Vulkan SDK for Windows Release Notes
Vulkan SDK 1.2.182.0 Release Notes
Version 1.2.182.0 for Windows
July 5, 2021
This SDK supports Vulkan API revision 1.2.182. The prior SDK supported Vulkan API revision 1.2.176.
Drivers: It is recommended you update Vulkan-capable hardware drivers to the latest recommended version from the hardware vendor. A list of Known Issues appears at the end of this document with more information.
Vulkan Loader: The Windows SDK does not update the Vulkan Loader on your system. Instead you should be getting the Vulkan Loader from your graphics hardware provider driver package.
New Layer Manifest File version: The new version of the Layer Manifest File may cause an older Vulkan Loader to generate a warning. This warning is safe to ignore. It appears like the following with a corresponding SDK path and layer name:
WARNING: [Loader Message] Code 0 : loaderAddLayerProperties: [path\to\sdk]VkLayer_[layer_name].json invalid layer manifest file version 1.2.0. May cause errors.
Looking for the Android build of the Validation Layers?
With each SDK release, the Android Validation Layer binaries are released in the Validation Layers repository
Overview of new features in SDK 1.2.182
- The Vulkan headers now include the following new extensions. Note that extensions are optional and may not be implemented by the underlying driver/ICD. Applications can now query for the presence of these new features.
- VK_EXT_acquire_drm_display
- VK_EXT_multi_draw
- VK_EXT_physical_device_drm
- VK_HUAWEI_subpass_shading (broken, disabled from the Loader and Validation Layers)
- VK_NV_ray_tracing_motion_blur (The SPIR-V capability RayTracingMotionBlurNV has been disabled from the validation layers until this capability is defined in SPIR-V)
- VK_KHR_shader_subgroup_uniform_control_flow
- VK_EXT_global_priority_query
- VK_NVX_binary_import
- VK_EXT_provoking_vertex
- Shader validation results are now cached from run to run, instead of re-validating shaders on every CreateShaderModule. This feature is controlled by the VK_EXT_Validation_features extension.
- Multiple devsim enhancements (refer to the devsim documentation in the SDK for more information)
- Added format properties combination modes that allows users to select how Devsim populates the list of format properties.
- Added ability to modify Surface queries for Surface capabilities, Surface formats, and Surface present modes.
- Added support for the modification on 1.1 and 1.2 Vulkan queries.
- Added minimum device configuration files for
- Specification minimum: Minimum properties, limits, and features based on the Vulkan 1.0, 1.1, and 1.2 specifications
- Portability minimum: Minimum properties, limits, and features for portability subset devices based on the Vulkan 1.0, 1.1, and 1.2 specifications.
- Desktop portability: Minimum properties, limits, and features based on what is effectively found in actual hardware for Vulkan 1.0 and 1.2.
- The Vulkan Configurator (vkconfig) has been updated to improve quality and stability. See the fixes included in this SDK here. See the Vulkan Configurator documentation for more information.
- Bug fixes
- Improved validation coverage. VUID validation coverage documentation (validation_error_database.csv and validation_error_database.html) has been updated to represent the validation layer VUID coverage status.
Platform Support Matrix
| Feature | Windows | Linux tarball | Ubuntu Packages | macOS SDK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tools | ||||
| Vulkan Configurator | X | X | X | X |
| Vulkaninfo | X | X | X | X |
| VIA (Vulkan Installation Analyzer) | X | X | X | X |
| Validation Layers | ||||
| Validation | X | X | X | X |
| Best Practices | X | X | X | X |
| GPU Assisted Validation | X | X | X | |
| Debug Printf | X | X | X | |
| Synchronization Validation | X | X | X | X |
| Utility Layers | ||||
| API Dump | X | X | X | X |
| Device Simulation (devsim) | X | X | X | X |
| Monitor | X | X | X | |
| Screenshot | X | X | X | |
| GFXReconstruct | X | X | X | |
| Extension Layers | ||||
| Synchronization 2 | X | X | X | X |
| Shader Tools | ||||
| glslangValidator | X | X | X | X |
| SPIR-V Optimizer | X | X | X | X |
| SPIR-V Disassembler, Assembler, Validator | X | X | X | X |
| SPIR-V Remapper | X | X | X | X |
| SPIR-V Control Flow Visualization | X | X | X | X |
| SPIR-V Cross-Compilation and Reflection | X | X | X | X |
| shaderc | X | X | X | X |
| DXC (DirectX Shader Compiler) | X | X | X | X |
| SPIRV-reflect | X | X | X | X |
SDK Components
This version of the SDK is based on the following specifications, source code repositories, commits, and issue resolutions:
- Vulkan Specification
- SPIR-V Specification (Version 1.5, Revision 5)
- GLSL Specification (Version 4.6)
- GitHub Repo: google/shaderc, known-good branch
- GitHub Repo: KhronosGroup/glslang
- GitHub Repo: KhronosGroup/SPIRV-Cross
- GitHub Repo: KhronosGroup/SPIRV-Tools
- GitHub Repo: KhronosGroup/Vulkan-Headers, Version Tag: sdk-1.2.182.0
- GitHub Repo: KhronosGroup/Vulkan-Loader, Version Tag: sdk-1.2.182.0
- GitHub Repo: KhronosGroup/Vulkan-Tools, Version Tag: sdk-1.2.182.0
- GitHub Repo: KhronosGroup/Vulkan-ValidationLayers, Version Tag: sdk-1.2.182.0
- GitHub Repo: LunarG/gfxreconstruct, Version Tag: sdk-1.2.182.0
- GitHub Repo: LunarG/VulkanTools, Version Tag: sdk-1.2.182.0
- GitHub Repo: microsoft/DirectXShaderCompiler
- Github Repo: SPIRV-Reflect
LunarG would like to thank all of the many contributors to all of the above repositories and the contributions they are making to the Vulkan Ecosystem.
Submitting Issues
If while using the tools and layers included in the SDK you find a defect in that tool or layer, the most expedient way to get a resolution is to submit to its corresponding repository. For example, if you believe you have found a defect in the Validation Layers, submit an issue at the repository for Validation Layers. The only exception to this is for the shader tool chain (glslang, SPIRV-Cross, SPIRV-Tools, shaderc). For these repositories you can submit issues against the SDK at vulkan.lunarg.com.
Known Issues
New Layer Manifest File version: The new version of the Layer Manifest File may cause an older Vulkan Loader to generate a warning. This warning is safe to ignore. It appears like the following with a corresponding SDK path and layer name:
WARNING: [Loader Message] Code 0 : loaderAddLayerProperties: [path\to\sdk]VkLayer_[layer_name].json invalid layer manifest file version 1.2.0. May cause errors.
Note: When using Visual Studio to link a debug version of your application with the static libraries included in the SDK, you will need debug versions of these static libraries to link successfully. They can be found at vulkan.lunarg.com/sdk/home. See the file for download "VulkanSDK-X.Y.ZZZ.i-DebugLibs.zip ". The only static libraries included in the Windows SDK are the API libraries for the shader tool chain.
Vulkan Configurator known issues are documented in the Vulkan Configurator Change Log