So Long, Image Layouts: Simplifying Vulkan Synchronization

So Long, Image Layouts: Simplifying Vulkan Synchronization

So Long, Image Layouts: Simplifying Vulkan Synchronization

Synchronization in Vulkan® has long been one of its most notorious challenges, something developers haven’t been shy about reminding us. The Khronos® Vulkan Working Group has been steadily working to make Vulkan a joy to use, and simplifying the synchronization model has been high on our priority list. One of the most frequent developer frustrations has been the complexity of managing image layouts, a pain point we’re tackling head-on with the new VK_KHR_unified_image_layouts extension, which aims to eliminate the need for most layout transitions entirely.