LightVK 1.0.3

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

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 <img width="802" height="632" alt="DEMO" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/565962ea-2793-438b-9a4a-dd7c7c1b502a" />

Key Modules

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.