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https://github.com/shihchinw/awesome-mobile-graphics

A curated list of various learning resources for computer graphics on mobile devices.
https://github.com/shihchinw/awesome-mobile-graphics

List: awesome-mobile-graphics

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A curated list of various learning resources for computer graphics on mobile devices.

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# Awesome Mobile Graphics



A curated list of various learning resources for computer graphics on mobile devices.



- [Fundamentals](#fundamentals)

- [Best Practices](#best-practices)

  - [OpenGL ES](#opengl-es)

  - [Vulkan](#vulkan-1)

  - [Arm Mali](#arm-mali)

  - [Qualcomm Adreno](#qualcomm-adreno)

  - [Imagination PowerVR](#imagination-powervr)

  - [Apple](#apple)

- [Conferences](#conferences)

- [Sample Code](#sample-code)

  - [OpenGL ES](#opengl-es-1)

  - [Vulkan](#vulkan-2)

- [Profiling \& Debugging](#profiling--debugging)

  - [Vulkan](#vulkan-3)

  - [Android](#android)

  - [Mali](#mali)

  - [Adreno](#adreno)

  - [Unreal](#unreal)

  - [Unity](#unity)



# Fundamentals



* [GPU Framebuffer Memory: Understanding Tiling](https://developer.samsung.com/game/gpu-framebuffer) - A clear explanation with step-by-step animation.

* [Tile-based Rendering](https://developer.arm.com/solutions/graphics-and-gaming/developer-guides/learn-the-basics/tile-based-rendering/single-page) - A concise introduction to different rendering architectures with brief comparative analysis.

* [Mobile GPU Approaches to Power Efficiency](https://www.highperformancegraphics.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/hot3d/mobile_gpu_power_and_performance.pdf) by Andrew Gruber - An overview of power efficiency in terms of memory system, render pipeline, etc.



## Vulkan

* [Vulkan Tutorial](https://www.khronos.org/assets/uploads/developers/library/2016-vulkan-devu-seoul/1-Vulkan-Tutorial_English.pdf) by Hyokuen Lee, Minwook Kim - Instructive slides for rendering a textured quad from the ground up.

* [Introduction to Vulkan Render Passes](https://developer.samsung.com/game/renderpasses) - A detailed note about how to use render passes in Vulkan API.



# Best Practices



* [Game Asset Optimizations](https://developer.samsung.com/game/asset) - Informative tips for app deployment and run-time performance.

* [Geometry Best Practices](https://developer.arm.com/documentation/102448/0200) - Tips to strike a balance between geometry complexity and visual quality with lots of illustrations.

* [Textures Best Practices](https://developer.arm.com/documentation/102449/0200) - A number of texturing tips help apps run smoother and look better.

* [Optimizing Assets for Mobile VR](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JCg62e9zdA) - General tips on game asset optimization for mobile platforms.

* [Understanding Numerical Precision](https://developer.arm.com/solutions/graphics-and-gaming/developer-guides/learn-the-basics/understanding-numerical-precision/single-page) - A brief guide to properly choose numerical precision and to preserve accuracy of the numbers.

* [Cramming Software onto Mobile GPUs](https://community.arm.com/cfs-file/__key/communityserver-blogs-components-weblogfiles/00-00-00-20-66/siggraph2015_2D00_mmg_2D00_andrew_2D00_slides.ppt) by Andrew Garrard - Various essential techniques to well utilize mobile hardware.



## OpenGL ES



* [OpenGL ES Usage Recommendations](https://developer.samsung.com/game/opengl) - Practical and effective tips for GLES programming.

* [How to Correctly Handle Framebuffers](https://community.arm.com/developer/tools-software/graphics/b/blog/posts/mali-performance-2-how-to-correctly-handle-framebuffers) by Peter Harris - A crystal clear explanation with sample code for avoiding redundant tile writes.



## Vulkan



* [Vulkan Usage Recommendations](https://developer.samsung.com/game/usage) - Effective guidelines for Vulkan API.

* [Vulkan FAQ for Mobile Developers.](https://arm-software.github.io/vulkan_best_practice_for_mobile_developers/docs/faq.html)

* [Vulkan Case Study](https://www.khronos.org/assets/uploads/developers/library/2016-vulkan-devu-seoul/2-Vulkan-Case-Study.pdf) by Soowan Park, Joonyong Park - Informative dev tips related to swapchain, uniform buffer and rendering.

  * [More experiments on uniform buffer management](https://youtu.be/y-EBiswp3qU?t=915) ([slides](https://www.khronos.org/assets/uploads/developers/library/2017-gdc/GDC_Vulkan-on-Mobile_Vulkan-Game-Development-in-Mobile-Samsung_Mar17.pdf)) by Soowan Park.

* [Vulkan Samples](https://github.com/KhronosGroup/Vulkan-Samples/blob/main/samples/README.adoc) - Comprehensive resources of case study and best practices.

  * [Surface Rotation](https://github.com/KhronosGroup/Vulkan-Samples/blob/main/samples/performance/surface_rotation/README.adoc) - How appropriately use surface rotation, which was handled transparently by OpenGL ES driver.

  * [Render passes](https://github.com/KhronosGroup/Vulkan-Samples/blob/main/samples/performance/render_passes/README.adoc) - How attachment load/store operations might affect performance.

  * [Subpasses](https://github.com/KhronosGroup/Vulkan-Samples/blob/main/samples/performance/subpasses/README.adoc) - How tile-based renderer might save bandwidth.

  * [Pipeline Barriers](https://github.com/KhronosGroup/Vulkan-Samples/blob/main/samples/performance/pipeline_barriers/README.adoc) - How efficiently set up pipeline barriers, with a focus on pipeline stages.

* [Getting Faster and Leaner on Mobile: Optimizing Roblox with Vulkan](https://medium.com/@zeuxcg/getting-faster-and-leaner-on-mobile-optimizing-roblox-with-vulkan-7c79950fef69) by Arseny Kapoulkine - Informative optimization experiences with several concrete examples.

  * Optimizing Roblox: Vulkan Best Practices for Mobile Developers ([slides](https://zeux.io/data/gdc2020_arm.pdf), [video](https://www.gdcvault.com/play/1026767/Optimizing-Roblox-Vulkan-Best-Practices)), GDC 2020.



## Arm Mali



* [Mali GPU Training](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKjl7IFAwc4QUTejaX2vpIwXstbgf8Ik7) - A comprehensive training series from mobile graphics fundamentals to performance analysis.

* Mali Optimization Resources with [Unreal](https://www.arm.com/resources/unreal) and [Unity](https://www.arm.com/resources/unity) - Introductory guidelines for profiling games and optimizing artwork.

* [Graphics and Gaming Development](https://developer.arm.com/solutions/graphics-and-gaming) - Official Mali developer resources.

* [Arm Mali GPU Best Practices Developer Guide](https://developer.arm.com/documentation/101897/latest) - A complete guide for Mali graphics programming with OpenGL ES and Vulkan.

* [Mali GPU OpenGL ES 3.x Developer Guide](https://developer.arm.com/documentation/100587/0101/introduction) - An introductory guide for Pixel Local Storage, ASTC, and other 3.x features.

* [Understanding Render Passes](https://developer.arm.com/documentation/102479/0100) - Practical guides for efficient render passes with Vulkan and OpenGL ES.

* [The Benefits of Buffer Packing](https://developer.arm.com/solutions/graphics-and-gaming/developer-guides/learn-the-basics/the-benefits-of-buffer-packing/single-page) - Several performance tips related to bandwidth usage saving.

* [Using Asynchronous Compute on Arm Mali GPUs: A Practical Sample](https://community.arm.com/developer/tools-software/graphics/b/blog/posts/using-asynchronous-compute-on-arm-mali-gpus) by Hans-Kristian Arntzen - An informative introduction to async-compute scheduling on Mali devices.

* [Deferred Shading on Mobile: An API Overview](https://community.arm.com/developer/tools-software/graphics/b/blog/posts/deferred-shading-on-mobile) by Hans-Kristian Arntzen - A crisp introduction to bandwidth saving techniques on deferred shading with various API options.



## Qualcomm Adreno



* [Game Developer Guides](https://developer.qualcomm.com/sites/default/files/docs/adreno-gpu/snapdragon-game-toolkit/learn_guides.html) - A best practice for Adreno graphics programming with OpenGL ES and Vulkan.

  * [Practical Shader Optimization Tips on Adreno Architectures.](https://developer.qualcomm.com/sites/default/files/docs/adreno-gpu/snapdragon-game-toolkit/gdg/gpu/best_practices_shaders.html)

* [OpenCL General Programming and Optimization Guide.](https://developer.qualcomm.com/qfile/33472/80-nb295-11_a.pdf)



## Imagination PowerVR



* [Developer Documentation](https://docs.imgtec.com/html/index.html)

* [Performance Recommendations](https://docs.imgtec.com/performance-guides/performance-recommendations/html/topics/introduction.html) - An informative recommendations range from high-level effect techniques to low-level GLSL optimization.



## Apple



* [Metal Video Learning Resources.](https://developer.apple.com/videos/graphics-games)

* [Modern Rendering with Metal](https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2019/601/) - Demonstration of how to apply Metal features to implement deferred and tiled-forward rendering.



# Conferences



* [Moving Mobile Graphics,](https://community.arm.com/arm-community-blogs/b/graphics-gaming-and-vr-blog/posts/moving-mobile-graphics) SIGGRAPH Course Notes - Technical and inspirational talks from practitioners at the forefront.

  * Video recordings: [2020,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOBCWZJq6zs) [2018,](https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3214834.3214857) [2016,](https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/2897826.2927312) [2015.](https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/2776880.2787664)

* [Event Archive from Galaxy GameDev](https://developer.samsung.com/galaxy-gamedev/event-archive.html) - Quite a few collected slides and videos from conference talks at GDC, Unreal Summit, Unity Unite, etc.

* Vulkanised - Informative best and worst practices from game devs pioneering with Vulkan

  * Video recordings: [2023,](https://vulkan.org/events/vulkanised-2023#talks) [2022,](https://www.khronos.org/events/vulkanised-webinar-february-2022) [2021,](https://www.khronos.org/events/vulkanised-2021) [2019,](https://www.khronos.org/developers/library/2019-vulkanised-is-back) [2017.](https://www.khronos.org/events/vulkanised-experience-from-game-devs-pioneering-with-vulkan1)



# Sample Code



## OpenGL ES



* [Mali OpenGL ES SDK for Android.](https://github.com/ARM-software/opengl-es-sdk-for-android)

* [Adreno SDK for OpenGL ES.](https://developer.qualcomm.com/software/adreno-gpu-sdk)

* [PowerVR OpenGL ES Examples.](https://github.com/powervr-graphics/Native_SDK/tree/master/examples/OpenGLES)



## Vulkan



* [Vulkan Samples](https://github.com/KhronosGroup/Vulkan-Samples) - Educational source code with informative explanation for developing optimized Vulkan application.

* [Android Vulkan Tutorial](https://github.com/googlesamples/android-vulkan-tutorials) - Beginner guide to develop Vulkan sample with Android Studio.

* [PowerVR Vulkan Examples.](https://github.com/powervr-graphics/Native_SDK/tree/master/examples/Vulkan)



# Profiling & Debugging



* [RenderDoc](https://renderdoc.org/) ([video tutorials](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWziqE5d25dXo1IE150YJiPT9EIW8ymta)) - A lightweight, reliable and developer friendly debugger for quick frame diagnosis.

* [Principles of High Performance](https://developer.arm.com/solutions/graphics-and-gaming/developer-guides/learn-the-basics/principles-of-high-performance/single-page) - Core ideas for mobile app optimization.

* [Basic Optimization Checklist](https://developer.arm.com/documentation/101897/0301/Optimization-basics/Basic-optimization-checklist) - A handy checklist for common performance bottlenecks.



## Vulkan

* [Vulkan Ecosystem Developer Tools](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jItHShexBf4&t=14403s) ([slides](https://www.lunarg.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Vulkan-Ecosystem-Developer-Tools-Osaka-MAY2023.pdf)) by Spencer Fricke - A quick roll call of available dev-tools to prevent reinventing the wheel.

* [Using Vulkan Validation Effectively](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jItHShexBf4&t=10224s) ([slides](https://www.lunarg.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Using-Vulkan-Validation-Effectively-Osaka.pdf)) by Spencer Fricke - An instructive guide for using validation layer and debug utilities extension.

* [Introduction to Using SPIR-V](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jItHShexBf4&t=13229s) ([slides](https://www.lunarg.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/SPIRV-Osaka-MAY2023.pdf)) by Spencer Fricke - A quick start guide for learning how to read and understand SPIR-V.



## Android



* [Game Development Guides on Android,](https://developer.android.com/games/guides) including tools, libraries, best practices, etc.

* [Modern Android Development Skills on Performance](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWz5rJ2EKKc-xjSI-rWn9SViXivBhQUnp) - A video series of brief overviews on various profiling tools (ex. Systrace, Perfetto, etc.) on Android.

* [Android GPU Inspector](https://developer.android.com/agi) - A unified profiler for various GPU IPs on Android (only for few [supported devices](https://developer.android.com/agi/supported-devices) currently).

  * [Analyze a System Trace](https://developer.android.com/agi/sys-trace/long) - A comprehensive tutorial of system inspection.

* [System Tracing](https://developer.android.com/topic/performance/tracing)

  * [Android Profiler](https://developer.android.google.cn/studio/profile/android-profiler) - Tools for inspecting usage of CPU, memory, network, and battery resources.

  * [Systrace for Games](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oAlB-3tkqc) by Tim Murray - An introductory video tutorial with case studies.

  * [Improve Game Performance on Android](https://developer.android.com/games/optimize#improve-performance-areas) - Tips for identifying and improving various aspects of common performance concerns in mobile games.

* [Android Vulkan layers](https://solidpixel.github.io/2022/04/20/android_vulkan_layers.html) by Peter Harris - A quick recipe to get Vulkan validation layers working for Android applications.

* [Enable Vulkan Layers Outside the Application](https://developer.android.com/ndk/guides/graphics/validation-layer#enable-layers-outside-app) - Instructions for enabling layers with adb commands.

* [Enable Vulkan Debug Callback on Android](https://developer.android.com/ndk/guides/graphics/validation-layer#enable_the_debug_callback) - Example code snippets for enablement.



## Mali

* [Arm Mobile Studio](https://developer.arm.com/tools-and-software/graphics-and-gaming/arm-mobile-studio) ([video tutorial](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcxIuwBZyic)) - A developer suite contains graphics analyzer, GPU profiler and performance advisor.

* [Android performance triage with Streamline](https://developer.arm.com/documentation/102540/latest) - A step-by-step diagnosis guide to identify performance problem.

* [Accelerating Mali GPU analysis using Streamline](https://community.arm.com/developer/tools-software/graphics/b/blog/posts/accelerating-mali-gpu-analysis-using-arm-mobile-studio) by Peter Harris - A quick overview of using Streamline template charts.

* [Workload Pipelining](https://developer.arm.com/solutions/graphics-and-gaming/developer-guides/learn-the-basics/workload-pipelining/single-page) - A clear illustration of various pipeline bottlenecks.

* [Frame Pipelining](https://community.arm.com/developer/tools-software/graphics/b/blog/posts/the-mali-gpu-an-abstract-machine-part-1---frame-pipelining) by Peter Harris - A lucid explanation of asynchronous execution of rendering pipeline beneath GL APIs.

* Mali GPU Performance Counters: [G720](https://developer.arm.com/documentation/108081/0101/Arm--Immortalis-G720-and-Mali-G720-GPU-performance-counters?lang=en), [G715](https://developer.arm.com/documentation/107776/0100/?lang=en), [G710](https://developer.arm.com/documentation/102813/0102/?lang=en), and others.

* [Mali GPU Datasheet.](https://developer.arm.com/documentation/102849/0100/?lang=en)



## Adreno



* [Snapdragon Profiler.](https://developer.qualcomm.com/software/snapdragon-profiler)

* [Identify application bottlenecks](https://developer.qualcomm.com/sites/default/files/docs/adreno-gpu/snapdragon-game-toolkit/gdg/tutorials/android/identify_application_bottlenecks.html#identify-application-bottlenecks) by using Snapdragon Trace Capture.

* [Available Functionality for Supported Texture Format.](https://developer.qualcomm.com/sites/default/files/docs/adreno-gpu/snapdragon-game-toolkit/gdg/gpu/spec_sheets.html#texture-formats)



## Unreal



* [Maximizing Your Game's Performance in Unreal Engine](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuIav71867E) by Ari Arnbjörnsson - An engaging talk with 4 concrete examples by using built-in tools of UE5. (Few tool configs are desktop-only, but still worth watching.)

* [Profiling and Optimization in UE4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbXakIuZPFo) by Paulo Souza - An introductory tutorial for identifying performance problems.

* [UE4 Performance and Profiling](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcxetY8g_fs) by Zak Parrish - Comprehensive guidelines for optimization process.

* [UE4 Graphics Profiling](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF8ktr3i-U4A7vuQ6TXPr3f-bhmy6xM3S) by Tech Art Aid - A well organized and informative tutorial series for beginners.



## Unity



* [Ultimate guide to profiling Unity games](https://resources.unity.com/games/ultimate-guide-to-profiling-unity-games) - A 70+ page guide on profiling workflow with built-in tools of Unity.

* [Introduction to Profiling in Unity](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXRURWwabF4) by Ciro Continisio - A beginner tutorial on CPU profiler and frame debugger.

* [Tackling Profiling for Mobile Games with Unity and Arm](https://blogs.unity3d.com/2021/03/11/tackling-profiling-for-mobile-games-with-unity-and-arm/) by Mark Harkness - A crisp introduction to mobile game optimization with various tools.

* [Better Together: Integrating Arm Mobile Studio with Unity](https://community.arm.com/developer/tools-software/graphics/b/blog/posts/integrating-arm-mobile-studio-with-unity) by Geraint North - A concrete example of how Streamline annotations make better data interpretation.