VKSHARINGMODEEXCLUSIVE

VKSHARINGMODEEXCLUSIVE is a constant used within the Vulkan API, a low-level, cross-platform graphics and compute API developed by the Khronos Group. It specifies a sharing mode for Vulkan resources—such as buffers and images—indicating exclusive access by a single queue family at a time. When a resource is created with VKSHARINGMODEEXCLUSIVE, only one queue family owns it, which can lead to better performance and resource management by minimizing synchronization overhead.

This sharing mode is particularly useful in scenarios where resource access is limited to a single queue family during its lifetime, simplifying synchronization requirements and maximizing throughput. It is contrasted with VKSHARINGMODECONCURRENT, which allows multiple queue families to access a resource simultaneously, requiring explicit synchronization barriers.

Using VKSHARINGMODEEXCLUSIVE can improve performance but requires careful handling to prevent data hazards or access conflicts, especially when resources are shared across different queue families. Developers typically choose this mode for resources that are used intensively within a single queue family or are transferred between queues through explicit ownership transfers.

The mode is specified during resource creation in the VkBufferCreateInfo or VkImageCreateInfo structures via the sharingMode parameter. When set to VKSHARINGMODEEXCLUSIVE, the resource is intended for exclusive use, and transitions between different queue families are managed through explicit synchronization and ownership transfer commands.

Overall, VKSHARINGMODEEXCLUSIVE provides a performance-optimized option for Vulkan resource management, emphasizing exclusive access and requiring explicit synchronization when sharing resources across multiple queue families.