Apps using ARCore can render the camera texture onto the screen using the
Vulkan graphics API.
Rendering your app using Vulkan lets you reduce CPU overhead.
When Vulkan rendering is enabled, ARCore updates an Android hardware buffer. This hardware buffer can be bound to a Vulkan VkImage.
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Missing the information I need","missingTheInformationINeed","thumb-down"],["Too complicated / too many steps","tooComplicatedTooManySteps","thumb-down"],["Out of date","outOfDate","thumb-down"],["Samples / code issue","samplesCodeIssue","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-07-14 UTC."],[[["\u003cp\u003eARCore apps can utilize the Vulkan graphics API for rendering, leading to decreased CPU load.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eWhen using Vulkan, ARCore updates a hardware buffer that can be linked to a Vulkan VkImage.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003ePlatform-specific guides are available for Android using Kotlin/Java and Android NDK using C to implement Vulkan rendering in AR apps.\u003c/p\u003e\n"]]],[],null,["**Platform-specific guides** \n\nAndroid (Kotlin/Java)\n\n- [Render your AR app using Vulkan on Android SDK (Kotlin/Java)](/ar/develop/java/vulkan)\n\nAndroid NDK (C)\n\n- [Render your AR app using Vulkan on Android NDK (C)](/ar/develop/c/vulkan)\n\nUnity (AR Foundation)\n\n- [Developer guide](/ar/develop/unity-arf/vulkan/developer-guide)\n\nApps using ARCore can render the camera texture onto the screen using the\n[Vulkan graphics API](https://developer.android.com/ndk/guides/graphics).\nRendering your app using Vulkan lets you reduce CPU overhead.\n\nWhen Vulkan rendering is enabled, ARCore updates an Android [hardware buffer](https://developer.android.com/ndk/reference/group/a-hardware-buffer). This hardware buffer can be bound to a Vulkan [`VkImage`](https://registry.khronos.org/vulkan/specs/1.3-extensions/man/html/VkImage.html)."]]