It has been a long time since the previous official release, so hopefully everyone has been using the latest code from "master" branch, which is always maintained in a good state, not the old version. For completeness, here is the list of changes since v2.3.0. The major version number has changed, so there are some compatibility-breaking changes, but the basic API stays the same and is mostly backward-compatible.
Major features added (some compatibility-breaking):
- Added new API for selecting preferred memory type: flags `VMA_MEMORY_USAGE_AUTO`, `VMA_MEMORY_USAGE_AUTO_PREFER_DEVICE`, `VMA_MEMORY_USAGE_AUTO_PREFER_HOST`, `VMA_ALLOCATION_CREATE_HOST_ACCESS_SEQUENTIAL_WRITE_BIT`, `VMA_ALLOCATION_CREATE_HOST_ACCESS_RANDOM_BIT`, `VMA_ALLOCATION_CREATE_HOST_ACCESS_ALLOW_TRANSFER_INSTEAD_BIT`. Old values like `VMA_MEMORY_USAGE_GPU_ONLY` still work as before, for backward compatibility, but are not recommended.
- Added new defragmentation API and algorithm, replacing the old one. See structure `VmaDefragmentationInfo`, `VmaDefragmentationMove`, `VmaDefragmentationPassMoveInfo`, `VmaDefragmentationStats`, function `vmaBeginDefragmentation`, `vmaEndDefragmentation`, `vmaBeginDefragmentationPass`, `vmaEndDefragmentationPass`.
- Redesigned API for statistics, replacing the old one. See structures: `VmaStatistics`, `VmaDetailedStatistics`, `VmaTotalStatistics`. `VmaBudget`, functions: `vmaGetHeapBudgets`, `vmaCalculateStatistics`, `vmaGetPoolStatistics`, `vmaCalculatePoolStatistics`, `vmaGetVirtualBlockStatistics`, `vmaCalculateVirtualBlockStatistics`.
- Added "Virtual allocator" feature - possibility to use core allocation algorithms for allocation of custom memory, not necessarily Vulkan device memory. See functions like `vmaCreateVirtualBlock`, `vmaDestroyVirtualBlock` and many more.
-`VmaAllocation` now keeps both `void* pUserData` and `char* pName`. Added function `vmaSetAllocationName`, member `VmaAllocationInfo::pName`. Flag `VMA_ALLOCATION_CREATE_USER_DATA_COPY_STRING_BIT` is now deprecated.
- Clarified and cleaned up various ways of importing Vulkan functions. See macros `VMA_STATIC_VULKAN_FUNCTIONS`, `VMA_DYNAMIC_VULKAN_FUNCTIONS`, structure `VmaVulkanFunctions`. Added members `VmaVulkanFunctions::vkGetInstanceProcAddr`, `vkGetDeviceProcAddr`, which are now required when using `VMA_DYNAMIC_VULKAN_FUNCTIONS`.
Removed (compatibility-breaking):
- Removed whole "lost allocations" feature. Removed from the interface: `VMA_ALLOCATION_CREATE_CAN_BECOME_LOST_BIT`, `VMA_ALLOCATION_CREATE_CAN_MAKE_OTHER_LOST_BIT`, `vmaCreateLostAllocation`, `vmaMakePoolAllocationsLost`, `vmaTouchAllocation`, `VmaAllocatorCreateInfo::frameInUseCount`, `VmaPoolCreateInfo::frameInUseCount`.
- Removed whole "record & replay" feature. Removed from the API: `VmaAllocatorCreateInfo::pRecordSettings`, `VmaRecordSettings`, `VmaRecordFlagBits`, `VmaRecordFlags`. Removed VmaReplay application.
- Removed "buddy" algorithm - removed flag `VMA_POOL_CREATE_BUDDY_ALGORITHM_BIT`.
Minor but compatibility-breaking changes:
- Changes in `ALLOCATION_CREATE_STRATEGY` flags. Removed flags: `VMA_ALLOCATION_CREATE_STRATEGY_MIN_FRAGMENTATION_BIT`, `VMA_ALLOCATION_CREATE_STRATEGY_WORST_FIT_BIT`, `VMA_VIRTUAL_ALLOCATION_CREATE_STRATEGY_MIN_FRAGMENTATION_BIT`, which were aliases to other existing flags.
- Added a member `void* pUserData` to `VmaDeviceMemoryCallbacks`. Updated `PFN_vmaAllocateDeviceMemoryFunction`, `PFN_vmaFreeDeviceMemoryFunction` to use the new `pUserData` member.
- Removed function `vmaResizeAllocation` that was already deprecated.
Other major changes:
- Added new features to custom pools: support for dedicated allocations, new member `VmaPoolCreateInfo::pMemoryAllocateNext`, `minAllocationAlignment`.
- Added support for Vulkan 1.2, 1.3.
- Added support for VK_KHR_buffer_device_address extension - flag `VMA_ALLOCATOR_CREATE_BUFFER_DEVICE_ADDRESS_BIT`.
- Added support for VK_EXT_memory_priority extension - flag `VMA_ALLOCATOR_CREATE_EXT_MEMORY_PRIORITY_BIT`, members `VmaAllocationCreateInfo::priority`, `VmaPoolCreateInfo::priority`.
- Added support for VK_AMD_device_coherent_memory extension - flag `VMA_ALLOCATOR_CREATE_AMD_DEVICE_COHERENT_MEMORY_BIT`.
- Added member `VmaAllocatorCreateInfo::pTypeExternalMemoryHandleTypes`.
- Added function `vmaGetAllocatorInfo`, structure `VmaAllocatorInfo`.
- Added functions `vmaFlushAllocations`, `vmaInvalidateAllocations` for multiple allocations at once.
- Added flag `VMA_ALLOCATION_CREATE_CAN_ALIAS_BIT`.
- Added function `vmaCreateBufferWithAlignment`.
- Added convenience function `vmaGetAllocationMemoryProperties`.
- Implemented Two-Level Segregated Fit (TLSF) allocation algorithm, replacing previous default one. It is much faster, especially when freeing many allocations at once or when `bufferImageGranularity` is large.
- Renamed debug macro `VMA_DEBUG_ALIGNMENT` to `VMA_MIN_ALIGNMENT`.
- Added CMake support - CMakeLists.txt files. Removed Premake support.
- Changed `vmaInvalidateAllocation` and `vmaFlushAllocation` to return `VkResult`.
Major release after a year of development in "master" branch and feature branches. Notable new features: supporting Vulkan 1.1, supporting query for memory budget.
Major changes:
- Added support for Vulkan 1.1.
- Added member `VmaAllocatorCreateInfo::vulkanApiVersion`.
- When Vulkan 1.1 is used, there is no need to enable VK_KHR_dedicated_allocation or VK_KHR_bind_memory2 extensions, as they are promoted to Vulkan itself.
- Added support for query for memory budget and staying within the budget.
- Added function `vmaGetBudget`, structure `VmaBudget`. This can also serve as simple statistics, more efficient than `vmaCalculateStats`.
- By default the budget it is estimated based on memory heap sizes. It may be queried from the system using VK_EXT_memory_budget extension if you use `VMA_ALLOCATOR_CREATE_EXT_MEMORY_BUDGET_BIT` flag and `VmaAllocatorCreateInfo::instance` member.
- Added flag `VMA_ALLOCATION_CREATE_WITHIN_BUDGET_BIT` that fails an allocation if it would exceed the budget.
- Added new memory usage options:
-`VMA_MEMORY_USAGE_CPU_COPY` for memory that is preferably not `DEVICE_LOCAL` but not guaranteed to be `HOST_VISIBLE`.
-`VMA_MEMORY_USAGE_GPU_LAZILY_ALLOCATED` for memory that is `LAZILY_ALLOCATED`.
- Added support for VK_KHR_bind_memory2 extension:
- Added `VMA_ALLOCATION_CREATE_DONT_BIND_BIT` flag that lets you create both buffer/image and allocation, but don't bind them together.
- Added flag `VMA_ALLOCATOR_CREATE_KHR_BIND_MEMORY2_BIT`, functions `vmaBindBufferMemory2`, `vmaBindImageMemory2` that let you specify additional local offset and `pNext` pointer while binding.
- Added functions `vmaSetPoolName`, `vmaGetPoolName` that let you assign string names to custom pools. JSON dump file format and VmaDumpVis tool is updated to show these names.
- Defragmentation is legal only on buffers and images in `VK_IMAGE_TILING_LINEAR`. This is due to the way it is currently implemented in the library and the restrictions of the Vulkan specification. Clarified documentation in this regard. See discussion in #59.
Minor changes:
- Made `vmaResizeAllocation` function deprecated, always returning failure.
- Made changes in the internal algorithm for the choice of memory type. Be careful! You may now get a type that is not `HOST_VISIBLE` or `HOST_COHERENT` if it's not stated as always ensured by some `VMA_MEMORY_USAGE_*` flag.
- Extended VmaReplay application with more detailed statistics printed at the end.
- Added macros `VMA_CALL_PRE`, `VMA_CALL_POST` that let you decorate declarations of all library functions if you want to e.g. export/import them as dynamically linked library.
- Optimized `VmaAllocation` objects to be allocated out of an internal free-list allocator. This makes allocation and deallocation causing 0 dynamic CPU heap allocations on average.
- Updated recording CSV file format version to 1.8, to support new functions.
- Many additions and fixes in documentation. Many compatibility fixes for various compilers and platforms. Other internal bugfixes, optimizations, updates, refactoring...
# 2.2.0 (2018-12-13)
Major release after many months of development in "master" branch and feature branches. Notable new features: defragmentation of GPU memory, buddy algorithm, convenience functions for sparse binding.
- Old interface (structure `VmaDefragmentationInfo`, function `vmaDefragment`) is now deprecated.
- Added buddy algorithm, available for custom pools - flag `VMA_POOL_CREATE_BUDDY_ALGORITHM_BIT`.
- Added convenience functions for multiple allocations and deallocations at once, intended for sparse binding resources - functions `vmaAllocateMemoryPages`, `vmaFreeMemoryPages`.
- Added function that tries to resize existing allocation in place: `vmaResizeAllocation`.
- Added flags for allocation strategy: `VMA_ALLOCATION_CREATE_STRATEGY_BEST_FIT_BIT`, `VMA_ALLOCATION_CREATE_STRATEGY_WORST_FIT_BIT`, `VMA_ALLOCATION_CREATE_STRATEGY_FIRST_FIT_BIT`, and their aliases: `VMA_ALLOCATION_CREATE_STRATEGY_MIN_MEMORY_BIT`, `VMA_ALLOCATION_CREATE_STRATEGY_MIN_TIME_BIT`, `VMA_ALLOCATION_CREATE_STRATEGY_MIN_FRAGMENTATION_BIT`.
Minor changes:
- Changed behavior of allocation functions to return `VK_ERROR_VALIDATION_FAILED_EXT` when trying to allocate memory of size 0, create buffer with size 0, or image with one of the dimensions 0.
- VmaReplay: Added support for Windows end of lines.
- Updated recording CSV file format version to 1.5, to support new functions.
- Internal optimization: using read-write mutex on some platforms.
- Many additions and fixes in documentation. Many compatibility fixes for various compilers. Other internal bugfixes, optimizations, refactoring, added more internal validation...
# 2.1.0 (2018-09-10)
Minor bugfixes.
# 2.1.0-beta.1 (2018-08-27)
Major release after many months of development in "development" branch and features branches. Many new features added, some bugs fixed. API stays backward-compatible.
Major changes:
- Added linear allocation algorithm, accessible for custom pools, that can be used as free-at-once, stack, double stack, or ring buffer. See "Linear allocation algorithm" documentation chapter.
- Added feature to record sequence of calls to the library to a file and replay it using dedicated application. See documentation chapter "Record and replay".
- Changed VmaDumpVis tool to use these new properties for better coloring.
- Changed behavior of `vmaGetAllocationInfo` and `vmaTouchAllocation` to update `allocation.lastUseFrameIndex` even if allocation cannot become lost.
Minor changes:
- Changes in custom pools:
- Added new structure member `VmaPoolStats::blockCount`.
- Changed behavior of `VmaPoolCreateInfo::blockSize` = 0 (default) - it now means that pool may use variable block sizes, just like default pools do.
- Improved logic of `vmaFindMemoryTypeIndex` for some cases, especially integrated GPUs.
- VulkanSample application: Removed dependency on external library MathFu. Added own vector and matrix structures.
- Changes that improve compatibility with various platforms, including: Visual Studio 2012, 32-bit code, C compilers.
- Changed usage of "VK_KHR_dedicated_allocation" extension in the code to be optional, driven by macro `VMA_DEDICATED_ALLOCATION`, for compatibility with Android.
- Many additions and fixes in documentation, including description of new features, as well as "Validation layer warnings".
- Other bugfixes.
# 2.0.0 (2018-03-19)
A major release with many compatibility-breaking changes.
Notable new features:
- Introduction of `VmaAllocation` handle that you must retrieve from allocation functions and pass to deallocation functions next to normal `VkBuffer` and `VkImage`.
- Introduction of `VmaAllocationInfo` structure that you can retrieve from `VmaAllocation` handle to access parameters of the allocation (like `VkDeviceMemory` and offset) instead of retrieving them directly from allocation functions.
- Support for reference-counted mapping and persistently mapped allocations - see `vmaMapMemory`, `VMA_ALLOCATION_CREATE_MAPPED_BIT`.
- Support for custom memory pools - see `VmaPool` handle, `VmaPoolCreateInfo` structure, `vmaCreatePool` function.
- Support for defragmentation (compaction) of allocations - see function `vmaDefragment` and related structures.
- Support for "lost allocations" - see appropriate chapter on documentation Main Page.
# 1.0.1 (2017-07-04)
- Fixes for Linux GCC compilation.
- Changed "CONFIGURATION SECTION" to contain #ifndef so you can define these macros before including this header, not necessarily change them in the file.
