Introduction to Direct3D Retained Mode

Welcome to Microsoft® Direct3D® Retained Mode. With Direct3D Retained Mode, you can create a three-dimensional (3-D) graphics environment on a personal computer and manipulate it in real time.

About Retained Mode

Provides a brief description of Direct3D Retained Mode.

Getting Started

Describes the new features in Direct3D Retained mode version 6.x, where to get started, and where to find common topics. Also provides some of the technical background you need to manipulate points in three dimensions. Includes a general discussion of coordinate systems, transformations, polygons, triangle strips and fans, vectors, vertices, and quaternions.

Technical Background

Describes some of the technical concepts you need to understand before you write programs that incorporate 3-D graphics. In this section, you will find a general discussion of coordinate systems and transformations.

Architecture

Describes Direct3D Retained Mode objects and the interfaces they support. Also provides tips on reference counting and z-buffers.

Overviews

Provides information about using some of the Direct3D Retained Mode interfaces. See the Reference for detailed information about all Retained Mode interfaces.

Tutorial

Provides a walk-through of the code in a simple Retained Mode application.

C++/COM Reference

Provides detailed information about the interface methods, nonmember functions, and callbacks with syntax, parameter descriptions, flag descriptions, and comments about use. Also describes the members of Direct3D structures, enumerated types, other defined types, and the possible error values that can be returned.

Visual Basic Reference

Provides detailed information about the interfaces, classes, methods, and callback interfaces, with syntax, parameter descriptions, and flag descriptions. It describes the members of Direct3D Retained Mode types, enumerations, other defined types, and the possible error values that can be returned.

Samples Introduction

Provides information about how to build the Direct3D Retained Mode samples in Microsoft Developer Studio™, and it provides summaries of the samples to help you determine which sample to look at.

DirectX File Format

Describes the file format of DirectX (.x) files, which provide support for reading predefined objects into applications and writing mesh information constructed by applications in real time. Also includes information about templates, examples, the binary format of the files, and the Conv3ds.exe utility, which converts 3-D models from other packages into .x files.

Glossary

Defines basic graphics terms used in Direct3D Retained Mode.

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