bSupportsByteBufferComputeShaders

bSupportsByteBufferComputeShaders

#Overview

name: bSupportsByteBufferComputeShaders

The value of this variable can be defined or overridden in .ini config files. 10 .ini config files referencing this setting variable.

It is referenced in 3 C++ source files.

#Summary

#Usage in the C++ source code

The purpose of bSupportsByteBufferComputeShaders is to indicate whether a specific shader platform supports byte buffer compute shaders. This setting is part of Unreal Engine’s rendering and compute shader capabilities.

This setting variable is primarily used within the RHI (Rendering Hardware Interface) module of Unreal Engine. It’s part of the data-driven shader platform information system, which allows the engine to adapt to different hardware capabilities across various platforms.

The value of this variable is set during the parsing of data-driven shader information. This happens in the ParseDataDrivenShaderInfo function within the FGenericDataDrivenShaderPlatformInfo class.

This variable interacts with other shader platform capability flags, such as bSupportsPathTracing, bSupportsGPUScene, and bSupportsPrimitiveShaders. It’s part of a larger set of flags that define the capabilities of a specific shader platform.

Developers must be aware that this variable is platform-specific. Its value can change depending on the target hardware and graphics API. It’s crucial to check this flag before attempting to use byte buffer compute shaders in your rendering or compute pipelines.

Best practices when using this variable include:

1. Always check its value before using byte buffer compute shaders in your code.
2. Use the provided static function GetSupportsByteBufferComputeShaders() to query this capability, rather than accessing the variable directly.
3. Consider providing fallback methods for platforms that don’t support byte buffer compute shaders.
4. Keep in mind that this capability might affect performance and compatibility across different platforms, so design your shaders and compute operations accordingly.

#Setting Variables

#References In INI files

Location: <Workspace>/Engine/Config/Android/DataDrivenPlatformInfo.ini:114, section: [ShaderPlatform VULKAN_SM5_ANDROID]

• INI Section: ShaderPlatform VULKAN_SM5_ANDROID
• Raw value: true
• Is Array: False

Location: <Workspace>/Engine/Config/Mac/DataDrivenPlatformInfo.ini:33, section: [ShaderPlatform METAL_SM5]

• INI Section: ShaderPlatform METAL_SM5
• Raw value: true
• Is Array: False

Location: <Workspace>/Engine/Config/Mac/DataDrivenPlatformInfo.ini:59, section: [ShaderPlatform METAL_SM5]

• INI Section: ShaderPlatform METAL_SM5
• Raw value: true
• Is Array: False

Location: <Workspace>/Engine/Config/Mac/DataDrivenPlatformInfo.ini:73, section: [ShaderPlatform METAL_SM6]

• INI Section: ShaderPlatform METAL_SM6
• Raw value: true
• Is Array: False

Location: <Workspace>/Engine/Config/Mac/DataDrivenPlatformInfo.ini:99, section: [ShaderPlatform METAL_SM6]

• INI Section: ShaderPlatform METAL_SM6
• Raw value: true
• Is Array: False

Location: <Workspace>/Engine/Config/VulkanPC/DataDrivenPlatformInfo.ini:54, section: [ShaderPlatform VULKAN_SM5]

• INI Section: ShaderPlatform VULKAN_SM5
• Raw value: true
• Is Array: False

Location: <Workspace>/Engine/Config/VulkanPC/DataDrivenPlatformInfo.ini:178, section: [ShaderPlatform VULKAN_SM6]

• INI Section: ShaderPlatform VULKAN_SM6
• Raw value: true
• Is Array: False

Location: <Workspace>/Engine/Config/Windows/DataDrivenPlatformInfo.ini:53, section: [ShaderPlatform PCD3D_SM5]

• INI Section: ShaderPlatform PCD3D_SM5
• Raw value: true
• Is Array: False

Location: <Workspace>/Engine/Config/Windows/DataDrivenPlatformInfo.ini:104, section: [ShaderPlatform PCD3D_SM6]

• INI Section: ShaderPlatform PCD3D_SM6
• Raw value: true
• Is Array: False

Location: <Workspace>/Engine/Config/Windows/DataDrivenPlatformInfo.ini:154, section: [ShaderPlatform PCD3D_ES3_1]

• INI Section: ShaderPlatform PCD3D_ES3_1
• Raw value: true
• Is Array: False

#References in C++ code

#Callsites

This variable is referenced in the following C++ source code:

#Loc: <Workspace>/Engine/Source/Runtime/RHI/Private/DataDrivenShaderPlatformInfo.cpp:228

Scope (from outer to inner):

file
function     void FGenericDataDrivenShaderPlatformInfo::ParseDataDrivenShaderInfo

Source code excerpt:

	GET_SECTION_BOOL_HELPER(bSupportsPathTracing);
	GET_SECTION_BOOL_HELPER(bSupportsHighEndRayTracingEffects);
	GET_SECTION_BOOL_HELPER(bSupportsByteBufferComputeShaders);
	GET_SECTION_BOOL_HELPER(bSupportsGPUScene);
	GET_SECTION_BOOL_HELPER(bSupportsPrimitiveShaders);
	GET_SECTION_BOOL_HELPER(bSupportsUInt64ImageAtomics);
	GET_SECTION_BOOL_HELPER(bRequiresVendorExtensionsForAtomics);
	GET_SECTION_BOOL_HELPER(bSupportsNanite);
	GET_SECTION_BOOL_HELPER(bSupportsLumenGI);

#Loc: <Workspace>/Engine/Source/Runtime/RHI/Public/DataDrivenShaderPlatformInfo.h:53

Scope (from outer to inner):

file
class        class FGenericDataDrivenShaderPlatformInfo

Source code excerpt:

	uint32 bSupportsPathTracing : 1; // Whether real-time path tracer is supported on this platform (avoids compiling unnecessary shaders)
	uint32 bSupportsGPUScene : 1;
	uint32 bSupportsByteBufferComputeShaders : 1;
	uint32 bSupportsPrimitiveShaders : 1;
	uint32 bSupportsUInt64ImageAtomics : 1;
	uint32 bRequiresVendorExtensionsForAtomics : 1;
	uint32 bSupportsNanite : 1;
	uint32 bSupportsLumenGI : 1;
	uint32 bSupportsSSDIndirect : 1;

#Loc: <Workspace>/Engine/Source/Runtime/RHI/Public/DataDrivenShaderPlatformInfo.h:419

Scope (from outer to inner):

file
class        class FGenericDataDrivenShaderPlatformInfo
function     static const bool GetSupportsByteBufferComputeShaders

Source code excerpt:

	{
		check(IsValid(Platform));
		return Infos[Platform].bSupportsByteBufferComputeShaders;
	}

	static FORCEINLINE_DEBUGGABLE const ERHIFeatureSupport GetSupportsWaveOperations(const FStaticShaderPlatform Platform)
	{
		check(IsValid(Platform));
		return ERHIFeatureSupport(Infos[Platform].bSupportsWaveOperations);