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Direct3D Summary

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The Direct3D API provides basic support for hardware accelerated 3-D graphics. It provides a device-independent way for you to access the 3-D acceleration hardware on your platform. It is ideal for CAD application, games, visualization tool, or other applications that require 3-D data rendering.

Direct3D for Windows CE .NET is a trimmed down version of Direct3D version 8 from the Windows desktop. It is designed around the idea of providing basic and capable 3-D rendering support in a small footprint. A number of the advanced features that are supported on the desktop's DirectX 8 are not supported in the Windows CE Direct3D implementation. This approach is an optimization for embedded systems that often lack the computational power, storage space, displays, and battery power to even attempt the more advanced graphics techniques supported by Direct3D 8 on the desktop.

Direct3D on Windows CE supports the following features:

  • Support for 3-D z-buffers.
  • Switchable depth buffering (using z-buffers or w-buffers).
  • Flat and Gouraud shading.
  • Multiple light sources and types.
  • Full material and texture support, including mipmapping.
  • Precise software emulation drivers.
  • Transformation and clipping.
  • Hardware independence.
  • Support for HAL, which provides a consistent interface through which to work directly with the display hardware, and thereby getting maximum performance.
  • Support for page flipping with multiple back buffers in full-screen applications.
  • Support for rendering to windowed or full-screen applications.
  • Access to image-stretching hardware.
  • Exclusive hardware access.

See Also

Graphics Technologies | Direct3D Overview

Last updated on Wednesday, April 13, 2005

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