Direct3D Programming Tips

Nice one Richard!

This is the start of a series I take it?

Couple of little nitpicks if I may [wink]

Quote:

Visual Studio ships with enough header and library files that you can write basic programs against the Win32 API. It lacks the headers and libraries for accessing the most recent features of DirectX

Is this entirely true? I know it is of the Pro/TS versions and I think for the 2008 Express Edition, but it isn't true for the 2005 Express Edition. It doesn't seem to pop-up so much now, but it was quite routine to get C++'05 EE users getting the "cannot find Windows.h" or "cannot find atlbase.h" errors which were PSDK related...

Also, and quite worthy of its own entry, is a "tour of the DirectX SDK" - where things are, quick routes into the docs, samples, sample browser, control panel, PIX, runtimes etc...etc... not necessarily how they work, just where they are and how to find them.


Cheers,
Jack

Yes, its intended to be a series. I've got a bunch more stubbed out right now.

Yes, the 2008 version ships with the Windows SDK included. And note that I send people to download the 2008 Express, not the 2005 express.

Your suggestion of a guided tour of the SDK is a good one, that will probably be the next tip.

Direct3D Programming Tip #1: Getting Started
Direct3D Programming Tip #2: Use the Documentation
Direct3D Programming Tip #3: Use Smart Pointers
Direct3D Programming Tip #4: Check All HRESULTs
Direct3D Programming Tip #5: Use The Debug Runtime
Direct3D Programming Tip #6: Link Against The Debug D3DX
Direct3D Programming Tip #7: Use Smart Resource Locks
Direct3D Programming Tip #8: Use Find in files… To Locate API Call Examples
Direct3D Programming Tip #9: Use The Managed Resource Pool

[Edited by - legalize on October 12, 2009 6:31:35 AM]

Suggestion for future tips :

- Distributing your app. It seems to be a major problem for programmers or something that gets little attention. Pet peeve : you're being asked to download random dlls from google, including dll from debug visual crt or debug runtime. It shouldn't be like this :/.

LeGreg

There is an article in the DX sdk which tells how to make a setup program which instals the VC redist and which runs DX setup to install the correct D3DX dlls.

maybe helpful to me, thanks a lot!!

Suggestion for future tips :

- Distributing your app. It seems to be a major problem for programmers or something that gets little attention. Pet peeve : you're being asked to download random dlls from google, including dll from debug visual crt or debug runtime. It shouldn't be like this :/.

LeGreg

Agree with this one! Distributing D3D stuff can be a real pain.

I've just been on the DirectX download site, from the link you provided. In the notes for the Jun 2010 release of the SDK it has the following statement

Visual Studio 2010 Support
The June 2010 DirectX SDK includes support for Visual Studio 2010. The DirectX SDK will continue to support Visual Studio 2008 as well. However, Visual Studio 2005 will no longer be supported.

Just thought you might want to include that in your blog.

Actually if this app is using DirectX 9.0c, there is no problem with distributing it at all. You can safely assume, that core DirectX libraries are already on destination PC (they are included since Windows XP SP2), and all you have to do is add silent install of lightened DirectX Setup redist, provided together with DirectX SDK. In my case such DirectX redist has around 2-3 MB only.

Pleae find more information in this topic:
http://www.gamedev.net/topic/595801-including-directx-runtimes-in-an-installer/
or directly on MSDN page in "Small Imstallation Packages" section:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee416805%28v=vs.85%29.aspx

Wasn't too helpful.