What causes "This Depth-Stencil format is not supported" in stride3d/stride?

Use a depth format with a known shader-resource mapping (e.g. R32_Typeless/R32_Float depth) when creating the texture

stride3d/stride · error · NotSupportedException

This Depth-Stencil format is not supported

Error message

This Depth-Stencil format is not supported

What it means

Texture.CreateDepthTextureCompatible throws NotSupportedException when Texture.ComputeShaderResourceFormatFromDepthFormat returns PixelFormat.None, i.e. the texture IS depth-stencil but its depth format has no shader-resource-compatible equivalent. The library cannot create a samplable copy of that depth format and fails explicitly.

Solutions

Use a depth format with a known shader-resource mapping (e.g. R32_Typeless/R32_Float depth) when creating the texture
Check the mapped format first: PixelFormat f = Texture.ComputeShaderResourceFormatFromDepthFormat(fmt); if (f == PixelFormat.None) use an alternate technique (e.g. write depth to a color target)
Add capability checks at startup and select the depth format accordingly
Fall back to MRT depth-encoding if sampling the depth buffer directly is unsupported

Example fix

// before
var depth = Texture.New2D(device, w, h, PixelFormat.R24_G8_Typeless, TextureFlags.DepthStencil);
Texture copy = depth.CreateDepthTextureCompatible(); // throws if no SRV mapping
// after
var depth = Texture.New2D(device, w, h, PixelFormat.R32_Typeless, TextureFlags.DepthStencil | TextureFlags.ShaderResource);
Texture copy = depth.CreateDepthTextureCompatible();

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

var mapped = Texture.ComputeShaderResourceFormatFromDepthFormat(depthFormat);
if (mapped == PixelFormat.None)
    Log.Error($"Depth format {depthFormat} has no shader-resource mapping; pick another format");
else
    var copy = depthTexture.CreateDepthTextureCompatible();

Type guard

static bool DepthFormatSamplable(PixelFormat f) => Texture.ComputeShaderResourceFormatFromDepthFormat(f) != PixelFormat.None;

Try / catch

try { copy = texture.CreateDepthTextureCompatible(); }
catch (NotSupportedException) { /* fall back to depth encoded into a color target */ }

Prevention

Choose depth formats with known shader-resource mappings (R32_Typeless, R16_Typeless)
Check GPU/feature-level format support at startup and select the depth format dynamically
Avoid exotic depth-stencil formats (e.g. D32_S8) unless sampling support is verified

When it happens

Trigger: Calling CreateDepthTextureCompatible on a depth-stencil texture using a format with no shader-resource mapping (e.g. certain stencil-containing or feature-limited depth formats on some GPU/feature levels).

Common situations: Running on hardware/feature levels where D24S8 or similar lacks a typed shader-resource format; switching depth formats (e.g. to D32_S8) for precision and losing sampling support; targeting mobile or older GPUs with narrower format support.

Understand the failure class

Background: UnsupportedOperationException and "is not supported" errors: when a library deliberately refuses a call — this error's family across 30 libraries.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of stride3d/stride@96fad776d2 (2026-09-14). Data as JSON: /api/errors/af426bedf9c9f87f. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at sources/engine/Stride.Graphics/Texture.Extensions.cs:65

        var viewDescription = texture.ViewDescription;
        viewDescription.Flags = TextureFlags.DepthStencilReadOnly;
        return texture.ToTextureView(viewDescription);
    }

    /// <summary>
    ///   Creates a Shader Resource View on a Depth-Stencil Texture.
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="texture">The Texture to create a Depth-Stencil Texture View for.</param>
    /// <returns>A new <see cref="Texture"/> representing the Texture View bound to <paramref name="texture"/>.</returns>
    public static Texture CreateDepthTextureCompatible(this Texture texture)
    {
        if (!texture.IsDepthStencil)
            throw new NotSupportedException("This Texture is not a valid Depth-Stencil Texture");

        var description = texture.Description;
        description.Format = Texture.ComputeShaderResourceFormatFromDepthFormat(description.Format); // TODO: review this
        if (description.Format == PixelFormat.None)
            throw new NotSupportedException("This Depth-Stencil format is not supported");

        description.Flags = TextureFlags.ShaderResource;
        return Texture.New(texture.GraphicsDevice, description);
    }

    /// <summary>
    ///   Verifies that a given <see cref="Texture"/> is a Render Target.
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="texture"></param>
    /// <returns></returns>
    /// <exception cref="ArgumentException"></exception>
    public static Texture EnsureRenderTarget(this Texture texture)
    {
        if (texture is not null && !texture.IsRenderTarget)
        {
            throw new ArgumentException("The Texture must be a Render Target", nameof(texture));
        }
        return texture;

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