# Argument buffer resource preparation commands Load individual resources and multiple resources within a heap into GPU memory so that they’re available to shaders through argument buffers. ## Discussion These methods encode commands that load resources into GPU memory, making them accessible to your shaders through argument buffers. To load an individual resource, call the [`useResource(_:usage:stages:)`](/documentation/Metal/MTLRenderCommandEncoder/useResource(_:usage:stages:)) method, or another resource-based method. Alternatively, you can load all the resources within a heap by calling the [`useHeap(_:stages:)`](/documentation/Metal/MTLRenderCommandEncoder/useHeap(_:stages:)) method or another heap-based method. > Important: > The heap-based methods don’t provide a `usage` parameter (see ``doc://com.apple.metal/documentation/Metal/MTLResourceUsage``) and set the usage for the resources within each heap to ``doc://com.apple.metal/documentation/Metal/MTLResourceUsage/read``. To give shaders write or read/write access to specific resources within a heap, call a resource-based method after the heap-based method. Metal combines usage modes you set for a resource through both heap and resource methods. For more information, see [Improving CPU performance by using argument buffers](/documentation/Metal/improving-cpu-performance-by-using-argument-buffers). ## Topics ### Loading individual resources for argument buffers [`useResource(_:usage:stages:)`](/documentation/Metal/MTLRenderCommandEncoder/useResource(_:usage:stages:)) Ensures the shaders in the render pass’s subsequent draw commands have access to a resource. [`useResources(_:usage:stages:)`](/documentation/Metal/MTLRenderCommandEncoder/useResources(_:usage:stages:)) Ensures the shaders in the render pass’s subsequent draw commands have access to multiple resources. [`useResources:count:usage:stages:`](/documentation/Metal/MTLRenderCommandEncoder/useResources:count:usage:stages:) Ensures the shaders in the render pass’s subsequent draw commands have access to multiple resources. ### Loading heaps and the resources they contain for argument buffers [`useHeap(_:stages:)`](/documentation/Metal/MTLRenderCommandEncoder/useHeap(_:stages:)) Ensures the shaders in the render pass’s subsequent draw commands have access to the resources you allocate from a heap. [`useHeaps(_:stages:)`](/documentation/Metal/MTLRenderCommandEncoder/useHeaps(_:stages:)) Ensures the shaders in the render pass’s subsequent draw commands have access to the resources you allocate from multiple heaps. [`useHeaps:count:stages:`](/documentation/Metal/MTLRenderCommandEncoder/useHeaps:count:stages:) Ensures the shaders in the render pass’s subsequent draw commands have access to the resources you allocate from multiple heaps. --- Copyright © 2026 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. | [Terms of Use](https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/terms/site.html) | [Privacy Policy](https://www.apple.com/privacy/privacy-policy)