diff --git a/base/vulkandebug.cpp b/base/vulkandebug.cpp
index 25cb6d12..45bfe3ec 100644
--- a/base/vulkandebug.cpp
+++ b/base/vulkandebug.cpp
@@ -88,4 +88,138 @@ namespace vkDebug
 			// DestroyDebugReportCallback(instance, msgCallback, nullptr);
 		}
 	}
+
+	PFN_vkDebugMarkerSetObjectNameEXT DebugMarkerSetObjectName = NULL;
+	PFN_vkCmdDebugMarkerBeginEXT CmdDebugMarkerBegin = NULL;
+	PFN_vkCmdDebugMarkerEndEXT CmdDebugMarkerEnd = NULL;
+	PFN_vkCmdDebugMarkerInsertEXT CmdDebugMarkerInsert = NULL;
+
+	// Set up the debug marker function pointers
+	void setupDebugMarkers(VkDevice device)
+	{
+		DebugMarkerSetObjectName = (PFN_vkDebugMarkerSetObjectNameEXT)vkGetDeviceProcAddr(device, "vkDebugMarkerSetObjectNameEXT");
+		CmdDebugMarkerBegin = (PFN_vkCmdDebugMarkerBeginEXT)vkGetDeviceProcAddr(device, "vkCmdDebugMarkerBeginEXT");
+		CmdDebugMarkerEnd = (PFN_vkCmdDebugMarkerEndEXT)vkGetDeviceProcAddr(device, "vkCmdDebugMarkerEndEXT");
+		CmdDebugMarkerInsert = (PFN_vkCmdDebugMarkerInsertEXT)vkGetDeviceProcAddr(device, "vkCmdDebugMarkerInsertEXT");
+	}
+
+	void insertDebugMarker(
+		VkCommandBuffer cmdbuffer,
+		const char* pMarkerName,
+		float color[4])
+	{
+		// need to check if the function pointer is valid - extension might not be present
+		if (CmdDebugMarkerInsert)
+		{
+			VkDebugMarkerMarkerInfoEXT markerInfo = {};
+			markerInfo.sType = VK_STRUCTURE_TYPE_DEBUG_MARKER_MARKER_INFO_EXT;
+			memcpy(markerInfo.color, color, sizeof(float)*4);
+			markerInfo.pMarkerName = pMarkerName;
+			CmdDebugMarkerInsert(cmdbuffer, &markerInfo);
+		}
+	}
+
+	void insertDebugMarker(
+		VkCommandBuffer cmdbuffer,
+		const char* pMarkerName)
+	{
+		// need to check if the function pointer is valid - extension might not be present
+		if (CmdDebugMarkerInsert)
+		{
+			VkDebugMarkerMarkerInfoEXT markerInfo = {};
+			markerInfo.sType = VK_STRUCTURE_TYPE_DEBUG_MARKER_MARKER_INFO_EXT;
+			markerInfo.pMarkerName = pMarkerName;
+			CmdDebugMarkerInsert(cmdbuffer, &markerInfo);
+		}
+	}
+
+	DebugMarkerRegion::DebugMarkerRegion(VkCommandBuffer cmdbuffer,
+		const char* pMarkerName,
+		float color[4])
+	{
+		cmd = cmdbuffer;
+		// need to check if the function pointer is valid - extension might not be present
+		if (CmdDebugMarkerBegin)
+		{
+			VkDebugMarkerMarkerInfoEXT markerInfo = {};
+			markerInfo.sType = VK_STRUCTURE_TYPE_DEBUG_MARKER_MARKER_INFO_EXT;
+			memcpy(markerInfo.color, color, sizeof(float)*4);
+			markerInfo.pMarkerName = pMarkerName;
+			CmdDebugMarkerBegin(cmd, &markerInfo);
+		}
+	}
+
+	DebugMarkerRegion::DebugMarkerRegion(VkCommandBuffer cmdbuffer,
+		const char* pMarkerName)
+	{
+		cmd = cmdbuffer;
+		// need to check if the function pointer is valid - extension might not be present
+		if (CmdDebugMarkerBegin)
+		{
+			VkDebugMarkerMarkerInfoEXT markerInfo = {};
+			markerInfo.sType = VK_STRUCTURE_TYPE_DEBUG_MARKER_MARKER_INFO_EXT;
+			markerInfo.pMarkerName = pMarkerName;
+			CmdDebugMarkerBegin(cmd, &markerInfo);
+		}
+	}
+
+	DebugMarkerRegion::~DebugMarkerRegion()
+	{
+		// need to check if the function pointer is valid - extension might not be present
+		if (CmdDebugMarkerEnd)
+			CmdDebugMarkerEnd(cmd);
+	}
+
+	// we specialise this template for each object type
+	template<typename VulkanType>
+	VkDebugReportObjectTypeEXT GetObjectTypeEnum(VulkanType object);
+
+#define OBJECT_TYPE(enumName, objectType) template<> VkDebugReportObjectTypeEXT GetObjectTypeEnum(objectType o) { (void)o; return VK_DEBUG_REPORT_OBJECT_TYPE_ ##enumName ##_EXT; }
+	OBJECT_TYPE(INSTANCE, VkInstance);
+	OBJECT_TYPE(PHYSICAL_DEVICE, VkPhysicalDevice);
+	OBJECT_TYPE(DEVICE, VkDevice);
+	OBJECT_TYPE(QUEUE, VkQueue);
+	OBJECT_TYPE(SEMAPHORE, VkSemaphore);
+	OBJECT_TYPE(COMMAND_BUFFER, VkCommandBuffer);
+	OBJECT_TYPE(FENCE, VkFence);
+	OBJECT_TYPE(DEVICE_MEMORY, VkDeviceMemory);
+	OBJECT_TYPE(BUFFER, VkBuffer);
+	OBJECT_TYPE(IMAGE, VkImage);
+	OBJECT_TYPE(EVENT, VkEvent);
+	OBJECT_TYPE(QUERY_POOL, VkQueryPool);
+	OBJECT_TYPE(BUFFER_VIEW, VkBufferView);
+	OBJECT_TYPE(IMAGE_VIEW, VkImageView);
+	OBJECT_TYPE(SHADER_MODULE, VkShaderModule);
+	OBJECT_TYPE(PIPELINE_CACHE, VkPipelineCache);
+	OBJECT_TYPE(PIPELINE_LAYOUT, VkPipelineLayout);
+	OBJECT_TYPE(RENDER_PASS, VkRenderPass);
+	OBJECT_TYPE(PIPELINE, VkPipeline);
+	OBJECT_TYPE(DESCRIPTOR_SET_LAYOUT, VkDescriptorSetLayout);
+	OBJECT_TYPE(SAMPLER, VkSampler);
+	OBJECT_TYPE(DESCRIPTOR_POOL, VkDescriptorPool);
+	OBJECT_TYPE(DESCRIPTOR_SET, VkDescriptorSet);
+	OBJECT_TYPE(FRAMEBUFFER, VkFramebuffer);
+	OBJECT_TYPE(COMMAND_POOL, VkCommandPool);
+	OBJECT_TYPE(SURFACE_KHR, VkSurfaceKHR);
+	OBJECT_TYPE(SWAPCHAIN_KHR, VkSwapchainKHR);
+	OBJECT_TYPE(DEBUG_REPORT, VkDebugReportCallbackEXT);                       
+#undef OBJECT_TYPE
+
+	void SetObjectName(
+		VkDevice device,
+		VkDebugReportObjectTypeEXT objectType,
+		uint64_t object,
+		const char* pObjectName)
+	{
+		// need to check if the function pointer is valid - extension might not be present
+		if (DebugMarkerSetObjectName)
+		{
+			VkDebugMarkerObjectNameInfoEXT nameInfo = {};
+			nameInfo.sType = VK_STRUCTURE_TYPE_DEBUG_MARKER_OBJECT_NAME_INFO_EXT;
+			nameInfo.objectType = objectType;
+			nameInfo.object = object;
+			nameInfo.pObjectName = pObjectName;
+			DebugMarkerSetObjectName(device, &nameInfo);
+		}
+	}
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/base/vulkandebug.h b/base/vulkandebug.h
index 6b722a85..b41fdfe9 100644
--- a/base/vulkandebug.h
+++ b/base/vulkandebug.h
@@ -44,4 +44,52 @@ namespace vkDebug
 		VkDebugReportCallbackEXT callBack);
 	// Clear debug callback
 	void freeDebugCallback(VkInstance instance);
+
+	// Set up the debug marker function pointers
+	void setupDebugMarkers(VkDevice device);
+
+	// insert a debug label into the command buffer, with or
+	// without a color
+	void insertDebugMarker(
+		VkCommandBuffer cmdbuffer,
+		const char* pMarkerName,
+		float color[4]);
+	void insertDebugMarker(
+		VkCommandBuffer cmdbuffer,
+		const char* pMarkerName);
+
+	// helper class for pushing and popping a debug region
+	// around some section of code.
+	struct DebugMarkerRegion 
+	{
+		DebugMarkerRegion(VkCommandBuffer cmdbuffer,
+			const char* pMarkerName,
+			float color[4]);
+		DebugMarkerRegion(VkCommandBuffer cmdbuffer,
+			const char* pMarkerName);
+		~DebugMarkerRegion();
+
+		VkCommandBuffer cmd;
+	};
+
+	// associate a friendly name with an object
+	void SetObjectName(
+		VkDevice device,
+		VkDebugReportObjectTypeEXT objectType,
+		uint64_t object,
+		const char* pObjectName);
+
+	// specialised in vulkandebug.cpp for each object type
+	template<typename VulkanType>
+	VkDebugReportObjectTypeEXT GetObjectTypeEnum(VulkanType object);
+
+	// templated helper function for SetObjectName
+	template<typename VulkanType>
+	void SetObjectName(
+		VkDevice device,
+		VulkanType object,
+		const char* pObjectName)
+	{
+		SetObjectName(device, GetObjectTypeEnum(object), (uint64_t)object, pObjectName);
+	}
 }