RenderDoc
Free, open-source tool that captures a single frame of a graphics program so you can inspect it step by step.
- Stars
- 11.3k
- Forks
- 1.8k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- C++
- Last update
- 5 days ago
- Type
- App
What it is
RenderDoc is a graphics debugger that records one frame drawn by a program and lets you examine how it was built, including the draw calls, textures, and shaders involved. It is used by programmers who write software that draws graphics, to find rendering bugs and understand performance. The README says it is meant for debugging programs you created yourself, not commercial software you did not make.
- Capture one frame of your own program and step through its draw calls
- Inspect textures, meshes, and the pipeline state at a given point in a frame
- Use the pixel history and shader debug views to trace why a pixel has a particular color
- Check constants and shader inputs bound during a draw
Great for
- Graphics programmers debugging their own Vulkan, D3D11, D3D12, or OpenGL applications
- Developers working on Windows, Linux, or Android who need to see what a single frame is doing
- Engine or game developers capturing their own projects, including those built with Unreal or Unity, as the README explicitly allows
- Students learning how a rendering pipeline turns draw calls into pixels
Not ideal for
- People who want to capture commercial games or other software they did not create, which the README says is not allowed in official channels
- Developers targeting Metal or D3D9/10, since the README's support table marks these as unsupported
- Linux users on non-x86 hardware, because the README says only 64-bit x86 is supported on Linux
How to get it
- 1
Download the app
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/baldurk/renderdoc - 2
Run it
- Download the stable installer or portable zip from the builds page (renderdoc.org/builds) for Windows, or the binary tarball for Linux
- Install or extract RenderDoc and launch it
- Open your own graphics program through RenderDoc and capture a frame
- Open the captured frame to inspect its draw calls and resources
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Read the online documentation at renderdoc.org/docs for a full guide to the interface
- Watch the project's YouTube videos for an overview of basic features
- Use the 64-bit Windows build to capture 32-bit programs, which the README says is fully supported
- Check the community extensions repository linked in the README for add-ons
Downloads
Strengths
- Free and open source under the MIT license
- Supports several major graphics APIs across Windows, Linux, and Android
- Documentation and video tutorials are available from the project
Trade-offs
- Only for debugging your own programs according to the README, which limits some uses
- Linux support is limited to 64-bit x86 and some APIs are not supported on every platform
- Stable builds are recommended for new users, and nightly builds may be less stable
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| renderdoc (this) | 11.3k | App | intermediate | 5 days ago | Graphics programmers debugging their own Vulkan, D3D11, D3D12, or OpenGL applications |
| Vulkan | 12.2k | Learning resource | advanced | 12 days ago | Programmers learning Vulkan who want working reference code |
| primitive | 13.6k | CLI | intermediate | 2.3 years ago | Artists exploring generative or abstract image styles |
| Craft | 11.1k | App | intermediate | 2.6 years ago | Developers who want to read a compact, real example of a voxel game in C |
| Pixelorama | 10.9k | App | beginner | 4 days ago | Pixel artists making sprites or tiles for games |
| react-native-debugger | 10.4k | App | beginner | 3.0 years ago | React Native developers who use Redux and want its DevTools in one place |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.