Technical requirements

To successfully run the code featured in this and rest of chapters, your system must meet the following requirements:

A Windows computer equipped with a GPU that supports Vulkan 1.3. We recommend having a machine with at least 16 GB of RAM and a modern graphics card. The code for various chapters was tested with GTX 1080, GTX 1060, RTX 3050, and RTX 4060. Please note that Chapter 7, Ray Tracing and Hybrid Rendering, requires RTX 3050/4060 series card since it demonstrates use of ray tracing.

To get started, follow these steps:

1. Download and Install Vulkan SDK 1.3.268: Visit the LunarG website at https://sdk.lunarg.com/sdk/download/1.3.268.0/windows/VulkanSDK-1.3.268.0-Installer.exe and download the Vulkan SDK 1.3.268 installer. Run the installer to complete the installation process.
2. Install Python 3.12: Download the latest version of Python 3.12 from the official Python website and follow the installation instructions provided.
3. Clone the Repository: Ensure you have Git installed on your computer. If not, download and install Git from https://git-scm.com/downloads. Once Git is installed, open a command prompt or terminal and execute git clone https://github.com/PacktPublishing/The-Modern-Vulkan-Cookbook to clone the repository.
4. Open the Project in Visual Studio 2022: Launch Visual Studio 2022. Navigate to File | Open | Folder and select the folder where you cloned the repository. This action will load the project into Visual Studio.
5. Build the Project: Within Visual Studio, you can choose to build the project for debugging or release. For learning purposes and when making changes to the code, it’s recommended to use the Debug build configuration. This allows you to step through the code and understand its execution flow. For simply running the executables, you can use the Release build configuration.

The project is structured to facilitate easy navigation and understanding of the code examples provided in each chapter. Here’s a detailed guide on how to locate and work with the code:

The project is organized into several key directories, each serving a specific purpose:

• source/chapterX: This directory contains the main source code for each chapter. Replace X with the chapter number you are working on. For example, the source code for this chapter is located in source/chapter1.
• source/vulkancore: This directory is dedicated to the Vulkan specific code and components. It includes utilities, wrappers, and other Vulkan related functionalities that are used throughout the project.
• source/enginecore: This directory houses the core engine components that are shared across multiple chapters. These components provide foundational functionality that is reused in various parts of the project.

The recipe for this chapter can be run by launching Chapter01_Traingle.exe executable.