Chapter 1. Getting Started with the NextGen 3D Graphics API
Vulkan is a revolutionary high-performance 3D graphics and computing API for modern GPU pipeline architectures to meet the demanding requirements of the community. This API provides a brand-new approach to overcome the complexities and gaps in existing traditional APIs. Vulkan is an explicit API that promises predictable behavior and allows you to have smooth rendering frame rates without causing lags or hitches. This chapter will present an overview of the Vulkan API and its distinct features compared to its predecessor: the OpenGL API. We will take a look at Vulkan's ecosystem and understand its graphics system.
So we will cover the following topics:
- Vulkan and its evolution
- Vulkan versus OpenGL
- Important jargons before we get started
- Learning the fundamentals of Vulkan
- Understanding the Vulkan application
- Getting started with the Vulkan programming model