1. A method for storing attributes of vertices transformed in a graphics rendering pipeline, the method comprising: allocating memory space in a memory for a transform feedback buffer; selecting one or more attributes of the transformed vertices to store in the transform feedback buffer independently of any shader programs executing on any processing units in the graphics rendering pipeline; configuring the transform feedback buffer to store the one or more attributes of the transformed vertices that are modified without loading a new shader program onto the graphics rendering pipeline; initiating a first processing mode wherein vertex data is processed by a processing unit in the graphics rendering pipeline to produce the transformed vertices, and the one or more attributes of the transformed vertices are then written to the transform feedback buffer; and after the one or more attributes are written to the transform feedback buffer, determining whether a second processing mode is enabled, wherein the transformed vertices are discarded from the graphics rendering pipeline when the second processing mode is enabled, or the transformed vertices are transmitted to a second processing unit in the graphics processing pipeline when the second processing mode is not enabled.