SDL_BeginGPURenderPass(3)

💖 SDL_BeginGPURenderPass 💖

okay bestie, welcome to the SDL3 FUNCTIONS page for SDL_BeginGPURenderPass — she's the one who opens the render pass and honestly? main character energy fr fr. 🌈

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✨ NAME ✨

SDL_BeginGPURenderPass — begins a render pass on a command buffer. that's it, that's the whole job, and she does it flawlessly 💅

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🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

#include <SDL3/SDL_gpu.h>

SDL_GPURenderPass * SDL_BeginGPURenderPass(
    SDL_GPUCommandBuffer *command_buffer,
    const SDL_GPUColorTargetInfo *color_target_infos,
    Uint32 num_color_targets,
    const SDL_GPUDepthStencilTargetInfo *depth_stencil_target_info);

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🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

so a render pass is basically a lil friend group of texture subresources — or, when we're in 3D texture territory, depth slices 👑 — and those are the things you're gonna be rendering to during the pass. each one comes with its own clear values and load/store operations, like everybody brought their own snacks.

every single operation related to graphics pipelines has to happen inside a render pass. no sneaking around outside it, okay? 🚫

the moment you call this, a default viewport and scissor state get set for you automatically. cute, convenient, slay. ✨

and the rule: you cannot begin another render pass, or begin a compute pass, or begin a copy pass, until you've ended the render pass. one at a time, bestie. patience is a virtue 🫶

⚠️ okay important one, listen up: using SDL_GPU_LOADOP_LOAD before any contents have been written to the texture subresource will result in undefined behavior. like, we do not go there. 🙈

SDL_GPU_LOADOP_CLEAR sets the contents of the texture subresource to a single value before any rendering is performed. 🧼

it's fine to do an empty render pass using SDL_GPU_STOREOP_STORE to clear a texture — totally legal, no notes. but in general, it's better to think of clearing not as an independent operation, but as something that's done as the beginning of a render pass. like, clearing isn't a solo artist, she's the opening act 🎤

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🌸 FUNCTION PARAMETERS 🌸

• command_buffer — a command buffer. yes, the one you're gonna do the thing on. 💜
• color_target_infos — an array of texture subresources with corresponding clear values and load/store ops. the whole squad, assembled. 👑
• num_color_targets — the number of color targets in the color_target_infos array. count them. be accurate. 🔢
• depth_stencil_target_info — a texture subresource with corresponding clear value and load/store ops. may be NULL. optional king, we respect it 🫡

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⭐ RETURN VALUE ⭐

Returns a render pass handle. hold onto it, she's important 💖

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💀 AVAILABILITY 💀

This function is available since SDL 3.2.0. (vintage, but make it fresh ✨)

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🔥 SEE ALSO 🔥

• SDL_EndGPURenderPass(3) — the other half of the duo. you literally cannot have one without the other, they're a package deal fr fr 💞

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and that's the page!! brought to you by the Simple Directmedia Layer girlies, SDL 3.4.18 era, dated right there in the footer alongside SDL_BeginGPURenderPass(3) — so if anyone asks, that's the version and that's the vibe. now go end that render pass, bestie, you got this 🎀💜🦋