Provide high level API

[rtbo]

It is intended to provide a high level API on top of Graal. This API should make writing code easy (Graal is just as complicated as Vulkan, just a little less verbose), but still enable power and flexibility. This issue is about discussing/gathering specifications for this API.

• Swapchain creation should be done in a few lines of code
• Pipeline creation scriptable with Lua
• Be bindless or nearly. Every binding should be done in the context of another object (no global binding).
• High scalability over multiple threads
• Do not hide Graal away. Rather provide helpers on top of it.

[chances]

I've been implementing my own Vulkan-based game engine in D, but just discovered this project. It seems like you're quite a lot further along with this abstraction. 😄️

I'm going to investigate swapping out my Vulkan implementation with your library...

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Regarding higher level swapchain creation, what of something like my abstraction?

• Device.createSwapChain: https://github.com/chances/teraflop-d/blob/vulkan/source/vulkan.d#L216
• SwapChain class: https://github.com/chances/teraflop-d/blob/vulkan/source/vulkan.d#L275
• Each Window "has" a SwapChain: https://github.com/chances/teraflop-d/blob/vulkan/source/game.d#L25
• SwapChain's are recreated when windows resize with little hassle: https://github.com/chances/teraflop-d/blob/vulkan/source/game.d#L209

[rtbo]

@chances First, thanks for your interest in this project!

I've started something similar in spirit: The GraphicsSurface class manages its own swapchain and some data per image in the swapchain. (still WIP) Your swapchain abstraction goes a little bit further:

• it handles the presentation
• it creates a renderpass and framebuffer (this assumes a particular attachments layout)

I'm not so sure yet how to move forward. On thing is sure: I can't assume anything about the attachement layout (e.g. color + depth). But I may pass attachment description and use this to manage renderpass and framebuffer.

I have a fairly complex example (deferred), with multiple passes and framebuffers. This will be a good crash test for this API.