Developing for 3D is complicated. Whether you're using a native graphics API or enlisting the help of your favorite game engine, there are thousands of graphics commands that have to come together perfectly to produce beautiful 3D images on your phone, desktop or VR headsets.

GAPID (Graphics API Debugger) is a new tool that helps developers diagnose rendering and performance issues with their applications. With GAPID, you can capture a trace of your application and step through each graphics command one-by-one. This lets you visualize how your final image is built and isolate problematic calls, so you spend less time debugging through trial-and-error.

GAPID supports OpenGL ES on Android, and Vulkan on Android, Windows and Linux.

Debugging in action, one draw call at a time

GAPID not only enables you to diagnose issues with your rendering commands, but also acts as a tool to run quick experiments and see immediately how these changes would affect the presented frame.

Here are a few examples where GAPID can help you isolate and fix issues with your application:

What's the GPU doing?

Why isn't my text appearing?!

Working with a graphics API can be frustrating when you get an unexpected result, whether it's a blank screen, an upside-down triangle, or a missing mesh. As an offline debugger, GAPID lets you take a trace of these applications, and then inspect the calls afterwards. You can track down exactly which command produced the incorrect result by looking at the framebuffer, and inspect the state at that point to help you diagnose the issue.

What happens if I do X?

Using GAPID to edit shader code

Even when a program is working as expected, sometimes you want to experiment. GAPID allows you to modify API calls and shaders at will, so you can test things like:

What if I used a different texture on this object?

What if I changed the calculation of bloom in this shader?

With GAPID, you can now iterate on the look and feel of your app without having to recompile your application or rebuild your assets.

Whether you're building a stunning new desktop game with Vulkan or a beautifully immersive VR experience on Android, we hope that GAPID will save you both time and frustration and help you get the most out of your GPU. To get started with GAPID and see just how powerful it is, download it, take your favorite application, and capture a trace!