Vulkan Fractal Generator

A real-time fractal generator built with C++20 and Vulkan. This project demonstrates GPU compute shaders for fractal calculations and Vulkan's graphics pipeline for rendering.

Overview

This fractal generator uses GPU compute shaders to calculate the Mandelbrot set in real-time, then renders the results using Vulkan's graphics pipeline. The project showcases modern GPU programming techniques and provides an interactive fractal exploration tool.

Features

• Real-time Mandelbrot Set Generation: Computed entirely on GPU using Vulkan compute shaders
• Interactive GUI: Built with Dear ImGui for parameter adjustment
  • Zoom controls (1x to 1,000,000x+ magnification)
  • Iteration count adjustment (100-1000+ iterations)
  • Center position navigation with click-and-drag
  • Color intensity scaling
• Optimized Rendering: Only recomputes when parameters change
• Cross-platform Support: Developed on macOS with MoltenVK, compatible with Windows/Linux
• Modern C++: Uses C++20 features throughout the codebase

Architecture

The project is organized into several main components:

Application Layer
├── VulkanApplication (main coordination)
├── WindowManager (GLFW integration)
└── GuiManager (Dear ImGui integration)

Vulkan Layer
├── VulkanSetup (instance, device, queues)
├── ComputePipeline (fractal calculation)
├── GraphicsPipeline (rendering)
├── SwapchainManager (presentation)
├── ShaderManager (SPIR-V compilation)
├── MemoryManager (GPU memory)
└── TextureManager (compute-to-graphics data flow)

Building and Running

Prerequisites

• C++20 compatible compiler
• CMake 3.20 or later
• Vulkan SDK
• GLFW for windowing

macOS

# Install dependencies via Homebrew
brew install cmake glfw vulkan-headers vulkan-loader vulkan-validationlayers molten-vk

# Build the project
git clone [your-repository-url]
cd fractal-generator
mkdir build && cd build
cmake ..
make -j

# Run
cd ..
./run.sh

Windows

# Install Vulkan SDK from LunarG
# Install GLFW (vcpkg recommended)
vcpkg install glfw3

mkdir build && cd build
cmake .. -DCMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE=[vcpkg-root]/scripts/buildsystems/vcpkg.cmake
cmake --build . --config Release

Linux

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install cmake libglfw3-dev vulkan-sdk

mkdir build && cd build
cmake ..
make -j$(nproc)

Technical Highlights

GPU Computing

The fractal calculations are performed using Vulkan compute shaders, allowing thousands of pixels to be computed in parallel. Each compute thread calculates the Mandelbrot iteration count for a single pixel, leveraging the GPU's massive parallel processing power.

Memory Management

The project implements custom Vulkan memory management for optimal performance:

• GPU-local memory for compute buffers
• Staging buffers for CPU-GPU data transfer
• Efficient memory type selection based on usage patterns

Synchronization

Proper synchronization between compute and graphics operations ensures correct rendering:

• Pipeline barriers for memory dependencies
• Semaphores for queue synchronization
• Fences for CPU-GPU synchronization

Future Enhancements

Potential improvements and additions:

• Additional fractal types (Julia sets, Burning Ship, Newton fractals)
• Multi-precision arithmetic for deeper zoom levels
• Performance profiling and optimization
• 3D fractal rendering with ray tracing

License

This project is released under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

This project was built using:

• Vulkan Tutorial (vulkan-tutorial.com) - Essential learning resource
• Sascha Willems' Vulkan Examples - Reference implementations
• Khronos Group - Vulkan specification and samples
• Dear ImGui - GUI framework
• GLFW - Cross-platform windowing

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Note: This is a learning project focused on understanding Vulkan concepts and GPU programming techniques.