Managed DirectX 9 Kick Start: Graphics and Game Programming View Larger Image | Tom Miller
Sams, Paperback, Bk&CD edition, Published October 2003, 432 pages, ISBN 0672325969 | List Price: $39.99
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Managed DirectX was released with the latest version of the core DirectX libraries
in DirectX9. It enables developers using the new .NET languages (i.e. C#, VB.NET,
etc.) to develop rich multimedia applications with DirectX. Unfortunately the
Managed DirectX runtime was released without adequate documentation, and developers
are having a hard time figuring out the best way to write managed applications.
This book covers how to use the Managed DirectX objects, how they differ from
the core DirectX libraries, and how to create these rich multimedia applications
in C#. It also covers in depth graphics techniques and the new high-level shader
language shipping with DirectX9.
Table of Contents
Introduction.
The History of Managed DirectX.
Namespaces Included. Getting Started.
I. BEGINNING GRAPHICS CONCEPTS.
1. Introducing Direct3D.
Getting Started. The Direct3D
Device. Making Our Triangle Three Dimensional. Automatic Device Resets During
a Resize. We've Got Camera and Action; What About Lights? Device States and
Transforms. Swapchains and RenderTargets. In Brief.
2. Choosing the Correct Device.
Enumerating Your System's Adapters.
Determining Whether a Hardware Device Is Available. Checking Device Capabilities.
In Brief.
3. Rendering Using Simple
Techniques.
Using Vertex Buffers. Texturing
Our Objects. In Brief.
4. More Rendering Techniques.
Rendering Other Primitive Types.
Using Index Buffers. Using Depth Buffers. In Brief.
5. Rendering with Meshes.
Defining the Mesh. Using Materials
and Lighting. Using Meshes to Render Complex Models. In Brief.
6. Using Managed DirectX
to Write a Game.
Choosing the Game. Writing the
Game. Adding a Movable Car into Your Scene. Adding Obstacles. Implementing the
Finishing Touches. In Brief.
II. INTERMEDIATE GRAPHICS CONCEPTS.
7. Using Advanced Mesh Features.
Cloning Mesh Data. Optimizing
Mesh Data. Simplifying Existing Meshes. Welding Vertices in a Mesh. Making Lots
of Little Meshes Out of One Big One. In Brief.
8. Understanding Resources.
Starting with the Resource Class.
Using the Vertex and Index Buffers. Locking Our Buffers. Controlling How Buffers
Are Locked. Using Texture Resources. Locking Textures and Getting Descriptions.
In Brief.
9. Using the Other Mesh Types.
Simplifying Meshes. Controlling
the Level of Detail with Progressive Meshes. Rendering Patch Meshes. Seeing
the Tessellation Levels. In Brief.
10. Using the Helper Classes.
Drawing Lines. Drawing Text.
Rendering to Surfaces. Rendering Environment Maps. In Brief.
III. ADVANCED GRAPHICS CONCEPTS.
11. Introducing the Programmable
Pipeline with the High Level Shader Language.
Rendering a Single Triangle Without
Using the Fixed-function Pipeline. Rendering Shader Programs with Techniques.
Rendering Meshes Using the Programmable Pipeline. Using HLSL to Write a Pixel
Shader. In Brief.
12. Using the High Level
Shader Language.
Using Simple Formulas to Simulate
Animation. Determining Color by Blending Textures. Lighting Textures. Adding
Specular Highlights. In Brief.
13. Rendering Skeletal Animation.
Creating the Frame Hierarchy.
Loading Meshes with Animation. Rendering Animated Meshes. In Brief.
IV. SOUND AND INPUT.
14. Discovering the Wonders
of Sound.
Including the Sound Namespace.
Loading and Playing a Static Sound. Using Sounds in 3D. Manipulating the Listener.
Using Effects with Your Sounds. In Brief.
15. Controlling User Input.
Detecting the Devices You Can
Use. Using the Keyboard Device. Using the Mouse Device. Using Game Pads and
Joysticks for User Input. Using Force Feedback. In Brief.
V. 2D GRAPHICS.
16. Using Direct3D for 2D
Graphics.
Creating a Full Screen Rendering
Device. Rendering Sprites. Animating Your Sprites. In Brief.
17. Using DirectDraw for
2D Rendering.
Creating a Full Screen DirectDraw
Device. Animating Your Sprites. In Brief.
IV. ADDING NETWORKING.
18. Implementing Peer-to-Peer
Networking Using DirectPlay.
Understanding DirectPlay Addresses.
Creating a Peer Connection. Getting into a Session. Using the Event Model. Performing
Actions in Our Session. Handling Lost Sessions. In Brief.
19. Creating a Client/Server
Session.
Creating a Dedicated Server Session.
Connecting a Client. Detecting Users Joining and Leaving Your Session. Sending
Data Packets. Making the Client React. Handling the Server Lost Event. In Brief.
20. Understanding Advanced
Networking Features.
Having a Detailed Look at the
Event Model. Detecting Bandwidth and Network Statistics. Launching Applications
Using a Lobby. Making Your Application Lobby Aware. Adding Voice Chat to Your
Sessions. In Brief.
21. Achieving Maximum Performance.
Using Value Types as Objects.
Understanding the Performance Implications of the Event Model. Understanding
the Cost of Methods. In Brief.
VII. APPENDICES.
Appendix A: Using the Diagnostics
Assemblies.
Enumerating Everything in the
System. Enumerating Specific Items You Care About.
Appendix B: Playing Music
and Videos.
Playing Back an Audio or Video
File Simply. Using the Features of Video Files. Using Video as Textures.
Index
About the Author
Tom Miller (Microsoft Corporation) is the development lead for Managed
DirectX. In addition he designed the managed objects. Therefore, he is uniquely
qualified to discuss the how and why of Manage DirectX.
Customer Reviews
Customer Reviews: 3 Average Customer Rating: Aug 21, 2006 Ted from Saint Louis, Missouri
Best Managed DirectX book of them all.
I've purchased several other books, and I would recommend this book over all the others.
"3D Math Primer" by Fletcher Dunn helps facilitate the concepts in this book.
Apr 25, 2005 Dan Houck from Pittsburgh, USA
Sits on my desktop when I'm building DX9 apps.
Save yourself a lot of time and buy this whether you're planning on using Managed Code for DirectX or are experienced and trying to optimize. I'm a VB.NET developer, and having the code examples in C# (the CD has both languages) didn't slow me down a bit. The writing is good and the examples are well chosen. This and Finney's book "3D Game Programming..." will get you there if you're building for DX9.
Apr 6, 2004 javax@cox.net from KS, US
One of better written computer books I've seen recently
After purchasing a couple of disappointing directx books written by inexperienced computer professionals, I am extremely happy with this one.
Do not let the volume of this book on such topics fool you for this book contains more valuable info than those 2000+ page books.
The sample programs are short and sweet and well explained. The managed directx concepts are well defined and explained. The usage of each method presented in a very concise manner.
Overall, this book is well written and very easy to understand.
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