C Specification

Bits which can be set in VkBufferCreateInfo::usage, specifying usage behavior of a buffer, are:

// Provided by VK_VERSION_1_0
typedef enum VkBufferUsageFlagBits {
    VK_BUFFER_USAGE_TRANSFER_SRC_BIT = 0x00000001,
    VK_BUFFER_USAGE_TRANSFER_DST_BIT = 0x00000002,
    VK_BUFFER_USAGE_UNIFORM_TEXEL_BUFFER_BIT = 0x00000004,
    VK_BUFFER_USAGE_STORAGE_TEXEL_BUFFER_BIT = 0x00000008,
    VK_BUFFER_USAGE_UNIFORM_BUFFER_BIT = 0x00000010,
    VK_BUFFER_USAGE_STORAGE_BUFFER_BIT = 0x00000020,
    VK_BUFFER_USAGE_INDEX_BUFFER_BIT = 0x00000040,
    VK_BUFFER_USAGE_VERTEX_BUFFER_BIT = 0x00000080,
    VK_BUFFER_USAGE_INDIRECT_BUFFER_BIT = 0x00000100,
  // Provided by VK_VERSION_1_2
    VK_BUFFER_USAGE_SHADER_DEVICE_ADDRESS_BIT = 0x00020000,
  // Provided by VK_KHR_video_decode_queue
    VK_BUFFER_USAGE_VIDEO_DECODE_SRC_BIT_KHR = 0x00002000,
  // Provided by VK_KHR_video_decode_queue
    VK_BUFFER_USAGE_VIDEO_DECODE_DST_BIT_KHR = 0x00004000,
  // Provided by VK_EXT_transform_feedback
    VK_BUFFER_USAGE_TRANSFORM_FEEDBACK_BUFFER_BIT_EXT = 0x00000800,
  // Provided by VK_EXT_transform_feedback
    VK_BUFFER_USAGE_TRANSFORM_FEEDBACK_COUNTER_BUFFER_BIT_EXT = 0x00001000,
  // Provided by VK_EXT_conditional_rendering
    VK_BUFFER_USAGE_CONDITIONAL_RENDERING_BIT_EXT = 0x00000200,
#ifdef VK_ENABLE_BETA_EXTENSIONS
  // Provided by VK_AMDX_shader_enqueue
    VK_BUFFER_USAGE_EXECUTION_GRAPH_SCRATCH_BIT_AMDX = 0x02000000,
#endif
  // Provided by VK_KHR_acceleration_structure
    VK_BUFFER_USAGE_ACCELERATION_STRUCTURE_BUILD_INPUT_READ_ONLY_BIT_KHR = 0x00080000,
  // Provided by VK_KHR_acceleration_structure
    VK_BUFFER_USAGE_ACCELERATION_STRUCTURE_STORAGE_BIT_KHR = 0x00100000,
  // Provided by VK_KHR_ray_tracing_pipeline
    VK_BUFFER_USAGE_SHADER_BINDING_TABLE_BIT_KHR = 0x00000400,
#ifdef VK_ENABLE_BETA_EXTENSIONS
  // Provided by VK_KHR_video_encode_queue
    VK_BUFFER_USAGE_VIDEO_ENCODE_DST_BIT_KHR = 0x00008000,
#endif
#ifdef VK_ENABLE_BETA_EXTENSIONS
  // Provided by VK_KHR_video_encode_queue
    VK_BUFFER_USAGE_VIDEO_ENCODE_SRC_BIT_KHR = 0x00010000,
#endif
  // Provided by VK_EXT_descriptor_buffer
    VK_BUFFER_USAGE_SAMPLER_DESCRIPTOR_BUFFER_BIT_EXT = 0x00200000,
  // Provided by VK_EXT_descriptor_buffer
    VK_BUFFER_USAGE_RESOURCE_DESCRIPTOR_BUFFER_BIT_EXT = 0x00400000,
  // Provided by VK_EXT_descriptor_buffer
    VK_BUFFER_USAGE_PUSH_DESCRIPTORS_DESCRIPTOR_BUFFER_BIT_EXT = 0x04000000,
  // Provided by VK_EXT_opacity_micromap
    VK_BUFFER_USAGE_MICROMAP_BUILD_INPUT_READ_ONLY_BIT_EXT = 0x00800000,
  // Provided by VK_EXT_opacity_micromap
    VK_BUFFER_USAGE_MICROMAP_STORAGE_BIT_EXT = 0x01000000,
  // Provided by VK_NV_ray_tracing
    VK_BUFFER_USAGE_RAY_TRACING_BIT_NV = VK_BUFFER_USAGE_SHADER_BINDING_TABLE_BIT_KHR,
  // Provided by VK_EXT_buffer_device_address
    VK_BUFFER_USAGE_SHADER_DEVICE_ADDRESS_BIT_EXT = VK_BUFFER_USAGE_SHADER_DEVICE_ADDRESS_BIT,
  // Provided by VK_KHR_buffer_device_address
    VK_BUFFER_USAGE_SHADER_DEVICE_ADDRESS_BIT_KHR = VK_BUFFER_USAGE_SHADER_DEVICE_ADDRESS_BIT,
} VkBufferUsageFlagBits;

Description

  • VK_BUFFER_USAGE_TRANSFER_SRC_BIT specifies that the buffer can be used as the source of a transfer command (see the definition of VK_PIPELINE_STAGE_TRANSFER_BIT).

  • VK_BUFFER_USAGE_TRANSFER_DST_BIT specifies that the buffer can be used as the destination of a transfer command.

  • VK_BUFFER_USAGE_UNIFORM_TEXEL_BUFFER_BIT specifies that the buffer can be used to create a VkBufferView suitable for occupying a VkDescriptorSet slot of type VK_DESCRIPTOR_TYPE_UNIFORM_TEXEL_BUFFER.

  • VK_BUFFER_USAGE_STORAGE_TEXEL_BUFFER_BIT specifies that the buffer can be used to create a VkBufferView suitable for occupying a VkDescriptorSet slot of type VK_DESCRIPTOR_TYPE_STORAGE_TEXEL_BUFFER.

  • VK_BUFFER_USAGE_UNIFORM_BUFFER_BIT specifies that the buffer can be used in a VkDescriptorBufferInfo suitable for occupying a VkDescriptorSet slot either of type VK_DESCRIPTOR_TYPE_UNIFORM_BUFFER or VK_DESCRIPTOR_TYPE_UNIFORM_BUFFER_DYNAMIC.

  • VK_BUFFER_USAGE_STORAGE_BUFFER_BIT specifies that the buffer can be used in a VkDescriptorBufferInfo suitable for occupying a VkDescriptorSet slot either of type VK_DESCRIPTOR_TYPE_STORAGE_BUFFER or VK_DESCRIPTOR_TYPE_STORAGE_BUFFER_DYNAMIC.

  • VK_BUFFER_USAGE_INDEX_BUFFER_BIT specifies that the buffer is suitable for passing as the buffer parameter to vkCmdBindIndexBuffer2KHR and vkCmdBindIndexBuffer.

  • VK_BUFFER_USAGE_VERTEX_BUFFER_BIT specifies that the buffer is suitable for passing as an element of the pBuffers array to vkCmdBindVertexBuffers.

  • VK_BUFFER_USAGE_INDIRECT_BUFFER_BIT specifies that the buffer is suitable for passing as the buffer parameter to vkCmdDrawIndirect, vkCmdDrawIndexedIndirect, vkCmdDrawMeshTasksIndirectNV, vkCmdDrawMeshTasksIndirectCountNV, vkCmdDrawMeshTasksIndirectEXT, vkCmdDrawMeshTasksIndirectCountEXT, vkCmdDrawClusterIndirectHUAWEI, or vkCmdDispatchIndirect. It is also suitable for passing as the buffer member of VkIndirectCommandsStreamNV, or sequencesCountBuffer or sequencesIndexBuffer or preprocessedBuffer member of VkGeneratedCommandsInfoNV

  • VK_BUFFER_USAGE_CONDITIONAL_RENDERING_BIT_EXT specifies that the buffer is suitable for passing as the buffer parameter to vkCmdBeginConditionalRenderingEXT.

  • VK_BUFFER_USAGE_TRANSFORM_FEEDBACK_BUFFER_BIT_EXT specifies that the buffer is suitable for using for binding as a transform feedback buffer with vkCmdBindTransformFeedbackBuffersEXT.

  • VK_BUFFER_USAGE_TRANSFORM_FEEDBACK_COUNTER_BUFFER_BIT_EXT specifies that the buffer is suitable for using as a counter buffer with vkCmdBeginTransformFeedbackEXT and vkCmdEndTransformFeedbackEXT.

  • VK_BUFFER_USAGE_SAMPLER_DESCRIPTOR_BUFFER_BIT_EXT specifies that the buffer is suitable to contain sampler and combined image sampler descriptors when bound as a descriptor buffer. Buffers containing combined image sampler descriptors must also specify VK_BUFFER_USAGE_RESOURCE_DESCRIPTOR_BUFFER_BIT_EXT.

  • VK_BUFFER_USAGE_RESOURCE_DESCRIPTOR_BUFFER_BIT_EXT specifies that the buffer is suitable to contain resource descriptors when bound as a descriptor buffer.

  • VK_BUFFER_USAGE_PUSH_DESCRIPTORS_DESCRIPTOR_BUFFER_BIT_EXT specifies that the buffer, when bound, can be used by the implementation to support push descriptors when using descriptor buffers.

  • VK_BUFFER_USAGE_RAY_TRACING_BIT_NV specifies that the buffer is suitable for use in vkCmdTraceRaysNV.

  • VK_BUFFER_USAGE_SHADER_BINDING_TABLE_BIT_KHR specifies that the buffer is suitable for use as a Shader Binding Table.

  • VK_BUFFER_USAGE_ACCELERATION_STRUCTURE_BUILD_INPUT_READ_ONLY_BIT_KHR specifies that the buffer is suitable for use as a read-only input to an acceleration structure build.

  • VK_BUFFER_USAGE_ACCELERATION_STRUCTURE_STORAGE_BIT_KHR specifies that the buffer is suitable for storage space for a VkAccelerationStructureKHR.

  • VK_BUFFER_USAGE_SHADER_DEVICE_ADDRESS_BIT specifies that the buffer can be used to retrieve a buffer device address via vkGetBufferDeviceAddress and use that address to access the buffer’s memory from a shader.

  • VK_BUFFER_USAGE_VIDEO_DECODE_SRC_BIT_KHR specifies that the buffer can be used as the source video bitstream buffer in a video decode operation.

  • VK_BUFFER_USAGE_VIDEO_DECODE_DST_BIT_KHR is reserved for future use.

  • VK_BUFFER_USAGE_VIDEO_ENCODE_DST_BIT_KHR specifies that the buffer can be used as the destination video bitstream buffer in a video encode operation.

  • VK_BUFFER_USAGE_VIDEO_ENCODE_SRC_BIT_KHR is reserved for future use.

  • VK_BUFFER_USAGE_EXECUTION_GRAPH_SCRATCH_BIT_AMDX specifies that the buffer can be used for as scratch memory for execution graph dispatch.

See Also

VK_VERSION_1_0, VkBufferUsageFlags

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 2014-2023 The Khronos Group Inc.

SPDX-License-Identifier: CC-BY-4.0