Graphics Programming with Vulkan and C++ [2026]

Welcome

Vulkan is the newest and most popular graphics API out there. It is the successor of the already deprecated OpenGL, and it is the future for any kind of cross-platform graphical applications. It is extremely performant, which makes it perfect for game and game engine development.

With this course I aim to teach you the very basics of computer graphics with Vulkan in some short and simple lessons. I believe everyone can learn and it is especially important to have easy to understand chunks that can be consumed in short bursts.

This course will cover: setting up your C++ project, creating a window, initializing Vulkan, rendering a simple triangle, compiling shaders, debugging issues, rendering vertices, basic transformations for 3D.

I will not go as far as to teach complex topics like post-processing or shadows since the course aims to be short and accessible. The course will get regular updates, though that will cover any major changes in the specification.

The course is taught on Microsoft Windows, but most of the knowledge gained can be used on any platform.

Technologies Used

• Vulkan SDK—the main topic of the course is the Vulkan graphics library specification. This is what "talks" to the GPU of your PC and renders any graphical information that you send to it.

• GLFW—Abstracts handling windows so that we don't have to call native platform functions. This way the course would be mostly accessible to people on any platform.

• GLM—A mathematical library that will help with the transformation of 3D information.

• CMake—for managing and compiling the project. We will use a modern setup that is straightforward to understand and use.