Use RenderDoc to debug and analyze workloads

Debug and profile workloads with RenderDoc

Integrating machine learning into real-time rendering makes frame-level inspection and performance analysis critical. RenderDoc helps you visualize and debug the workloads by letting you step through frames, examine tensors, and inspect Vulkan API calls.

RenderDoc is a powerful GPU frame capture tool that lets you:

• Step through a frame’s rendering process
• Inspect Vulkan API calls
• View shader inputs and outputs
• Examine GPU resource states and memory usage

When to use RenderDoc with the samples

RenderDoc can help in scenarios such as:

• Diagnosing unexpected visual output by stepping through draw calls
• Analyzing the order and behavior of Vulkan API calls
• Investigating memory consumption or GPU resource states
• Validating data graph pipeline execution or identifying synchronization issues

Install Arm Performance Studio

To use RenderDoc with ML Extensions for Vulkan, install the Arm-customized version included with Arm Performance Studio:

1. Download Arm Performance Studio from the Arm Developer website . Use version 2025.4 or later.
2. Run the installer: Arm_Performance_Studio_<version>_windows_x86-64.exe
3. Follow the installation instructions.

After installation, launch RenderDoc for Arm GPUs from the Windows Start menu.

Capture Vulkan frames with RenderDoc

You can capture and inspect Vulkan Samples that use ML Extensions for Vulkan, including API calls such as vkCreateTensorARM and structures such as VK_STRUCTURE_TYPE_TENSOR_DESCRIPTION_ARM.

RenderDoc is especially useful for visualizing tensor operations, inspecting resource bindings, and verifying correct data graph pipeline execution.

Capture with RenderDoc

1. Open RenderDoc, and in the main window, go to the Launch Application section.
2. Configure the following fields:
   • Executable Path: Path to the built executable vulkan_samples.exe.
   • Working Directory: Path to the root of the Vulkan Samples project.
   • Command-line Arguments:

         
     
             
             
     sample simple_tensor_and_data_graph
     
         
     

     You can substitute simple_tensor_and_data_graph with any of the other sample names as needed.
3. Select Launch. The selected sample starts running.
4. When the application window is active, press F12 to capture a frame.
5. The captured frame appears in RenderDoc’s capture list. Double-click it to explore the frame and inspect ML Extensions for Vulkan calls in detail.

Learn more

This workflow gives you a detailed view of how Vulkan builds and executes ML graphs when you optimize pipelines or debug integration issues. To learn more, see the Debug with RenderDoc User Guide .

Continue to the final section to review what you’ve learned and explore additional resources.