vkCmdCopyImage

vkCmdCopyImage is a Vulkan command used to copy the contents of one VkImage object to another. This operation is fundamental for various graphics tasks, including texture manipulation, framebuffer blitting, and data transfer between different image layouts. The command takes source and destination VkImage handles, along with information about the regions to be copied and the image subresources involved.

The vkCmdCopyImage command requires the source and destination images to have compatible formats and sample counts. It also allows for copying specific mipmap levels and array layers of the images. The regions to be copied are defined by VkImageCopy structures, which specify the source and destination offsets and extents within the respective images. The command is typically recorded into a command buffer and then submitted to a queue for execution.

Important considerations when using vkCmdCopyImage include image layout transitions. Both the source and destination images must be in appropriate layouts before the copy operation. For example, the source image might need to be in VK_IMAGE_LAYOUT_TRANSFER_SRC_OPTIMAL and the destination image in VK_IMAGE_LAYOUT_TRANSFER_DST_OPTIMAL. After the copy, the images can be transitioned to other layouts as needed for subsequent operations. The command does not perform any format conversion; the source and destination image formats must be compatible.