debug effect file

Does it compile with warnings in EffectEdit?
And make sure that the technique pointer or reference is valid.

D3D #22: Using the debug runtimes from the Forum FAQ [wink]

The debug runtimes are pretty good at pointing out what is going wrong with effect handles and so on. Make sure you enable them and watch for any warnings/errors.

EffectEdit is long gone now, but you can try using fxc.exe from the command line - if your effect file contains invalid code then it should barf and give you the gory details.

hth
Jack

Another option for finding errors in HLSL files is using an IDE. My personal favorite is NVidia's FX Composer, but theres also ATI's RenderMonkey (I just don't like monkeys). You don't need an NVidia/ATI card to run either of them. They'll highlight the code for you, parse it and check for errors, and even show you a preview of the effect (when it works). Both also include a good number of sample shaders.

Hope this helps.