diff --git a/examples/src/bin/deferred/frame/ambient_lighting_system.rs b/examples/src/bin/deferred/frame/ambient_lighting_system.rs
index 1fc27b003..815687d04 100644
--- a/examples/src/bin/deferred/frame/ambient_lighting_system.rs
+++ b/examples/src/bin/deferred/frame/ambient_lighting_system.rs
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ impl AmbientLightingSystem {
     }
 }
 
-#[derive(Debug, Clone)]
+#[derive(Default, Debug, Clone)]
 struct Vertex {
     position: [f32; 2]
 }
diff --git a/examples/src/bin/deferred/frame/directional_lighting_system.rs b/examples/src/bin/deferred/frame/directional_lighting_system.rs
index 517ef9da0..24c0fa3e1 100644
--- a/examples/src/bin/deferred/frame/directional_lighting_system.rs
+++ b/examples/src/bin/deferred/frame/directional_lighting_system.rs
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ impl DirectionalLightingSystem {
     }
 }
 
-#[derive(Debug, Clone)]
+#[derive(Default, Debug, Clone)]
 struct Vertex {
     position: [f32; 2]
 }
diff --git a/examples/src/bin/deferred/frame/point_lighting_system.rs b/examples/src/bin/deferred/frame/point_lighting_system.rs
index e456b4e66..73e02c9a4 100644
--- a/examples/src/bin/deferred/frame/point_lighting_system.rs
+++ b/examples/src/bin/deferred/frame/point_lighting_system.rs
@@ -162,7 +162,7 @@ impl PointLightingSystem {
     }
 }
 
-#[derive(Debug, Clone)]
+#[derive(Default, Debug, Clone)]
 struct Vertex {
     position: [f32; 2]
 }
diff --git a/examples/src/bin/deferred/triangle_draw_system.rs b/examples/src/bin/deferred/triangle_draw_system.rs
index 83bf65982..307036026 100644
--- a/examples/src/bin/deferred/triangle_draw_system.rs
+++ b/examples/src/bin/deferred/triangle_draw_system.rs
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ impl TriangleDrawSystem {
     }
 }
 
-#[derive(Debug, Clone)]
+#[derive(Default, Debug, Clone)]
 struct Vertex {
     position: [f32; 2]
 }
diff --git a/examples/src/bin/image/main.rs b/examples/src/bin/image/main.rs
index abd50d39f..d34952698 100644
--- a/examples/src/bin/image/main.rs
+++ b/examples/src/bin/image/main.rs
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ fn main() {
     };
 
 
-    #[derive(Debug, Clone)]
+    #[derive(Default, Debug, Clone)]
     struct Vertex { position: [f32; 2] }
     vulkano::impl_vertex!(Vertex, position);
 
diff --git a/examples/src/bin/instancing.rs b/examples/src/bin/instancing.rs
index e021f8897..2d447e0c0 100644
--- a/examples/src/bin/instancing.rs
+++ b/examples/src/bin/instancing.rs
@@ -44,14 +44,14 @@ use std::sync::Arc;
 // graphics pipeline, we need to define two vertex types:
 //
 // 1. `Vertex` is the vertex type that we will use to describe the triangle's geometry.
-#[derive(Debug, Clone)]
+#[derive(Default, Debug, Clone)]
 struct Vertex {
     position: [f32; 2],
 }
 impl_vertex!(Vertex, position);
 
 // 2. `InstanceData` is the vertex type that describes the unique data per instance.
-#[derive(Debug, Clone)]
+#[derive(Default, Debug, Clone)]
 struct InstanceData {
     position_offset: [f32; 2],
     scale: f32,
diff --git a/examples/src/bin/msaa-renderpass.rs b/examples/src/bin/msaa-renderpass.rs
index f3c1cdf13..3a840c483 100644
--- a/examples/src/bin/msaa-renderpass.rs
+++ b/examples/src/bin/msaa-renderpass.rs
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ void main() {
     let vs = vs::Shader::load(device.clone()).unwrap();
     let fs = fs::Shader::load(device.clone()).unwrap();
 
-    #[derive(Copy, Clone)]
+    #[derive(Default, Copy, Clone)]
     struct Vertex {
         position: [f32; 2],
     }
diff --git a/examples/src/bin/runtime-shader/main.rs b/examples/src/bin/runtime-shader/main.rs
index c892b6048..5e19eca71 100644
--- a/examples/src/bin/runtime-shader/main.rs
+++ b/examples/src/bin/runtime-shader/main.rs
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ use std::fs::File;
 use std::io::Read;
 use std::sync::Arc;
 
-#[derive(Copy, Clone)]
+#[derive(Default, Copy, Clone)]
 pub struct Vertex {
     pub position: [f32; 2],
     pub color: [f32; 3],
diff --git a/examples/src/bin/tessellation.rs b/examples/src/bin/tessellation.rs
index ea0d50b8d..343ac9e44 100644
--- a/examples/src/bin/tessellation.rs
+++ b/examples/src/bin/tessellation.rs
@@ -167,7 +167,7 @@ fn main() {
     };
 
     let vertex_buffer = {
-        #[derive(Debug, Clone)]
+        #[derive(Default, Debug, Clone)]
         struct Vertex { position: [f32; 2] }
         vulkano::impl_vertex!(Vertex, position);
 
diff --git a/examples/src/bin/triangle.rs b/examples/src/bin/triangle.rs
index 5cb85d851..1fe92ab29 100644
--- a/examples/src/bin/triangle.rs
+++ b/examples/src/bin/triangle.rs
@@ -170,7 +170,7 @@ fn main() {
 
     // We now create a buffer that will store the shape of our triangle.
     let vertex_buffer = {
-        #[derive(Debug, Clone)]
+        #[derive(Default, Debug, Clone)]
         struct Vertex { position: [f32; 2] }
         vulkano::impl_vertex!(Vertex, position);
 
diff --git a/examples/src/lib.rs b/examples/src/lib.rs
index c9444beea..d97daf1aa 100644
--- a/examples/src/lib.rs
+++ b/examples/src/lib.rs
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 // notice may not be copied, modified, or distributed except
 // according to those terms.
 
-#[derive(Copy, Clone)]
+#[derive(Default, Copy, Clone)]
 pub struct Vertex {
     position: (f32, f32, f32)
 }
@@ -549,7 +549,7 @@ pub const VERTICES: [Vertex; 531] = [
     Vertex { position: (34.9202, 28.3457, -15.6121) }
 ];
 
-#[derive(Copy, Clone)]
+#[derive(Default, Copy, Clone)]
 pub struct Normal {
     normal: (f32, f32, f32)
 }
diff --git a/vulkano-shaders/src/structs.rs b/vulkano-shaders/src/structs.rs
index d0b18675d..00af5ecc8 100644
--- a/vulkano-shaders/src/structs.rs
+++ b/vulkano-shaders/src/structs.rs
@@ -202,8 +202,7 @@ pub fn type_from_id(doc: &Spirv, searched: u32) -> (TokenStream, Option<usize>,
                             data: i8,
                             after: u8,
                         }
-                        let size = unsafe { (&(&*(0 as *const Foo)).after) as *const u8 as usize };
-                        return (quote!{i8}, Some(size), mem::align_of::<Foo>());
+                        return (quote!{i8}, Some(std::mem::size_of::<i8>()), mem::align_of::<Foo>());
                     },
                     (8, false) => {
                         #[repr(C)]
@@ -211,8 +210,7 @@ pub fn type_from_id(doc: &Spirv, searched: u32) -> (TokenStream, Option<usize>,
                             data: u8,
                             after: u8,
                         }
-                        let size = unsafe { (&(&*(0 as *const Foo)).after) as *const u8 as usize };
-                        return (quote!{u8}, Some(size), mem::align_of::<Foo>());
+                        return (quote!{u8}, Some(std::mem::size_of::<u8>()), mem::align_of::<Foo>());
                     },
                     (16, true) => {
                         #[repr(C)]
@@ -220,8 +218,7 @@ pub fn type_from_id(doc: &Spirv, searched: u32) -> (TokenStream, Option<usize>,
                             data: i16,
                             after: u8,
                         }
-                        let size = unsafe { (&(&*(0 as *const Foo)).after) as *const u8 as usize };
-                        return (quote!{i16}, Some(size), mem::align_of::<Foo>());
+                        return (quote!{i16}, Some(std::mem::size_of::<i16>()), mem::align_of::<Foo>());
                     },
                     (16, false) => {
                         #[repr(C)]
@@ -229,8 +226,7 @@ pub fn type_from_id(doc: &Spirv, searched: u32) -> (TokenStream, Option<usize>,
                             data: u16,
                             after: u8,
                         }
-                        let size = unsafe { (&(&*(0 as *const Foo)).after) as *const u8 as usize };
-                        return (quote!{u16}, Some(size), mem::align_of::<Foo>());
+                        return (quote!{u16}, Some(std::mem::size_of::<u16>()), mem::align_of::<Foo>());
                     },
                     (32, true) => {
                         #[repr(C)]
@@ -238,8 +234,7 @@ pub fn type_from_id(doc: &Spirv, searched: u32) -> (TokenStream, Option<usize>,
                             data: i32,
                             after: u8,
                         }
-                        let size = unsafe { (&(&*(0 as *const Foo)).after) as *const u8 as usize };
-                        return (quote!{i32}, Some(size), mem::align_of::<Foo>());
+                        return (quote!{i32}, Some(std::mem::size_of::<i32>()), mem::align_of::<Foo>());
                     },
                     (32, false) => {
                         #[repr(C)]
@@ -247,8 +242,7 @@ pub fn type_from_id(doc: &Spirv, searched: u32) -> (TokenStream, Option<usize>,
                             data: u32,
                             after: u8,
                         }
-                        let size = unsafe { (&(&*(0 as *const Foo)).after) as *const u8 as usize };
-                        return (quote!{u32}, Some(size), mem::align_of::<Foo>());
+                        return (quote!{u32}, Some(std::mem::size_of::<u32>()), mem::align_of::<Foo>());
                     },
                     (64, true) => {
                         #[repr(C)]
@@ -256,8 +250,7 @@ pub fn type_from_id(doc: &Spirv, searched: u32) -> (TokenStream, Option<usize>,
                             data: i64,
                             after: u8,
                         }
-                        let size = unsafe { (&(&*(0 as *const Foo)).after) as *const u8 as usize };
-                        return (quote!{i64}, Some(size), mem::align_of::<Foo>());
+                        return (quote!{i64}, Some(std::mem::size_of::<i64>()), mem::align_of::<Foo>());
                     },
                     (64, false) => {
                         #[repr(C)]
@@ -265,8 +258,7 @@ pub fn type_from_id(doc: &Spirv, searched: u32) -> (TokenStream, Option<usize>,
                             data: u64,
                             after: u8,
                         }
-                        let size = unsafe { (&(&*(0 as *const Foo)).after) as *const u8 as usize };
-                        return (quote!{u64}, Some(size), mem::align_of::<Foo>());
+                        return (quote!{u64}, Some(std::mem::size_of::<u64>()), mem::align_of::<Foo>());
                     },
                     _ => panic!("No Rust equivalent for an integer of width {}", width),
                 }
@@ -279,8 +271,7 @@ pub fn type_from_id(doc: &Spirv, searched: u32) -> (TokenStream, Option<usize>,
                             data: f32,
                             after: u8,
                         }
-                        let size = unsafe { (&(&*(0 as *const Foo)).after) as *const u8 as usize };
-                        return (quote!{f32}, Some(size), mem::align_of::<Foo>());
+                        return (quote!{f32}, Some(std::mem::size_of::<f32>()), mem::align_of::<Foo>());
                     },
                     64 => {
                         #[repr(C)]
@@ -288,8 +279,7 @@ pub fn type_from_id(doc: &Spirv, searched: u32) -> (TokenStream, Option<usize>,
                             data: f64,
                             after: u8,
                         }
-                        let size = unsafe { (&(&*(0 as *const Foo)).after) as *const u8 as usize };
-                        return (quote!{f64}, Some(size), mem::align_of::<Foo>());
+                        return (quote!{f64}, Some(std::mem::size_of::<f64>()), mem::align_of::<Foo>());
                     },
                     _ => panic!("No Rust equivalent for a floating-point of width {}", width),
                 }
diff --git a/vulkano/src/pipeline/vertex/impl_vertex.rs b/vulkano/src/pipeline/vertex/impl_vertex.rs
index 0077a9291..5c63b5ff4 100644
--- a/vulkano/src/pipeline/vertex/impl_vertex.rs
+++ b/vulkano/src/pipeline/vertex/impl_vertex.rs
@@ -27,20 +27,15 @@ macro_rules! impl_vertex {
 
                 $(
                     if name == stringify!($member) {
-                        let (ty, array_size) = unsafe {
-                            #[inline] fn f<T: VertexMember>(_: &T) -> (VertexMemberTy, usize)
-                                      { T::format() }
-                            let dummy: *const $out = ptr::null();
-                            f(&(&*dummy).$member)
-                        };
+                        let dummy = <$out>::default();
+                        #[inline] fn f<T: VertexMember>(_: &T) -> (VertexMemberTy, usize) { T::format() }
+                        let (ty, array_size) = f(&dummy.$member);
+
+                        let dummy_ptr = (&dummy) as *const _;
+                        let member_ptr = (&dummy.$member) as *const _;
 
                         return Some(VertexMemberInfo {
-                            offset: unsafe {
-                                let dummy: *const $out = ptr::null();
-                                let member = (&(&*dummy).$member) as *const _;
-                                member as usize
-                            },
-
+                            offset: member_ptr as usize - dummy_ptr as usize,
                             ty: ty,
                             array_size: array_size,
                         });