# ClipDistance(3) Manual Page

## Name

ClipDistance - Application-specified clip distances

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## Description

`ClipDistance`

  Decorating a variable with the `ClipDistance` built-in decoration will make that variable contain the mechanism for controlling user clipping. `ClipDistance` is an array such that the ith element of the array specifies the clip distance for plane i. A clip distance of 0 means the vertex is on the plane, a positive distance means the vertex is inside the clip half-space, and a negative distance means the vertex is outside the clip half-space.

Note | The array variable decorated with `ClipDistance` is explicitly sized by the shader.

Note | In the last pre-rasterization shader stage, these values will be linearly interpolated across the primitive and the portion of the primitive with interpolated distances less than 0 will be considered outside the clip volume. If `ClipDistance` is then used by a fragment shader, `ClipDistance` contains these linearly interpolated values.

Valid Usage

- VUID-ClipDistance-ClipDistance-04187
  The `ClipDistance` decoration must be used only within the `MeshEXT`, `MeshNV`, `Vertex`, `Fragment`, `TessellationControl`, `TessellationEvaluation`, or `Geometry` `Execution` `Model`

- VUID-ClipDistance-ClipDistance-04188
  The variable decorated with `ClipDistance` within the `MeshEXT`, `MeshNV`, or `Vertex` `Execution` `Model` must be declared using the `Output` `Storage` `Class`

- VUID-ClipDistance-ClipDistance-04189
  The variable decorated with `ClipDistance` within the `Fragment` `Execution` `Model` must be declared using the `Input` `Storage` `Class`

- VUID-ClipDistance-ClipDistance-04190
  The variable decorated with `ClipDistance` within the `TessellationControl`, `TessellationEvaluation`, or `Geometry` `Execution` `Model` must not be declared in a `Storage` `Class` other than `Input` or `Output`

- VUID-ClipDistance-ClipDistance-04191
  The variable decorated with `ClipDistance` must be declared as an array of 32-bit floating-point values

## See Also

No cross-references are available

## Document Notes

For more information, see the Vulkan Specification

This page is extracted from the Vulkan Specification. Fixes and changes should be made to the Specification, not directly.

## Copyright

Copyright 2014-2025 The Khronos Group Inc.

SPDX-License-Identifier: CC-BY-4.0