Metal Programming Guide: Tutorial and Reference via Swift

13. Multipass Rendering Techniques

Leeloo Dallas Multipass!—The Fifth Element

Multipass rendering is common, especially in increasingly complex scenes. This technique allows you to create better and more realistic rendering without bogging down the GPU.

When (and Why) to Use Multipass Rendering

Lighting is the most important reason to use multipass rendering. Light is a subtle and complex phenomenon to replicate in graphics programming. There are so many different types of light and materials that trying to create realistic lighting is the holy grail of realistic graphics programming.

A rendered image is made of layers. The first layer is the underlying meshes and geometry that make up a scene. The next layer is the ambient light that illuminates ...