Direct3D
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Direct3D is part of Microsoft's DirectX API. Direct3D is only for use in Microsoft's various Windows operating systems (Windows 95 and above) and, although in a quite different version, in the Xbox. Direct3D is used to render three dimensional graphics in applications where top performance is important, such as games. Direct3D also allows applications to run fullscreen instead of embedded in a window, though they can still run in a window if programmed for that feature. Direct3D uses hardware acceleration if it is available on the graphic board.
Direct3D is a 3D API. That is, it contains many commands for 3D rendering, but contains few commands for rendering 2D graphics. Microsoft continually updates Direct3D with the latest technology available on 3D graphics cards. Direct3D offers full vertex software emulation but no pixel software emulation for features not available in hardware. For example, if a program programmed using Direct3D requires pixel shaders and the graphics card on the user's computer does not support that feature, Direct3D will not emulate it. The program will most likely exit with an error message.
Direct3D's main competitor is OpenGL. There are numerous features and issues that proponents for either API disagree over, see Direct3D vs. OpenGL for a summary.
Version history
DirectX version 9.0 added a new version of the High Level Shader Language, support for high dynamic range lighting, multiple render targets, and vertex buffer indexing.
As of DirectX version 8.1, Direct3D contained many very powerful 3D graphics features, such as vertex shaders, pixel shaders, fog, bump mapping and texture mapping.
As of DirectX version 8.0, Direct3D was rolled up into a package called DirectX Graphics. DirectX Graphics was meant to be a combination of DirectDraw and Direct3D, but in reality was just Direct3D with a few DirectDraw features added. Most users still refer to DirectX Graphics as Direct3D.de:Direct3D pl:Direct3D