Vulkan Portability Extension 1.0 Now Shipping For Expanding Vulkan's Reach

The Vulkan Portability Extension (VK_KHR_portability_subset) has been released as part of the effort by The Khronos Group in getting Vulkan running on as many platforms as possible, including the likes of Apple macOS/iOS.

The VK_KHR_portability_subset extension is about getting Vulkan up and running on non-Vulkan APIs, as opposed to the success we have already seen in areas like getting OpenGL or Direct3D atop Vulkan. The VK_KHR_portability_subset extension makes it easier for the likes of GFX-RS and MoltenVK for getting Vulkan running on platforms like Apple's operating systems where Vulkan is not supported and thus having to reside on top of say the Apple Metal API.

VK_KHR_portability_subset allows for disabling / mark as unsupported capabilities otherwise required of Vulkan. VK_KHR_portability_subset also allows for adding additional properties or limits for helping to suit the requirements/capabilities of the underlying graphics architecture being targeted. This extension only targets these cases like GFX-RS and MoltenVK and not for use by native/conformant Vulkan 1.0 implementations.

More details on this significant milestone for Vulkan's portability via Khronos.org. There is also the KHR_portability_subset documentation as well. MoltenVK and GFX-RS already have support available as part of the Vulkan Portability Initiative.