

Memory usage can vary with atlas design, and there are trade-offs like potential texture bleeding at edges and the need to repack if you add new textures, but the dominant benefit remains the reduction in draw calls.