I think what you are after is OGL PBuffers. There is also something called GL_EXT_framebuffer_object which you can read about at
http://www.opengl.org/documentation/extensions/EXT_framebuffer_object.txt
This extension defines a simple interface for drawing to rendering destinations other than the buffers provided to the GL by the window-system.
http://www.opengl.org/documentation/extensions/EXT_framebuffer_object.txt
This extension defines a simple interface for drawing to rendering destinations other than the buffers provided to the GL by the window-system.