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{{Short description|Collection of multimedia related APIs on Microsoft platforms}}
{{cleanup|November 2006}}
{{Redirect|DX9|the synthesizer|Yamaha DX9}}
{{Infobox_Software |
{{More citations needed|date=April 2016}}
|name =DirectX
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2019}}
|screenshot = [[Image:DirectX 10 logo.png]]
{{Infobox software
|caption =
| name = DirectX
|developer = [[Microsoft]]
| logo = Microsoft-DirectX-Logo-wordmark.svg
|latest_release_version = 10.0
| logo_size = 250px
|latest_release_date = [[November 30]] [[2006]]
|operating_system = [[Microsoft Windows]]
| developer = [[Microsoft]]
| released = {{Start date and age|1995|09|30}}
|genre = [[Application framework]]
| latest_release_version = 12 Ultimate API
|license = [[EULA]]
| latest_release_date = {{Start date and age|2021|10|5}}
|website = [http://www.microsoft.com/windows/directx/ DirectX Homepage]
| operating system = [[Microsoft Windows]], [[Windows Phone 8]], [[Dreamcast]],<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.gamesurge.com/dreamcast/technical_pages/directx.shtml
| title = Dreamcast Technical Pages
| date = June 1999
}}</ref> [[Xbox]], [[Xbox 360]], [[Xbox One]], [[Xbox Series X and Series S]], [[Linux]] (Gallium Nine) (DirectX 12 only, Exclusive to [[Windows Subsystem for Linux]])<ref>{{cite web
| url = https://www.phoronix.com/news/Microsoft-DX12-WSL2
| title = Microsoft Announces Direct3D 12 For Linux / WSL2
| date = 19 May 2020
}}</ref>
| genre = [[API]]
}}
}}


'''Microsoft DirectX''' is a collection of [[application programming interface]]s (APIs) for handling tasks related to [[multimedia]], especially [[game programming]] and video, on [[Microsoft]] platforms. Originally, the names of these APIs all began with "Direct", such as [[Direct3D]], [[DirectDraw]], [[DirectMusic]], [[DirectPlay]], [[DirectSound]], and so forth. The name ''DirectX'' was coined as a shorthand term for all of these APIs (the ''X'' standing in for the particular API names) and soon became the name of the collection. When Microsoft later set out to develop a [[Video game console|gaming console]], the ''X'' was used as the basis of the name [[Xbox (console)|Xbox]] to indicate that the console was based on DirectX technology.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/node/5214861|title=Microsoft: The meaning of Xbox - The Economist|newspaper=The Economist|date=November 24, 2005}}</ref> The ''X'' initial has been carried forward in the naming of APIs designed for the Xbox such as [[DirectInput|XInput]] and the [[Cross-platform Audio Creation Tool]] (XACT), while the DirectX pattern has been continued for Windows APIs such as [[Direct2D]] and [[DirectWrite]].


Direct3D (the 3D graphics API within DirectX) is widely used in the development of [[video game]]s for [[Microsoft Windows]] and the [[Xbox]] line of consoles. Direct3D is also used by other [[software]] applications for visualization and graphics tasks such as CAD/CAM engineering. As Direct3D is the most widely publicized component of DirectX, it is common to see the names "DirectX" and "Direct3D" used interchangeably.
'''DirectX''' is a collection of [[Application Programming Interface|APIs]] for handling tasks related to [[multimedia]], especially [[game programming]], on [[Microsoft]] platforms. One portion of it, [[Direct3D]], competes against [[OpenGL]] and against [[Simple DirectMedia Layer|SDL]]. It is widely used in the development of [[computer game]]s for [[Microsoft Windows]], [[Microsoft]] [[Xbox]] and Microsoft [[Xbox 360]].


The DirectX [[software development kit]] (SDK) consists of [[runtime library|runtime libraries]] in redistributable binary form, along with accompanying documentation and [[Include directive|headers]] for use in coding. Originally, the runtimes were only installed by games or explicitly by the user. [[Windows 95]] did not launch with DirectX, but DirectX was included with Windows 95 OEM Service Release 2.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.computerhope.com/directx.htm|title=DirectX Help|work=computerhope.com}}</ref> [[Windows 98]] and [[Windows NT 4.0]] both shipped with DirectX, as has every version of Windows released since. The SDK is available as a free download. While the runtimes are proprietary, closed-source software, source code is provided for most of the SDK samples. Starting with the release of Windows 8 Developer Preview, DirectX SDK has been integrated into Windows SDK.<ref name=wheresDX>{{cite web|url=https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee663275%28v=VS.85%29.aspx|title=Where is the DirectX SDK?|publisher=Microsoft|work=microsoft.com}}</ref>
DirectX is also used among other software production industries, most notably among the engineering sector because of its ability to quickly render high-quality 3D graphics using the latest 3D [[graphics card|graphics hardware]].


==Development history==
Both the DirectX [[runtime]] and [[software development kit]] are available free of charge but proprietary and closed-source software. The DirectX runtime was originally redistributed by [[video game developer|computer game developers]] along with their games, but later it was included in Microsoft Windows. Game developers still often include an updated version of DirectX that prompts installation automatically after the game installation to ensure proper program functionality.
In late 1994, Microsoft was ready to release [[Windows 95]], its next [[operating system]]. An important factor in its value to consumers was the programs that would be able to run on it. Microsoft employee [[Alex St. John]] had been in discussions with various game developers asking how likely they would be to bring their [[MS-DOS]] games to Windows 95, and found the responses mostly negative, since [[video game programmer|programmers]] had found that the Windows environment did not provide the necessary features which were available under MS-DOS using [[BIOS]] routines or direct hardware access.<ref>{{Cite book |last=DeMaria |first=Rusel |title=GAME OF X V.2 |publisher=[[CRC Press]] |year=2019 |chapter=11. The Manhattan Project |quote=Windows needs to support; ... – Page flipping – Vertical blank synchronization – Tight sound mixing – Tight synchronization of sound and video events – Raw blting performance – Ability to set graphic mode ...}}</ref> There were also strong fears of compatibility; a notable case of this was from ''[[Disney's Animated Storybook|Disney's Animated Storybook: The Lion King]]'' which was based on the [[WinG]] programming interface.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kelly |first=Christopher |date=June 1, 1995 |title=Video for Windows and WinG |url=https://www.drdobbs.com/windows/video-for-windows-and-wing/184409696 |access-date=2022-08-09 |publisher=[[Dr. Dobb's Journal]] |quote=Lion King software, for example, is a WinToon app. ... Like WinToon, this example uses WinG for drawing on the DIB.}}</ref> Due to numerous incompatible graphics drivers from new [[Compaq]] computers that were not tested with the WinG interface which came bundled with the game, it crashed so frequently on many desktop systems that parents had flooded [[Walt Disney Computer Software|Disney]]'s call-in help lines.<ref name="pcgamer history">{{cite magazine | url = https://www.pcgamer.com/history-direct-x-windows-microsoft/ | title = How DirectX defined PC gaming... with help from a shotgun-toting Bill Gates | first = Samual | last = Willetts | date = July 27, 2020 | access-date = December 7, 2020 | magazine = [[PC Gamer]] }}</ref><ref name="shacknews xbox p1ch8">{{cite web | url = https://www.shacknews.com/article/120300/bet-on-black-how-microsoft-and-xbox-changed-pop-culture-part-1 | title = Bet on Black: How Microsoft and Xbox Changed Pop Culture, Part 1 - Chapter 8: Power of X | first = David | last = Craddock | date = November 14, 2020 | access-date = December 7, 2020 | work = [[Shacknews]] }}</ref>


St. John recognized the resistances for game development under Windows would be a limitation, and recruited two additional engineers, Craig Eisler and [[Eric Engstrom]], to develop a better solution to get more programmers to develop games for Windows. The project was codenamed the Manhattan Project, like the [[Manhattan Project|World War II project of the same name]], and the idea was to displace the Japanese-developed video game consoles with personal computers running Microsoft's operating system.<ref name="pcgamer history"/> It had initially used the [[radiation symbol]] as its logo but Microsoft asked the team to change the logo.<ref name="pcgamer history"/> Management did not agree to the project as they were already writing off Windows as a gaming platform, but the three committed towards this project's development.<ref name="shacknews xbox p1ch8"/> Their rebellious nature led [[Brad Silverberg]], the senior vice president of Microsoft's office products, to name the trio the "Beastie Boys".<ref name="wsj engstrom obit">{{cite web | url = https://www.wsj.com/articles/microsoft-misfit-helped-lead-company-into-game-market-11607537700?mod=hp_lead_pos12#comments_sector | title= Microsoft Misfit Helped Lead Company Into Game Market | first= James | last= Haggarty | date= December 9, 2020 | access-date = December 9, 2020 | work =[[The Wall Street Journal]] }}</ref>
The latest release version of DirectX, DirectX 10 is exclusive to [[Microsoft]] [[Windows Vista]].


Most of the work by the three was done among other assigned projects starting near the end of 1994.<ref name="shacknews xbox p1ch8"/> Within four months and with input from several hardware manufacturers, the team had developed the first set of [[application programming interface]]s (APIs) which they presented at the 1995 [[Game Developers Conference]].<ref name="shacknews xbox p1ch8"/> The SDK included libraries implementing DirectDraw for bit-mapped graphics,<ref>{{Cite book |title=DirectDraw Application Programming Interface |publisher=Microsoft |date=April 20, 1995 |chapter=Introduction}}</ref> DirectSound for audio,<ref>{{Cite book |title=DirectSound Application Programming Interface |publisher=Microsoft |date=April 20, 1995 |chapter=Introduction}}</ref> and DirectPlay for communication between players over a network.<ref>{{Cite book |title=DirectPlay Application Programming Interface |publisher=Microsoft |date=April 20, 1995 |chapter=Introduction}}</ref> Furthermore, an extended joystick API already present in Windows 95 was documented for the first time as DirectInput,<ref>{{Cite book |title=DirectInput Application Programming Interface |publisher=Microsoft |date=April 20, 1995 |chapter=Chapter 3: Joystick API Reference}}</ref> while a description of how to implement the immediate start of the installation procedure of a software title after inserting its CD-ROM, a feature called AutoPlay, was also part of the SDK.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Building AutoPlay-Enabled CD-ROM Titles and Games |publisher=Microsoft |date=November 1, 1994 |chapter=What is AutoPlay?}}</ref> The "Direct" part of the library was so named as these routines bypassed existing core Windows&nbsp;95 routines and accessed the computer hardware only via a [[Hardware abstraction|hardware abstraction layer]] (HAL).<ref>{{Cite book |title=DirectDraw Application Programming Interface |publisher=Microsoft |date=April 20, 1995 |chapter=Architectural Overview}}</ref> Though the team had named it the "Game SDK" ([[software development kit]]), the name "DirectX" came from one journalist that had mocked the naming scheme of the various libraries. The team opted to continue to use that naming scheme and call the project DirectX.<ref name="pcgamer history"/>
==DirectX APIs==
[[Image:Dxdiag.png|thumb|400px|[[DXDiag]] running in [[Windows Vista]]]]
The various components of DirectX are in the form of [[Component Object Model|COM]]-compliant objects.


The first version of DirectX was released in September 1995 as the Windows Game SDK. Its DirectDraw component was the [[Windows API|Win32]] replacement for the DCI<ref>{{cite web|url=http://stason.org/TULARC/pc/video-faq/54-What-is-DCI.html|title=54 What is DCI?|work=stason.org}}</ref> and WinG APIs for [[Windows 3.1]].<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Robin|last=Raskin|date=August 1995|title=Pity the Poor Developer|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aS7TOePnRDAC&dq=intel+microsoft+video+for+windows+dci+wing&pg=PA30|access-date=2022-08-07|magazine=[[PC Magazine]]}}</ref> DirectX allowed all versions of Microsoft Windows, starting with Windows 95, to incorporate high-performance multimedia. Eisler wrote about the frenzy to build DirectX 1 through 5 in his blog.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150812070348/http://craig.theeislers.com/2006/02/20/directx-then-and-now-part-1/ Craig Eisler's blog post about the frenzy to build DirectX 1 through 5] on craig.theeislers.com</ref>
The components comprising DirectX are
*'''DirectX Graphics''', comprising two APIs (DirectX 8.0 onwards):
**[[DirectDraw]]: for drawing 2D Graphics ([[raster graphics]]) (now mostly deprecated, although still in use by many)
**[[Direct3D]] (D3D): for drawing [[3D computer graphics|3D graphics]]
*[[DirectInput]]: used to process data from a [[computer keyboard|keyboard]], [[computer mouse|mouse]], [[joystick]], or other [[game controller]]s (No longer updated except for [[XInput]], which is used with Xbox360 controllers. [[WM INPUT]] is recommended instead.)
*[[DirectPlay]]: for networked communication of games (Along with DirectInput, was last updated in version 8. Now deprecated.)
*[[DirectSound]]: for the playback and recording of waveform sound
**[[DirectSound3D]] (DS3D): for the playback of [[3D audio effect|3D sounds]].
*[[DirectMusic]]: for playback of soundtracks authored in [[DirectMusic Producer]]
*[[DirectSetup]]: for the installation of DirectX components, not really an API
*[[DirectX Media]]: comprising DirectAnimation, [[DirectShow]], [[DXVA|DirectX Video Acceleration]], Direct3D Retained Mode and DirectX Transform for animation, multimedia playback & streaming applications, 3D, and interactivity respectively
*[[DirectX Media Objects]]: support for streaming objects such as encoders, decoder and effects
==History==


To get more developers on board DirectX, Microsoft approached [[id Software]]'s [[John Carmack]] and offered to port ''[[Doom (1993 video game)|Doom]]'' and ''[[Doom 2]]'' from MS-DOS to DirectX, free of charge, with id retaining all publishing rights to the game. Carmack agreed, and Microsoft's [[Gabe Newell]] led the porting project. The first game was released as ''Doom 95'' in August 1996, the first published DirectX game. Microsoft promoted the game heavily with [[Bill Gates]] appearing in ads for the title.<ref name="pcgamer history"/>
In late 1994 Microsoft was just on the verge of releasing its next [[operating system]], [[Windows 95]]. The main factor that would determine the value consumers would place on their new operating system very much rested on what programs would be able to run on it. Three Microsoft employees &mdash; Craig Eisler, [[Alex St. John]], and Eric Engstrom &mdash; were concerned, because [[game programmer|programmers]] tended to see Microsoft's previous operating system, [[DOS]], as a better platform for game programming, meaning few games would be developed for Windows 95 and the operating system would not be as much of a success.
DOS allowed direct access to video cards, [[computer keyboard|keyboards]] and [[computer mouse|mice]], [[sound card|sound devices]], and all other parts of the system, while Windows 95, with its protected memory model, restricted access to all of these, working on a much more standardized model. Microsoft needed a way that would let programmers get what they wanted, and they needed it quickly; the operating system was only months away from being released. Eisler, St. John, and Engstrom conspired together to fix this problem, with a solution that they eventually named DirectX.
The first version of DirectX released was shipped September of 1995 as the Windows Games SDK. It was the [[Windows API|Win32]] replacement for the poorly designed APIs for the [[Windows API|Win16]] [[operating system]] (DCI and [[WinG]]). A development team at ATI brought fundamental game graphics technology to the attention of Microsoft. The development of DirectX was led by the team of Eisler (development lead), St. John, and Engstrom (program manager). Simply put, it allowed all versions of Microsoft Windows, starting with Windows 95, to incorporate high-performance multimedia. Eisler wrote about the [http://craig.theeislers.com/2006/02/directx_then_and_now_part_1.php frenzy to build DirectX 1 through 5 in his blog].
Prior to DirectX's existence, Microsoft had already included [[OpenGL]] on their [[Windows NT]] platform. At the time, OpenGL required "high-end" hardware and was limited to [[engineering]] and [[Computer-aided design|CAD]] uses. Direct3D (introduced by Eisler, Engstrom, and St. John as an alternative to SGI's OpenGL) was intended to be a lightweight partner to the back then slower OpenGL for game use. As the power of [[graphics card]]s and the computers running them grew, OpenGL became the de-facto standard and a mainstream product. At that point a "battle" began between supporters of the cross-platform OpenGL and the Windows-only Direct3D, which many argued was another example of Microsoft's [[embrace, extend and extinguish]] business tactic (see [[Fahrenheit graphics API|Fahrenheit]] or [[Direct3D vs. OpenGL]]). Nevertheless, the other APIs of DirectX are often combined with OpenGL in [[computer games]] because OpenGL does not include all of DirectX's functionality (such as sound or joystick support). However, the combination of OpenGL and [[OpenAL]] for this purpose is becoming increasingly popular.
In a console-specific version, DirectX was used as a basis for Microsoft's [[Xbox]] and [[Xbox 360]] [[video game console|console]] API. The API was developed jointly between Microsoft and [[NVIDIA]], who developed the custom graphics hardware used by the console. The Xbox API is similar to DirectX version 8.1, but is non-updateable like other console technologies. The Xbox was code named DirectXbox, but this was shortened to Xbox for its commercial name. (J. Allard, [http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/55995/games-interview-xbox-supremo-allard-on-the-future-of-microsofts-console-part-ii.html PC Pro Interview], April 2004)
In 2002 Microsoft released DirectX 9 with support for the use of much longer shader programs than before with pixel and vertex shader version 2.0. Microsoft has continued to update the DirectX suite since then, introducing shader model 3.0 in DirectX 9.0c, released in August 2004.
As of April 2005, [[DirectShow]] was removed from DirectX and moved to the [[Microsoft Platform SDK]] instead. DirectX is, however, still required to build the [http://msdn.microsoft.com/directx/sdk/readmepage/default.aspx DirectShow samples].
===Release history===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! DirectX version
! Version number
! Operating system
! Date released
|-
|DirectX 1.0||4.02.0095||&nbsp;||[[September 30]] [[1995]]
|-
|DirectX 2.0 / 2.0a||4.03.00.1096||[[Windows 95]] OSR2 and NT 4.0||[[June 5]] [[1996]]
|-
|DirectX 3.0 / 3.0a||4.04.0068 / 70||[[Windows NT]] 4.0 SP3 <br>''last supported version of DirectX for Windows NT 4.0''||[[September 15]] [[1996]]
|-
|DirectX 4.0||Never launched||&nbsp;||
|-
|DirectX 5.0||4.05.00.0155||''Available as a beta for Windows NT 5.0 that would install on Windows NT 4.0''||[[July 16]] [[1997]]
|-
|DirectX 5.1||&nbsp;||&nbsp;||[[December 1]] [[1997]]
|-
|DirectX 5.2||4.05.01.1600||''DirectX 5.2 release for [[Windows 95]]''||[[May 5]] [[1998]]
|-
|DirectX 5.2||4.05.01.1998||[[Windows 98]]||[[May 5]] [[1998]]
|-
|DirectX 6.0||4.06.00.0318||[[Windows CE]] for the [[Dreamcast]]||[[August 7]] [[1998]]
|-
|DirectX 6.1||4.06.02.0436||[[Windows 98 SE]]<br>''last version of [[DirectX Media]] for Windows NT 4.0''||[[February 3]] [[1999]]
|-
|DirectX 7.0||4.07.00.0700||[[Windows 2000]]||[[September 22]] [[1999]]
|-
|DirectX 7.0a||4.07.00.0716||&nbsp;||1999
|-
|DirectX 7.1||4.07.01.3000||[[Windows ME]]||[[September 16]] [[1999]]
|-
|DirectX 8.0||4.08.00.???? (RC0)||&nbsp;||[[September 30]] [[2000]]
|-
|DirectX 8.0||4.08.00.0400 (RC14)||[[Xbox]]<br>&nbsp;||[[November 3]] [[2000]]
|-
|DirectX 8.0a||4.08.00.0400 (RC14) + installer fixes||''Last supported version<br>for Windows 95''||[[November 7]] [[2000]]
|-
|DirectX 8.1||4.08.01.0810<BR>4.08.01.0881 (RC7)||[[Windows XP]]||[[November 12]] [[2001]]
|-
|DirectX 9.0||4.09.0000.0900||[[Windows Server 2003]]||[[December 19]] [[2002]]
|-
|DirectX 9.0a||4.09.0000.0901||&nbsp;||[[March 26]] [[2003]]
|-
|DirectX 9.0b||4.09.0000.0902 (RC2)||&nbsp;||[[August 13]] [[2003]]
|-
|DirectX 9.0c||4.09.0000.0904 (RC0)||''Windows XP SP2'', ''Windows Server 2003 SP1'', and [[Xbox 360]]. Last pure 32-bit release.||[[December 13]] [[2004]]
|-
|DirectX 9.0c||4.09.0000.0904||''Compatible with all Windows OS versions that 9.0c (RC0) was compatible with''<br>First version to include [[D3DX]] [[Dynamic-link library|DLL]]s||[[December 9]] [[2005]]
|-
|DirectX 9.0c - bimonthly updates||4.09.0000.0904||The December '05, and February '06 updates also add the [[XML]] format to some classes. ||Usually released bimonthly from August 2005 until present; Latest version: [[February 2]], [[2007]]
|-
|DirectX 10.0|| ||[[Windows Vista]] exclusive||[[November 30]] [[2006]]
|}
Note that the version number as reported by Microsoft's [[DXDiag]] tool may use the x.xx.xxxx.xxxx format for version numbers; however
Microsoft's site at http://msdn.microsoft.com/archive/default.asp?url=/archive/en-us/directx9_c_Dec_2004/directx/directxsdk/dxandxp.asp
claims that the registry always has data in x.xx.xx.xxxx format. Put another way, when the above table lists a version as
'4.09.0000.0904', the registry may have it as '4.09.00.0904'.


DirectX 2.0 became a built-in component of Windows with the releases of [[Windows 95]] OSR2 and [[Windows NT 4.0]] in mid-1996. Since Windows 95 itself was still new and few games had been released for it, Microsoft engaged in heavy promotion of DirectX to developers who were generally distrustful of Microsoft's ability to build a gaming platform in Windows. Alex St. John, the evangelist for DirectX, staged an elaborate event at the 1996 [[Game Developers Conference|Computer Game Developers Conference]] which game developer Jay Barnson described as a [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] theme, including real [[lion]]s, togas, and something resembling an indoor carnival.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://rampantgames.com/blog/2006/07/wildest-birthday-party-ever.html
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060717201712/http://www.rampantgames.com/blog/2006/07/wildest-birthday-party-ever.html
|title=Tales of the Rampant Coyote
|author=Jay Barnson
|date=July 13, 2006
|archive-date=July 17, 2006
}}</ref> It was at this event that Microsoft first introduced [[Direct3D]], and demonstrated multiplayer ''[[MechWarrior 2|MechWarrior&nbsp;2]]'' being played over the Internet.


The DirectX team faced the challenging task of testing each DirectX release against an array of [[computer hardware]] and [[software]]. A variety of different graphics cards, audio cards, motherboards, CPUs, input devices, games, and other multimedia applications were tested with each beta and final release. The DirectX team also built and distributed tests that allowed the hardware industry to confirm that new hardware designs and driver releases would be compatible with DirectX.
==Compatibility==
[[Hardware]] manufacturers have to write [[Device driver|drivers]] for and test each individual piece of hardware to make them DirectX compatible. Some hardware devices only have DirectX compatible drivers (in other words, one must install DirectX in order to use that hardware). Early versions of DirectX included an up-to-date library of all of the DirectX compatible drivers currently available. This practice was stopped however, in favor of the web-based [[Windows Update]] driver-update system, which allowed users to download only the drivers relevant to their hardware, rather than the entire library.


Prior to DirectX Microsoft had added [[OpenGL]] to their [[Windows NT|Windows&nbsp;NT]] platform.<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Michael J.|last=Miller|date=December 1994|title=System Software WINNER Microsoft Windows NT Workstation, Version 3.5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f3IV90zLmaEC&dq=pc+magazine+windows+nt+3.5&pg=PA120|access-date=2022-08-13|magazine =[[PC Magazine]]}}</ref> OpenGL had been designed as a cross-platform, [[Windowing system|window system]] independent software interface to graphics hardware by [[Silicon Graphics|Silicon Graphics, Inc.]] to bring 3D graphics programming into the mainstream of application programming. Besides it could also be used for 2D graphics and imaging and was controlled by the Architectural Review Board (ARB) which included Microsoft.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kilgard |first=Mark |date=December 2008 |title=OpenGL's Design Philosophy (slide) |url=https://www.slideshare.net/Mark_Kilgard/sigraph-asia-2008-modern-opengl-presentation/14 |access-date=2022-08-14 |website=[[SlideShare]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Kilgard |first=Mark J. |title=OpenGL Programming for the X Window System |publisher=[[Addison-Wesley]] |year=1996 |pages=1–6}}</ref> Direct3D was intended to be a Microsoft controlled alternative to OpenGL, focused initially on game use. As 3D gaming grew game developers were discovering that OpenGL could be used effectively for game development.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Berkes |first=Otto |date=April 12, 2015 |title=DirectX |url=https://ottoberkes.wordpress.com/2015/04/12/directx |access-date=2022-08-17 |website=Otto Berkes’ weblog}}</ref> At that point a "battle" began between supporters of the cross-platform OpenGL and the Windows-only Direct3D.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hecker |first=Chris |date=April 1997 |title=An Open Letter to Microsoft: Do the Right Thing for the 3D Game Industry |url=https://ubm-twvideo01.s3.amazonaws.com/o1/vault/GD_Mag_Archives/GDM_AprMay_1997.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126033255/https://ubm-twvideo01.s3.amazonaws.com/o1/vault/GD_Mag_Archives/GDM_AprMay_1997.pdf |archive-date=2021-01-26 |url-status=live |access-date=2022-08-29 |website=[[Game Developer Magazine]]}}</ref> Incidentally, OpenGL was supported at Microsoft by the DirectX team. If a developer chose to use the OpenGL 3D graphics API in [[computer games]], the other APIs of DirectX besides Direct3D were often combined with OpenGL because OpenGL does not include all of DirectX's functionality (such as sound or joystick support).
Some drivers only support one version of DirectX. Prior to DirectX 10, DirectX was considered ''backward compatible'', which means that newer versions supported the older versions. For example, if one had DirectX 9 installed on one's system and ran a game that was written for DirectX 6, it would still work. The game used what was called the DirectX 6 "interface". Every version of DirectX supported every previous version of DirectX. This is a positive consequence of the [[Component Object Model|COM]] model used for this API.


In a console-specific version, DirectX was used as a basis for Microsoft's [[Xbox (console)|Xbox]], [[Xbox 360]] and [[Xbox One]] [[video game console|console]] API. The API was developed jointly between Microsoft and [[Nvidia]], which developed the custom graphics hardware used by the original Xbox. The Xbox API was similar to DirectX version 8.1, but is non-updateable like other console technologies. The Xbox was code named DirectXbox, but this was shortened to Xbox for its commercial name.<ref>J. Allard, [http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/55995/games-interview-xbox-supremo-allard-on-the-future-of-microsofts-console-part-ii.html PC Pro Interview] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011093027/http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/55995/games-interview-xbox-supremo-allard-on-the-future-of-microsofts-console-part-ii.html |date=2007-10-11 }}, April 2004</ref>
With Windows Vista and the radically changed [[Direct3D 10]], this is no longer possible for handling 3D graphics. DirectX 10 therefore also supplies the Direct3D 9 API so older games and applications can still use graphics hardware..


In 2002, Microsoft released DirectX 9 with support for the use of much longer shader programs than before with pixel and vertex shader version 2.0. Microsoft has continued to update the DirectX suite since then, introducing Shader Model 3.0 in DirectX 9.0c, released in August 2004.
==DirectX 10==
[[Windows Vista]] ships with DirectX 10 and is the only version of Windows which it is offered for, and it has a large number of changes: [[DirectInput]] will be deprecated in favor of [[XInput]], from the [[Xbox]] team. Likewise, [[DirectSound]] will also be deprecated in favor of [[XACT]]. DirectX 10 has also dropped support for hardware accelerated audio, opting instead to render sound in software on the CPU. [[DirectPlay]] is deprecated in favor of [[Xbox Live]] whereas [[DirectShow]] will be deprecated in favor of [[Media Foundation]], a different set of APIs debuting with Windows Vista to handle audio and video playback. [[DirectMusic]] will probably remain the only component intact.{{Fact|date=February 2007}}


As of April 2005, [[DirectShow]] was removed from DirectX and moved to the [[Microsoft Platform SDK]] instead.
===Direct3D===
A major new feature of DirectX 10 is [[Direct3D 10]] (originally called [[Windows Graphics Foundation]]). By using the new [[Windows Display Driver Model]], [[Shader Model 4]] and new, more strict requirements for [[GPU]] manufacturers to claim Direct3D 10 compatibility,<ref>http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2000442,00.asp</ref> version 10 of Direct3D represents a departure from the practices of previous versions. In order to achieve backwards compatibility with previous versions of Direct3D, DirectX 10 actually contains three versions of Direct3D:<ref>{{cite web | url=http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb173477.aspx | title=Graphics APIs in Windows Vista | author=Chuck Walbourn | date=[[August]] [[2006]] | work=MSDN | accessdate=2007-02-26}}</ref>


DirectX has been confirmed to be present in Microsoft's [[Windows Phone 8]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.theverge.com/2012/6/20/3095150/microsoft-windows-phone-8-common-platform-directx | title=Windows Phone 8 adds DirectX, native development, easier app porting | date=June 20, 2012 | access-date=June 23, 2012}}</ref>
*'''Direct3D 9''': this API emulates all Direct3D 9 on Windows XP behavior (and its quirks) in order to achieve full compatibility with older applications. All the details and advantages of Vista's [[Windows Display Driver Model]] are hidden from the application if WDDM drivers are installed. This is the only API available if there are only XP graphic drivers (XPDM) installed, after an upgrade to Vista for example.
*'''Direct3D 9Ex''' (previously known as 9.0L): allows full access to the new capabilities of WDDM while maintaining compatibility for existing Direct3D applications by putting it in a separate API. The transparency ("Glass") effects in [[Windows Aero]] rely on the D3D 9Ex code path. When 9Ex was still codenamed 9.0L, there were rumors that this would be Direct3D 10 for Windows XP.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=35110 | title=DirectX 9.L will be a DirectX 10 for Windows XP, apparently | author=Fuad Abazovic | date=[[October 16]] [[2006]] | accessdate=2007-02-26}}</ref> It was quickly pointed out that this was not the case, mainly due to lack of support for WDDM in Windows XP.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://letskilldave.com/archive/2006/10/17/DirectX-10-for-Windows-XP_3F00_--Repeat-after-me_3A00_-No.-No.-No_2E00_.aspx | title=DirectX 10 for Windows XP? Repeat after me: No. No. No. | author=David Weller | date=[[October 17]] [[2006]] | work=Let's Kill Dave! | accessdate=2006-12-31}}</ref>
*'''Direct3D 10'''


Real-time [[ray tracing (graphics)|raytracing]] was announced as [[DirectX Raytracing|DXR]] in 2018. Support for compiling [[High-Level Shader Language|HLSL]] to [[Standard Portable Intermediate Representation|SPIR-V]] was also added in the DirectX Shader Compiler the same year.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 23, 2018 |title=Add the HLSL-spirv cookbook. (#1618) |url=https://github.com/microsoft/DirectXShaderCompiler/commit/fe2d48b984aff24174704af62550afa9fb3f0259 |website=GitHub}}</ref>
Currently, the only graphics hardware compatible with Direct3D 10 is the [[GeForce 8 Series|NVIDIA GeForce 8 Series]] which has thus far limited the advent of Direct3D 10-capable applications. Contrary to rumors surrounding the issue, Direct3D 10 will not be released on the [[Xbox 360]] via a firmware update due to incompatibilities with its graphics hardware.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3153097 | title=Xbox 360 Not Upgradable to DirectX 10 | author=Patrick Klepek | date=[[August 23]] [[2006]] | work=1UP.com | accessdate=2006-12-31}}</ref>


==Components==
==Other information==
DirectX is composed of multiple APIs:
Microsoft developed '''[[XNA (Microsoft)|XNA]]''', a framework designed to assist development of games by making it easier to integrate DirectX, [[High Level Shader Language]] (HLSL) and other tools in one package.


* [[Direct3D]] (D3D): Real-time [[3D rendering]] API
Although still in its infancy, during 2002 Microsoft released a version of DirectX compatible with the Microsoft [[.NET Framework]], thus allowing programmers to take advantage of .NET features (such as the use of the [[C sharp|C#]] and [[Visual Basic]] programming languages) simultaneously with DirectX development. This API is known as "[[Managed DirectX]]" (or MDX for short) and performance is claimed to be 98% of that of native DirectX software. The design ideas behind Managed DirectX can be seen in the newer framework XNA which also implements Managed DirectX along with other technologies aimed at making game development easier.
* [[DXGI]]: Enumerates adapters and monitors and manages swap chains for Direct3D 10 and later.
* [[Direct2D]]: 2D graphics API
* [[DirectWrite]]: Text rendering API
* [[DirectCompute]]: API for [[general-purpose computing on graphics processing units]]
* DirectX Diagnostics (DxDiag): A tool for diagnosing and generating reports on components related to DirectX, such as audio, video, and input drivers
* [[Cross-platform Audio Creation Tool|XACT3]]: High-level audio API
* [[XAudio2]]: Low-level audio API
* [[DirectX Raytracing]] (DXR): Real-time [[ray tracing (graphics)|raytracing]] API
* [[DirectStorage]]: GPU-oriented file I/O API
* [[DirectML]]: GPU-accelerated machine learning and artificial intelligence API
* [[DirectSR]]: GPU-accelerated resolution upscaling API
* [[Media Foundation]]
** [[DXVA|DirectX Video Acceleration]] for accelerated video playback


Microsoft has deprecated the following components:
In December 2005, February 2006, April 2006, and August 2006, Microsoft released a version of DirectX that is designed for the .NET 2.0 framework. In older versions, DirectX was split apart into different modules; this has changed with the .NET 2.0 version, as it is now a single file and is much easier to use. However, the .NET 2.0 version of DirectX is not a finalized version; it is still a beta. During the GDC 2006 Microsoft presented the XNA Framework, which this 2.0 version will be merged into and which will allow for the execution of managed code on the Xbox 360. The XNA Game Studio Express RTM was made available on Dec. 11, 2006, as a free download on Windows XP
* [[DirectX Media]]: Consists of:
** DirectAnimation for 2D/3D<ref>[http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~RB6K-IID/space.html 3D Animation of SPACE FIGHTER by DIRECT ANIMATION]{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=Darkmorpher |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> web animation, [[DirectShow]] for multimedia playback and [[streaming media]]
** DirectX Media Objects: Support for streaming objects such as encoders, decoders, and effects (Deprecated in favor of [[Media Foundation Transform]]s; MFTs)<ref>{{cite web |date=2019-06-05 |df=mdy |url=https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/directshow/directx-media-objects |title=DirectX Media Objects |department=[[DirectShow]] |work=[[Microsoft Docs]] |quote=DMOs have been superseded by Media Foundation Transforms (MFTs).}}<!-- Specifically https://github.com/MicrosoftDocs/win32/commit/27a9dfa3ef68240fbf09f1c64dff7b2232874ef4 --></ref>
** DirectX Transform for web interactivity, and Direct3D Retained Mode for higher level 3D graphics
** [[DirectX plugin]]s for [[audio signal processing]]
* [[DirectDraw]]: 2D graphics API (Deprecated in favor of [[Direct2D]])
* [[DirectInput]]: Input API for interfacing with [[computer keyboard|keyboards]], [[computer mouse|mice]], [[joystick]]s, and [[game controller]]s (Deprecated after version 8 in favor of [[XInput]] for [[Xbox 360]] controllers or standard WM_INPUT window message processing for keyboard and mouse input)
* [[DirectPlay]]: Network API for communication over a local-area or wide-area network (Deprecated after version 8 in favor of [[Games for Windows Live]] and [[Xbox Live]])
* [[DirectSound]]: Audio API (Deprecated since DirectX 8 in favor of [[XAudio2]] and XACT3)
* [[DirectSound3D]] (DS3D): [[3D audio effect|3D sounds]] API (Deprecated since DirectX 8 in favor of XAudio2 and XACT3)
* [[DirectMusic]]: Components for playing soundtracks authored in DirectMusic Producer (Deprecated since DirectX 8 in favor of XAudio2 and XACT3)


DirectX functionality is provided in the form of [[Component Object Model|COM]]-style objects and interfaces. Additionally, while not DirectX components themselves, [[Managed code|managed objects]] have been built on top of some parts of DirectX, such as Managed Direct3D<ref>{{cite web|url=http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/cc164112.aspx|title=DirectX 9: Using the Managed Direct3D Graphics API in .NET|publisher=Microsoft|work=microsoft.com|date=October 22, 2019 }}</ref> and the XNA graphics library<ref>{{cite web|url=http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.xna.framework.graphics.aspx|title=Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Graphics Namespace|publisher=Microsoft|work=microsoft.com|date=September 29, 2011 }}</ref> on top of Direct3D 9.
==Alternatives==
There are alternatives to this framework, some more complete than others. An example of an increasingly popular cross platform alternative that provides some of the functionality is the combination of [[OpenGL]] and [[OpenAL]] (OpenAL can also be combined with Direct3D). Other alternatives are [[Simple DirectMedia Layer|SDL]] or [[openML]].


Microsoft distributes debugging tool for DirectX called "PIX".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://devblogs.microsoft.com/pix|title=PIX}}</ref>
There are also alternative implementations that aim to provide the same API, such as the one in [[Wine (software)|Wine]].


==Versions==
==History of DirectX logo==

<center><gallery>
===DirectX 9===
Image:DirectX 1 logo.png|DirectX 1.0 - 6.0
{{See also|Direct3D#Direct3D 9}}Introduced by Microsoft in 2002, DirectX 9 was a significant release in the DirectX family. It brought many important features and enhancements to the graphics capabilities of Windows. At the time of its release, it supported [[Windows 98]], [[Windows Me]], [[Windows 2000]], and [[Windows XP]]. As of August 2024 it remains supported by all subsequent versions of Windows for backward compatibility.
Image:DirectX 7 logo.png|DirectX 7.0

Image:DirectX 8.0 logo.png|DirectX 8.0
One of the key features introduced in DirectX 9 was Shader Model 2.0, which included Pixel Shader 2.0 and Vertex Shader 2.0. These allowed for more complex and realistic graphics rendering. It also brought much needed performance improvements through better [[hardware acceleration]] capabilities, and better utilization of GPU resources. It also introduced [[High-Level Shader Language|HLSL]], which provided a more accessible way for developers to produce shaders.
</gallery>

<gallery>
DirectX 9.0c was an update to the original, and has been continuously changed over the years affecting its compatibility with older operating systems. As of January 2007, Windows 2000 and Windows XP became the minimum required operating systems. This means support was officially dropped for Windows 98 and Windows Me. As of August 2024, DirectX 9.0c is still regularly updated.
Image:Directx9.jpg|DirectX 9.0

Image:Directx9c logo.png|DirectX 9.0c
Windows XP SP2 and newer include DirectX 9.0c,<ref>{{cite web |title=Programming Guide for the DirectX SDK |url=http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-gb/library/ee416979(VS.85).aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101018035741/http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-gb/library/ee416979(VS.85).aspx |archive-date=18 October 2010 |access-date=11 January 2022 |website=msdn.microsoft.com}}</ref> but may require a newer DirectX runtime redistributable installation for DirectX 9.0c applications compiled with the February 2005 DirectX 9.0 SDK or newer.
Image:DirectX 10 logo.png|DirectX 10.0

</gallery></center>
DirectX 9 had a significant impact on game development. Many games from the mid-2000s to early 2010s were developed using DirectX 9 and it became a standard target for developers. Even today, some games still use DirectX 9 as an option for older or less powerful hardware.

===DirectX 10===
{{See also|Direct3D#Direct3D 10|l1=Direct3D 10}}
[[File:Microsoft-DirectX-10-Logo-wordmark.svg|thumb|Microsoft DirectX 10 logo wordmark]]
A major update to DirectX API, DirectX 10 ships with and is only available with [[Windows Vista]] (launched in late 2006) and later. Previous versions of Windows such as Windows XP are not able to run DirectX 10-exclusive applications. Rather, programs that are run on a Windows XP system with DirectX 10 hardware simply resort to the DirectX 9.0c code path, the latest available for Windows XP computers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee416788.aspx#WILL_DIRECTX_10_BE_AVAILABLE_FOR_WINDOWS_XP__|title=DirectX Frequently Asked Questions|publisher=Microsoft|work=microsoft.com}}</ref>

[[Features new to Windows Vista#DirectX|Changes for DirectX 10]] were extensive. Many former parts of DirectX API were deprecated in the latest DirectX SDK and are preserved for compatibility only: [[DirectInput]] was deprecated in favor of [[XInput]], [[DirectSound]] was deprecated in favor of the [[Cross-platform Audio Creation Tool]] system (XACT) and additionally lost support for hardware accelerated audio, since the [[Windows Vista audio architecture|Vista audio stack]] renders sound in software on the CPU. The DirectPlay DPLAY.DLL was also removed and was replaced with dplayx.dll; games that rely on this DLL must duplicate it and rename it to dplay.dll.

In order to achieve backwards compatibility, DirectX in Windows Vista contains several versions of Direct3D:<ref>{{cite web | url=https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee417756.aspx | title=Graphics APIs in Windows | author=Chuck Walbourn |date=August 2009 | work=MSDN | access-date=2009-10-03}}</ref>
* '''Direct3D 9''': emulates Direct3D 9 behavior as it was on Windows XP. Details and advantages of Vista's [[Windows Display Driver Model]] are hidden from the application if WDDM drivers are installed. This is the only API available if there are only XP graphic drivers (XDDM) installed, after an upgrade to Vista for example.
* '''Direct3D 9Ex''' (known internally during Windows Vista development as 9.0L or 9.L): allows full access to the new capabilities of WDDM (if WDDM drivers are installed) while maintaining compatibility for existing Direct3D applications. The [[Windows Aero]] user interface relies on D3D 9Ex.
* '''Direct3D 10''': Designed around the new driver model in Windows Vista and featuring a number of improvements to rendering capabilities and flexibility, including [[High Level Shader Language|Shader Model 4]].
Direct3D 10.1 is an incremental update of Direct3D 10.0 which shipped with, and required, [[Windows Vista Service Pack 1]], which was released in February 2008.<ref name=Albanesius>{{cite news|last=Albanesius|first=Chloe|title=Microsoft Unleashes First Service Pack for Vista|url=https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2177205,00.asp|access-date=2007-08-29|newspaper=PC Magazine|date=2007-08-29|archive-date=March 19, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080319115835/http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2177205,00.asp|url-status=dead}}</ref> This release mainly sets a few more image quality standards for graphics vendors, while giving developers more control over image quality.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1558,2168429,00.asp?kc=ETRSS02129TX1K0000532|title=Microsoft Presents DirectX 10.1 Details at SIGGRAPH|date=2007-08-07|access-date=2007-08-27|archive-date=September 9, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070909164250/http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0%2C1558%2C2168429%2C00.asp?kc=ETRSS02129TX1K0000532|url-status=dead}}</ref> It also adds support for cube map arrays, separate blend modes per-MRT, coverage mask export from a pixel shader, ability to run pixel shader per sample, access to multi-sampled depth buffers<ref>{{cite web|url=http://developer.amd.com/assets/GDC_2008_DirectX10.1.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120410174855/http://developer.amd.com/assets/GDC_2008_DirectX10.1.pdf|title=Learn Network Inspire |publisher=AMD |access-date=2012-12-30|archive-date=2012-04-10 }}</ref> and requires that the video card supports Shader Model 4.1 or higher and 32-bit floating-point operations. Direct3D 10.1 still fully supports Direct3D 10 hardware, but in order to utilize all of the new features, updated hardware is required.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://xyzzy-links.blogspot.com/2007/08/directx-101-requires-no-new-gpu.html |title=DirectX 10.1 Requires No New GPU |date=2008-03-05 |access-date=2008-03-05 |publisher=Windows Vista: The Complete Guide |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071029115642/http://xyzzy-links.blogspot.com/2007/08/directx-101-requires-no-new-gpu.html |archive-date=2007-10-29 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===DirectX 11===
{{See also|Direct3D#Direct3D 11|l1=Direct3D 11}}
[[File:Microsoft-DirectX-11-Logo-wordmark.svg|thumb|Microsoft DirectX 11 logo wordmark]]
Microsoft unveiled DirectX 11 at the Gamefest 08 event in Seattle. The Final Platform Update launched for Windows Vista on October 27, 2009, which was a week after the initial release of [[Windows 7]], which launched with Direct3D 11 as a base standard.

Major scheduled features including [[GPGPU]] support ([[DirectCompute]]), and Direct3D 11 with [[tessellation (computer graphics)|tessellation]] support<ref name="DX11Overview-EB">{{cite web|url=http://www.elitebastards.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=611&Itemid=29|title=What's next for DirectX? A DirectX 11 overview — A DirectX 11 overview|date=September 1, 2008|publisher=Elite Bastards|access-date=2008-09-04|archive-date=September 4, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080904230118/http://www.elitebastards.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=611&Itemid=29|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="DX11-bit-tech">{{cite web|url=http://www.bit-tech.net/bits/2008/09/17/directx-11-a-look-at-what-s-coming/1|title=DirectX 11: A look at what's coming|date=September 17, 2008|publisher=bit-tech.net}}</ref> and improved [[Thread (computer science)|multi-threading]] support to assist video game developers in developing games that better utilize [[multi-core]] processors.<ref name="Windows 7 and D3D 11 release date">[http://unmashable.com/pc-hardware/graphics-cards/what-new-features-will-directx-11-bring/ Windows 7 and D3D 11 release date] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111009113752/http://unmashable.com/pc-hardware/graphics-cards/what-new-features-will-directx-11-bring/ |date=2011-10-09 }}</ref> Parts of the new API such as multi-threaded resource handling can be supported on Direct3D 9/10/10.1-class hardware. Hardware tessellation and Shader Model 5.0 require Direct3D 11 supporting hardware.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.msdn.com/ptaylor/archive/2008/07/28/gamefest-2008-and-the-directx-11-announcement.aspx|title=MSDN Blogs|publisher=Microsoft|work=msdn.com|date=August 6, 2021 }}</ref> Microsoft has since released the Direct3D 11 Technical Preview.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=5493F76A-6D37-478D-BA17-28B1CCA4865A&displaylang=en|title=Download DirectX Software Development Kit from Official Microsoft Download Center|publisher=Microsoft|work=microsoft.com}}</ref> Direct3D 11 is a strict superset of Direct3D 10.1 — all hardware and API features of version 10.1 are retained, and new features are added only when necessary for exposing new functionality. This helps to keep backwards compatibility with previous versions of DirectX.

Four updates for DirectX 11 were released:
* DirectX 11.1 is included in [[Windows 8]]. It supports [[Windows Display Driver Model|WDDM 1.2]] for increased performance, features improved integration of [[Direct2D]] (now at version 1.1), [[Direct3D]], and [[DirectCompute]], and includes DirectXMath, [[XAudio2]], and [[XInput]] libraries from the XNA framework. It also features [[stereoscopy|stereoscopic 3D]] support for gaming and video.<ref name="W8preview">{{cite web|url=http://download.microsoft.com/download/1/E/4/1E455D53-C382-4A39-BA73-55413F183333/Windows_Developer_Preview-Windows8_guide.pdf|title=Windows 8 Developer Preview Guide|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111007012704/http://download.microsoft.com/download/1/E/4/1E455D53-C382-4A39-BA73-55413F183333/Windows_Developer_Preview-Windows8_guide.pdf|archive-date=2011-10-07}}</ref> DirectX 11.1 was also partially [[backport]]ed to Windows 7, via the [[Windows 7 platform update]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj863687.aspx |title=Platform Update for Windows 7 (Windows) |publisher=Msdn.microsoft.com |access-date=2014-08-09}}</ref><ref name="Eimandar2013">{{cite book|author=Pooya Eimandar|title=DirectX 11.1 Game Programming|year=2013|publisher=Packt Publishing Ltd|isbn=978-1-84969-481-0|page=45}}</ref>
* DirectX 11.2 is included in [[Windows 8.1]] (including the RT version) and [[Windows Server 2012 R2#Windows Server 2012 R2|Windows Server 2012 R2]].<ref name="how-to-install">{{cite web|title=How to install the latest version of DirectX|url=https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/179113/how-to-install-the-latest-version-of-directx|website=Microsoft Support|publisher=Microsoft|access-date=27 October 2017}}</ref> It added some new features to [[Direct2D]] like geometry realizations.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/dn363632(v=vs.85).aspx|title=Geometry Realizations Overview|publisher=Microsoft|work=microsoft.com|date=August 19, 2020 }}</ref> It also added swap chain composition, which allows some elements of the scene to be rendered at lower resolutions and then composited via hardware overlay with other parts rendered at higher resolution.<ref name="D3D11.2W8.1">{{cite web|url=http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/Build/2013/3-062|author=Bennett Sorbo|title=What's New in Direct3D 11.2|work =Channel9 - [[Build (developer conference)|BUILD]] 2013| date=June 26, 2013 |at=around 20:00}}</ref>
* DirectX 11.X is a superset of DirectX 11.2 running on the [[Xbox One]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://semiaccurate.com/2013/10/16/microsoft-rejects-mantle/|title=Microsoft officially turns down Mantle|work=semiaccurate.com|date=October 16, 2013}}</ref> It actually includes some features, such as draw bundles, that were later announced as part of DirectX 12.<ref>Chris Tector's segment of http://channel9.msdn.com/Blogs/DirectX-Developer-Blog/DirectX-Evolving-Microsoft-s-Graphics-Platform (starting approx. 18 minute in.)</ref>
* DirectX 11.3 was announced along with DirectX 12 at GDC and released in 2015. It is meant to complement DirectX 12 as a higher-level alternative.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.anandtech.com/show/8544/microsoft-details-direct3d-113-12-new-features |title= Microsoft Details Direct3D 11.3 & 12 New Rendering Features |first= Ryan |last= Smith |publisher= [[AnandTech]] |date= September 18, 2014 |access-date= November 6, 2014}}</ref> It is included with Windows 10.<ref name="how-to-install" />

===DirectX 12===
{{See also|Direct3D#Direct3D 12|l1=Direct3D 12}}

DirectX 12 was announced by Microsoft at [[Game Developers Conference|GDC]] on March 20, 2014, and was officially launched alongside [[Windows 10]] on July 29, 2015.

The primary feature highlight for the new release of DirectX was the introduction of advanced [[Low-level programming language|low-level programming]] APIs for [[Direct3D 12]] which can reduce driver overhead. Developers are now able to implement their own command lists and buffers to the GPU, allowing for more efficient resource utilization through [[Parallel computing|parallel computation]]. Lead developer Max McMullen stated that the main goal of Direct3D 12 is to achieve "console-level efficiency on phone, tablet and PC".<ref name="Direct3D 12 API Preview">{{cite web |last1=McMullen |first1=Max |title=Direct3D 12 API Preview |url=https://channel9.msdn.com/Events/Build/2014/3-564 |website=[[Channel 9 (Microsoft)|Channel 9]] |publisher=[[Microsoft]] |date=2 April 2014}}</ref> The release of Direct3D 12 comes alongside other initiatives for low-overhead graphics APIs including AMD's [[Mantle (API)|Mantle]] for AMD graphics cards, Apple's [[Metal (API)|Metal]] for iOS and macOS and [[Khronos Group]]'s cross-platform [[Vulkan (API)|Vulkan]].

Multiadapter support will feature in DirectX 12 allowing developers to utilize multiple GPUs on a system simultaneously; multi-GPU support was previously dependent on vendor implementations such as [[AMD CrossFireX]] or [[Scalable Link Interface|NVIDIA SLI]].<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.pcgamer.com/directx-12-will-be-able-to-use-your-integrated-gpu-to-improve-performance/ |title=DirectX 12 will be able to use your integrated GPU to improve performance |last1=Moore |first1=Bo |date=May 5, 2015 |magazine=PC Gamer |publisher=Future US |access-date=August 22, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pcper.com/reviews/Graphics-Cards/BUILD-2015-Final-DirectX-12-Reveal |title=BUILD 2015: The Final DirectX 12 Reveal |last1=Michaud |first1=Scott |date=May 4, 2015 |website=PC Perspective |access-date=August 22, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905111424/http://www.pcper.com/reviews/Graphics-Cards/BUILD-2015-Final-DirectX-12-Reveal |archive-date=September 5, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.msdn.com/b/directx/archive/2015/07/29/windows-10-and-directx-12-released.aspx |title=Windows 10 and DirectX 12 released! |last1=Langley |first1=Bryan |date=July 29, 2015 |website=MSDN DirectX Developer Blog |publisher=Microsoft |access-date=August 22, 2015 |archive-date=August 2, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150802054522/http://blogs.msdn.com/b/directx/archive/2015/07/29/windows-10-and-directx-12-released.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.msdn.com/b/directx/archive/2015/05/01/directx-12-multiadapter-lighting-up-dormant-silicon-and-making-it-work-for-you.aspx |title=DirectX 12 Multiadapter: Lighting up dormant silicon and making it work for you |last1=Yeung |first1=Andrew |date=April 30, 2015 |website=MSDN DirectX Developer Blog |publisher=Microsoft |access-date=August 22, 2015 |archive-date=August 20, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150820072227/http://blogs.msdn.com/b/directx/archive/2015/05/01/directx-12-multiadapter-lighting-up-dormant-silicon-and-making-it-work-for-you.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*''Implicit Multiadapter'' support will work in a similar manner to previous versions of DirectX where frames are rendered alternately across linked GPUs of similar compute-power.
*''Explicit Multiadapter'' will provide two distinct API patterns to developers. ''Linked GPUs'' will allow DirectX to view graphics cards in SLI or CrossFireX as a single GPU and use the combined resources; whereas ''Unlinked GPUs'' will allow GPUs from different vendors to be utilized by DirectX, such as supplementing the [[Graphics processing unit#Dedicated graphics processing unit|dedicated GPU]] with the [[Graphics processing unit#Integrated graphics|integrated GPU]] on the CPU, or combining AMD and NVIDIA cards. However, elaborate mixed multi-GPU setups requires significantly more attentive developer support.

DirectX 12 is supported on all [[Fermi (microarchitecture)|Fermi]] and later Nvidia GPUs, on AMD's [[Graphics Core Next|GCN]]-based chips and on Intel's [[Haswell (microarchitecture)|Haswell]] and later processors' graphics units.<ref name="anand12">{{cite web|url=http://www.anandtech.com/show/7889/microsoft-announces-directx-12-low-level-graphics-programming-comes-to-directx/2|title=AnandTech - Microsoft Announces DirectX 12: Low Level Graphics Programming Comes To DirectX|author=Ryan Smith|work=anandtech.com}}</ref>

At [[SIGGRAPH]] 2014, Intel released a demo showing a computer generated [[asteroid field]], in which DirectX 12 was claimed to be 50–70% more efficient than DirectX 11 in rendering speed and CPU power consumption.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Yeung|first1=Andrew|title=DirectX 12 – High Performance and High Power Savings|url=http://blogs.msdn.com/b/directx/archive/2014/08/13/directx-12-high-performance-and-high-power-savings.aspx|website=DirectX Developer Blog|publisher=[[Microsoft]]|date=13 August 2014|access-date=November 6, 2014|archive-date=August 13, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140813213912/http://blogs.msdn.com/b/directx/archive/2014/08/13/directx-12-high-performance-and-high-power-savings.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Lauritzen|first1=Andrew|title=SIGGRAPH 2014: DirectX 12 on Intel|url=https://software.intel.com/en-us/blogs/2014/08/11/siggraph-2014-directx-12-on-intel|website=Developer Zone|publisher=[[Intel]]|date=11 August 2014}}</ref>

''[[Ashes of the Singularity]]'' was the first publicly available game to utilize DirectX 12. Testing by ''[[Ars Technica]]'' in August 2015 revealed slight performance regressions in DirectX 12 over DirectX 11 mode for the [[GeForce 900 series|Nvidia GeForce 980 Ti]], whereas the [[AMD Radeon Rx 200 series|AMD Radeon R9 290x]] achieved consistent performance improvements of up to 70% under DirectX 12, and in some scenarios the AMD outperformed the more powerful Nvidia under DirectX 12. The performance discrepancies may be due to poor Nvidia driver optimizations for DirectX 12, or even hardware limitations of the card which was optimized for DirectX 11 serial execution; however, the exact cause remains unclear.<ref name="arsuk-dx12bench">{{cite web |url=http://arstechnica.co.uk/gaming/2015/08/directx-12-tested-an-early-win-for-amd-and-disappointment-for-nvidia/ |title=DirectX 12 tested: An early win for AMD, and disappointment for Nvidia |work=Ars Technica UK |author=Walton, Mark |date=August 19, 2015 |access-date=August 19, 2015}}</ref>

The performance improvements of DirectX 12 on the Xbox are not as substantial as on the PC.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.extremetech.com/gaming/184768-head-of-xbox-warns-gamers-not-to-expect-dramatic-improvements-from-dx12/|title=Xbox One chief warns gamers not to expect dramatic improvements from DirectX 12 - ExtremeTech|work=ExtremeTech|access-date=30 September 2014}}</ref>

In March 2018, DirectX Raytracing (DXR) was announced, capable of real-time ray-tracing on supported hardware,<ref name=msblogdxr>{{cite web|url=https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/directx/2018/03/19/announcing-microsoft-directx-raytracing/|title=Announcing Microsoft DirectX Raytracing!|date=March 19, 2018|publisher=Microsoft}}</ref> and the DXR API was added in the Windows 10 October 2018 update.

In 2019 Microsoft announced the arrival of DirectX 12 to [[Windows 7]] but only as a plug-in for certain game titles.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/3365177/microsoft-ports-directx-12-to-windows-7.html|title=Microsoft ports DirectX 12 to Windows 7, giving some older PC games a performance boost|date=2019-03-13|website=PCWorld|language=en|access-date=2019-04-17}}</ref>

===DirectX 12 Ultimate===
Microsoft revealed DirectX 12 Ultimate in March 2020. DirectX 12 Ultimate will unify to a common library on both Windows 10 computers and the [[Xbox Series X]] and other ninth-generation Xbox consoles. Among the new features in Ultimate includes [[DirectX Raytracing|DirectX Raytracing 1.1]], Variable Rate Shading, which gives programmers control over the level of detail of shading depending on design choices, [[Shader#Primitive and Mesh shaders|Mesh Shaders]], and Sampler Feedback.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://devblogs.microsoft.com/directx/announcing-directx-12-ultimate/ | title = Announcing DirectX 12 Ultimate | date = March 19, 2020 | access-date = March 20, 2020 | publisher = [[Microsoft]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/359903/Microsoft_launches_DirectX_12_Ultimate_to_support_nextgen_graphics.php | title = Microsoft launches DirectX 12 Ultimate to support next-gen graphics | first = Chris | last= Kerr | date = March 20, 2020 | access-date = March 20, 2020 | work = [[Gamasutra]] }}</ref>

=== Version history ===
{{Timeline of release years
| title =
| subtitle = Major releases
| 1995 = DirectX 1
| 1996a = DirectX 2
| 1996b = DirectX 3
| 1997 = DirectX 5
| 1998 = DirectX 6
| 1999 = DirectX 7
| 2000 = DirectX 8
| 2002 = DirectX 9
| 2006 = DirectX 10
| 2009 = DirectX 11
| 2015 = DirectX 12
}}
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto; width:auto; font-size:90%; text-align:left;"
|+DirectX versions
! colspan="3" |Version
! rowspan="2" |Release date
! rowspan="2" |Notes
|-
!Major
! Minor
! Number
|-
!1
| style="text-align:center;" |1.0 || 4.02.0095 || September 30, 1995 || Initially released as Windows Game SDK, replacing [[WinG]] for [[Windows 95]] onward
|-
! rowspan="2" |2
| style="text-align:center;" |2.0 || || 1996 || Was shipped only with a few 3rd party applications
|-
|style="text-align:center;" |2.0a || 4.03.00.1096 || June 5, 1996 || Windows 95 OSR2 and [[Windows NT 4.0]] exclusive
|-
! rowspan="4" |3
|rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | 3.0 || 4.04.00.0068 || September 15, 1996 || &nbsp;
|-
|4.04.00.0069 || 1996 || Later package of DirectX 3.0 included Direct3D 4.04.00.0069
|-
|style="text-align:center;" |3.0a || 4.04.00.0070 || December 1996 || Windows NT 4.0 SP3 (and above)<br />Last version supporting Windows NT 4.0
|-
|style="text-align:center;" |3.0b || 4.04.00.0070 || December 1996 || This was a very minor update to 3.0a that fixed a cosmetic problem with the Japanese version of Windows 95
|-
!4
|style="text-align:center;" |4.0 || colspan=2 | ''Never released'' || DirectX 4 was never released. Raymond Chen of Microsoft explained in his book, ''The Old New Thing'', that after DirectX 3 was released, Microsoft began developing versions 4 and 5 at the same time. Version 4 was to be a shorter-term release with small features, whereas version 5 would be a more substantial release. The lack of interest from game developers in the features stated for DirectX 4 resulted in it being shelved, and the large amount of documents that already distinguished the two new versions resulted in Microsoft choosing to not re-use version 4 to describe features intended for version 5.<ref>{{cite book
| title = The Old New Thing
| edition = 1st
| chapter = Etymology and History
| page = 330
| last = Chen
| first = Raymond
| year = 2006
| publisher = Pearson Education
| isbn = 0-321-44030-7
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://devblogs.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/?p=40963 |title=What happened to DirectX 4? - The Old New Thing - Site Home - MSDN Blogs |publisher=Blogs.msdn.com |date=2004-01-22 |access-date=2012-12-30}}</ref>
|-
! rowspan="4" |5
|rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |5.0 || 4.05.00.0155 (RC55) || August 4, 1997 || Available as a beta for Windows 2000 that would install on Windows NT 4.0
|-
|4.05.00.0155 (RC66) || || Installer included on the Windows 95 OSR 2.5 installation media
|-
|rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |5.2 || 4.05.01.1600 (RC00) || May 5, 1998 || DirectX 5.2 release for Windows 95
|-
|4.05.01.1998 (RC0) || June 25, 1998 || [[Windows 98]] exclusive
|-
! rowspan="3" |6
|style="text-align:center;" |6.0 || 4.06.00.0318 (RC3) || August 7, 1998<ref name="mscomdx60rel">{{cite news |title=Microsoft Ships Final Release of DirectX 6.0 |url=https://news.microsoft.com/1998/08/07/microsoft-ships-final-release-of-directx-6-0/ |access-date=July 19, 2019 |work=Microsoft.com |date=August 7, 1998 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150826232536/https://news.microsoft.com/1998/08/07/microsoft-ships-final-release-of-directx-6-0/ |archive-date=August 26, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> || [[Windows CE]] as implemented on [[Dreamcast]] and other devices
|-
|style="text-align:center;" |6.1 || 4.06.02.0436 (RC0) || February 3, 1999<ref name="shipdx61mscom">{{cite news |title=Microsoft Ships DirectX 6.1 |url=https://news.microsoft.com/1999/02/03/microsoft-ships-directx-6-1/ |access-date=July 19, 2019 |work=Microsoft.com |date=February 3, 1999 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150826231030/https://news.microsoft.com/1999/02/03/microsoft-ships-directx-6-1/ |archive-date=August 26, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> ||
|-
|style="text-align:center;" |6.1a || 4.06.03.0518 (RC0) || May 5, 1999<ref name="ActiveWin">{{cite web |title=Microsoft DirectX – Frequently Asked Questions |url=https://www.activewin.com/faq/faq_7.shtml |website=ActiveWin.com |access-date=August 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030210101459/https://www.activewin.com/faq/faq_7.shtml |archive-date=February 10, 2003}}</ref> || [[Windows 98 SE|Windows 98 Second Edition]] exclusive. This is last version that runs on 486 or older CPU.
|-
! rowspan="6" |7
|rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |7.0 || 4.07.00.0700 (RC1) || September 22, 1999<ref name="dx70releasecom">{{cite news |title=Microsoft Ships Final Release of DirectX 7.0 |url=https://news.microsoft.com/1999/09/22/microsoft-ships-final-release-of-directx-7-0/ |access-date=July 19, 2019 |work=Microsoft.com |date=September 22, 1999 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190719195813/https://news.microsoft.com/1999/09/22/microsoft-ships-final-release-of-directx-7-0/ |archive-date=July 19, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="70dxrelthurrott">{{cite news |author1=Paul Thurrott |title=Microsoft releases DirectX 7.0 |url=https://www.itprotoday.com/windows-78/microsoft-releases-directx-70 |access-date=July 19, 2019 |work=ITProToday |date=September 21, 1999 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190417092920/https://www.itprotoday.com/windows-78/microsoft-releases-directx-70 |archive-date=April 17, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mielewczik |first=Michael |title=DirectX 7.0 – Nachbrenner für Spiele. |journal=PC Intern |volume=12/1999 |pages=124–125}}</ref>||
|-
|4.07.00.0700 || February 17, 2000 || [[Windows 2000]] exclusive
|-
|rowspan="3" style="text-align:center;" |7.0a || || December 17, 1999 || Released only for Windows 95 to 98<ref name="dx70adowncom">{{cite web |title=Download Center: DirectX / Version - 7.0a |url=https://www.microsoft.com/downloads/release.asp?ReleaseID=16819 |website=Microsoft.com |access-date=July 20, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000408160357/http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/release.asp?ReleaseID=16819 |archive-date=April 8, 2000}}</ref><ref name="shacknews70anews">{{cite web |author1=Maarten Goldstein |title=DirectX 7A released |url=https://www.shacknews.com/article/3492/directx-7a-released |website=[[Shacknews]] |access-date=July 20, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190720001537/https://www.shacknews.com/article/3492/directx-7a-released |archive-date=July 20, 2019 |date=December 18, 1999 |url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|4.07.00.0716 (RC0) || March 8, 2000 ||
|-
|4.07.00.0716 (RC1) || 2000 ||
|-
|style="text-align:center;" |7.1 || 4.07.01.3000 (RC1) || September 14, 2000<ref name="merev71dxpt">{{cite web |author1=Paul Thurrott |title=Windows Millennium Edition (Windows Me) Review |url=https://www.itprotoday.com/windows-server/windows-millennium-edition-windows-me-review |website=ITProToday |access-date=July 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613165845/http://www.itprotoday.com/windows-server/windows-millennium-edition-windows-me-review |archive-date=June 13, 2018 |date=September 14, 2000 |url-status=live}}</ref> || [[Windows Me]] exclusive. Last version to have built-in RGB software rendering support
|-
! rowspan="7" |8
|style="text-align:center;" |8.0 || 4.08.00.0400 (RC10) || November 10, 2000<ref name="geekcomdx7leak">{{cite news |author1=Admin |title=DirectX 8 leaks out |url=https://www.geek.com/games/directx-8-leaks-out-542827/ |access-date=July 20, 2019 |work=[[Geek.com]] |date=November 10, 2000 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160712051705/https://www.geek.com/games/directx-8-leaks-out-542827/ |archive-date=July 12, 2016}}</ref> ||
|-
|style="text-align:center;" |8.0a || 4.08.00.0400 (RC14) || January 24, 2001<ref name="dx80aredistms">{{cite web |title=DirectX 8.0a Redist |url=https://www.microsoft.com/downloads/release.asp?ReleaseID=27398 |website=Microsoft.com |access-date=July 20, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010331092946/http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/release.asp?ReleaseID=27398 |archive-date=March 31, 2001 |date=January 24, 2001}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mielewczik |first=Michael |year=2001 |title=Brandaktuell – Das neue DirectX 8.0. |journal=Windows Technical |publisher=MEK3 Verlag |publication-place=München |volume=2001 |issue=2 |pages=56–59}}</ref>|| Last version supporting Windows 95 and last version to have software rendering support in dxdiag.exe
|-
|rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |8.1 || 4.08.01.0810 || October 25, 2001 || [[Windows XP]], Windows XP SP1, [[Windows Server 2003]]
|-
|4.08.01.0881 (RC7) || November 8, 2001 || This version is for the down level operating systems (Windows 98, Windows Me and Windows 2000)
|-
|style="text-align:center;" |8.1a || 4.08.01.0901 (RC?) || 2002 || This release includes an update to Direct3D (D3d8.dll)
|-
|style="text-align:center;" |8.1b || 4.08.01.0901 (RC7) || June 25, 2002 || This update includes a fix to DirectShow on Windows 2000 (Quartz.dll)
|-
|style="text-align:center;" |8.2 || 4.08.02.0134 (RC0) || 2002 || Same as the DirectX 8.1b but includes DirectPlay 8.2
|-
! rowspan="8" |9
|style="text-align:center;" |9.0 || 4.09.00.0900 (RC4) || December 19, 2002 ||
|-
|style="text-align:center;" |9.0a || 4.09.00.0901 (RC6) || March 26, 2003 ||
|-
|style="text-align:center;" |9.0b || 4.09.00.0902 (RC2) || August 13, 2003 ||
|-
| rowspan="5" |9.0c<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=2da43d38-db71-4c1b-bc6a-9b6652cd92a3|title=Download DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer from Official Microsoft Download Center|publisher=Microsoft|work=microsoft.com}}</ref>
|4.09.00.0904 (RC0) || July 22, 2004 || First 9.0c version<br>Periodic hybrid 32-bit/64-bit updates, starting from October 2004, were released bimonthly until August 2007, and quarterly thereafter. The last update was released in June 2010<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=3b170b25-abab-4bc3-ae91-50ceb6d8fa8d|title=Download DirectX End-User Runtimes (June 2010) from Official Microsoft Download Center|publisher=Microsoft|work=microsoft.com}}</ref>
|-
|rowspan="4" |4.09.00.0904 || August 6, 2004 / April 21, 2008* || Windows XP SP2 and SP3*, Windows Server 2003 SP1 and Windows Server 2003 R2
|-
|December 8, 2006
|Last version supporting Windows 98, 98 SE and Me{{efn|name=":1"|It is possible to install the October/November 2007 runtime on 98/98 SE and the February 2010 runtime on Me after this version.}}
|-
|February 5, 2010
|Last version supporting Windows 2000, XP and XP SP1
|-
|June 7, 2010
|Final 9.0c version<br>Last version supporting Windows XP SP2 and SP3<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/pc/report-no-directx-10-for-windows-xp|title=Report: No DirectX 10 For Windows XP|website=GameDeveloper|date=May 30, 2006|access-date=2021-12-23}}</ref>
|-
! rowspan="3" |10
|style="text-align:center;" |10 || 6.00.6000.16386 || November 30, 2006 || [[Windows Vista]] exclusive
|-
|rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |10.1 || 6.00.6001.18000 || February 4, 2008 || [[Windows Vista SP1]], [[Windows Server 2008]]<br />Includes Direct3D 10.1
|-
|6.00.6002.18005 || April 28, 2009 || [[Windows Vista SP2]], [[Windows Server 2008 SP2]]<br />Includes Direct3D 10.1
|-
! rowspan="6" |11
|rowspan="3" style="text-align:center;" |11 || 6.01.7600.16385 || October 22, 2009 || [[Windows 7]], [[Windows Server 2008 R2]]
|-
|| 6.00.6002.18107 || October 27, 2009 || Windows Vista SP2 and Windows Server 2008 SP2, through the [https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/platform-update-supplement-for-windows-vista-and-for-windows-server-2008-5f6a1e60-0bcd-2080-06ab-85ecc8110d5f Platform Update for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pcgameshardware.com/aid,695119/Microsoft-upgrades-Windows-Vista-with-DirectX-11/News/|title=Microsoft upgrades Windows Vista with DirectX 11|work=pcgameshardware.com|date=September 15, 2009|access-date=September 15, 2009|archive-date=March 31, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160331191801/http://www.pcgameshardware.com/aid,695119/Microsoft-upgrades-Windows-Vista-with-DirectX-11/News/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
|6.01.7601.17514 || February 16, 2011 || [[Windows 7 SP1]], [[Windows Server 2008 R2#Service Pack|Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1]]
|-
|rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |11.1 || 6.02.9200.16384 || August 1, 2012 || [[Windows 8]], [[Windows RT]], [[Windows Server 2012]]<br />
|-
|6.02.9200.16492 || February 11, 2013 || Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, through the [https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/topic/platform-update-for-windows-7-sp1-and-windows-server-2008-r2-sp1-d97da9ca-c15c-b21f-ebb0-838f7be8d9f6 Platform Update for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/2670838/platform-update-for-windows-7-sp1-and-windows-server-2008-r2-sp1|title=Platform update for Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1|date=February 27, 2013|work=Microsoft Support|publisher=Microsoft|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190507050936/https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/2670838/platform-update-for-windows-7-sp1-and-windows-server-2008-r2-sp1|archive-date=May 7, 2019|url-status=live|access-date=May 7, 2019}}</ref>
|-
|style="text-align:center;" |11.2 || 6.03.9600.16384 || October 18, 2013 || [[Windows 8.1]], [[Windows RT]], [[Windows Server 2012 R2]]
|-
! rowspan="7" |12
| rowspan="3" style="text-align:center;" |12 ||10.00.10240.16384 || July 29, 2015 || [[Windows 10]]
|-
|10.00.15063.0000 || March 20, 2017 || Windows 10, Depth Bounds Testing and Programmable MSAA added<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/uwp/whats-new/windows-10-build-15063|title = What's New in Windows 10, build 15063 - UWP applications| date=October 20, 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/directx/2017/11/07/announcing-new-directx-12-features/|title=Announcing new DirectX 12 features|date=November 7, 2017}}</ref>
|-
|10.00.17763.0000 || November 20, 2019 || [[Direct3D]] 12 only for Windows 7 SP1, via a dedicated source code package for app developers<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.nuget.org/packages/Microsoft.Direct3D.D3D12On7| title = NuGet Gallery {{!}} Microsoft.Direct3D.D3D12On7 1.1.0}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://microsoft.github.io/DirectX-Specs/d3d/D3D12onWin7.html|title = DirectX-Specs}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="2" |12.1
| 10.00.17763.0001||October 2, 2018 || Windows 10, DirectX Raytracing support added<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 2, 2018 |title=DirectX Raytracing and the Windows 10 October 2018 Update |url=https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/directx/2018/10/02/directx-raytracing-and-the-windows-10-october-2018-update/}}</ref>
|-
|10.00.18362.0116
|May 19, 2019 || Windows 10, Variable Rate Shading (VRS) support added<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 18, 2019 |title=Variable Rate Shading: A scalpel in a world of sledgehammers |url=https://devblogs.microsoft.com/directx/variable-rate-shading-a-scalpel-in-a-world-of-sledgehammers/}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="2" |12.2
|10.00.19041.0928
|November 10, 2020||Windows 10, Ultimate

|-
|10.00.22000.1000
|October 5, 2021
|[[Windows 11]], Added native refresh rate switching<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 28, 2021 |title=Dynamic refresh rate – Get the best of both worlds |url=https://devblogs.microsoft.com/directx/dynamic-refresh-rate/}}</ref> and improved graphics capabilities to [[Windows Subsystem for Linux]]<ref>{{cite web |title=WSL Graphics Architecture |url=https://xdc2020.x.org/event/9/contributions/610/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008215757/https://xdc2020.x.org/event/9/contributions/610/ |archive-date=October 8, 2021 |access-date=October 8, 2021 |website=X.Org Developers Conference 2020}}</ref>

|}
The version number as reported by Microsoft's [[DxDiag]] tool (version 4.09.0000.0900 and higher) use the x.xx.xxxx.xxxx format for version numbers. However, the DirectX and Windows XP [[Microsoft Developer Network|MSDN]] page claims that the registry always has been in the x.xx.xx.xxxx format. Therefore, when the above table lists a version as '4.09.00.0904' Microsoft's [[DxDiag]] tool may have it as '4.09.0000.0904'.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://msdn.microsoft.com/archive/en-us/directx9_c_Dec_2004/directx/directxsdk/dxandxp.asp |title = DirectX and Windows XP |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080118005316/http://msdn.microsoft.com/archive/en-us/directx9_c_Dec_2004/directx/directxsdk/dxandxp.asp |archive-date=18 January 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Compatibility==
Various releases of Windows have included and supported various versions of DirectX, allowing newer versions of the operating system to continue running applications designed for earlier versions of DirectX until those versions can be gradually phased out in favor of newer APIs, drivers, and hardware.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://support.microsoft.com/en-in/help/15061/windows-which-version-directx|access-date=2020-09-30|website=support.microsoft.com|title=Which version of DirectX is on your PC?}}</ref>

APIs such as Direct3D and DirectSound need to interact with hardware, and they do this through a [[device driver]]. Hardware manufacturers have to write these drivers for a particular DirectX version's device driver interface (or DDI), and test each individual piece of hardware to make them DirectX compatible. Some hardware devices have only DirectX compatible drivers (in other words, one must install DirectX in order to use that hardware). Early versions of DirectX included an up-to-date library of all of the DirectX compatible drivers currently available. This practice was stopped however, in favor of the web-based [[Windows Update]] driver-update system, which allowed users to download only the drivers relevant to their hardware, rather than the entire library.

Prior to DirectX 10, DirectX runtime was designed to be ''backward compatible'' with older drivers, meaning that newer versions of the APIs were designed to interoperate with older drivers written against a previous version's DDI. The application programmer had to query the available hardware capabilities using a complex system of "cap bits" each tied to a particular hardware feature. Direct3D 7 and earlier would work on any version of the DDI, Direct3D 8 requires a minimum DDI level of 6 and Direct3D 9 requires a minimum DDI level of 7.<ref name=MSDN>{{cite web|last=MSN|title=Minimum DDI requirements|url=https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/bb219840(v=vs.85).aspx|publisher=Microsoft|access-date=2 August 2012}}</ref>
However, the Direct3D 10 runtime in Windows Vista cannot run on older hardware drivers due to the significantly updated DDI, which requires a unified feature set and abandons the use of "cap bits".

[[Direct3D 10.1]] introduces "[[Feature levels in Direct3D|feature levels]]" 10_0 and 10_1, which allow use of only the hardware features defined in the specified version of Direct3D API. [[Direct3D 11]] adds level 11_0 and "10 Level 9" - a subset of the Direct3D 10 API designed to run on Direct3D 9 hardware, which has three feature levels (9_1, 9_2 and 9_3) grouped by common capabilities of "low", "med" and "high-end" video cards; the runtime directly uses Direct3D 9 DDI provided in all WDDM drivers. Feature level 11_1 has been introduced with [[Direct3D 11.1]].

===.NET Framework===
In 2002, Microsoft released a version of DirectX compatible with the Microsoft [[.NET Framework]], thus allowing programmers to take advantage of DirectX functionality from within .NET applications using compatible languages such as managed C++ or the use of the [[C Sharp (programming language)|C#]] programming language. This API was known as "[[Managed DirectX]]" (or MDX for short), and claimed to operate at 98% of performance of the underlying native DirectX APIs. In December 2005, February 2006, April 2006, and August 2006, Microsoft released successive updates to this library, culminating in a beta version called Managed DirectX 2.0. While Managed DirectX 2.0 consolidated functionality that had previously been scattered over multiple assemblies into a single assembly, thus simplifying dependencies on it for software developers, development on this version has subsequently been discontinued, and it is no longer supported. The Managed DirectX 2.0 library expired on October 5, 2006.

During the [[Game Developers Conference|GDC]] 2006, Microsoft presented the [[Microsoft XNA|XNA Framework]], a new managed version of DirectX (similar but not identical to Managed DirectX) that is intended to assist development of games by making it easier to integrate DirectX, HLSL and other tools in one package. It also supports the execution of managed code on the Xbox 360. The [[Microsoft XNA#XNA Game Studio|XNA Game Studio Express RTM]] was made available on December 11, 2006, as a free download for Windows XP. Unlike the DirectX runtime, [[Managed DirectX]], [[Microsoft XNA|XNA Framework]] or the [[Xbox 360]] APIs (XInput, XACT etc.) have not shipped as part of Windows. Developers are expected to redistribute the runtime components along with their games or applications.

No Microsoft product including the latest XNA releases provides DirectX 10 support for the .NET Framework.

The other approach for DirectX in managed languages is to use third-party libraries like:

* SlimDX, an open source library for DirectX programming on the .NET Framework
* SharpDX,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sharpdx.org/|title=SharpDX - Managed DirectX|access-date=30 September 2014|archive-date=January 16, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116185138/http://sharpdx.org/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://github.com/sharpdx/SharpDX|title=sharpdx/SharpDX|work=GitHub|access-date=30 September 2014}}</ref> which is an open source project delivering the full DirectX API for .NET on all Windows platforms, allowing the development of high performance game, 2D and 3D graphics rendering as well as real-time sound applications
* [http://sourceforge.net/projects/directshownet DirectShow.NET] for the DirectShow subset
* [http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/WindowsAPICodePack Windows API CodePack for .NET Framework] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110214011000/http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/WindowsAPICodePack |date=February 14, 2011 }}, which is an open source library from Microsoft.

==Alternatives==
There are alternatives to the DirectX family of [[API]]s, with [[OpenGL]], its successor [[Vulkan]], [[Metal (API)|Metal]] and [[Mantle (API)|Mantle]] having the most features comparable to [[Direct3D]]. Examples of other APIs include [[Simple DirectMedia Layer|SDL]], [[Allegro (software library)|Allegro]], [[OpenMAX]], OpenML, [[OpenAL]], [[OpenCL]], [[FMOD]], [[Simple and Fast Multimedia Library|SFML]] etc. Many of these libraries are cross-platform or have open codebases. There are also alternative implementations that aim to provide the same API, such as the one in [[Wine (software)|Wine]]. Furthermore, the developers of [[ReactOS]] are trying to reimplement DirectX under the name "ReactX".


==See also==
==See also==
* [[ActiveX]]
{{Portal|Microsoft}}
* [[Direct3D]]
*[[Graphics Device Interface]] (GDI)
* [[DirectX plugin]]
*[[General Graphics Interface]] (GGI)
*[[Graphics pipeline]]
* [[DxDiag]]
* [[Graphics Device Interface]] (GDI)
*[[DXDiag]]
*[[ActiveX]]
* [[Graphics pipeline]]
* [[Simple DirectMedia Layer]]
* [[Timeout Detection and Recovery]]
* [[Vulkan]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
<div class="references-small">
<!--See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Footnotes for an explanation of how to generate footnotes using the <ref(erences/)> tags-->
<references/>
</div>


==External links==
==External links==
*[http://www.microsoft.com/directx Microsoft's DirectX site]
* [https://docs.microsoft.com/windows/win32/directx Microsoft's DirectX developer site]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100429174843/http://hothardware.com/Articles/The%2DState%2Dof%2DDirectX%2D10%2D%2DImage%2DQuality%2D%2DPerformance/ The State of DirectX 10 - Image Quality & Performance]
*[http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/info.aspx?na=90&p=&SrcDisplayLang=en&SrcCategoryId=&SrcFamilyId=2DA43D38-DB71-4C1B-BC6A-9B6652CD92A3&u=http%3a%2f%2fdownload.microsoft.com%2fdownload%2f1%2f7%2f1%2f1718ccc4-6315-4d8e-9543-8e28a4e18c4c%2fdxwebsetup.exe Direct link to] [http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=2DA43D38-DB71-4C1B-BC6A-9B6652CD92A3&displaylang=en latest DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer - February 2007]
*[http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/info.aspx?na=90&p=&SrcDisplayLang=en&SrcCategoryId=&SrcFamilyId=4B1F5D0C-5E44-4864-93CD-464EF59DA050&u=http%3a%2f%2fdownload.microsoft.com%2fdownload%2f4%2f2%2f2%2f42219f33-9597-4ae0-a7a1-cccabc893ca2%2fdirectx_feb2007_redist.exe Direct link to] [http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=4B1F5D0C-5E44-4864-93CD-464EF59DA050&displaylang=en latest DirectX Redistributable Full Download - Multilingual - February 2007]
*[http://download.microsoft.com/download/6/3/e/63e8f5ff-02d8-4baf-93b7-4d6f96b9610e/directx_9c_Dec04sdk_redist.exe Direct link to] [http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=2c40a7a5-7742-44d2-9f5c-420815448ea4 last '''pure 32-bit''' DirectX 9.0c from [[December 13]] [[2004]]]
*[http://download.microsoft.com/download/1/e/5/1e5135a7-552b-42a6-a7ff-7646522f9277/directx_9c_Feb05sdk_redist.exe Direct link to] [http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=03c30962-4b78-4e59-8c70-32998dceffe5 first '''64-bit capable''' DirectX 9.0c from [[February 9]] [[2005]]]
*[http://msdn.microsoft.com/directx Microsoft's MSDN documentation & resource center for DirectX] (for programmers)
*[http://msdn.microsoft.com/archive/default.asp?url=/archive/en-us/dnarmulmed/html/msdn_directan.asp DirectAnimation] (MSDN)
*[http://msdn.microsoft.com/workshop/browser/filter/overview/whatisdxtrans.asp DirectX Transform] (MSDN)
*[http://www.gamedev.net/community/forums/showfaq.asp?forum_id=10 GameDev's FAQ on DirectX]
*[http://www.oldversion.com/program.php?n=directx Old DirectX downloads at OldVersion.com]
*[http://www.wikitechia.org/index.php/Missing_DirectX_dll_files Wikitechia article on missing DirectX DLLs] due to periodic 9.0c updates.
*[http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/11/08/what_direct3d_10_is_all_about/ What Direct3D 10 is all about] - Toms Hardware
*[http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/directx_10_graphics_preview/default.asp DirectX 10 Preview: The Future of PC Graphics and Gaming - |-Q&A with Epic Games' programmer [[Tim Sweeney]].] - FiringSquad.


{{Windows Components}}
===Programmer resources===
{{MS DevTools|close}}
*[http://www.dxten.com/wiki/Main_Page DirectX 10 Wiki] - Wiki covering DirectX 10 Tutorials, Samples, Effect, News.
{{Microsoft APIs|close}}
*[http://www.directxtutorial.com DirectXTutorial.com] - DirectX 9 Tutorial for game programming
{{Microsoft video gaming}}
*[http://www.32bits.co.uk 32Bits] - Beginner to advanced tutorials covering 2D and 3D effects
{{Authority control}}
*[http://www.mvps.org/directx/ Microsoft MVP Robert Dunlop's DirectX Articles section]
*[http://www.gamedev.net/reference/list.asp?categoryid=24 Gamedev.net's DirectX Articles section]
*[http://www.drunkenhyena.com/cgi-bin/directx.pl Drunken Hyena] - tutorials, code, utilities, and games
*[http://www.codesampler.com/dx9src.htm CodeSampler.com] - Code samples and tutorials for Direct3D game programming using C++ and C#
*[http://pluralsight.com/wiki/default.aspx/Craig.DirectX/Direct3DTutorialIndex.html Managed Direct3D] - Craig Andera's C# Direct3D Tutorial
*[http://nexe.gamedev.net/directKnowledge/ NeXe] - NeXe's new site/wiki
*[http://www.pieterg.com/Tutorials.php Managed Direct3D] - Pieter Germishuys's C# Direct3D Tutorial
*[http://www.mdxinfo.com/ MDXInfo] - Website dedicated to tutorials and samples for Managed DirectX in C#
*[http://zophusx.byethost11.com/main.php ZophusX] - Direct3D tutorials in C# and C++, geared towards beginners
*[http://www.thezbuffer.com/ The ZBuffer] - News and articles for Managed DirectX and XNA framework
*[http://www.riemers.net/index.php Riemer’s DirectX Tutorials] - Riemer’s DirectX Tutorials for C# and C++, including samples for terrain rendering
*[http://triplebuffer.devmaster.net TripleBuffer] - TripleBuffers's new DirectX9 tutorial site.
*[http://just-code-it.net Just Code It] - Site with Managed DirectX 9 tutorials on various issues including terrain rendering.
*[http://mywebpage.netscape.com/PtrPck/directx.htm DirectX and MinGW] - Peter Puck's Details regarding DirectX and MinGW import library issues
*[http://www.spacejack.org/games/mingw/mingw-dx.html MinGW + DirectX] - mingw compiling DirectX apps
*[http://vbprogramming.8k.com/tutorials/main.htm vbProgramming DirectX VB Tutorials] - The Pentium Guy's Tutorials for creating (DirectX) Games in Visual Basic.
*[http://www.neotitans.com/resources/mdx-ironpython-1.html Initializing Managed DirectX in IronPython]

{{Microsoft}}


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Latest revision as of 16:34, 5 January 2025

"DX9" redirects here. For the synthesizer, see Yamaha DX9.

DirectX
Developer(s)Microsoft
Initial releaseSeptember 30, 1995; 29 years ago (1995-09-30)
Stable release
12 Ultimate API / October 5, 2021; 3 years ago (2021-10-05)
Operating systemMicrosoft Windows, Windows Phone 8, Dreamcast,[1] Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S, Linux (Gallium Nine) (DirectX 12 only, Exclusive to Windows Subsystem for Linux)[2]
TypeAPI

Microsoft DirectX is a collection of application programming interfaces (APIs) for handling tasks related to multimedia, especially game programming and video, on Microsoft platforms. Originally, the names of these APIs all began with "Direct", such as Direct3D, DirectDraw, DirectMusic, DirectPlay, DirectSound, and so forth. The name DirectX was coined as a shorthand term for all of these APIs (the X standing in for the particular API names) and soon became the name of the collection. When Microsoft later set out to develop a gaming console, the X was used as the basis of the name Xbox to indicate that the console was based on DirectX technology.[3] The X initial has been carried forward in the naming of APIs designed for the Xbox such as XInput and the Cross-platform Audio Creation Tool (XACT), while the DirectX pattern has been continued for Windows APIs such as Direct2D and DirectWrite.

Direct3D (the 3D graphics API within DirectX) is widely used in the development of video games for Microsoft Windows and the Xbox line of consoles. Direct3D is also used by other software applications for visualization and graphics tasks such as CAD/CAM engineering. As Direct3D is the most widely publicized component of DirectX, it is common to see the names "DirectX" and "Direct3D" used interchangeably.

The DirectX software development kit (SDK) consists of runtime libraries in redistributable binary form, along with accompanying documentation and headers for use in coding. Originally, the runtimes were only installed by games or explicitly by the user. Windows 95 did not launch with DirectX, but DirectX was included with Windows 95 OEM Service Release 2.[4] Windows 98 and Windows NT 4.0 both shipped with DirectX, as has every version of Windows released since. The SDK is available as a free download. While the runtimes are proprietary, closed-source software, source code is provided for most of the SDK samples. Starting with the release of Windows 8 Developer Preview, DirectX SDK has been integrated into Windows SDK.[5]

Development history

[edit]

In late 1994, Microsoft was ready to release Windows 95, its next operating system. An important factor in its value to consumers was the programs that would be able to run on it. Microsoft employee Alex St. John had been in discussions with various game developers asking how likely they would be to bring their MS-DOS games to Windows 95, and found the responses mostly negative, since programmers had found that the Windows environment did not provide the necessary features which were available under MS-DOS using BIOS routines or direct hardware access.[6] There were also strong fears of compatibility; a notable case of this was from Disney's Animated Storybook: The Lion King which was based on the WinG programming interface.[7] Due to numerous incompatible graphics drivers from new Compaq computers that were not tested with the WinG interface which came bundled with the game, it crashed so frequently on many desktop systems that parents had flooded Disney's call-in help lines.[8][9]

St. John recognized the resistances for game development under Windows would be a limitation, and recruited two additional engineers, Craig Eisler and Eric Engstrom, to develop a better solution to get more programmers to develop games for Windows. The project was codenamed the Manhattan Project, like the World War II project of the same name, and the idea was to displace the Japanese-developed video game consoles with personal computers running Microsoft's operating system.[8] It had initially used the radiation symbol as its logo but Microsoft asked the team to change the logo.[8] Management did not agree to the project as they were already writing off Windows as a gaming platform, but the three committed towards this project's development.[9] Their rebellious nature led Brad Silverberg, the senior vice president of Microsoft's office products, to name the trio the "Beastie Boys".[10]

Most of the work by the three was done among other assigned projects starting near the end of 1994.[9] Within four months and with input from several hardware manufacturers, the team had developed the first set of application programming interfaces (APIs) which they presented at the 1995 Game Developers Conference.[9] The SDK included libraries implementing DirectDraw for bit-mapped graphics,[11] DirectSound for audio,[12] and DirectPlay for communication between players over a network.[13] Furthermore, an extended joystick API already present in Windows 95 was documented for the first time as DirectInput,[14] while a description of how to implement the immediate start of the installation procedure of a software title after inserting its CD-ROM, a feature called AutoPlay, was also part of the SDK.[15] The "Direct" part of the library was so named as these routines bypassed existing core Windows 95 routines and accessed the computer hardware only via a hardware abstraction layer (HAL).[16] Though the team had named it the "Game SDK" (software development kit), the name "DirectX" came from one journalist that had mocked the naming scheme of the various libraries. The team opted to continue to use that naming scheme and call the project DirectX.[8]

The first version of DirectX was released in September 1995 as the Windows Game SDK. Its DirectDraw component was the Win32 replacement for the DCI[17] and WinG APIs for Windows 3.1.[18] DirectX allowed all versions of Microsoft Windows, starting with Windows 95, to incorporate high-performance multimedia. Eisler wrote about the frenzy to build DirectX 1 through 5 in his blog.[19]

To get more developers on board DirectX, Microsoft approached id Software's John Carmack and offered to port Doom and Doom 2 from MS-DOS to DirectX, free of charge, with id retaining all publishing rights to the game. Carmack agreed, and Microsoft's Gabe Newell led the porting project. The first game was released as Doom 95 in August 1996, the first published DirectX game. Microsoft promoted the game heavily with Bill Gates appearing in ads for the title.[8]

DirectX 2.0 became a built-in component of Windows with the releases of Windows 95 OSR2 and Windows NT 4.0 in mid-1996. Since Windows 95 itself was still new and few games had been released for it, Microsoft engaged in heavy promotion of DirectX to developers who were generally distrustful of Microsoft's ability to build a gaming platform in Windows. Alex St. John, the evangelist for DirectX, staged an elaborate event at the 1996 Computer Game Developers Conference which game developer Jay Barnson described as a Roman theme, including real lions, togas, and something resembling an indoor carnival.[20] It was at this event that Microsoft first introduced Direct3D, and demonstrated multiplayer MechWarrior 2 being played over the Internet.

The DirectX team faced the challenging task of testing each DirectX release against an array of computer hardware and software. A variety of different graphics cards, audio cards, motherboards, CPUs, input devices, games, and other multimedia applications were tested with each beta and final release. The DirectX team also built and distributed tests that allowed the hardware industry to confirm that new hardware designs and driver releases would be compatible with DirectX.

Prior to DirectX Microsoft had added OpenGL to their Windows NT platform.[21] OpenGL had been designed as a cross-platform, window system independent software interface to graphics hardware by Silicon Graphics, Inc. to bring 3D graphics programming into the mainstream of application programming. Besides it could also be used for 2D graphics and imaging and was controlled by the Architectural Review Board (ARB) which included Microsoft.[22][23] Direct3D was intended to be a Microsoft controlled alternative to OpenGL, focused initially on game use. As 3D gaming grew game developers were discovering that OpenGL could be used effectively for game development.[24] At that point a "battle" began between supporters of the cross-platform OpenGL and the Windows-only Direct3D.[25] Incidentally, OpenGL was supported at Microsoft by the DirectX team. If a developer chose to use the OpenGL 3D graphics API in computer games, the other APIs of DirectX besides Direct3D were often combined with OpenGL because OpenGL does not include all of DirectX's functionality (such as sound or joystick support).

In a console-specific version, DirectX was used as a basis for Microsoft's Xbox, Xbox 360 and Xbox One console API. The API was developed jointly between Microsoft and Nvidia, which developed the custom graphics hardware used by the original Xbox. The Xbox API was similar to DirectX version 8.1, but is non-updateable like other console technologies. The Xbox was code named DirectXbox, but this was shortened to Xbox for its commercial name.[26]

In 2002, Microsoft released DirectX 9 with support for the use of much longer shader programs than before with pixel and vertex shader version 2.0. Microsoft has continued to update the DirectX suite since then, introducing Shader Model 3.0 in DirectX 9.0c, released in August 2004.

As of April 2005, DirectShow was removed from DirectX and moved to the Microsoft Platform SDK instead.

DirectX has been confirmed to be present in Microsoft's Windows Phone 8.[27]

Real-time raytracing was announced as DXR in 2018. Support for compiling HLSL to SPIR-V was also added in the DirectX Shader Compiler the same year.[28]

Components

[edit]

DirectX is composed of multiple APIs:

Microsoft has deprecated the following components:

DirectX functionality is provided in the form of COM-style objects and interfaces. Additionally, while not DirectX components themselves, managed objects have been built on top of some parts of DirectX, such as Managed Direct3D[31] and the XNA graphics library[32] on top of Direct3D 9.

Microsoft distributes debugging tool for DirectX called "PIX".[33]

Versions

[edit]

DirectX 9

[edit]
See also: Direct3D § Direct3D 9

Introduced by Microsoft in 2002, DirectX 9 was a significant release in the DirectX family. It brought many important features and enhancements to the graphics capabilities of Windows. At the time of its release, it supported Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows 2000, and Windows XP. As of August 2024 it remains supported by all subsequent versions of Windows for backward compatibility.

One of the key features introduced in DirectX 9 was Shader Model 2.0, which included Pixel Shader 2.0 and Vertex Shader 2.0. These allowed for more complex and realistic graphics rendering. It also brought much needed performance improvements through better hardware acceleration capabilities, and better utilization of GPU resources. It also introduced HLSL, which provided a more accessible way for developers to produce shaders.

DirectX 9.0c was an update to the original, and has been continuously changed over the years affecting its compatibility with older operating systems. As of January 2007, Windows 2000 and Windows XP became the minimum required operating systems. This means support was officially dropped for Windows 98 and Windows Me. As of August 2024, DirectX 9.0c is still regularly updated.

Windows XP SP2 and newer include DirectX 9.0c,[34] but may require a newer DirectX runtime redistributable installation for DirectX 9.0c applications compiled with the February 2005 DirectX 9.0 SDK or newer.

DirectX 9 had a significant impact on game development. Many games from the mid-2000s to early 2010s were developed using DirectX 9 and it became a standard target for developers. Even today, some games still use DirectX 9 as an option for older or less powerful hardware.

DirectX 10

[edit]
See also: Direct3D 10
Microsoft DirectX 10 logo wordmark

A major update to DirectX API, DirectX 10 ships with and is only available with Windows Vista (launched in late 2006) and later. Previous versions of Windows such as Windows XP are not able to run DirectX 10-exclusive applications. Rather, programs that are run on a Windows XP system with DirectX 10 hardware simply resort to the DirectX 9.0c code path, the latest available for Windows XP computers.[35]

Changes for DirectX 10 were extensive. Many former parts of DirectX API were deprecated in the latest DirectX SDK and are preserved for compatibility only: DirectInput was deprecated in favor of XInput, DirectSound was deprecated in favor of the Cross-platform Audio Creation Tool system (XACT) and additionally lost support for hardware accelerated audio, since the Vista audio stack renders sound in software on the CPU. The DirectPlay DPLAY.DLL was also removed and was replaced with dplayx.dll; games that rely on this DLL must duplicate it and rename it to dplay.dll.

In order to achieve backwards compatibility, DirectX in Windows Vista contains several versions of Direct3D:[36]

  • Direct3D 9: emulates Direct3D 9 behavior as it was on Windows XP. Details and advantages of Vista's Windows Display Driver Model are hidden from the application if WDDM drivers are installed. This is the only API available if there are only XP graphic drivers (XDDM) installed, after an upgrade to Vista for example.
  • Direct3D 9Ex (known internally during Windows Vista development as 9.0L or 9.L): allows full access to the new capabilities of WDDM (if WDDM drivers are installed) while maintaining compatibility for existing Direct3D applications. The Windows Aero user interface relies on D3D 9Ex.
  • Direct3D 10: Designed around the new driver model in Windows Vista and featuring a number of improvements to rendering capabilities and flexibility, including Shader Model 4.

Direct3D 10.1 is an incremental update of Direct3D 10.0 which shipped with, and required, Windows Vista Service Pack 1, which was released in February 2008.[37] This release mainly sets a few more image quality standards for graphics vendors, while giving developers more control over image quality.[38] It also adds support for cube map arrays, separate blend modes per-MRT, coverage mask export from a pixel shader, ability to run pixel shader per sample, access to multi-sampled depth buffers[39] and requires that the video card supports Shader Model 4.1 or higher and 32-bit floating-point operations. Direct3D 10.1 still fully supports Direct3D 10 hardware, but in order to utilize all of the new features, updated hardware is required.[40]

DirectX 11

[edit]
See also: Direct3D 11
Microsoft DirectX 11 logo wordmark

Microsoft unveiled DirectX 11 at the Gamefest 08 event in Seattle. The Final Platform Update launched for Windows Vista on October 27, 2009, which was a week after the initial release of Windows 7, which launched with Direct3D 11 as a base standard.

Major scheduled features including GPGPU support (DirectCompute), and Direct3D 11 with tessellation support[41][42] and improved multi-threading support to assist video game developers in developing games that better utilize multi-core processors.[43] Parts of the new API such as multi-threaded resource handling can be supported on Direct3D 9/10/10.1-class hardware. Hardware tessellation and Shader Model 5.0 require Direct3D 11 supporting hardware.[44] Microsoft has since released the Direct3D 11 Technical Preview.[45] Direct3D 11 is a strict superset of Direct3D 10.1 — all hardware and API features of version 10.1 are retained, and new features are added only when necessary for exposing new functionality. This helps to keep backwards compatibility with previous versions of DirectX.

Four updates for DirectX 11 were released:

  • DirectX 11.1 is included in Windows 8. It supports WDDM 1.2 for increased performance, features improved integration of Direct2D (now at version 1.1), Direct3D, and DirectCompute, and includes DirectXMath, XAudio2, and XInput libraries from the XNA framework. It also features stereoscopic 3D support for gaming and video.[46] DirectX 11.1 was also partially backported to Windows 7, via the Windows 7 platform update.[47][48]
  • DirectX 11.2 is included in Windows 8.1 (including the RT version) and Windows Server 2012 R2.[49] It added some new features to Direct2D like geometry realizations.[50] It also added swap chain composition, which allows some elements of the scene to be rendered at lower resolutions and then composited via hardware overlay with other parts rendered at higher resolution.[51]
  • DirectX 11.X is a superset of DirectX 11.2 running on the Xbox One.[52] It actually includes some features, such as draw bundles, that were later announced as part of DirectX 12.[53]
  • DirectX 11.3 was announced along with DirectX 12 at GDC and released in 2015. It is meant to complement DirectX 12 as a higher-level alternative.[54] It is included with Windows 10.[49]

DirectX 12

[edit]
See also: Direct3D 12

DirectX 12 was announced by Microsoft at GDC on March 20, 2014, and was officially launched alongside Windows 10 on July 29, 2015.

The primary feature highlight for the new release of DirectX was the introduction of advanced low-level programming APIs for Direct3D 12 which can reduce driver overhead. Developers are now able to implement their own command lists and buffers to the GPU, allowing for more efficient resource utilization through parallel computation. Lead developer Max McMullen stated that the main goal of Direct3D 12 is to achieve "console-level efficiency on phone, tablet and PC".[55] The release of Direct3D 12 comes alongside other initiatives for low-overhead graphics APIs including AMD's Mantle for AMD graphics cards, Apple's Metal for iOS and macOS and Khronos Group's cross-platform Vulkan.

Multiadapter support will feature in DirectX 12 allowing developers to utilize multiple GPUs on a system simultaneously; multi-GPU support was previously dependent on vendor implementations such as AMD CrossFireX or NVIDIA SLI.[56][57][58][59]

  • Implicit Multiadapter support will work in a similar manner to previous versions of DirectX where frames are rendered alternately across linked GPUs of similar compute-power.
  • Explicit Multiadapter will provide two distinct API patterns to developers. Linked GPUs will allow DirectX to view graphics cards in SLI or CrossFireX as a single GPU and use the combined resources; whereas Unlinked GPUs will allow GPUs from different vendors to be utilized by DirectX, such as supplementing the dedicated GPU with the integrated GPU on the CPU, or combining AMD and NVIDIA cards. However, elaborate mixed multi-GPU setups requires significantly more attentive developer support.

DirectX 12 is supported on all Fermi and later Nvidia GPUs, on AMD's GCN-based chips and on Intel's Haswell and later processors' graphics units.[60]

At SIGGRAPH 2014, Intel released a demo showing a computer generated asteroid field, in which DirectX 12 was claimed to be 50–70% more efficient than DirectX 11 in rendering speed and CPU power consumption.[61][62]

Ashes of the Singularity was the first publicly available game to utilize DirectX 12. Testing by Ars Technica in August 2015 revealed slight performance regressions in DirectX 12 over DirectX 11 mode for the Nvidia GeForce 980 Ti, whereas the AMD Radeon R9 290x achieved consistent performance improvements of up to 70% under DirectX 12, and in some scenarios the AMD outperformed the more powerful Nvidia under DirectX 12. The performance discrepancies may be due to poor Nvidia driver optimizations for DirectX 12, or even hardware limitations of the card which was optimized for DirectX 11 serial execution; however, the exact cause remains unclear.[63]

The performance improvements of DirectX 12 on the Xbox are not as substantial as on the PC.[64]

In March 2018, DirectX Raytracing (DXR) was announced, capable of real-time ray-tracing on supported hardware,[65] and the DXR API was added in the Windows 10 October 2018 update.

In 2019 Microsoft announced the arrival of DirectX 12 to Windows 7 but only as a plug-in for certain game titles.[66]

DirectX 12 Ultimate

[edit]

Microsoft revealed DirectX 12 Ultimate in March 2020. DirectX 12 Ultimate will unify to a common library on both Windows 10 computers and the Xbox Series X and other ninth-generation Xbox consoles. Among the new features in Ultimate includes DirectX Raytracing 1.1, Variable Rate Shading, which gives programmers control over the level of detail of shading depending on design choices, Mesh Shaders, and Sampler Feedback.[67][68]

Version history

[edit]
Release timeline
Major releases
1995DirectX 1
1996DirectX 2
DirectX 3
1997DirectX 5
1998DirectX 6
1999DirectX 7
2000DirectX 8
2001
2002DirectX 9
2003
2004
2005
2006DirectX 10
2007
2008
2009DirectX 11
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015DirectX 12
DirectX versions
Version Release date Notes
Major Minor Number
1 1.0 4.02.0095 September 30, 1995 Initially released as Windows Game SDK, replacing WinG for Windows 95 onward
2 2.0 1996 Was shipped only with a few 3rd party applications
2.0a 4.03.00.1096 June 5, 1996 Windows 95 OSR2 and Windows NT 4.0 exclusive
3 3.0 4.04.00.0068 September 15, 1996  
4.04.00.0069 1996 Later package of DirectX 3.0 included Direct3D 4.04.00.0069
3.0a 4.04.00.0070 December 1996 Windows NT 4.0 SP3 (and above)
Last version supporting Windows NT 4.0
3.0b 4.04.00.0070 December 1996 This was a very minor update to 3.0a that fixed a cosmetic problem with the Japanese version of Windows 95
4 4.0 Never released DirectX 4 was never released. Raymond Chen of Microsoft explained in his book, The Old New Thing, that after DirectX 3 was released, Microsoft began developing versions 4 and 5 at the same time. Version 4 was to be a shorter-term release with small features, whereas version 5 would be a more substantial release. The lack of interest from game developers in the features stated for DirectX 4 resulted in it being shelved, and the large amount of documents that already distinguished the two new versions resulted in Microsoft choosing to not re-use version 4 to describe features intended for version 5.[69][70]
5 5.0 4.05.00.0155 (RC55) August 4, 1997 Available as a beta for Windows 2000 that would install on Windows NT 4.0
4.05.00.0155 (RC66) Installer included on the Windows 95 OSR 2.5 installation media
5.2 4.05.01.1600 (RC00) May 5, 1998 DirectX 5.2 release for Windows 95
4.05.01.1998 (RC0) June 25, 1998 Windows 98 exclusive
6 6.0 4.06.00.0318 (RC3) August 7, 1998[71] Windows CE as implemented on Dreamcast and other devices
6.1 4.06.02.0436 (RC0) February 3, 1999[72]
6.1a 4.06.03.0518 (RC0) May 5, 1999[73] Windows 98 Second Edition exclusive. This is last version that runs on 486 or older CPU.
7 7.0 4.07.00.0700 (RC1) September 22, 1999[74][75][76]
4.07.00.0700 February 17, 2000 Windows 2000 exclusive
7.0a December 17, 1999 Released only for Windows 95 to 98[77][78]
4.07.00.0716 (RC0) March 8, 2000
4.07.00.0716 (RC1) 2000
7.1 4.07.01.3000 (RC1) September 14, 2000[79] Windows Me exclusive. Last version to have built-in RGB software rendering support
8 8.0 4.08.00.0400 (RC10) November 10, 2000[80]
8.0a 4.08.00.0400 (RC14) January 24, 2001[81][82] Last version supporting Windows 95 and last version to have software rendering support in dxdiag.exe
8.1 4.08.01.0810 October 25, 2001 Windows XP, Windows XP SP1, Windows Server 2003
4.08.01.0881 (RC7) November 8, 2001 This version is for the down level operating systems (Windows 98, Windows Me and Windows 2000)
8.1a 4.08.01.0901 (RC?) 2002 This release includes an update to Direct3D (D3d8.dll)
8.1b 4.08.01.0901 (RC7) June 25, 2002 This update includes a fix to DirectShow on Windows 2000 (Quartz.dll)
8.2 4.08.02.0134 (RC0) 2002 Same as the DirectX 8.1b but includes DirectPlay 8.2
9 9.0 4.09.00.0900 (RC4) December 19, 2002
9.0a 4.09.00.0901 (RC6) March 26, 2003
9.0b 4.09.00.0902 (RC2) August 13, 2003
9.0c[83] 4.09.00.0904 (RC0) July 22, 2004 First 9.0c version
Periodic hybrid 32-bit/64-bit updates, starting from October 2004, were released bimonthly until August 2007, and quarterly thereafter. The last update was released in June 2010[84]
4.09.00.0904 August 6, 2004 / April 21, 2008* Windows XP SP2 and SP3*, Windows Server 2003 SP1 and Windows Server 2003 R2
December 8, 2006 Last version supporting Windows 98, 98 SE and Me[a]
February 5, 2010 Last version supporting Windows 2000, XP and XP SP1
June 7, 2010 Final 9.0c version
Last version supporting Windows XP SP2 and SP3[85]
10 10 6.00.6000.16386 November 30, 2006 Windows Vista exclusive
10.1 6.00.6001.18000 February 4, 2008 Windows Vista SP1, Windows Server 2008
Includes Direct3D 10.1
6.00.6002.18005 April 28, 2009 Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 SP2
Includes Direct3D 10.1
11 11 6.01.7600.16385 October 22, 2009 Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2
6.00.6002.18107 October 27, 2009 Windows Vista SP2 and Windows Server 2008 SP2, through the Platform Update for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008[86]
6.01.7601.17514 February 16, 2011 Windows 7 SP1, Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1
11.1 6.02.9200.16384 August 1, 2012 Windows 8, Windows RT, Windows Server 2012
6.02.9200.16492 February 11, 2013 Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, through the Platform Update for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2[87]
11.2 6.03.9600.16384 October 18, 2013 Windows 8.1, Windows RT, Windows Server 2012 R2
12 12 10.00.10240.16384 July 29, 2015 Windows 10
10.00.15063.0000 March 20, 2017 Windows 10, Depth Bounds Testing and Programmable MSAA added[88][89]
10.00.17763.0000 November 20, 2019 Direct3D 12 only for Windows 7 SP1, via a dedicated source code package for app developers[90][91]
12.1 10.00.17763.0001 October 2, 2018 Windows 10, DirectX Raytracing support added[92]
10.00.18362.0116 May 19, 2019 Windows 10, Variable Rate Shading (VRS) support added[93]
12.2 10.00.19041.0928 November 10, 2020 Windows 10, Ultimate
10.00.22000.1000 October 5, 2021 Windows 11, Added native refresh rate switching[94] and improved graphics capabilities to Windows Subsystem for Linux[95]

The version number as reported by Microsoft's DxDiag tool (version 4.09.0000.0900 and higher) use the x.xx.xxxx.xxxx format for version numbers. However, the DirectX and Windows XP MSDN page claims that the registry always has been in the x.xx.xx.xxxx format. Therefore, when the above table lists a version as '4.09.00.0904' Microsoft's DxDiag tool may have it as '4.09.0000.0904'.[96]

Compatibility

[edit]

Various releases of Windows have included and supported various versions of DirectX, allowing newer versions of the operating system to continue running applications designed for earlier versions of DirectX until those versions can be gradually phased out in favor of newer APIs, drivers, and hardware.[97]

APIs such as Direct3D and DirectSound need to interact with hardware, and they do this through a device driver. Hardware manufacturers have to write these drivers for a particular DirectX version's device driver interface (or DDI), and test each individual piece of hardware to make them DirectX compatible. Some hardware devices have only DirectX compatible drivers (in other words, one must install DirectX in order to use that hardware). Early versions of DirectX included an up-to-date library of all of the DirectX compatible drivers currently available. This practice was stopped however, in favor of the web-based Windows Update driver-update system, which allowed users to download only the drivers relevant to their hardware, rather than the entire library.

Prior to DirectX 10, DirectX runtime was designed to be backward compatible with older drivers, meaning that newer versions of the APIs were designed to interoperate with older drivers written against a previous version's DDI. The application programmer had to query the available hardware capabilities using a complex system of "cap bits" each tied to a particular hardware feature. Direct3D 7 and earlier would work on any version of the DDI, Direct3D 8 requires a minimum DDI level of 6 and Direct3D 9 requires a minimum DDI level of 7.[98] However, the Direct3D 10 runtime in Windows Vista cannot run on older hardware drivers due to the significantly updated DDI, which requires a unified feature set and abandons the use of "cap bits".

Direct3D 10.1 introduces "feature levels" 10_0 and 10_1, which allow use of only the hardware features defined in the specified version of Direct3D API. Direct3D 11 adds level 11_0 and "10 Level 9" - a subset of the Direct3D 10 API designed to run on Direct3D 9 hardware, which has three feature levels (9_1, 9_2 and 9_3) grouped by common capabilities of "low", "med" and "high-end" video cards; the runtime directly uses Direct3D 9 DDI provided in all WDDM drivers. Feature level 11_1 has been introduced with Direct3D 11.1.

.NET Framework

[edit]

In 2002, Microsoft released a version of DirectX compatible with the Microsoft .NET Framework, thus allowing programmers to take advantage of DirectX functionality from within .NET applications using compatible languages such as managed C++ or the use of the C# programming language. This API was known as "Managed DirectX" (or MDX for short), and claimed to operate at 98% of performance of the underlying native DirectX APIs. In December 2005, February 2006, April 2006, and August 2006, Microsoft released successive updates to this library, culminating in a beta version called Managed DirectX 2.0. While Managed DirectX 2.0 consolidated functionality that had previously been scattered over multiple assemblies into a single assembly, thus simplifying dependencies on it for software developers, development on this version has subsequently been discontinued, and it is no longer supported. The Managed DirectX 2.0 library expired on October 5, 2006.

During the GDC 2006, Microsoft presented the XNA Framework, a new managed version of DirectX (similar but not identical to Managed DirectX) that is intended to assist development of games by making it easier to integrate DirectX, HLSL and other tools in one package. It also supports the execution of managed code on the Xbox 360. The XNA Game Studio Express RTM was made available on December 11, 2006, as a free download for Windows XP. Unlike the DirectX runtime, Managed DirectX, XNA Framework or the Xbox 360 APIs (XInput, XACT etc.) have not shipped as part of Windows. Developers are expected to redistribute the runtime components along with their games or applications.

No Microsoft product including the latest XNA releases provides DirectX 10 support for the .NET Framework.

The other approach for DirectX in managed languages is to use third-party libraries like:

  • SlimDX, an open source library for DirectX programming on the .NET Framework
  • SharpDX,[99][100] which is an open source project delivering the full DirectX API for .NET on all Windows platforms, allowing the development of high performance game, 2D and 3D graphics rendering as well as real-time sound applications
  • DirectShow.NET for the DirectShow subset
  • Windows API CodePack for .NET Framework Archived February 14, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, which is an open source library from Microsoft.

Alternatives

[edit]

There are alternatives to the DirectX family of APIs, with OpenGL, its successor Vulkan, Metal and Mantle having the most features comparable to Direct3D. Examples of other APIs include SDL, Allegro, OpenMAX, OpenML, OpenAL, OpenCL, FMOD, SFML etc. Many of these libraries are cross-platform or have open codebases. There are also alternative implementations that aim to provide the same API, such as the one in Wine. Furthermore, the developers of ReactOS are trying to reimplement DirectX under the name "ReactX".

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ It is possible to install the October/November 2007 runtime on 98/98 SE and the February 2010 runtime on Me after this version.

References

[edit]
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