LightVK: Lightweight Vulkan C# Low-Level Bindings

LightVK is a lightweight set of low-level Vulkan bindings for C#, automatically generated from the official vk.xml specification. It provides C# developers with near-native performance access to Vulkan APIs.

For the complex procedural steps of Vulkan, LightVK offers lightweight abstract encapsulation that simplifies development while preserving native flexibility.

Wiki: https://deepwiki.com/unknowall/LightVK

🌐 中文版说明

LightVK 是一套轻量级 Vulkan C# 底层绑定库，基于官方 vk.xml 规范自动生成，为 C# 开发者提供接近原生性能的 Vulkan API 访问能力。 针对 Vulkan 复杂的流程步骤，LightVK 提供了轻量化抽象封装，简化开发的同时保留原生灵活性。

核心特性

• 完整 Vulkan 支持：覆盖 Vulkan 1.0 ~ 1.4 全版本核心功能
• 全扩展：支持所有 Vulkan 官方扩展
• 跨平台：适配 Windows、Linux、Android 三大平台
• 无依赖：无第三方 NuGet 依赖，仅依赖系统 Vulkan 运行时
• 生产级：已在 PS1 模拟器 ScePSX 中实际应用

快速开始

环境要求

• 硬件：支持 Vulkan 1.0+ 的 GPU（NVIDIA GTX 900+/AMD HD 7000+/Intel 11代核显及以上）
• 系统：Windows 7+ / Linux (Ubuntu 14.04+/Fedora 23+) / Android 7.0+
• 运行时：.NET 8.0+
• 依赖：Vulkan SDK（开发环境）

安装与编译

# 克隆仓库
git clone https://github.com/unknowall/LightVK.git

# 进入项目目录
cd LightVK

# 编译
dotnet build LightVK.sln

基础使用示例（设备初始化）

using LightVK;
using static LightVK.VulkanDevice;
using static LightVK.VulkanNative;

// 创建 Vulkan 设备实例
var device = new VulkanDevice();

// 初始化设备（Windows 平台示例）
IntPtr windowHandle = /* 你的窗口句柄 */;
IntPtr instanceHandle = /* 你的实例句柄 */;
...
//2 . Initialize VulkanDevice
device.VulkanInit(windowHandle, instanceHandle, enableValidation: true);
...
//3. Create RenderPass
_renderPass = _device.CreateRenderPass(
_device.ChooseSurfaceFormat().format,
VkAttachmentLoadOp.VK_ATTACHMENT_LOAD_OP_CLEAR,
VkImageLayout.VK_IMAGE_LAYOUT_UNDEFINED,
VkImageLayout.VK_IMAGE_LAYOUT_PRESENT_SRC_KHR);
...
// 4. Create SwapChain
_swapChain = _device.CreateSwapChain(_renderPass, 800, 600);
...
// 5. Create Vertex Buffer
var vertices = new[]
{
 new Vertex(-0.5f, -0.5f, 1.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f), // Red
 new Vertex(0.5f, -0.5f, 0.0f, 1.0f, 0.0f),  // Green
 new Vertex(0.0f, 0.5f, 0.0f, 0.0f, 1.0f)    // Blue
};
vertexBuffer = _device.CreateBuffer( (ulong)(vertices.Length * Marshal.SizeOf<Vertex>()),
 VkBufferUsageFlags.VK_BUFFER_USAGE_VERTEX_BUFFER_BIT | VkBufferUsageFlags.VK_BUFFER_USAGE_TRANSFER_DST_BIT);
......

运行 Demo

项目内置 VulkanDevice 演示程序，展示基础渲染流程：

1. 编译解决方案后，将 Demo 项目设为启动项目
2. 运行程序，将看到基础渲染效果
3. Demo 包含：窗口创建、设备初始化、渲染通道/交换链配置、基础绘制流程

关键模块

模块	功能说明
VulkanNative	底层 API 绑定（命令、枚举、结构体等）
VulkanTypes	基础数据类型封装（VkExtent2D、VkRect2D 等）
VulkanDevice	设备管理与资源封装（渲染管线、交换链等）
VkGen	从 vk.xml 自动生成绑定代码的工具

许可证

本项目采用 MIT 许可证开源，详情见 LICENSE.txt，允许自由使用、修改和分发（商业项目可用）。

相关项目

• 应用案例：ScePSX（PS1 模拟器）
• 规范来源：Vulkan-Docs（vk.xml）

贡献

欢迎通过 PR 或 Issues 参与项目开发：

1. Fork 本仓库
2. 创建 feature/bugfix 分支
3. 提交代码并说明变更内容
4. 发起 Pull Request

遵循现有代码风格，确保跨平台兼容性，必要时添加注释和测试。

---

Core Features

• Full Vulkan Support: Covers core functionality across all Vulkan versions from 1.0 to 1.4
• Complete Extensions: Supports all official Vulkan extensions
• Cross-Platform: Compatible with three major platforms: Windows, Linux, and Android
• Dependency-Free: No third-party NuGet dependencies, only relies on the system Vulkan runtime
• Production-Grade: Implemented in the PS1 emulator ScePSX

Quick Start

Environment Requirements

• Hardware: GPU supporting Vulkan 1.0+ (NVIDIA GTX 900+/AMD HD 7000+/11th Gen Intel Core integrated graphics and above)
• System: Windows 7+ / Linux (Ubuntu 14.04+/Fedora 23+) / Android 7.0+
• Runtime: .NET 8.0+
• Dependencies: Vulkan SDK (development environment only)

Installation & Compilation

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/unknowall/LightVK.git

# Navigate to the project directory
cd LightVK

# Compile
dotnet build LightVK.sln

Basic Usage Example (Device Initialization)

using LightVK;
using static LightVK.VulkanDevice;
using static LightVK.VulkanNative;

// Create a Vulkan device instance
var device = new VulkanDevice();

// Initialize the device (Windows platform example)
IntPtr windowHandle = /* Your window handle */;
IntPtr instanceHandle = /* Your instance handle */;
...
// 2. Initialize VulkanDevice
device.VulkanInit(windowHandle, instanceHandle, enableValidation: true);
...
// 3. Create RenderPass
_renderPass = _device.CreateRenderPass(
_device.ChooseSurfaceFormat().format,
VkAttachmentLoadOp.VK_ATTACHMENT_LOAD_OP_CLEAR,
VkImageLayout.VK_IMAGE_LAYOUT_UNDEFINED,
VkImageLayout.VK_IMAGE_LAYOUT_PRESENT_SRC_KHR);
...
// 4. Create SwapChain
_swapChain = _device.CreateSwapChain(_renderPass, 800, 600);
...
// 5. Create Vertex Buffer
var vertices = new[]
{
 new Vertex(-0.5f, -0.5f, 1.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f), // Red
 new Vertex(0.5f, -0.5f, 0.0f, 1.0f, 0.0f),  // Green
 new Vertex(0.0f, 0.5f, 0.0f, 0.0f, 1.0f)    // Blue
};
vertexBuffer = _device.CreateBuffer( (ulong)(vertices.Length * Marshal.SizeOf<Vertex>()),
 VkBufferUsageFlags.VK_BUFFER_USAGE_VERTEX_BUFFER_BIT | VkBufferUsageFlags.VK_BUFFER_USAGE_TRANSFER_DST_BIT);
......

Run the Demo

The project includes a built-in VulkanDevice demo program that demonstrates the basic rendering process:

1. After compiling the solution, set the Demo project as the startup project
2. Run the program to see basic rendering effects
3. The demo includes: window creation, device initialization, render pass/swap chain configuration, and basic drawing flow

Key Modules

Module	Description
VulkanNative	Low-level API bindings (commands, enums, structs, etc.)
VulkanTypes	Basic data type encapsulation (VkExtent2D, VkRect2D, etc.)
VulkanDevice	Device management and resource encapsulation (render pipelines, swap chains, etc.)
VkGen	Tool to auto-generate binding code from vk.xml

License

This project is open-source under the MIT License. See LICENSE.txt for details. Free for use, modification, and distribution (including commercial projects).

Related Projects

• Application Example: ScePSX (PS1 Emulator)
• Specification Source: Vulkan-Docs (vk.xml)

Contribution

Contributions via PR or Issues are welcome:

1. Fork this repository
2. Create a feature/bugfix branch
3. Commit your code with clear descriptions of changes
4. Submit a Pull Request

Follow the existing code style, ensure cross-platform compatibility, and add comments/tests when necessary.