diff --git a/vulkano/src/command_buffer/auto.rs b/vulkano/src/command_buffer/auto.rs
index cc20e5a11..67337a4ba 100644
--- a/vulkano/src/command_buffer/auto.rs
+++ b/vulkano/src/command_buffer/auto.rs
@@ -153,4 +153,4 @@ pass_through!((B), cmd::CmdFillBuffer<B>);
 pass_through!((), cmd::CmdNextSubpass);
 pass_through!((Pc, Pl), cmd::CmdPushConstants<Pc, Pl>);
 pass_through!((), cmd::CmdSetState);
-//pass_through!((B), cmd::CmdUpdateBuffer<B>);
+pass_through!((B, D), cmd::CmdUpdateBuffer<B, D>);
diff --git a/vulkano/src/command_buffer/builder.rs b/vulkano/src/command_buffer/builder.rs
index ba4fcb14d..fd69fc320 100644
--- a/vulkano/src/command_buffer/builder.rs
+++ b/vulkano/src/command_buffer/builder.rs
@@ -47,6 +47,16 @@ pub unsafe trait CommandBufferBuilder: DeviceOwned {
         Ok(self.add(cmd))
     }
 
+    /// Adds a command that writes data to a buffer.
+    #[inline]
+    fn update_buffer<B, D, O>(self, buffer: B, data: D) -> Result<O, cmd::CmdUpdateBufferError>
+        where Self: Sized + AddCommand<cmd::CmdUpdateBuffer<B, D>, Out = O>,
+              B: Buffer
+    {
+        let cmd = cmd::CmdUpdateBuffer::new(buffer, data)?;
+        Ok(self.add(cmd))
+    }
+
     /// Adds a command that copies the content of a buffer to an image.
     ///
     /// For color images (ie. all formats except depth and/or stencil formats) this command does
diff --git a/vulkano/src/command_buffer/cb/abstract_storage.rs b/vulkano/src/command_buffer/cb/abstract_storage.rs
index b400843cc..35d7867b5 100644
--- a/vulkano/src/command_buffer/cb/abstract_storage.rs
+++ b/vulkano/src/command_buffer/cb/abstract_storage.rs
@@ -141,4 +141,4 @@ pass_through!((Pc, Pl), cmd::CmdPushConstants<Pc, Pl>);
 pass_through!((S, D), cmd::CmdResolveImage<S, D>);
 pass_through!((), cmd::CmdSetEvent);
 pass_through!((), cmd::CmdSetState);
-pass_through!((B, D), cmd::CmdUpdateBuffer<'static, B, D>);
+pass_through!((B, D), cmd::CmdUpdateBuffer<B, D>);
diff --git a/vulkano/src/command_buffer/cb/context_check.rs b/vulkano/src/command_buffer/cb/context_check.rs
index 5e9faa869..65639c52a 100644
--- a/vulkano/src/command_buffer/cb/context_check.rs
+++ b/vulkano/src/command_buffer/cb/context_check.rs
@@ -106,4 +106,4 @@ pass_through!((Pc, Pl), cmd::CmdPushConstants<Pc, Pl>);
 pass_through!((S, D), cmd::CmdResolveImage<S, D>);
 pass_through!((), cmd::CmdSetEvent);
 pass_through!((), cmd::CmdSetState);
-pass_through!((B, D), cmd::CmdUpdateBuffer<'a, B, D>);
+pass_through!((B, D), cmd::CmdUpdateBuffer<B, D>);
diff --git a/vulkano/src/command_buffer/cb/device_check.rs b/vulkano/src/command_buffer/cb/device_check.rs
index 0613f4775..cfda1f711 100644
--- a/vulkano/src/command_buffer/cb/device_check.rs
+++ b/vulkano/src/command_buffer/cb/device_check.rs
@@ -121,4 +121,4 @@ pass_through!((Pc, Pl), cmd::CmdPushConstants<Pc, Pl>);
 pass_through!((S, D), cmd::CmdResolveImage<S, D>);
 pass_through!((), cmd::CmdSetEvent);
 pass_through!((), cmd::CmdSetState);
-pass_through!((B, D), cmd::CmdUpdateBuffer<'a, B, D>);
+pass_through!((B, D), cmd::CmdUpdateBuffer<B, D>);
diff --git a/vulkano/src/command_buffer/cb/queue_ty_check.rs b/vulkano/src/command_buffer/cb/queue_ty_check.rs
index 45c248cc8..0d3401792 100644
--- a/vulkano/src/command_buffer/cb/queue_ty_check.rs
+++ b/vulkano/src/command_buffer/cb/queue_ty_check.rs
@@ -106,4 +106,4 @@ pass_through!((Pc, Pl), cmd::CmdPushConstants<Pc, Pl>);
 pass_through!((S, D), cmd::CmdResolveImage<S, D>);
 pass_through!((), cmd::CmdSetEvent);
 pass_through!((), cmd::CmdSetState);
-pass_through!((B, D), cmd::CmdUpdateBuffer<'a, B, D>);
+pass_through!((B, D), cmd::CmdUpdateBuffer<B, D>);
diff --git a/vulkano/src/command_buffer/cb/state_cache.rs b/vulkano/src/command_buffer/cb/state_cache.rs
index 0feac986a..ee4c9144c 100644
--- a/vulkano/src/command_buffer/cb/state_cache.rs
+++ b/vulkano/src/command_buffer/cb/state_cache.rs
@@ -218,4 +218,4 @@ pass_through!((), cmd::CmdNextSubpass);
 pass_through!((Pc, Pl), cmd::CmdPushConstants<Pc, Pl>);
 pass_through!((S, D), cmd::CmdResolveImage<S, D>);
 pass_through!((), cmd::CmdSetEvent);
-pass_through!((B, D), cmd::CmdUpdateBuffer<'a, B, D>);
+pass_through!((B, D), cmd::CmdUpdateBuffer<B, D>);
diff --git a/vulkano/src/command_buffer/cb/submit_sync.rs b/vulkano/src/command_buffer/cb/submit_sync.rs
index 231ef5b9d..c4102b175 100644
--- a/vulkano/src/command_buffer/cb/submit_sync.rs
+++ b/vulkano/src/command_buffer/cb/submit_sync.rs
@@ -404,14 +404,14 @@ unsafe impl<I, O> AddCommand<cmd::CmdSetState> for SubmitSyncBuilderLayer<I>
     }
 }
 
-unsafe impl<'a, I, O, B, D> AddCommand<cmd::CmdUpdateBuffer<'a, B, D>> for SubmitSyncBuilderLayer<I>
-    where I: AddCommand<cmd::CmdUpdateBuffer<'a, B, D>, Out = O>,
+unsafe impl<I, O, B, D> AddCommand<cmd::CmdUpdateBuffer<B, D>> for SubmitSyncBuilderLayer<I>
+    where I: AddCommand<cmd::CmdUpdateBuffer<B, D>, Out = O>,
           B: Buffer + Clone + 'static
 {
     type Out = SubmitSyncBuilderLayer<O>;
 
     #[inline]
-    fn add(mut self, command: cmd::CmdUpdateBuffer<'a, B, D>) -> Self::Out {
+    fn add(mut self, command: cmd::CmdUpdateBuffer<B, D>) -> Self::Out {
         self.add_buffer(command.buffer(), true);
 
         SubmitSyncBuilderLayer {
diff --git a/vulkano/src/command_buffer/cmd/update_buffer.rs b/vulkano/src/command_buffer/cmd/update_buffer.rs
index ac181f050..03afc8cdc 100644
--- a/vulkano/src/command_buffer/cmd/update_buffer.rs
+++ b/vulkano/src/command_buffer/cmd/update_buffer.rs
@@ -10,6 +10,8 @@
 use std::error;
 use std::fmt;
 use std::sync::Arc;
+use std::os::raw::c_void;
+use std::ptr;
 
 use buffer::Buffer;
 use buffer::BufferInner;
@@ -23,9 +25,7 @@ use VulkanPointers;
 use vk;
 
 /// Command that sets the content of a buffer to some data.
-pub struct CmdUpdateBuffer<'a, B, D: ?Sized>
-    where D: 'a
-{
+pub struct CmdUpdateBuffer<B, D> {
     // The buffer to update.
     buffer: B,
     // Raw buffer handle.
@@ -34,13 +34,15 @@ pub struct CmdUpdateBuffer<'a, B, D: ?Sized>
     offset: vk::DeviceSize,
     // Size of the update.
     size: vk::DeviceSize,
-    // The data to write to the buffer.
-    data: &'a D,
+    // If null, contains a pointer to the raw data to write. If `None`, the data is the `data`
+    // field.
+    data_ptr: *const c_void,
+    // The data to write to the buffer or a reference to it.
+    data: D,
 }
 
-impl<'a, B, D: ?Sized> CmdUpdateBuffer<'a, B, D>
-    where B: Buffer,
-          D: Copy + 'static,
+impl<B, D> CmdUpdateBuffer<B, D>
+    where B: Buffer
 {
     /// Builds a command that writes data to a buffer.
     ///
@@ -49,7 +51,8 @@ impl<'a, B, D: ?Sized> CmdUpdateBuffer<'a, B, D>
     ///
     /// The size of the modification must not exceed 65536 bytes. The offset and size must be
     /// multiples of four.
-    pub fn new(buffer: B, data: &'a D) -> Result<CmdUpdateBuffer<'a, B, D>, CmdUpdateBufferError> {
+    // TODO: type safety
+    pub fn new(buffer: B, data: D) -> Result<CmdUpdateBuffer<B, D>, CmdUpdateBufferError> {
         let size = buffer.size();
 
         let (buffer_handle, offset) = {
@@ -76,12 +79,13 @@ impl<'a, B, D: ?Sized> CmdUpdateBuffer<'a, B, D>
             buffer_handle: buffer_handle,
             offset: offset as vk::DeviceSize,
             size: size as vk::DeviceSize,
+            data_ptr: ptr::null(),
             data: data,
         })
     }
 }
 
-impl<'a, B, D> CmdUpdateBuffer<'a, B, D> {
+impl<B, D> CmdUpdateBuffer<B, D> {
     /// Returns the buffer that is going to be written.
     #[inline]
     pub fn buffer(&self) -> &B {
@@ -89,7 +93,7 @@ impl<'a, B, D> CmdUpdateBuffer<'a, B, D> {
     }
 }
 
-unsafe impl<'a, B, D> DeviceOwned for CmdUpdateBuffer<'a, B, D>
+unsafe impl<B, D> DeviceOwned for CmdUpdateBuffer<B, D>
     where B: DeviceOwned
 {
     #[inline]
@@ -98,20 +102,24 @@ unsafe impl<'a, B, D> DeviceOwned for CmdUpdateBuffer<'a, B, D>
     }
 }
 
-unsafe impl<'a, 'd, P, B, D: ?Sized> AddCommand<&'a CmdUpdateBuffer<'d, B, D>> for UnsafeCommandBufferBuilder<P>
+unsafe impl<'a, P, B, D> AddCommand<&'a CmdUpdateBuffer<B, D>> for UnsafeCommandBufferBuilder<P>
     where B: Buffer,
-          D: Copy + 'static,
           P: CommandPool,
 {
     type Out = UnsafeCommandBufferBuilder<P>;
 
     #[inline]
-    fn add(self, command: &'a CmdUpdateBuffer<'d, B, D>) -> Self::Out {
+    fn add(self, command: &'a CmdUpdateBuffer<B, D>) -> Self::Out {
         unsafe {
+            let data = if command.data_ptr.is_null() {
+                &command.data as *const D as *const _
+            } else {
+                command.data_ptr as *const _
+            };
+
             let vk = self.device().pointers();
             let cmd = self.internal_object();
-            vk.CmdUpdateBuffer(cmd, command.buffer_handle, command.offset, command.size,
-                               command.data as *const D as *const _);
+            vk.CmdUpdateBuffer(cmd, command.buffer_handle, command.offset, command.size, data);
         }
 
         self