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# MTLVertexDescriptor

An instance that describes how to organize and map data to a vertex function.

```
class MTLVertexDescriptor
```

## Overview

An [`MTLVertexDescriptor`](/documentation/Metal/MTLVertexDescriptor) instance is used to configure how vertex data stored in memory is mapped to attributes in a vertex shader.

A pipeline state is the state of the graphics rendering pipeline, including shaders, blending, multisampling, and visibility testing. For every pipeline state, there can be only one [`MTLVertexDescriptor`](/documentation/Metal/MTLVertexDescriptor) instance. When you configure an [`MTLRenderPipelineDescriptor`](/documentation/Metal/MTLRenderPipelineDescriptor) instance to create this pipeline state, you use an [`MTLVertexDescriptor`](/documentation/Metal/MTLVertexDescriptor) instance to establish the vertex layout for the function associated with the pipeline. Create and configure an [`MTLVertexDescriptor`](/documentation/Metal/MTLVertexDescriptor) instance, then use this instance to set the [`vertexDescriptor`](/documentation/Metal/MTLRenderPipelineDescriptor/vertexDescriptor) property of the [`MTLRenderPipelineDescriptor`](/documentation/Metal/MTLRenderPipelineDescriptor) instance.

## Topics

### Creating a new vertex descriptor

[`+  vertexDescriptor`](/documentation/Metal/MTLVertexDescriptor/vertexDescriptor)

Creates and returns a new vertex descriptor.

### Setting default values

[`-  reset`](/documentation/Metal/MTLVertexDescriptor/reset())

Resets the default state for the vertex descriptor.

### Accessing the vertex buffer layouts and vertex attributes

[`attributes`](/documentation/Metal/MTLVertexDescriptor/attributes)

An array of state data that describes how vertex attribute data is stored in memory and is mapped to arguments for a vertex shader function.

[`layouts`](/documentation/Metal/MTLVertexDescriptor/layouts)

An array of state data that describes how data are fetched by a vertex shader function when rendering primitives.

## Relationships

### Conforms To

[`NSCopying`](/documentation/Foundation/NSCopying)

[`CVarArg`](/documentation/Swift/CVarArg)

[`Hashable`](/documentation/Swift/Hashable)

[`CustomDebugStringConvertible`](/documentation/Swift/CustomDebugStringConvertible)

[`CustomStringConvertible`](/documentation/Swift/CustomStringConvertible)

[`NSObjectProtocol`](/documentation/ObjectiveC/NSObjectProtocol)

[`Equatable`](/documentation/Swift/Equatable)

### Inherits From

[`NSObject-swift.class`](/documentation/ObjectiveC/NSObject-swift.class)

---

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