# VkSubpassDescription(3) Manual Page

## Name

VkSubpassDescription - Structure specifying a subpass description

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## C Specification

The `VkSubpassDescription` structure is defined as:

Warning | This functionality is superseded by VkSubpassDescription2. See Legacy Functionality for more information.

    // Provided by VK_VERSION_1_0
    typedef struct VkSubpassDescription {
        VkSubpassDescriptionFlags       flags;
        VkPipelineBindPoint             pipelineBindPoint;
        uint32_t                        inputAttachmentCount;
        const VkAttachmentReference*    pInputAttachments;
        uint32_t                        colorAttachmentCount;
        const VkAttachmentReference*    pColorAttachments;
        const VkAttachmentReference*    pResolveAttachments;
        const VkAttachmentReference*    pDepthStencilAttachment;
        uint32_t                        preserveAttachmentCount;
        const uint32_t*                 pPreserveAttachments;
    } VkSubpassDescription;

## Members

- `flags` is a bitmask of VkSubpassDescriptionFlagBits specifying usage of the subpass.

- `pipelineBindPoint` is a VkPipelineBindPoint value specifying the pipeline type supported for this subpass.

- `inputAttachmentCount` is the number of input attachments.

- `pInputAttachments` is a pointer to an array of VkAttachmentReference structures defining the input attachments for this subpass and their layouts.

- `colorAttachmentCount` is the number of color attachments.

- `pColorAttachments` is a pointer to an array of `colorAttachmentCount` VkAttachmentReference structures defining the color attachments for this subpass and their layouts.

- `pResolveAttachments` is `NULL` or a pointer to an array of `colorAttachmentCount` VkAttachmentReference structures defining the resolve attachments for this subpass and their layouts.

- `pDepthStencilAttachment` is a pointer to a VkAttachmentReference structure specifying the depth/stencil attachment for this subpass and its layout.

- `preserveAttachmentCount` is the number of preserved attachments.

- `pPreserveAttachments` is a pointer to an array of `preserveAttachmentCount` render pass attachment indices identifying attachments that are not used by this subpass, but whose contents must be preserved throughout the subpass.

## Description

Each element of the `pInputAttachments` array corresponds to an input attachment index in a fragment shader, i.e. if a shader declares an image variable decorated with a `InputAttachmentIndex` value of X, then it uses the attachment provided in `pInputAttachments`[X]. Input attachments must also be bound to the pipeline in a descriptor set. If the `attachment` member of any element of `pInputAttachments` is VK_ATTACHMENT_UNUSED, the application must not read from the corresponding input attachment index. Fragment shaders can use subpass input variables to access the contents of an input attachment at the fragment’s (xf,yf) framebuffer coordinates and layer. Input attachments must not be used by any subpasses within a render pass that enables render pass transform.

Each element of the `pColorAttachments` array corresponds to an output location in the shader, i.e. if the shader declares an output variable decorated with a `Location` value of X, then it uses the attachment provided in `pColorAttachments`[X]. If the `attachment` member of any element of `pColorAttachments` is VK_ATTACHMENT_UNUSED, or if Color Write Enable has been disabled for the corresponding attachment index, then writes to the corresponding location by a fragment shader are discarded.

If `flags` does not include VK_SUBPASS_DESCRIPTION_CUSTOM_RESOLVE_BIT_EXT, and if `pResolveAttachments` is not `NULL`, each of its elements corresponds to a color attachment (the element in `pColorAttachments` at the same index), and a multisample resolve operation is defined for each attachment unless the resolve attachment index is VK_ATTACHMENT_UNUSED.

Similarly, if `flags` does not include VK_SUBPASS_DESCRIPTION_CUSTOM_RESOLVE_BIT_EXT, and VkSubpassDescriptionDepthStencilResolve::`pDepthStencilResolveAttachment` is not `NULL` and does not have the value VK_ATTACHMENT_UNUSED, it corresponds to the depth/stencil attachment in `pDepthStencilAttachment`, and multisample resolve operation for depth and stencil are defined by VkSubpassDescriptionDepthStencilResolve::`depthResolveMode` and VkSubpassDescriptionDepthStencilResolve::`stencilResolveMode`, respectively. If VkSubpassDescriptionDepthStencilResolve::`depthResolveMode` is VK_RESOLVE_MODE_NONE or the `pDepthStencilResolveAttachment` does not have a depth aspect, no resolve operation is performed for the depth attachment. If VkSubpassDescriptionDepthStencilResolve::`stencilResolveMode` is VK_RESOLVE_MODE_NONE or the `pDepthStencilResolveAttachment` does not have a stencil aspect, no resolve operation is performed for the stencil attachment.

If the image subresource range referenced by the depth/stencil attachment is created with VK_IMAGE_CREATE_SAMPLE_LOCATIONS_COMPATIBLE_DEPTH_BIT_EXT, then the multisample resolve operation uses the sample locations state specified in the `sampleLocationsInfo` member of the element of the `VkRenderPassSampleLocationsBeginInfoEXT`::`pPostSubpassSampleLocations` for the subpass.

If `pDepthStencilAttachment` is `NULL`, or if its attachment index is VK_ATTACHMENT_UNUSED, it indicates that no depth/stencil attachment will be used in the subpass.

Following this call, if the `customResolve` feature is enabled the fragment area may be reduced to (1,1) if a fragment density map is attached to the render pass. If this occurs, reads of input attachments may return the value for the original larger fragment containing the smaller fragment or use the new fragment area.

The contents of an attachment within the render area become undefined at the start of a subpass S if all of the following conditions are true:

- The attachment is used as a color, depth/stencil, or resolve attachment in any subpass in the render pass.

- There is a subpass S1 that uses or preserves the attachment, and a subpass dependency from S1 to S.

- The attachment is not used or preserved in subpass S.

In addition, the contents of an attachment within the render area become undefined at the start of a subpass S if all of the following conditions are true:

- VK_SUBPASS_DESCRIPTION_CUSTOM_RESOLVE_BIT_EXT is set.

- The attachment is used as a color or depth/stencil in the subpass.

For color attachments, this operation will be performed in the VK_PIPELINE_STAGE_COLOR_ATTACHMENT_OUTPUT_BIT pipeline stage, with any image accesses performed via VK_ACCESS_INPUT_ATTACHMENT_READ_BIT, VK_ACCESS_COLOR_ATTACHMENT_READ_BIT, and VK_ACCESS_COLOR_ATTACHMENT_WRITE_BIT. For depth/stencil attachments, this operation may be performed in either the VK_PIPELINE_STAGE_EARLY_FRAGMENT_TESTS_BIT or VK_PIPELINE_STAGE_LATE_FRAGMENT_TESTS_BIT pipeline stage, with any image accesses performed via VK_ACCESS_INPUT_ATTACHMENT_READ_BIT, VK_ACCESS_DEPTH_STENCIL_ATTACHMENT_READ_BIT, and VK_ACCESS_DEPTH_STENCIL_ATTACHMENT_WRITE_BIT.

Once the contents of an attachment become undefined in subpass S, they remain undefined for subpasses in subpass dependency chains starting with subpass S until they are written again. However, they remain valid for subpasses in other subpass dependency chains starting with subpass S1 if all subpasses in each chain use or preserve the attachment.

Note | If a subpass has multiple dependency chains where some of the chains preserve the attachment, and others do not, the contents of the attachment are undefined for that subpass.

Valid Usage

- VUID-VkSubpassDescription-attachment-06912
  If the `attachment` member of an element of `pInputAttachments` is not VK_ATTACHMENT_UNUSED, its `layout` member must not be VK_IMAGE_LAYOUT_COLOR_ATTACHMENT_OPTIMAL or VK_IMAGE_LAYOUT_DEPTH_STENCIL_ATTACHMENT_OPTIMAL

- VUID-VkSubpassDescription-attachment-06913
  If the `attachment` member of an element of `pColorAttachments` is not VK_ATTACHMENT_UNUSED, its `layout` member must not be VK_IMAGE_LAYOUT_DEPTH_STENCIL_ATTACHMENT_OPTIMAL or VK_IMAGE_LAYOUT_SHADER_READ_ONLY_OPTIMAL

- VUID-VkSubpassDescription-attachment-06914
  If the `attachment` member of an element of `pResolveAttachments` is not VK_ATTACHMENT_UNUSED, its `layout` member must not be VK_IMAGE_LAYOUT_DEPTH_STENCIL_ATTACHMENT_OPTIMAL or VK_IMAGE_LAYOUT_SHADER_READ_ONLY_OPTIMAL

- VUID-VkSubpassDescription-attachment-06915
  If the `attachment` member of `pDepthStencilAttachment` is not VK_ATTACHMENT_UNUSED, its `layout` member must not be VK_IMAGE_LAYOUT_COLOR_ATTACHMENT_OPTIMAL or VK_IMAGE_LAYOUT_SHADER_READ_ONLY_OPTIMAL

- VUID-VkSubpassDescription-attachment-06916
  If the `attachment` member of an element of `pColorAttachments` is not VK_ATTACHMENT_UNUSED, its `layout` member must not be VK_IMAGE_LAYOUT_DEPTH_ATTACHMENT_STENCIL_READ_ONLY_OPTIMAL or VK_IMAGE_LAYOUT_DEPTH_READ_ONLY_STENCIL_ATTACHMENT_OPTIMAL

- VUID-VkSubpassDescription-attachment-06917
  If the `attachment` member of an element of `pResolveAttachments` is not VK_ATTACHMENT_UNUSED, its `layout` member must not be VK_IMAGE_LAYOUT_DEPTH_ATTACHMENT_STENCIL_READ_ONLY_OPTIMAL or VK_IMAGE_LAYOUT_DEPTH_READ_ONLY_STENCIL_ATTACHMENT_OPTIMAL

- VUID-VkSubpassDescription-attachment-06918
  If the `attachment` member of an element of `pInputAttachments` is not VK_ATTACHMENT_UNUSED, its `layout` member must not be VK_IMAGE_LAYOUT_DEPTH_ATTACHMENT_OPTIMAL or VK_IMAGE_LAYOUT_STENCIL_ATTACHMENT_OPTIMAL

- VUID-VkSubpassDescription-attachment-06919
  If the `attachment` member of an element of `pColorAttachments` is not VK_ATTACHMENT_UNUSED, its `layout` member must not be VK_IMAGE_LAYOUT_DEPTH_ATTACHMENT_OPTIMAL, VK_IMAGE_LAYOUT_DEPTH_READ_ONLY_OPTIMAL, VK_IMAGE_LAYOUT_STENCIL_ATTACHMENT_OPTIMAL, or VK_IMAGE_LAYOUT_STENCIL_READ_ONLY_OPTIMAL

- VUID-VkSubpassDescription-attachment-06920
  If the `attachment` member of an element of `pResolveAttachments` is not VK_ATTACHMENT_UNUSED, its `layout` member must not be VK_IMAGE_LAYOUT_DEPTH_ATTACHMENT_OPTIMAL, VK_IMAGE_LAYOUT_DEPTH_READ_ONLY_OPTIMAL, VK_IMAGE_LAYOUT_STENCIL_ATTACHMENT_OPTIMAL, or VK_IMAGE_LAYOUT_STENCIL_READ_ONLY_OPTIMAL

- VUID-VkSubpassDescription-attachment-06921
  If the `attachment` member of an element of `pInputAttachments` is not VK_ATTACHMENT_UNUSED, its `layout` member must not be VK_IMAGE_LAYOUT_ATTACHMENT_OPTIMAL_KHR

- VUID-VkSubpassDescription-attachment-06922
  If the `attachment` member of an element of `pColorAttachments` is not VK_ATTACHMENT_UNUSED, its `layout` member must not be VK_IMAGE_LAYOUT_READ_ONLY_OPTIMAL_KHR

- VUID-VkSubpassDescription-attachment-06923
  If the `attachment` member of an element of `pResolveAttachments` is not VK_ATTACHMENT_UNUSED, its `layout` member must not be VK_IMAGE_LAYOUT_READ_ONLY_OPTIMAL_KHR

- VUID-VkSubpassDescription-flags-10683
  If `flags` includes VK_SUBPASS_DESCRIPTION_TILE_SHADING_APRON_BIT_QCOM, the render pass must have been created with a VkRenderPassTileShadingCreateInfoQCOM::`tileApronSize` greater than `(0,0)`

- VUID-VkSubpassDescription-inputAttachmentCount-12293
  `inputAttachmentCount` must be less than or equal to `maxPerStageDescriptorInputAttachments`

- VUID-VkSubpassDescription-colorAttachmentCount-00845
  `colorAttachmentCount` must be less than or equal to `maxColorAttachments`

- VUID-VkSubpassDescription-loadOp-00846
  If the first use of an attachment in this render pass is as an input attachment, and the attachment is not also used as a color or depth/stencil attachment in the same subpass, then `loadOp` must not be VK_ATTACHMENT_LOAD_OP_CLEAR

- VUID-VkSubpassDescription-pipelineBindPoint-04952
  `pipelineBindPoint` must be VK_PIPELINE_BIND_POINT_GRAPHICS or VK_PIPELINE_BIND_POINT_SUBPASS_SHADING_HUAWEI

- VUID-VkSubpassDescription-pResolveAttachments-00847
  If `pResolveAttachments` is not `NULL`, for each resolve attachment that is not VK_ATTACHMENT_UNUSED, the corresponding color attachment must not be VK_ATTACHMENT_UNUSED

- VUID-VkSubpassDescription-pResolveAttachments-00848
  If `pResolveAttachments` is not `NULL`, for each resolve attachment that is not VK_ATTACHMENT_UNUSED, the corresponding color attachment must not have a sample count of VK_SAMPLE_COUNT_1_BIT

- VUID-VkSubpassDescription-pResolveAttachments-00849
  If `pResolveAttachments` is not `NULL`, each resolve attachment that is not VK_ATTACHMENT_UNUSED must have a sample count of VK_SAMPLE_COUNT_1_BIT

- VUID-VkSubpassDescription-pResolveAttachments-00850
  If `pResolveAttachments` is not `NULL`, each resolve attachment that is not VK_ATTACHMENT_UNUSED must have the same VkFormat as its corresponding color attachment

- VUID-VkSubpassDescription-pColorAttachments-09430
  All attachments in `pColorAttachments` that are not VK_ATTACHMENT_UNUSED must have the same sample count

- VUID-VkSubpassDescription-pInputAttachments-02647
  All attachments in `pInputAttachments` that are not VK_ATTACHMENT_UNUSED must have image formats whose potential format features contain at least VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_COLOR_ATTACHMENT_BIT or VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_DEPTH_STENCIL_ATTACHMENT_BIT

- VUID-VkSubpassDescription-pColorAttachments-02648
  All attachments in `pColorAttachments` that are not VK_ATTACHMENT_UNUSED must have image formats whose potential format features contain VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_COLOR_ATTACHMENT_BIT

- VUID-VkSubpassDescription-pResolveAttachments-02649
  All attachments in `pResolveAttachments` that are not VK_ATTACHMENT_UNUSED must have image formats whose potential format features contain VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_COLOR_ATTACHMENT_BIT

- VUID-VkSubpassDescription-pDepthStencilAttachment-02650
  If `pDepthStencilAttachment` is not `NULL` and the attachment is not VK_ATTACHMENT_UNUSED then it must have an image format whose potential format features contain VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_DEPTH_STENCIL_ATTACHMENT_BIT

- VUID-VkSubpassDescription-linearColorAttachment-06496
  If the `linearColorAttachment` feature is enabled and the image is created with VK_IMAGE_TILING_LINEAR, all attachments in `pInputAttachments` that are not VK_ATTACHMENT_UNUSED must have image formats whose potential format features must contain VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_2_LINEAR_COLOR_ATTACHMENT_BIT_NV

- VUID-VkSubpassDescription-linearColorAttachment-06497
  If the `linearColorAttachment` feature is enabled and the image is created with VK_IMAGE_TILING_LINEAR, all attachments in `pColorAttachments` that are not VK_ATTACHMENT_UNUSED must have image formats whose potential format features must contain VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_2_LINEAR_COLOR_ATTACHMENT_BIT_NV

- VUID-VkSubpassDescription-linearColorAttachment-06498
  If the `linearColorAttachment` feature is enabled and the image is created with VK_IMAGE_TILING_LINEAR, all attachments in `pResolveAttachments` that are not VK_ATTACHMENT_UNUSED must have image formats whose potential format features must contain VK_FORMAT_FEATURE_2_LINEAR_COLOR_ATTACHMENT_BIT_NV

- VUID-VkSubpassDescription-None-09431
  If either of the following is enabled:

  - The `VK_AMD_mixed_attachment_samples` extension

  - The `VK_NV_framebuffer_mixed_samples` extension

  all attachments in `pColorAttachments` that are not VK_ATTACHMENT_UNUSED must have a sample count that is smaller than or equal to the sample count of `pDepthStencilAttachment` if it is not VK_ATTACHMENT_UNUSED

- VUID-VkSubpassDescription-pDepthStencilAttachment-01418
  If none of the following are enabled:

  - The `VK_AMD_mixed_attachment_samples` extension

  - The `VK_NV_framebuffer_mixed_samples` extension

  all attachments in `pDepthStencilAttachment` and `pColorAttachments` that are not VK_ATTACHMENT_UNUSED must have the same sample count

- VUID-VkSubpassDescription-attachment-00853
  Each element of `pPreserveAttachments` must not be VK_ATTACHMENT_UNUSED

- VUID-VkSubpassDescription-pPreserveAttachments-00854
  Each element of `pPreserveAttachments` must not also be an element of any other member of the subpass description

- VUID-VkSubpassDescription-layout-02519
  If any attachment is used by more than one VkAttachmentReference member, then each use must use the same `layout`

- VUID-VkSubpassDescription-flags-00856
  If `flags` includes VK_SUBPASS_DESCRIPTION_PER_VIEW_POSITION_X_ONLY_BIT_NVX, it must also include VK_SUBPASS_DESCRIPTION_PER_VIEW_ATTRIBUTES_BIT_NVX

- VUID-VkSubpassDescription-flags-03341
  If `flags` includes VK_SUBPASS_DESCRIPTION_CUSTOM_RESOLVE_BIT_EXT, and if `pResolveAttachments` is not `NULL`, then each resolve attachment must be VK_ATTACHMENT_UNUSED

- VUID-VkSubpassDescription-flags-03343
  If `flags` includes VK_SUBPASS_DESCRIPTION_CUSTOM_RESOLVE_BIT_EXT, then the subpass must be the last subpass in a subpass dependency chain

- VUID-VkSubpassDescription-pInputAttachments-02868
  If the render pass is created with VK_RENDER_PASS_CREATE_TRANSFORM_BIT_QCOM each of the elements of `pInputAttachments` must be VK_ATTACHMENT_UNUSED

- VUID-VkSubpassDescription-pDepthStencilAttachment-04438
  `pDepthStencilAttachment` and `pColorAttachments` must not contain references to the same attachment

Valid Usage (Implicit)

- VUID-VkSubpassDescription-flags-parameter
  `flags` must be a valid combination of VkSubpassDescriptionFlagBits values

- VUID-VkSubpassDescription-pipelineBindPoint-parameter
  `pipelineBindPoint` must be a valid VkPipelineBindPoint value

- VUID-VkSubpassDescription-pInputAttachments-parameter
  If `inputAttachmentCount` is not `0`, `pInputAttachments` must be a valid pointer to an array of `inputAttachmentCount` valid VkAttachmentReference structures

- VUID-VkSubpassDescription-pColorAttachments-parameter
  If `colorAttachmentCount` is not `0`, `pColorAttachments` must be a valid pointer to an array of `colorAttachmentCount` valid VkAttachmentReference structures

- VUID-VkSubpassDescription-pResolveAttachments-parameter
  If `colorAttachmentCount` is not `0`, and `pResolveAttachments` is not `NULL`, `pResolveAttachments` must be a valid pointer to an array of `colorAttachmentCount` valid VkAttachmentReference structures

- VUID-VkSubpassDescription-pDepthStencilAttachment-parameter
  If `pDepthStencilAttachment` is not `NULL`, `pDepthStencilAttachment` must be a valid pointer to a valid VkAttachmentReference structure

- VUID-VkSubpassDescription-pPreserveAttachments-parameter
  If `preserveAttachmentCount` is not `0`, `pPreserveAttachments` must be a valid pointer to an array of `preserveAttachmentCount` `uint32_t` values

## See Also

VK_VERSION_1_0, VkAttachmentReference, VkPipelineBindPoint, VkRenderPassCreateInfo, VkSubpassDescriptionFlags

## 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