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Vulkan

Awesome Vulkan Awesome

Vulkan demo scene

A curated list of awesome Vulkan libraries, debuggers and resources. Inspired by awesome-opengl and other awesome-... stuff.

Hardware Support

SDK

Document

Tutorial

Apps

Samples

Libraries

  • 2D
  • imgui - Immediate Mode Graphical User interface. [MIT]
  • Skia - Google's 2D graphics library has a Vulkan backend, demonstrated in a cross-platform sample application with its own window library. [BSD 3-clause] website

  • VKVG - Vulkan 2D graphics library, API follows the same pattern as Cairo graphics lib, but with new functions.

  • Compute

  • libvc - Vulkan Compute for C++. [LICENSE]
  • Vulkan Kompute - Blazing fast and lightweight Vulkan Compute Framework optimized for advanced GPU processing usecases. [Apache License 2.0]
  • ncnn - High-performance neural network inference framework with Vulkan based GPU inference. [BSD 3-clause]
  • vuh - Vulkan-based C++ GPGPU computing framework. [MIT]

  • VkFFT - Efficient Vulkan FFT library [MPL-2.0 License]

  • Low Level

  • Vulkan Memory Allocator - Easy to integrate Vulkan memory allocation library from AMD. [MIT]
  • Fossilize - serialization format for various persistent Vulkan object types. [MIT]
  • vk-bootstrap - C++ utility library to jump start Vulkan development by automating instance, physical device, device, and swapchain creation. [MIT]
  • Google's vulkan-cpp-library - Vulkan abstraction library using C++11 for memory, resource management, type and thread safety as well as system independency. [Apache]
  • FrameGraph - Vulkan abstraction layer that represent frame as a task graph. [BSD 2-clause]
  • V-EZ - light-weight middleware layer for the Vulkan API targeting Professional Workstation ISVs. [MIT]
  • Vookoo - Vookoo is a set of dependency-free utilities to assist in the construction and updating of Vulkan graphics data structres. [MIT]
  • vpp - Modern C++ Vulkan Abstraction focused on performance and a straightforward interface. [MIT]
  • VulkanSceneGraph - Vulkan/C++17 scene graph project, successor to OpenSceneGraph.
  • Vulkan-WSIWindow - Multi-platform library to create a Vulkan window, and handle input events. [Apache License 2.0]

  • Screen 13 - An easy-to-use Vulkan render graph for Rust. [MIT]

  • Frameworks, Engines, Higher Level Rendering

  • Acid - A high speed C++17 Vulkan game engine. [MIT]
  • AMD's Anvil - cross-platform framework for Vulkan. [LICENSE]
  • Auto-Vk - Vulkan convenience and productivity layer for modern C++, atop Vulkan-Hpp, by the Research Unit of Computer Graphics, TU Wien. [MIT]
  • Auto-Vk-Toolkit - C++ framework around Auto-Vk for rapid prototyping, research, and teaching, by the Research Unit of Computer Graphics, TU Wien. [MIT for the framework's code]
  • bgfx - Cross-platform, graphics API agnostic, "Bring Your Own Engine/Framework" style rendering library. [BSD-2-clause]
  • bsf - Modern C++14 library for the development of real-time graphical applications. [MIT]
  • Cinder and the story behind. [BSD]
  • DemoFramework - NXP GTEC C++11 cross-platform demo framework including lots of samples for Vulkan, OpenGL ES, OpenVX, OpenCL, OpenVG and OpenCV. [BSD-3-clause]
  • Diligent Engine - a modern cross-platform low-level graphics library that supports OpenGL/GLES, Direct3D11/12 and Vulkan. [Apache License 2.0]
  • Falcor - Real-time rendering framework from NVIDIA, supporting mainly DX12, with experimental Vulkan support. [BSD 3-clause]
  • glfw and the guide. [LICENSE]
  • Intrinsic Engine - Intrinsic is a Vulkan based cross-platform graphics and game engine. [Apache License 2.0]
  • Introductory Vulkan sample by GPUOpen. [MIT]
  • liblava - A modern C++ and easy-to-use framework. [MIT]
  • Logi - Light-weight object oriented Vulkan abstraction framework. [BSD 2-clause]
  • Lugdunum - Modern cross-platform 3D rendering engine built with Vulkan and modern C++14. [MIT]
  • openFrameworks - the most famouse C++ creative coding framework. [MIT]
  • PowerVR SDK - C++ cross-platform 3D graphics SDK to speed up development of Vulkan and GLES. [LICENSE]
  • Pumex - cross-platform Vulkan renderer implementing frame graph and simple scene graph. Able to render on many surfaces at once [MIT]
  • SDL - added cross-platform Vulkan graphics support in SDL_vulkan.h. [zlib]
  • small3d, Tiny Vulkan based C++ cross-platform game development framework [BSD 3-clause]
  • Spectrum - Work-in-progress framework and abstraction layer around Vulkan.
  • Tephra - A modern C++17 graphics and compute library filling the gap between Vulkan and high-level APIs like OpenGL. [MIT]
  • The-Forge - DirectX 12, Vulkan, macOS Metal 2 rendering framework. [Apache License 2.0]
  • VKFS - Cross-platform easy-to-use C++ framework that allows you to quickly initialize Vulkan and get a ready-made environment. Provides high-level abstraction over basic Vulkan objects.

  • Vulkan Launchpad - Vulkan framework for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Especially well-suited for Vulkan beginners, used in university education, by the Research Unit of Computer Graphics, TU Wien. [MIT]

  • Other API Interop and Implementations

  • visor - Vulkan Ignoble Software Rasterizer. [MIT]
  • VulkanOnD3D12 - Vulkan API for D3D12. [Apache License 2.0]
  • rostkatze - C++ implementation of Vulkan sitting on D3D12 🐈[Apache License 2.0]
  • VK9 - Direct3D 9 compatibility layer using Vulkan
  • VUDA - header-only lib that provides a CUDA Runtime API interface. [MIT]
  • clspv - prototype compiler for a subset of OpenCL C to Vulkan compute shaders. [Apache License 2.0]
  • MoltenVK - run Vulkan on iOS and macOS. [Apache-2.0]
  • Zink - OpenGL implementation on top of Vulkan, part of Mesa project. [MIT]
  • glo / OpenGL Overload - OpenGL implementation on top of Vulkan.

  • gfx-portability - Vulkan Portability implementation on Metal and D3D12, based on gfx-rs.

  • Raytracing

  • Quartz - Physically based Vulkan RTX path tracer with a declarative ES7-like scene description language. [LGPL-3.0]

  • Scientific

  • datoviz - High-performance GPU interactive scientific data visualization with Vulkan. [MIT]

  • iMSTK - C++ toolkit for building surgical simulations with Vulkan and VTK backends. [Apache License 2.0]

  • Shaders

  • glslang - Library for compiling glsl to spirv [BSD 3-Clause]

  • SPIRV-Cross - Library for reflection of spirv, simplify the creation of Vulkan pipeline layouts [ Apache-2.0 License]

  • Outdated ⚠️

  • VkHLF - Vulkan High Level Framework. [LICENSE]

Bindings

  • ash - Vulkan bindings for Rust. [MIT]
  • gfx-rs - A low-overhead Vulkan-like GPU API for Rust. [Apache License 2.0]
  • libvulkan.lua - Lua bindings for Vulkan.
  • dvulkan - Auto-generated D bindings for Vulkan.
  • ErupteD - Another Auto-generated D bindings for Vulkan.
  • flextGL - Minimal Vulkan header/loader generator and the blog post about it.
  • Silk.NET - C# bindings for Vulkan and others. [MIT]
  • vulkan - Haskell bindings for Vulkan and Vulkan Memory Allocator [BSD-3-Clause]
  • nvk - JavaScript bindings for Vulkan. [MIT]
  • racket-vulkan - Racket bindings for Vulkan with detailed implementation notes. [MIT]
  • Vulkan-hpp Open-Source Vulkan C++ API originated from NVIDIA and the blog about it.
  • VulkanSharp - C# bindings for Vulkan. [MIT]
  • Vulkano - Safe and rich Rust wrapper around the Vulkan API. [MIT]
  • LWJGL - Lightweight Java Game Library 3 has Vulkan bindings. [BSD]
  • SharpVk - C# bindings for Vulkan with Linq-to-SPIR-V & NuGet package. [MIT]
  • vulkan - Ultimate Python bindings for Vulkan generated with CFFI. [Apache Licence 2.0]
  • vulkan-go - Go bindings for Vulkan. [MIT]
  • PasVulkan - Vulkan bindings plus high-level wrapper library for Object Pascal [Zlib]
  • vulkan-zig - Vulkan binding generator for Zig [MIT]
  • VK², Kotlin Wrapper for Vulkan: code expressiveness and safety meet graphic power [Apache License 2.0]
  • Vortice.Vulkan - .NET Standard 2.0 and .NET5 C# bindings [MIT]
  • Raw Node.js Vulkan API - A new Vulkan bindings for Node.JS, similar with LWJGL-3 or NVK.
  • Deno Vulkan - Vulkan API bindings for Deno. [Apache Licence 2.0]

Tools

  • Nsight™ Visual Studio Edition 5.2+.
  • LoaderAndValidationLayers - from KhronosGroup. [Apache Licence 2.0]
  • renderdoc - by baldurk, a stand-alone graphics debugging tool. [MIT]
    • RDCtoVkCpp - converts RenderDoc Vulkan capture to compilable and executable C++ code. [MIT]
  • VulkanTools - LunarG's tools including layers and configurator. [Apache Licence 2.0]
  • VKtracer - universal and easy-to-use profiler for Vulkan.
  • CodeXL - CodeXL goes open source. [MIT]
  • Qualcomm Adreno GPU Tools - samples, Adreno recommendation layer, best practice docs for Adreno GPU.
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon Profiler - includes Vulkan traces and frame captures for Adreno GPU.
  • Arm Mobile Studio - includes the Arm Graphics Analyzer to trace graphics performance issues easily, and Arm Streamline performance analyzer, for a whole-system view of performance to determine bottlenecks quickly across both the CPU and GPU.
  • Open Capture and Analytics Tool (OCAT) - provides an FPS overlay and performance measurement for D3D11, D3D12, and Vulkan. [MIT]
  • gapid - Graphics API Debugger, can trace and replay Android OpenGL ES and Vulkan applications. [Apache License 2.0]
  • Arm - PerfDoc - a validation layer against the Mali Application Developer Best Practices document. [MIT]
  • glsl_trace - library for shader debugging and profiling for Vulkan and OpenGL. [MIT]
  • MangoHud - Vulkan and OpenGL overlay for monitoring FPS, temperatures, CPU/GPU load. [MIT]

Books

Papers

Khronos

Community

  • awesome - Curated list of awesome lists.
  • awesome-opengl - Curated list of awesome OpenGL libraries, debuggers and resources.
  • gamedev - Awesome list about game development.
  • graphics-resources - List of graphic programming resources.
  • awesome-d3d12 - Curated list of awesome D3D12 libraries, debuggers and resources.

License

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Contributing

Please see CONTRIBUTING for details.