# librashader
*Mega Bezel SMOOTH-ADV on DirectX 11*
librashader (*/ˈli:brəʃeɪdɚ/*) is a preprocessor, compiler, and runtime for RetroArch 'slang' shaders, rewritten in pure Rust.
[](https://crates.io/crates/librashader) [](https://docs.rs/librashader) [](https://software.opensuse.org//download.html?project=home%3Achyyran%3Alibrashader&package=librashader)
 
## Installation
For end-users, librashader is available from the [Open Build Service](https://software.opensuse.org//download.html?project=home%3Achyyran%3Alibrashader&package=librashader) for a variety of Linux distributions and platforms.
Windows and macOS users can grab the latest binaries from [GitHub Releases](https://github.com/SnowflakePowered/librashader/releases).
## Supported Render APIs
librashader supports all modern graphics runtimes, including wgpu, Vulkan, OpenGL 3.3+ and 4.6 (with DSA),
Direct3D 11, Direct3D 12, and Metal.
librashader does not support legacy render APIs such as older versions of OpenGL or Direct3D, except for limited
support for Direct3D 9.
| **API** | **Status** | **`librashader` feature** |
|-------------|------------|--------------------------|
| OpenGL 3.3+ | ✅ | `gl` |
| OpenGL 4.6 | ✅ | `gl` |
| Vulkan | ✅ | `vk` |
| Direct3D 9 | 🆗️ |`d3d9` |
| Direct3D 11 | ✅ | `d3d11` |
| Direct3D 12 | ✅ | `d3d12` |
| Metal | ✅ | `metal` |
| wgpu | 🆗 | `wgpu` |
✅ Full Support — 🆗 Secondary Support
Shader compatibility is not guaranteed on render APIs with secondary support.
wgpu has restrictions on shaders that can not be converted to WGSL, such as those that use `inverse`. Direct3D 9 does not support
shaders that need Direct3D 10+ only features, or shaders that can not be compiled to [Shader Model 3.0](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/direct3dhlsl/shader-model-3).
## Usage
librashader provides both a Rust API under the `librashader` crate, and a C API. Both APIs are first-class and fully supported.
The C API is geared more towards integration with existing projects. The Rust `librashader` crate exposes more
of the internals if you wish to use parts of librashader piecemeal.
The librashader C API is best used by including `librashader_ld.h` in your project, which implements a loader that dynamically
loads the librashader (`librashader.so`, `librashader.dll`, or `librashader.dylib`) implementation in the search path.
### C compatibility
The recommended way of integrating `librashader` is by the `librashader_ld` single header library which implements
a dynamic loader for `librashader.dll` / `librashader.so` / `librashader.dylib`. See the [versioning policy](https://github.com/SnowflakePowered/librashader#versioning)
for details on how librashader handles C ABI and API stability with regards to library updates. You can also link dynamically
with just `librashader.h` and the equivalent of `-lrashader`.
Linking statically against `librashader.h` is possible, but is not officially supported. You will need to ensure
linkage parameters are correct in order to successfully link with `librashader.lib` or `librashader.a`.
The [corrosion](https://github.com/corrosion-rs/) CMake package is highly recommended.
### Thread safety
Except for the Metal runtime, in general, it is **safe** to create a filter chain instance from a different thread, but drawing frames requires
**external synchronization** of the filter chain object.
Filter chains can be created from any thread, but requires external synchronization of the graphics device queue where applicable
(in Direct3D 11, the immediate context is considered the graphics device queue), as loading LUTs requires command submission to the GPU.
Initialization of GPU resources may be deferred asynchronously using the `filter_chain_create_deferred` functions, but the caller is responsible for
submitting the recorded commands to the graphics device queue, and **ensuring that the work is complete** before drawing shader pass frames.
OpenGL has an additional restriction where creating the filter chain instance in a different thread is safe **if and only if**
the thread local OpenGL context is initialized to the same context as the drawing thread. Support for deferral of GPU resource initialization
is not available to OpenGL.
The Metal runtime is **not thread safe**. However you can still defer submission of GPU resource initialization through the
`filter_chain_create_deferred` function.
The Direct3D 9 API is not thread safe, unless `D3DCREATE_MULTITHREADED` is enabled at device creation.
### Quad vertices and rotations
All runtimes render intermediate passes with an identity matrix MVP and a VBO for with range `[-1, 1]`. The final pass uses a
Quad VBO with range `[0, 1]` and the following projection matrix by default.
```rust
static DEFAULT_MVP: &[f32; 16] = &[
2.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0,
0.0, 2.0, 0.0, 0.0,
0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0,
-1.0, -1.0, 0.0, 1.0,
];
```
As with RetroArch, a rotation on this MVP will be applied only on the final pass for these runtimes. This is the only way to
pass orientation information to shaders.
### Writing a librashader Runtime
If you wish to contribute a runtime implementation not already available, see the [librashader-runtime](https://docs.rs/librashader-runtime/latest/librashader_runtime/)
crate for helpers and shared logic used across all librashader runtime implementations. Using these helpers and traits will
ensure that your runtime has consistent behaviour for uniform and texture semantics bindings with the existing librashader runtimes.
These types should not be exposed to the end user in the runtime's public API, and should be kept internal to the implementation of
the runtime.
## Command-line interface
librashader provides a command-line interface to reflect and debug 'slang' shaders and presets.
```
Usage: librashader-cli
Commands:
render Render a shader preset against an image
compare Compare two runtimes and get a similarity score between the two runtimes rendering the same frame
parse Parse a preset and get a JSON representation of the data
pack Create a serialized preset pack from a shader preset
preprocess Get the raw GLSL output of a preprocessed shader
transpile Transpile a shader in a given preset to the given format
reflect Reflect the shader relative to a preset, giving information about semantics used in a slang shader
help Print this message or the help of the given subcommand(s)
Options:
-h, --help Print help
-V, --version Print version
```
For more information, see [`CLI.md`](https://github.com/SnowflakePowered/librashader/blob/master/CLI.md).
## Building
For Rust projects, simply add the crate to your `Cargo.toml`.
```
cargo add librashader
```
To build the C compatible dynamic library, run the build script.
```
cargo run -p librashader-build-script -- --profile optimized
```
This will output a `librashader.dll` or `librashader.so` in the target folder. Profile can be `debug`, `release`, or
`optimized` for full LTO.
While librashader has no build-time dependencies, using `librashader_ld.h` may require headers from
the relevant runtime graphics API.
### Building against stable Rust
While librashader is intended to be used with nightly Rust until [required features](https://github.com/SnowflakePowered/librashader/issues/55) are stabilized, it supports being
built with stable Rust with the `stable` feature.
```toml
librashader = { features = ["stable"] }
```
If building the C API, the `--stable` flag in the build script will enable the `stable` feature.
```
cargo +stable run -p librashader-build-script -- --profile optimized --stable
```
There are some caveats when building against stable Rust, such that building librashader against nightly Rust is still highly encouraged.
* C headers will not be regenerated when building with the `stable` feature.
* There is a minor performance hit in initial shader compilation when building against stable Rust. This is due to boxed trait objects being used instead of `impl Trait`.
* A higher MSRV is required when building against stable Rust.
When the `trait_alias_impl_trait` feature is stabilized, the `stable` feature will be removed.
## Examples
The following Rust examples show how to use each librashader runtime.
* [Vulkan](https://github.com/SnowflakePowered/librashader/blob/master/librashader-runtime-vk/tests/triangle.rs)
* [OpenGL](https://github.com/SnowflakePowered/librashader/blob/master/librashader-runtime-gl/tests/triangle.rs)
* [Direct3D 11](https://github.com/SnowflakePowered/librashader/blob/master/librashader-runtime-d3d11/tests/triangle.rs)
* [Direct3D 12](https://github.com/SnowflakePowered/librashader/blob/master/librashader-runtime-d3d12/tests/triangle.rs)
* [wgpu](https://github.com/SnowflakePowered/librashader/blob/master/librashader-runtime-wgpu/tests/hello_triangle.rs)
* [Direct3D 9](https://github.com/SnowflakePowered/librashader/blob/master/librashader-runtime-d3d9/tests/triangle.rs)
Some basic examples on using the C API are also provided.
* [Direct3D 11](https://github.com/SnowflakePowered/librashader/tree/master/test/capi-tests/librashader-capi-tests)
* [Metal with Objective-C](https://github.com/SnowflakePowered/librashader/tree/master/test/capi-tests/objctest)
## Compatibility
librashader implements the entire RetroArch shader pipeline and is highly compatible with existing shaders.
Please report an issue if you run into a shader that works in RetroArch, but not under librashader.
* Filter chains do not terminate at the backbuffer.
* Unlike RetroArch, librashader does not have full knowledge of the entire rendering state and is designed to be pluggable
at any point in your render pipeline. Instead, filter chains terminate at a caller-provided output surface and viewport.
It is the caller's responsibility to blit the surface back to the backbuffer.
* Shaders are compiled in parallel where possible. This should noticeably decrease preset compile times.
Parallel shader compilation is not available to OpenGL.
* HDR10 support is not part of any shader runtime and is not supported by librashader.
* For performance reasons, mipmaps are never generated for the input texture. In theory, this means that
presets with `mipmap_input0 = "true"` will not get a mipmapped input. In practice, no known shader presets set
`mipmap_input0 = "true"`.
* The preset parser is a substantially stricter implementation that the one in RetroArch. Not all shader presets may be
compatible. If you find this is the case, please file an issue so a workaround can be added.
* Shaders are [pre-linked at the SPIR-V level](https://github.com/SnowflakePowered/librashader/blob/master/librashader-reflect/src/front/spirv_passes/link_input_outputs.rs) before being
passed to the driver. Unused inputs in the fragment shader are removed, and the corresponding input in the vertex shader
is downgraded to a global variable.
### Runtime specific differences
* OpenGL
* Copying of in-flight framebuffer contents to history is done via `glBlitFramebuffer` rather than drawing a quad into an intermediate FBO.
* Sampler objects are used rather than `glTexParameter`.
* Sampler inputs and outputs are not renamed. This is useful for debugging shaders in RenderDoc.
* UBO and Push Constant Buffer sizes are padded to 16-byte boundaries.
* The OpenGL runtime uses the same VBOs as the other runtimes as well as the identity matrix MVP for intermediate passes. RetroArch's OpenGL driver uses only the final VBO.
* OpenGL 4.6+
* All caveats from the OpenGL 3.3+ section should be considered.
* Should work on OpenGL 4.5 but this is not guaranteed. The OpenGL 4.6 runtime may eventually switch to using `ARB_spirv_extensions` for loading shaders, and this will not be marked as a breaking change.
* The OpenGL 4.6 runtime uses Direct State Access to minimize changes to the OpenGL state. For GPUs released within the last 5 years, this may improve performance.
* The OpenGL runtime uses the same VBOs as the other runtimes as well as the identity matrix MVP for intermediate passes. RetroArch's OpenGL driver uses only the final VBO.
* Vulkan
* The Vulkan runtime can use [`VK_KHR_dynamic_rendering`](https://registry.khronos.org/vulkan/specs/1.3-extensions/man/html/VK_KHR_dynamic_rendering.html).
This extension must be enabled at device creation.
Dynamic rendering may have improved performance when enabled, and supported by the host hardware.
* Allocations within the runtime are done through [gpu-allocator](https://github.com/Traverse-Research/gpu-allocator) rather than handled manually.
* Direct3D 11
* Framebuffer copies are done via `ID3D11DeviceContext::CopySubresourceRegion` rather than a CPU conversion + copy.
* Direct3D 12
* The Direct3D 12 runtime uses [render passes](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/direct3d12/direct3d-12-render-passes). This feature has been available since Windows 10 version 1809,
which was released in late 2018.
* For maximum compatibility with shaders, a shader compile pipeline based on [`spirv-to-dxil`](https://github.com/SnowflakePowered/spirv-to-dxil-rs) is used, with the SPIRV-Cross HLSL pipeline used as a fallback.
This brings shader compatibility beyond what the RetroArch Direct3D 12 driver provides. The HLSL pipeline fallback may be removed in the future as `spirv-to-dxil` improves.
* The Direct3D 12 runtime requires `dxcompiler.dll` from the [DirectX Shader Compiler](https://github.com/microsoft/DirectXShaderCompiler), which may already be installed as part of Direct3D12. `dxil.dll` is not required.
* Metal
* The Metal runtime uses the same VBOs as the other runtimes as well as the identity matrix MVP for intermediate passes. RetroArch's Metal driver uses only the final VBO.
Most, if not all shader presets should work fine on librashader. The runtime specific differences should not affect the output,
and are more a heads-up for integrating librashader into your project.
## Versioning
[](https://crates.io/crates/librashader)
librashader typically follows [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/) with respect to the Rust API, where a minor version
number bump indicates a 'breaking change' during `0.x.y`, and a non-'breaking change' after `1.x.y`. However, a
"breaking change" that results in a version number bump does not correspond to a break in the C API after version 0.1.0.
The C API is instead versioned separately with two monotonically increasing version numbers exported to the librashader
C headers
- [`LIBRASHADER_CURRENT_VERSION`](https://github.com/SnowflakePowered/librashader/blob/f8de1fa2ee75270e5655284edf39ea070d6ec6f5/librashader-capi/src/version.rs#L16) specifies the *API* version exported by the librashader implementation.
- [`LIBRASHADER_CURRENT_ABI`](https://github.com/SnowflakePowered/librashader/blob/f8de1fa2ee75270e5655284edf39ea070d6ec6f5/librashader-capi/src/version.rs#L29) specifies the *ABI* version exported by the librashader implementation.
An increase in `LIBRASHADER_CURRENT_VERSION` is guaranteed to be **backwards compatible for the same `LIBRASHADER_CURRENT_ABI`**.
It somewhat corresponds to a "minor" version in semantic versioning terminology, except that it is always monotonically increasing.
Backwards-compatible additions to the C API will result in an increase to `LIBRASHADER_CURRENT_VERSION`.
APIs introduced after a certain `LIBRASHADER_CURRENT_VERSION` **may or may not** be available to prior versions. In particular, new features enabled by
filter or frame option structs **require `LIBRASHADER_CURRENT_VERSION` be the greater than or equal** to the version in which the option was
introduced, or a default value will be passed, which may or may not enable the feature depending on backwards compatibility for
that particular feature.
Any change to `LIBRASHADER_CURRENT_ABI` indicates a **breaking change** for the C **ABI**. For safety reasons, `librashader_ld.h`
will check to ensure that `LIBRASHADER_CURRENT_ABI` matches that of the loaded librashader binary. If it does not match,
librashader will not load. A value of `0` for `LIBRASHADER_CURRENT_ABI` indicates the "null" instance where every operation
is a no-op, which occurs if no compatible librashader implementation could be found.
The `SONAME` of `librashader.so` when installed via package manager is set to `LIBRASHADER_CURRENT_ABI`.
The above does not apply to releases of librashader prior to `0.1.0`, which were allowed to break API and ABI compatibility
in both the Rust and C API without an increase to either `LIBRASHADER_CURRENT_VERSION` or `LIBRASHADER_CURRENT_ABI`.
The ABI version was bumped from `1` to `2` with librashader `0.5.0`. See [`MIGRATION-ABI2.md`](https://github.com/SnowflakePowered/librashader/blob/master/MIGRATION-ABI2.md)
for migration instructions.
### MSRV Policy
When building against nightly Rust, the following MSRV policy is enforced for unstable library features.
* Windows and macOS: **latest** nightly
* Linux: **1.76**
A CI job runs weekly to ensure librashader continues to build on nightly.
Building against stable Rust requires a higher MSRV.
* All platforms: **1.77**
Note that the MSRV is only intended to ease distribution on Linux when building against nightly Rust or with `RUSTC_BOOTSTRAP=1`, and is allowed to change any time.
It generally tracks the latest version of Rust available in the latest version of Ubuntu, but this may change with no warning in a patch release.
## License
The core parts of librashader such as the preprocessor, the preset parser,
the reflection library, and the runtimes, are all licensed under the Mozilla Public License version 2.0.
The librashader C API, i.e. its headers and definitions, *not its implementation in `librashader-capi`*,
are more permissively licensed, and may allow you to use librashader in your permissively
licensed or proprietary project.
To facilitate easier use of librashader in projects incompatible with MPL-2.0, `librashader_ld`
implements a loader which thunks its calls to any `librashader.so`, `librashader.dll`, or `librashader.dylib`.
library found in the load path. A non-MPL-2.0 compatible project may link against
`librashader_ld` to use the librashader runtime, *provided that `librashader.so`, `librashader.dll` or `librashader.dylib`
are distributed under the restrictions of MPLv2*.
Note that this means that if your project is unable to comply with the requirements of MPL-2.0,
you **can not distribute `librashader.so`, `librashader.dll` or `librashader.dylib`** alongside your project.
The end user must obtain the implementation of librashader themselves. For more information,
see the [MPL 2.0 FAQ](https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/MPL/2.0/FAQ/).
At your discretion, you may instead choose to distribute `librashader` under the terms of GPLv3 rather than MPL-2.0.