wgpu-mem-probe: standalone tool to investigate driver VRAM ceilings

New headless wgpu probe app — no Qt, no surface, just initializes a
device and stress-tests buffer allocations. Reports:
1. Adapter + device limits (maxBufferSize, maxStorageBufferBindingSize).
2. Single-allocation probe: descending sizes, each released, finds
   the largest single buffer the driver will grant.
3. Cumulative probe: halve-on-failure, finds total VRAM the runtime
   will let us park behind one device across multiple sub-buffers.
4. Fixed-size cumulative probe: 1 GB / 512 MB / 256 MB uniform sizes,
   to detect whether the "big-first" strategy leaves VRAM on the table.

Findings on a GTX 1650 (4 GB physical) + wgpu-native + Vulkan:
- maxStorageBufferBindingSize = 2 GB (driver cap, not wgpu-native).
- Any single storage buffer > 2 GB is REFUSED.
- Total available across N sub-buffers = ~3 GB, INVARIANT under
  allocation pattern (2+1+0.06, 3×1 GB, 6×512 MB, 12×256 MB all
  reach 3.00 GB). Driver hands out a fixed VRAM slice; pattern
  doesn't matter.
- Remaining ~1 GB is held by the desktop compositor + OS.
- GL's higher "4 GB+ resident" claim is overcommit into host RAM,
  which wgpu/Vulkan don't do.

The +50% (2 → 3 GB) improvement is real and worth chasing — a
follow-up halve-on-failure addSubBuffer in WgpuBufferPool will
extract that on this card. On 8/16/24 GB GPUs the same code gets
us proportionally more.

Build: ninja -C build-viewer-wgpu WgpuMemProbe
Run:   ./build-viewer-wgpu/wgpu-mem-probe/WgpuMemProbe

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 <noreply@anthropic.com>
This commit is contained in:
Dion Moult
2026-05-28 17:22:57 +10:00
parent dcc2bf1c01
commit feab05650d
3 changed files with 284 additions and 0 deletions
+1
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@@ -699,6 +699,7 @@ endif()
if(BUILD_BONSAIVIEWER_WGPU)
add_subdirectory(../src/ifcviewer-wgpu ifcviewer-wgpu)
add_subdirectory(../src/ifcviewer-wgpu-minimal ifcviewer-wgpu-minimal)
add_subdirectory(../src/wgpu-mem-probe wgpu-mem-probe)
endif()
# Cmake uninstall target
+19
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@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
################################################################################
# #
# Standalone wgpu memory-allocation probe. No Qt, no surface, just wgpu. #
# Built only when BUILD_BONSAIVIEWER_WGPU is on so it tracks the same #
# wgpu_native version as the viewer. #
# #
################################################################################
message("Running CMakeLists.txt in /src/wgpu-mem-probe")
add_executable(WgpuMemProbe main.cpp)
target_link_libraries(WgpuMemProbe PRIVATE wgpu_native)
if(UNIX AND NOT APPLE AND WGPU_NATIVE_LIB_DIR)
set_target_properties(WgpuMemProbe PROPERTIES
BUILD_RPATH "${WGPU_NATIVE_LIB_DIR}"
)
endif()
+264
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@@ -0,0 +1,264 @@
// Standalone wgpu memory-allocation probe. Headless — no surface, no Qt.
// Discovers what the adapter reports vs what the runtime actually grants:
//
// 1. Print all relevant adapter + device limits.
// 2. Single-allocation probe: try createBuffer at descending sizes,
// report which sizes succeed/refuse.
// 3. Cumulative allocation probe: keep allocating (without releasing)
// until the driver refuses, halving the requested size on each
// refusal. Reports total bytes / count we got to.
//
// Build: ninja -C build-viewer-wgpu WgpuMemProbe
// Run: ./build-viewer-wgpu/wgpu-mem-probe/WgpuMemProbe
#include <webgpu/webgpu.h>
#include <cstdint>
#include <cstdio>
#include <cstring>
#include <string>
#include <vector>
namespace {
// Drain async wgpu events. Both adapter/device requests AND error scope
// pops fire on the instance's event loop.
void processEventsUntil(WGPUInstance instance, const bool* done) {
while (!*done) {
wgpuInstanceProcessEvents(instance);
}
}
// Capture an error scope pop. Treats both Validation and OOM as "the
// allocation failed" — wgpu-native lumps "Not enough memory" into
// Validation, while spec-compliant impls (Dawn / browsers) classify
// as OutOfMemory.
struct ScopeResult {
bool done = false;
bool error = false;
WGPUErrorType type = WGPUErrorType_NoError;
};
void popScope(WGPUDevice device, WGPUInstance instance, ScopeResult* out) {
WGPUPopErrorScopeCallbackInfo cb = {};
cb.mode = WGPUCallbackMode_AllowProcessEvents;
cb.callback = [](WGPUPopErrorScopeStatus, WGPUErrorType type,
WGPUStringView, void* ud1, void* /*ud2*/) {
auto* r = static_cast<ScopeResult*>(ud1);
r->done = true;
r->error = (type != WGPUErrorType_NoError);
r->type = type;
};
cb.userdata1 = out;
wgpuDevicePopErrorScope(device, cb);
processEventsUntil(instance, &out->done);
}
// Try createBuffer(size). Returns the buffer if successful (caller
// owns and must release), or nullptr otherwise. Captures both OOM
// and Validation error scopes — wgpu-native classifies OOM as
// Validation, so checking only OOM misses the signal.
WGPUBuffer tryAllocate(WGPUInstance instance, WGPUDevice device,
uint64_t size, const char* label) {
wgpuDevicePushErrorScope(device, WGPUErrorFilter_Validation);
wgpuDevicePushErrorScope(device, WGPUErrorFilter_OutOfMemory);
WGPUBufferDescriptor desc = {};
desc.usage = WGPUBufferUsage_Storage | WGPUBufferUsage_CopyDst;
desc.size = size;
desc.label.data = label;
desc.label.length = std::strlen(label);
WGPUBuffer buf = wgpuDeviceCreateBuffer(device, &desc);
ScopeResult oom, validation;
popScope(device, instance, &oom);
popScope(device, instance, &validation);
if (!buf || oom.error || validation.error) {
if (buf) wgpuBufferRelease(buf);
return nullptr;
}
return buf;
}
// Returns a std::string so multiple humanSize calls in one printf can
// coexist (static-buffer version had every "%s" point at the same
// last-written buffer).
std::string humanSize(uint64_t b) {
char buf[32];
if (b >= (1ull << 30)) std::snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), "%.2f GB", double(b) / double(1ull << 30));
else if (b >= (1ull << 20)) std::snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), "%.1f MB", double(b) / double(1ull << 20));
else if (b >= (1ull << 10)) std::snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), "%.1f KB", double(b) / double(1ull << 10));
else std::snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), "%llu B", (unsigned long long)b);
return buf;
}
// Suppress wgpu-native's own logging during probe so the output isn't
// drowned in "[wgpu device error 2]" noise from the OOM attempts that
// the error scopes have already captured.
void onUncapturedError(WGPUDevice const*, WGPUErrorType, WGPUStringView,
void*, void*) {
// intentionally silent
}
} // namespace
int main() {
WGPUInstance instance = wgpuCreateInstance(nullptr);
if (!instance) { std::printf("wgpuCreateInstance failed\n"); return 1; }
// Request adapter (headless — no surface). HighPerformance for the
// discrete GPU on hybrid systems.
struct AdapterReq { WGPUAdapter adapter = nullptr; bool done = false; bool ok = false; };
AdapterReq areq;
WGPURequestAdapterOptions opts = {};
opts.powerPreference = WGPUPowerPreference_HighPerformance;
WGPURequestAdapterCallbackInfo acb = {};
acb.mode = WGPUCallbackMode_AllowProcessEvents;
acb.callback = [](WGPURequestAdapterStatus status, WGPUAdapter adapter,
WGPUStringView, void* ud1, void* /*ud2*/) {
auto* r = static_cast<AdapterReq*>(ud1);
r->done = true;
if (status == WGPURequestAdapterStatus_Success) {
r->adapter = adapter;
r->ok = true;
}
};
acb.userdata1 = &areq;
wgpuInstanceRequestAdapter(instance, &opts, acb);
while (!areq.done) wgpuInstanceProcessEvents(instance);
if (!areq.ok) { std::printf("RequestAdapter failed\n"); return 1; }
// Adapter info.
WGPUAdapterInfo info = {};
wgpuAdapterGetInfo(areq.adapter, &info);
std::printf("Adapter:\n");
std::printf(" vendor : %.*s\n", int(info.vendor.length), info.vendor.data);
std::printf(" device : %.*s\n", int(info.device.length), info.device.data);
std::printf(" desc : %.*s\n", int(info.description.length), info.description.data);
std::printf(" backend : %d\n", int(info.backendType));
wgpuAdapterInfoFreeMembers(info);
WGPULimits alimits = {};
wgpuAdapterGetLimits(areq.adapter, &alimits);
std::printf("\nAdapter limits:\n");
std::printf(" maxBufferSize = %s\n", humanSize(alimits.maxBufferSize).c_str());
std::printf(" maxStorageBufferBindingSize = %s\n", humanSize(alimits.maxStorageBufferBindingSize).c_str());
std::printf(" maxStorageBuffersPerStage = %u\n", alimits.maxStorageBuffersPerShaderStage);
// Request device with adapter's max limits (so we don't artificially
// restrict ourselves to the WebGPU floor).
WGPUDeviceDescriptor ddesc = {};
ddesc.requiredLimits = &alimits;
ddesc.uncapturedErrorCallbackInfo.callback = onUncapturedError;
struct DeviceReq { WGPUDevice device = nullptr; bool done = false; bool ok = false; };
DeviceReq dreq;
WGPURequestDeviceCallbackInfo dcb = {};
dcb.mode = WGPUCallbackMode_AllowProcessEvents;
dcb.callback = [](WGPURequestDeviceStatus status, WGPUDevice device,
WGPUStringView, void* ud1, void* /*ud2*/) {
auto* r = static_cast<DeviceReq*>(ud1);
r->done = true;
if (status == WGPURequestDeviceStatus_Success) {
r->device = device;
r->ok = true;
}
};
dcb.userdata1 = &dreq;
wgpuAdapterRequestDevice(areq.adapter, &ddesc, dcb);
while (!dreq.done) wgpuInstanceProcessEvents(instance);
if (!dreq.ok) { std::printf("RequestDevice failed\n"); return 1; }
WGPULimits dlimits = {};
wgpuDeviceGetLimits(dreq.device, &dlimits);
std::printf("\nDevice limits (granted):\n");
std::printf(" maxBufferSize = %s\n", humanSize(dlimits.maxBufferSize).c_str());
std::printf(" maxStorageBufferBindingSize = %s\n", humanSize(dlimits.maxStorageBufferBindingSize).c_str());
// ---- Test 1: Single-allocation probe. ------------------------------
// Try createBuffer at descending sizes, release after each. Tells us
// the biggest single buffer the driver will grant at all (independent
// of fragmentation from prior allocations).
std::printf("\nSingle-allocation probe (each released before next):\n");
static const uint64_t test_sizes[] = {
16ull << 30, 8ull << 30, 4ull << 30,
2ull << 30, 1ull << 30,
512ull << 20, 256ull << 20, 128ull << 20, 64ull << 20,
};
for (uint64_t s : test_sizes) {
WGPUBuffer b = tryAllocate(instance, dreq.device, s, "probe.single");
std::printf(" %-10s : %s\n", humanSize(s).c_str(), b ? "OK" : "REFUSED");
if (b) wgpuBufferRelease(b);
}
// ---- Test 2: Cumulative allocation. --------------------------------
// Keep allocating without releasing, halving the requested size on
// each refusal. Discovers actual total VRAM the runtime will let us
// park behind one device. THIS is what determines the upper bound
// of a multi-sub-buffer streaming pool.
std::printf("\nCumulative allocation probe (halve on refusal,"
" stop at 64 MB floor):\n");
constexpr uint64_t MIN_BYTES = 64ull << 20;
uint64_t try_size = dlimits.maxBufferSize;
if (try_size > (4ull << 30)) try_size = 4ull << 30; // 4 GB sane cap
std::vector<WGPUBuffer> retained;
uint64_t total = 0;
while (try_size >= MIN_BYTES) {
char label[64];
std::snprintf(label, sizeof(label), "probe.cum.%zu", retained.size());
WGPUBuffer b = tryAllocate(instance, dreq.device, try_size, label);
if (b) {
retained.push_back(b);
total += try_size;
std::printf(" + sub-buffer %2zu : %-9s (cumulative %s, %zu buffers)\n",
retained.size() - 1, humanSize(try_size).c_str(),
humanSize(total).c_str(), retained.size());
} else {
std::printf(" - refused at %-9s (halving)\n", humanSize(try_size).c_str());
try_size /= 2;
}
}
std::printf("\nFinal: %zu sub-buffers totalling %s\n",
retained.size(), humanSize(total).c_str());
// Release retained buffers.
for (WGPUBuffer b : retained) wgpuBufferRelease(b);
retained.clear();
total = 0;
// ---- Test 3: Uniform-size cumulative probe. ------------------------
// Start with a smaller per-buffer size and keep stacking. Tells us
// whether the "max single size first" strategy leaves total VRAM on
// the table — e.g. on hardware where 2×2GB is refused but 4×1GB
// works (heap fragmentation favours smaller allocs).
static const uint64_t fixed_sizes[] = {
1ull << 30, // 1 GB each
512ull << 20, // 512 MB each
256ull << 20, // 256 MB each
};
for (uint64_t fixed : fixed_sizes) {
std::printf("\nFixed-size %s cumulative probe:\n",
humanSize(fixed).c_str());
std::vector<WGPUBuffer> bufs;
uint64_t cum = 0;
for (;;) {
char label[64];
std::snprintf(label, sizeof(label), "probe.fixed.%zu", bufs.size());
WGPUBuffer b = tryAllocate(instance, dreq.device, fixed, label);
if (!b) break;
bufs.push_back(b);
cum += fixed;
}
std::printf(" %zu buffers × %s = %s\n",
bufs.size(), humanSize(fixed).c_str(),
humanSize(cum).c_str());
for (WGPUBuffer b : bufs) wgpuBufferRelease(b);
}
wgpuDeviceRelease(dreq.device);
wgpuAdapterRelease(areq.adapter);
wgpuInstanceRelease(instance);
return 0;
}