C Specification

To record a non-indexed draw, call:

// Provided by VK_VERSION_1_0
void vkCmdDraw(
    VkCommandBuffer                             commandBuffer,
    uint32_t                                    vertexCount,
    uint32_t                                    instanceCount,
    uint32_t                                    firstVertex,
    uint32_t                                    firstInstance);

Parameters

  • commandBuffer is the command buffer into which the command is recorded.

  • vertexCount is the number of vertices to draw.

  • instanceCount is the number of instances to draw.

  • firstVertex is the index of the first vertex to draw.

  • firstInstance is the instance ID of the first instance to draw.

Description

When the command is executed, primitives are assembled using the current primitive topology and vertexCount consecutive vertex indices with the first vertexIndex value equal to firstVertex. The primitives are drawn instanceCount times with instanceIndex starting with firstInstance and increasing sequentially for each instance. The assembled primitives execute the bound graphics pipeline.

Valid Usage

  • VUID-vkCmdDraw-commandBuffer-02712
    If commandBuffer is a protected command buffer and protectedNoFault is not supported, any resource written to by the VkPipeline object bound to the pipeline bind point used by this command must not be an unprotected resource

  • VUID-vkCmdDraw-commandBuffer-02713
    If commandBuffer is a protected command buffer and protectedNoFault is not supported, pipeline stages other than the framebuffer-space and compute stages in the VkPipeline object bound to the pipeline bind point used by this command must not write to any resource

  • VUID-vkCmdDraw-commandBuffer-04617
    If any of the shader stages of the VkPipeline bound to the pipeline bind point used by this command uses the RayQueryKHR capability, then commandBuffer must not be a protected command buffer

Valid Usage (Implicit)

  • VUID-vkCmdDraw-commandBuffer-parameter
    commandBuffer must be a valid VkCommandBuffer handle

  • VUID-vkCmdDraw-commandBuffer-recording
    commandBuffer must be in the recording state

  • VUID-vkCmdDraw-commandBuffer-cmdpool
    The VkCommandPool that commandBuffer was allocated from must support VK_QUEUE_GRAPHICS_BIT operations

  • VUID-vkCmdDraw-renderpass
    This command must only be called inside of a render pass instance

  • VUID-vkCmdDraw-suspended
    This command must not be called between suspended render pass instances

  • VUID-vkCmdDraw-videocoding
    This command must only be called outside of a video coding scope

Host Synchronization

  • Host access to commandBuffer must be externally synchronized

  • Host access to the VkCommandPool that commandBuffer was allocated from must be externally synchronized

Command Properties
Command Buffer Levels Render Pass Scope Video Coding Scope Supported Queue Types Command Type

Primary
Secondary

Inside

Outside

VK_QUEUE_GRAPHICS_BIT

Action
Conditional Rendering

vkCmdDraw is affected by conditional rendering

See Also

VK_VERSION_1_0, VkCommandBuffer

Document Notes

For more information, see the Vulkan Specification.

This page is extracted from the Vulkan Specification. Fixes and changes should be made to the Specification, not directly.

Copyright

Copyright 2014-2026 The Khronos Group Inc.

SPDX-License-Identifier: CC-BY-4.0