Vulkan 1.3.270 Released With New Imagination Extension To Help OpenGL Emulation

Vulkan 1.3.270 is out this morning as the latest routine spec update for this high performance graphics and compute API. In addition to the usual assortment of minor fixes/clarifications, there is one new extension this time around.

The new extension is VK_IMG_relaxed_line_rasterization and while it's an Imagination Tech vendor extension, it may be helpful to other drivers / implementations as well. The VK_IMG_relaxed_line_rasterization extension is intended to help OpenGL emulation layers built atop Vulkan, such as Mesa's Zink driver. Imagination with their sole focus on providing a PowerVR Vulkan driver within Mesa is also due to the fact that for OpenGL they intend to use Zink for legacy applications/games.

The VK_IMG_relaxed_line_rasterization extension allows for OpenGL emulation layers to enable the OpenGL compatible line rasterization mode (diamond exit rule) for such implementations. This is due to OpenGL specifying how line rasterization should be carried out and some GPUs having a device-level compatibility mode for rasterizing the lines according to this OpenGL specification.

But that's about it for today's Vulkan 1.3.270 update. The full list of changes can be found via this commit.