# Pipeline state creation Create pipeline states for render and compute passes, samplers, depth and stencil states, and indirect command buffers. ## Discussion Use these methods to create instances of various state types for a render or compute pass (see [Render passes](/documentation/Metal/render-passes) and [Compute passes](/documentation/Metal/compute-passes), respectively). You can create multiple [`MTLRenderPipelineState`](/documentation/Metal/MTLRenderPipelineState) instances for a single render pass encoder ([`MTLRenderCommandEncoder`](/documentation/Metal/MTLRenderCommandEncoder)) that each apply to different types of render commands. For example, a single render pass can render primitives with vertices, then meshes, and finish with a tile shader command, each with a different pipeline. To create these pipelines, configure instances of [`MTLRenderPipelineDescriptor`](/documentation/Metal/MTLRenderPipelineDescriptor), [`MTLMeshRenderPipelineDescriptor`](/documentation/Metal/MTLMeshRenderPipelineDescriptor), and [`MTLTileRenderPipelineDescriptor`](/documentation/Metal/MTLTileRenderPipelineDescriptor). Then pass those descriptors to the [`makeRenderPipelineState(descriptor:completionHandler:)`](/documentation/Metal/MTLDevice/makeRenderPipelineState(descriptor:completionHandler:)), [`makeRenderPipelineState(descriptor:options:completionHandler:)`](/documentation/Metal/MTLDevice/makeRenderPipelineState(descriptor:options:completionHandler:)-1wvya) and [`makeRenderPipelineState(tileDescriptor:options:completionHandler:)`](/documentation/Metal/MTLDevice/makeRenderPipelineState(tileDescriptor:options:completionHandler:)) methods (or a counterpart method), respectively. > Important: > Only create reflection (see ``doc://com.apple.metal/documentation/Metal/MTLRenderPipelineReflection``) instances if you need them, because each one can require a significant amount of memory. ## Topics ### Creating render pipeline states with vertex shaders [`makeRenderPipelineState(descriptor:)`](/documentation/Metal/MTLDevice/makeRenderPipelineState(descriptor:)) Synchronously creates a render pipeline state. [`makeRenderPipelineState(descriptor:completionHandler:)`](/documentation/Metal/MTLDevice/makeRenderPipelineState(descriptor:completionHandler:)) Asynchronously creates a render pipeline state. [`makeRenderPipelineState(descriptor:options:)`](/documentation/Metal/MTLDevice/makeRenderPipelineState(descriptor:options:)-89vxc) Synchronously creates a render pipeline state and reflection information in a tuple. [`makeRenderPipelineState(descriptor:options:reflection:)`](/documentation/Metal/MTLDevice/makeRenderPipelineState(descriptor:options:reflection:)) Synchronously creates a render pipeline state and reflection information. [`makeRenderPipelineState(descriptor:options:completionHandler:)`](/documentation/Metal/MTLDevice/makeRenderPipelineState(descriptor:options:completionHandler:)-5gdww) Asynchronously creates a render pipeline state and reflection information. ### Creating render pipeline states with mesh shaders [`makeRenderPipelineState(descriptor:options:)`](/documentation/Metal/MTLDevice/makeRenderPipelineState(descriptor:options:)-yrak) Synchronously creates a mesh render pipeline state and reflection information in a tuple. [`newRenderPipelineStateWithMeshDescriptor:options:reflection:error:`](/documentation/Metal/MTLDevice/newRenderPipelineStateWithMeshDescriptor:options:reflection:error:) Synchronously creates a mesh render pipeline state and reflection information. [`makeRenderPipelineState(descriptor:options:completionHandler:)`](/documentation/Metal/MTLDevice/makeRenderPipelineState(descriptor:options:completionHandler:)-1wvya) Asynchronously creates a mesh render pipeline state and reflection information. ### Creating tile render pipeline states [`makeRenderPipelineState(tileDescriptor:options:)`](/documentation/Metal/MTLDevice/makeRenderPipelineState(tileDescriptor:options:)) Synchronously creates a tile shader’s render pipeline state and reflection information in a tuple. [`makeRenderPipelineState(tileDescriptor:options:reflection:)`](/documentation/Metal/MTLDevice/makeRenderPipelineState(tileDescriptor:options:reflection:)) Synchronously creates a tile shader’s render pipeline state and reflection information. [`makeRenderPipelineState(tileDescriptor:options:completionHandler:)`](/documentation/Metal/MTLDevice/makeRenderPipelineState(tileDescriptor:options:completionHandler:)) Asynchronously creates a tile shader’s render pipeline state and reflection information. ### Creating compute pipeline states [`makeComputePipelineState(descriptor:options:reflection:)`](/documentation/Metal/MTLDevice/makeComputePipelineState(descriptor:options:reflection:)) Synchronously creates a compute pipeline state and reflection information. [`makeComputePipelineState(descriptor:options:completionHandler:)`](/documentation/Metal/MTLDevice/makeComputePipelineState(descriptor:options:completionHandler:)) Asynchronously creates a compute pipeline state and reflection information. [`makeComputePipelineState(function:)`](/documentation/Metal/MTLDevice/makeComputePipelineState(function:)) Synchronously creates a compute pipeline state with a function instance. [`makeComputePipelineState(function:completionHandler:)`](/documentation/Metal/MTLDevice/makeComputePipelineState(function:completionHandler:)) Asynchronously creates a compute pipeline state with a function instance. [`makeComputePipelineState(function:options:reflection:)`](/documentation/Metal/MTLDevice/makeComputePipelineState(function:options:reflection:)) Synchronously creates a compute pipeline state and reflection with a function instance. [`makeComputePipelineState(function:options:completionHandler:)`](/documentation/Metal/MTLDevice/makeComputePipelineState(function:options:completionHandler:)) Asynchronously creates a compute pipeline state and reflection with a function instance. ### Creating depth and stencil states [`makeDepthStencilState(descriptor:)`](/documentation/Metal/MTLDevice/makeDepthStencilState(descriptor:)) Creates a depth-stencil state instance. ### Supporting types [`MTLNewRenderPipelineStateCompletionHandler`](/documentation/Metal/MTLNewRenderPipelineStateCompletionHandler) A completion handler signature a method calls when it finishes creating a render pipeline. [`MTLNewRenderPipelineStateWithReflectionCompletionHandler`](/documentation/Metal/MTLNewRenderPipelineStateWithReflectionCompletionHandler) A completion handler signature a method calls when it finishes creating a render pipeline and reflection information. [`MTLNewComputePipelineStateCompletionHandler`](/documentation/Metal/MTLNewComputePipelineStateCompletionHandler) A completion handler signature a method calls when it finishes creating a compute pipeline. [`MTLNewComputePipelineStateWithReflectionCompletionHandler`](/documentation/Metal/MTLNewComputePipelineStateWithReflectionCompletionHandler) A completion handler signature a method calls when it finishes creating a compute pipeline and reflection information. --- 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)