Changelog

Verdant Light 1.3.0 Vulkan Wrapper — Experimental Update

Added

• Added support for loading external shader packs from ZIP files through the Vulkan PostFX pipeline.
• Added runtime shader pack materialization and resource pack injection for external ZIP-based shader content.
• Added support for switching the active debug/effect chain at runtime with the existing toggle workflow.
• Added an initial custom external render target path for shadow_depth.
• Added a lightweight shadow target allocation and frame synchronization path.
• Added a first-pass shadow depth mirror step from the main render target into a dedicated shadow target.
• Added runtime PostChain bundle injection for custom external targets required by experimental shadow debugging.

Changed

• Reworked the wrapper pipeline to use the new 26.2 Vulkan/PostChain model instead of legacy framebuffer-style assumptions.
• Updated the effect loading flow so external post chains can be discovered, compiled, and applied more reliably.
• Improved debug visibility by providing a visible overlay-style test pack instead of depth-only black/white output.
• Refined shader pack runtime namespace handling for ZIP-based packs.

Fixed

• Fixed several failures caused by assuming old-style render target write APIs that no longer exist in the 26.2 renderer.
• Fixed external post chain allowlist issues that previously rejected custom targets like vulkanpostfx:shadow_depth.
• Fixed runtime crashes caused by missing custom PostChain targets during effect execution.
• Fixed shader pack activation flow so the external package can now be enabled successfully in the current experimental branch.
• Fixed shadow target creation, shadow pass execution, and main-depth mirroring so the custom target path is now active during runtime.

Technical Notes

• External ZIP shader pack loading is now functional in the current experimental wrapper.

• The wrapper can now:

  • discover and load the external ZIP pack,
  • compile and apply the external post chain,
  • allocate a shadow render target,
  • mirror main scene depth into that target,
  • and inject the target into PostChain execution at runtime.

• This release is focused on pipeline bring-up and compatibility validation, not final visual parity.

Known Limitations

• This is not a full shadow implementation yet.
• The current shadow path is still experimental and is primarily intended for debugging and pipeline validation.
• Visual output is currently based on overlay/debug behavior rather than finalized shadow resolve/composite logic.
• Shader behavior, color grading, and lighting quality are still subject to further iteration.
• Logging is still verbose in some experimental paths and will be cleaned up in a later update.

Next Steps

• Build a more usable day-to-day shader pack profile with stable visuals.
• Reduce experimental logging noise.
• Replace debug-oriented shadow visualization with a proper shadow resolve/composite path.
• Expand the wiki with setup instructions, compatibility notes, pack structure, and development documentation.