C Specification

To begin recording a command buffer, call:

// Provided by VK_VERSION_1_0
VkResult vkBeginCommandBuffer(
    VkCommandBuffer                             commandBuffer,
    const VkCommandBufferBeginInfo*             pBeginInfo);

Parameters

  • commandBuffer is the handle of the command buffer which is to be put in the recording state.

  • pBeginInfo is a pointer to a VkCommandBufferBeginInfo structure defining additional information about how the command buffer begins recording.

Description

If VkPhysicalDeviceVulkanSC10Properties::deviceNoDynamicHostAllocations is VK_TRUE, vkBeginCommandBuffer must not return VK_ERROR_OUT_OF_HOST_MEMORY.

Valid Usage

  • VUID-vkBeginCommandBuffer-commandBuffer-00049
    commandBuffer must not be in the recording or pending state

  • VUID-vkBeginCommandBuffer-commandBuffer-00050
    If commandBuffer was allocated from a VkCommandPool which did not have the VK_COMMAND_POOL_CREATE_RESET_COMMAND_BUFFER_BIT flag set, commandBuffer must be in the initial state

  • VUID-vkBeginCommandBuffer-commandPoolResetCommandBuffer-05136
    If commandPoolResetCommandBuffer is not supported, commandBuffer must be in the initial state

  • VUID-vkBeginCommandBuffer-commandBuffer-00051
    If commandBuffer is a secondary command buffer, the pInheritanceInfo member of pBeginInfo must be a valid VkCommandBufferInheritanceInfo structure

  • VUID-vkBeginCommandBuffer-commandBuffer-00052
    If commandBuffer is a secondary command buffer and either the occlusionQueryEnable member of the pInheritanceInfo member of pBeginInfo is VK_FALSE, or the occlusionQueryPrecise feature is not enabled, then pBeginInfo->pInheritanceInfo->queryFlags must not contain VK_QUERY_CONTROL_PRECISE_BIT

  • VUID-vkBeginCommandBuffer-commandBuffer-02840
    If commandBuffer is a primary command buffer, then pBeginInfo->flags must not set both the VK_COMMAND_BUFFER_USAGE_ONE_TIME_SUBMIT_BIT and the VK_COMMAND_BUFFER_USAGE_SIMULTANEOUS_USE_BIT flags

  • VUID-vkBeginCommandBuffer-commandPoolMultipleCommandBuffersRecording-05007
    If commandPoolMultipleCommandBuffersRecording is VK_FALSE, then the command pool that commandBuffer was created from must have no other command buffers in the recording state

  • VUID-vkBeginCommandBuffer-commandBufferSimultaneousUse-05008
    If commandBufferSimultaneousUse is VK_FALSE, then pBeginInfo->flags must not include VK_COMMAND_BUFFER_USAGE_SIMULTANEOUS_USE_BIT

Valid Usage (Implicit)

  • VUID-vkBeginCommandBuffer-commandBuffer-parameter
    commandBuffer must be a valid VkCommandBuffer handle

  • VUID-vkBeginCommandBuffer-pBeginInfo-parameter
    pBeginInfo must be a valid pointer to a valid VkCommandBufferBeginInfo structure

Host Synchronization

  • Host access to commandBuffer must be externally synchronized

  • Host access to the VkCommandPool that commandBuffer was allocated from must be externally synchronized

Return Codes
On success, this command returns

  • VK_SUCCESS

On failure, this command returns

  • VK_ERROR_OUT_OF_HOST_MEMORY

  • VK_ERROR_OUT_OF_DEVICE_MEMORY

See Also

VK_VERSION_1_0, VkCommandBuffer, VkCommandBufferBeginInfo

Document Notes

For more information, see the Vulkan Specification

This page is extracted from the Vulkan Specification. Fixes and changes should be made to the Specification, not directly.

Copyright

Copyright 2014-2025 The Khronos Group Inc.

SPDX-License-Identifier: CC-BY-4.0