DXVK GPLAsync-LowLatency (DXVK-GPLALL)

A Vulkan-based translation layer for Direct3D 8/9/10/11 which allows running 3D applications on:

1. Windows 10/11, if GPU has Vulkan driver that is Vulkan 1.3 compliant. Requires SSE2 CPU.
2. Linux using Wine, if GPU has Vulkan driver that is Vulkan 1.3 compliant. Requires SSE2 CPU.
3. MacOS using Wine/CrossOver, if GPU has Vulkan driver that is Vulkan 1.3 compliant. Requires SSE2 CPU.

For GPUs that do not have Vulkan 1.3 compliant driver, it is recommended to use DXVK-Sarek. It supports Windows 7/8/10/11, Linux/Mac, requires SSE2 CPU, GPU with Vulkan driver that is Vulkan 1.1 compliant. It has implemented Direct3D 8/9/10/11 and a build with Asynchronous pipeline compilation (Async).

Major changes compared to upstream DXVK

1. Implemented Low Latency frame pacing mode that aims to greatly reduce latency with minimal impact in fps. Author - netborg-afps

2. Implemented Asynchronous pipeline compilation (Async) that aims to greatly reduce shader compilation stutter by not blocking the main thread when compiling async pipelines. Authors - jomihaka and Sporif

3. Implemented the ability to use both (together or separately) Graphics Pipeline Library (GPL) and Asynchronous pipeline compilation (Async) on DXVK 2.1 and later. Author - Ph42oN

4. Implemented all of aforementioned in one DXVK package. Author - Digger1955

5. Provided various GCC (for any OS) builds of DXVK-GPLALL:

   a) optimized for SSE2 (-march=x86-64, -mtune=x86-64) CPUs with Link-Time Optimization (LTO, a.k.a. -flto=auto) and -O3 optimization level;

   b) optimized for SSE4.2 (-march=x86-64-v2, -mtune=intel) and newer Intel CPUs with Link-Time Optimization (LTO, a.k.a. -flto=auto) and -O3 optimization level.

   c) optimized for SSE4.2 (-march=x86-64-v2, -mtune=generic) and newer CPUs with Link-Time Optimization (LTO, a.k.a. -flto=auto) and -O3 optimization level.

Author - Digger1955

6. Provided various MSVC (only for Windows, requires MSVCRT) builds of DXVK-GPLALL:

   a) optimized for SSE2 (/arch:SSE2) CPUs with Link-Time Optimization (LTO, a.k.a. /LTCG) and /O2 optimization level;

   b) optimized for SSE4.2 (/arch:SSE4.2) and newer Intel (/favor:INTEL64 a.k.a. /favor:EM64T) CPUs with Link-Time Optimization (LTO, a.k.a. /LTCG) and /O2 optimization level;

   c) optimized for AVX2 (/arch:AVX2) and newer AMD (/favor:AMD64) CPUs with Link-Time Optimization (LTO, a.k.a. /LTCG) and /O2 optimization level.

Author - Digger1955

Detailed Changelog provided in Wiki.

Builds Reference Guide provided in Wiki.

How to use (Windows 10/11)

1. Download DXVK package from release page.
2. Copy appropriate DLL dependencies to the location of application's main executable folder.
3. Run application.

Important: It is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED to create dxvk.conf at application's main executable folder (per-application configuration file - first priority) or at %APPDATA%/dxvk.conf (one global configuration file - second priority) with your desired DXVK settings.

How to use (Linux/MacOS)

In order to install a DXVK package obtained from the release page into a given wine prefix, copy or symlink the DLLs into the following directories as follows, then open winecfg and manually add native DLL overrides for d3d8, d3d9, d3d10core, d3d11 and dxgi under the Libraries tab.

In a default Wine prefix that would be as follows:

export WINEPREFIX=/path/to/wineprefix
cp x64/*.dll $WINEPREFIX/drive_c/windows/system32
cp x32/*.dll $WINEPREFIX/drive_c/windows/syswow64
winecfg

For a pure 32-bit Wine prefix (non default) the 32-bit DLLs instead go to the system32 directory:

export WINEPREFIX=/path/to/wineprefix
cp x32/*.dll $WINEPREFIX/drive_c/windows/system32
winecfg

Verify that your application uses DXVK instead of wined3d by enabling the HUD (see notes below).

In order to remove DXVK from a prefix, remove the DLLs and DLL overrides, and run wineboot -u to restore the original DLL files.

Tools such as Steam Play, Lutris, Bottles, Heroic Launcher, etc will automatically handle setup of dxvk on their own when enabled.

Important: It is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED to create dxvk.conf at application's main executable folder (per-application configuration file - first priority) or at /home/$USER/.config/dxvk.conf (one global configuration file - second priority) with your desired DXVK settings.

DLL dependencies

Listed below are the DLL requirements for using DXVK with any single API.

• d3d8: d3d8.dll and d3d9.dll
• d3d9: d3d9.dll
• d3d10: d3d10core.dll, d3d11.dll and dxgi.dll
• d3d11: d3d11.dll and dxgi.dll

Notes on Vulkan drivers

Before reporting an issue, please check the Wiki page on the current driver status and make sure you run a recent enough driver version for your hardware.

Online multiplayer games

Manipulation of Direct3D libraries in multiplayer games may be considered cheating and can get your account banned. This may also apply to singleplayer games with an embedded or dedicated multiplayer portion.

Async could theoretically trigger client-side anti-cheats, and as such, may be risky to use inside of multiplayer games. There is no information about someone getting banned for using DXVK or DXVK with Async, but - Use at your own risk.

dxvk.conf Config File Location

By default, DXVK has built-in configs for specific games and GPU drivers. If user needs to change default DXVK settings, then it can be done by changing default settings in dxvk.conf configuration file or by using DXVK_CONFIG environment variable.

User can create dxvk.conf configuration file at application's main executable folder (per-application configuration file - first priority) or at %APPDATA%/dxvk.conf (one global configuration file - second priority) for Windows OS or at /home/$USER/.config/dxvk.conf (one global configuration file - second priority) for Linux/MacOS.

User can change default dxvk.conf global coniguration file location by specifying path in DXVK_CONFIG_FILE environment variable:

• Example (Windows): DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=%USERPROFILE%/Documents/dxvk.conf
• Example (Linux): DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=$XDG_DATA_HOME/dxvk.conf
• Example (MacOS): DXVK_CONFIG_FILE=$HOME/Library/dxvk.conf

User can create DXVK_CONFIG to set config variables through the environment instead of a configuration file using the same syntax as in dxvk.conf. ; is used as a seperator.

• Example: DXVK_CONFIG="dxgi.hideAmdGpu = True; dxgi.syncInterval = 0"

HUD

The DXVK_HUD environment variable controls a HUD which can display the framerate and some stat counters. It accepts a comma-separated list of the following options:

• devinfo: Displays the name of the GPU, Vulkan Headers version and Vulkan Driver version.
• fps: Shows the current frame rate.
• frametimes: Shows a frame time graph.
• submissions: Shows the number of command buffers submitted per frame.
• drawcalls: Shows the number of draw calls and render passes per frame.
• pipelines: Shows the total number of graphics and compute pipelines.
• descriptors: Shows the number of descriptor pools and descriptor sets.
• memory: Shows the amount of device memory allocated and used.
• allocations: Shows detailed memory chunk suballocation info.
• gpuload: Shows estimated GPU load. May be inaccurate.
• version: Shows DXVK version.
• api: Shows the D3D feature level used by the application.
• cs: Shows worker thread statistics.
• compiler: Shows shader compiler activity
• samplers: Shows the current number of sampler pairs used [D3D9 Only]
• ffshaders: Shows the current number of shaders generated from fixed function state [D3D9 Only]
• swvp: Shows whether or not the device is running in software vertex processing mode [D3D9 Only]
• scale=x: Scales the HUD by a factor of x (e.g. 1.5)
• opacity=y: Adjusts the HUD opacity by a factor of y (e.g. 0.5, 1.0 being fully opaque).
• renderlatency: Shows the render latency in real-time.

Additionally, DXVK_HUD=1 has the same effect as DXVK_HUD=devinfo,fps, and DXVK_HUD=full enables all available HUD elements.

Logs

When used with Wine, DXVK will print log messages to stderr. Additionally, standalone log files can optionally be generated by setting the DXVK_LOG_PATH variable, where log files in the given directory will be called app_d3d11.log, app_dxgi.log etc., where app is the name of the game executable.

On Windows, log files will be created in the game's working directory by default, which is usually next to the game executable.

Frame rate limit

The DXVK_FRAME_RATE environment variable can be used to limit the frame rate.

A value of 0 limits the frame rate to the selected display refresh rate when vertical synchronization is enabled if the actual display mode does not match the game's one.

Any positive value will limit rendering to the given number of frames per second.

A value of -1 always disables the limiter.

DXVK_FRAME_RATE environment variable represented in dxvk.conf:

• For D3D8 and D3D9 - d3d9.maxFrameRate. Default value is d3d9.maxFrameRate = 0
• For D3D10 and D3D11 - dxgi.maxFrameRate . Default value is dxgi.maxFrameRate = 0

Device filter

Some applications do not provide a method to select a different GPU. In that case, DXVK can be forced to use a given device:

• DXVK_FILTER_DEVICE_NAME="Device Name" Selects devices with a matching Vulkan device name, which can be retrieved with tools such as vulkaninfo. Matches on substrings, so "VEGA" or "AMD RADV VEGA10" is supported if the full device name is "AMD RADV VEGA10 (LLVM 9.0.0)", for example. If the substring matches more than one device, the first device matched will be used.

Note: If the device filter is configured incorrectly, it may filter out all devices and applications will be unable to create a D3D device.

Debugging

The following environment variables can be used for debugging purposes.

• VK_INSTANCE_LAYERS=VK_LAYER_KHRONOS_validation Enables Vulkan debug layers. Highly recommended for troubleshooting rendering issues and driver crashes. Requires the Vulkan SDK to be installed on the host system.
• DXVK_LOG_LEVEL=none|error|warn|info|debug Controls message logging.
• DXVK_LOG_PATH=/some/directory Changes path where log files are stored. Set to none to disable log file creation entirely, without disabling logging.
• DXVK_DEBUG=markers|validation Enables use of the VK_EXT_debug_utils extension for translating performance event markers, or to enable Vulkan validation, respecticely.

Graphics Pipeline Library (GPL)

On drivers which support VK_EXT_graphics_pipeline_library Vulkan shaders will be compiled at the time the game loads its D3D shaders, rather than at draw time. This reduces or eliminates shader compile stutter in many games when compared to the previous system.

In games that load their shaders during loading screens or in the menu, this can lead to prolonged periods of very high CPU utilization, especially on weaker CPUs. For affected games it is recommended to wait for shader compilation to finish before starting the game to avoid stutter and low performance. Shader compiler activity can be monitored with DXVK_HUD=compiler.

Important: Usage of Graphics Pipeline Library significantly increases VRAM usage, due to this if you are low on VRAM, it can be better to disable it. That can be done with option dxvk.enableGraphicsPipelineLibrary = False in dxvk.conf.

Note: Games which only load their D3D shaders at draw time (e.g. most Unreal Engine games) will still exhibit some stutter, although it should still be less severe than without this feature.

IMPORTANT: Disabled by default since 2.6.1-4. Reasons have been specified in Wiki

State cache

DXVK caches pipeline state by default, so that shaders can be recompiled ahead of time on subsequent runs of an application, even if the driver's own shader cache got invalidated in the meantime. This cache is enabled by default, and generally reduces stuttering.

State cache can be used together with GPL that is not possible on upstream DXVK, but it can be useful depending on game.

The following environment variables can be used to control the cache:

• DXVK_STATE_CACHE: Controls the state cache. The following values are supported:
  • disable: Disables the cache entirely.
  • reset: Clears the cache file.
• DXVK_STATE_CACHE_PATH=/some/directory Specifies a directory where to put the cache files. Defaults to the current working directory of the application.

Asynchronous pipeline compilation (Async)

Originally started as hacky solution for shader compilation stutter in dxvk. Similar solution was later added to dxvk itself and promptly removed.

Enabling this solution results in a lot less shader compilation stuttering by not blocking the main thread when compiling async pipelines and (not necessarily) miscellaneous graphical issues while shaders are compiling for the first time.

Asynchronous pipeline compilation is enabled with DXVK_ASYNC=1 environment variable and is equivalent to dxvk.enableAsync = True in dxvk.conf. It is enabled by default.

Asynchronous pipeline compilation is disabled with DXVK_ASYNC=0 environment variable and is equivalent to dxvk.enableAsync = False in dxvk.conf.

GPLAsync and State cache

State cache fixes for GPL and Async are enabled with DXVK_GPLASYNCCACHE=1 environment variable and is equivalent to dxvk.gplAsyncCache = True in dxvk.conf. It is enabled by default.

State cache fixes for GPL and Async are disabled with DXVK_GPLASYNCCACHE=0 environment variable and is equivalent to dxvk.gplAsyncCache = False in dxvk.conf.

Low Latency frame pacing

Low-Latency frame pacing mode aims to reduce latency with minimal impact in fps. Effective when operating in the GPU-limit. Efficient to be used in the CPU-limit as well.

Greatly reduces input lag variations when switching between CPU- and GPU-limit, and compared to the max-frame-latency approach, it has a much more stable input lag when GPU running times change dramatically, which can happen for example when rotating within a scene.

Latency has been decreased dramatically in some games by speeding up the dxvk-internal flush heuristic delivering GPU submissions quicker, which was presumably tuned for bandwidth/fps.

An interesting observation while playtesting was that not only the input lag was affected, but the video generated did progress more cleanly in time as well with regards to the wow and flutter effect.

Optimized for Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) displays, VK_PRESENT_MODE_IMMEDIATE_KHR (V-Sync Off) and VK_PRESENT_MODE_FIFO_KHR (V-Sync On). It also comes with its own fps-limiter which is typically used to prevent the game's fps exceeding the monitor's refresh rate.

Usage

DXVK_FRAME_PACE environment variable has the next options: max-frame-latency, low-latency and min-latency. Default is DXVK_FRAME_PACE=low-latency.

DXVK_FRAME_PACE environment variable represented in the dxvk.conf as dxvk.framePace. Default is dxvk.framePace = "low-latency"

DXVK_LOW_LATENCY_OFFSET environment variable allows for fine-tuning the low-latency mode. Values are in microseconds. Positive values might improve responsiveness even further, although only very slightly, this may be relevant for edge cases. Negative values might improve fps. Default is DXVK_LOW_LATENCY_OFFSET=0

DXVK_LOW_LATENCY_OFFSET environment variable represented in the dxvk.conf as dxvk.lowLatencyOffset. Default is dxvk.lowLatencyOffset = 0

DXVK_LOW_LATENCY_ALLOW_CPU_FRAMES_OVERLAP environment variable controls whether a frame is allowed to begin before finishing processing the cpu-part of the previous one, when low-latency frame pacing is used. Snappiness may be improved when disallowing overlap. On the other hand, this might also decrease fps in certain cases. Default is DXVK_LOW_LATENCY_ALLOW_CPU_FRAMES_OVERLAP=1.

DXVK_LOW_LATENCY_ALLOW_CPU_FRAMES_OVERLAP=1 environment variable represented in the dxvk.conf as dxvk.lowLatencyAllowCpuFramesOverlap. Default is dxvk.lowLatencyAllowCpuFramesOverlap = True

Build instructions

In order to pull in all submodules that are needed for building, clone the repository using the following command:

git clone --recursive https://github.com/Digger1955/dxvk-gplasync-lowlatency

Requirements:

• wine 7.1 or newer
• Meson build system (at least version 0.58)
• Mingw-w64 compiler and headers (at least version 10.0)
• glslang compiler

Building DLLs

The simple way

Inside the DXVK directory, run:

./package-release.sh master /your/target/directory --no-package

This will create a folder dxvk-master in /your/target/directory, which contains both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of DXVK, which can be set up in the same way as the release versions as noted above.

In order to preserve the build directories for development, pass --dev-build to the script. This option implies --no-package. After making changes to the source code, you can then do the following to rebuild DXVK:

# change to build.32 for 32-bit
cd /your/target/directory/build.64
ninja install

Compiling manually

# 64-bit build. For 32-bit builds, replace
# build-win64.txt with build-win32.txt
meson setup --cross-file build-win64.txt --buildtype release --prefix /your/dxvk/directory build.w64
cd build.w64
ninja install

The D3D8, D3D9, D3D10, D3D11 and DXGI DLLs will be located in /your/dxvk/directory/bin.

Build troubleshooting

DXVK requires threading support from your mingw-w64 build environment. If you are missing this, you may see "error: ‘std::cv_status’ has not been declared" or similar threading related errors.

On Debian and Ubuntu, this can be resolved by using the posix alternate, which supports threading. For example, choose the posix alternate from these commands:

update-alternatives --config x86_64-w64-mingw32-gcc
update-alternatives --config x86_64-w64-mingw32-g++
update-alternatives --config i686-w64-mingw32-gcc
update-alternatives --config i686-w64-mingw32-g++

For non debian based distros, make sure that your mingw-w64-gcc cross compiler does have --enable-threads=posix enabled during configure. If your distro does ship its mingw-w64-gcc binary with --enable-threads=win32 you might have to recompile locally or open a bug at your distro's bugtracker to ask for it.

DXVK Native

DXVK Native is a version of DXVK which allows it to be used natively without Wine.

This is primarily useful for game and application ports to either avoid having to write another rendering backend, or to help with port bringup during development.

Release builds are built using the Steam Runtime.

How does it work?

DXVK Native replaces certain Windows-isms with a platform and framework-agnostic replacement, for example, HWNDs can become SDL_Window*s, etc. All it takes to do that is to add another WSI backend.

Note: DXVK Native requires a backend to be explicitly set via the DXVK_WSI_DRIVER environment variable. The current built-in options are SDL3, SDL2, and GLFW.

DXVK Native comes with a slim set of Windows header definitions required for D3D9/11 and the MinGW headers for D3D9/11. In most cases, it will end up being plug and play with your renderer, but there may be certain teething issues such as:

• __uuidof(type) is supported, but __uuidof(variable) is not supported. Use __uuidof_var(variable) instead.