What the heck is DirectX?

Greg · 06-22-2008, 01:08 AM

I was just updating DirectX when an interesting thought occurred to me: What the heck is DirectX?

Miros1 · 06-22-2008, 10:36 AM

Microsoft DirectX is a collection of application programming interfaces (APIs) for handling tasks related to multimedia, especially game programming and video, on Microsoft platforms. Originally, the names of these APIs all began with Direct, such as Direct3D, DirectDraw, DirectMusic, DirectPlay, DirectSound, and so forth. DirectX, then, was the generic term for all of these Direct-something APIs, and that term became the name of the collection. After the introduction of the Xbox, Microsoft has also released multiplatform game development APIs such as XInput, which are designed to supplement or replace individual DirectX components.

Greg · 06-22-2008, 02:56 PM

Aha! That almost 'splains it! It sounds like DirectX is the part of the operating system provides a bridge to the graphics card.

I can attest that it's a whopping big lot of code, so it's probably doing something interest.

Miros1 · 06-22-2008, 03:52 PM

Yep. Sounds like it gives programs an even playing field when doing funky drawing stuff.

Greg · 06-22-2008, 07:58 PM

Even more than that. These operating system routines mean that the applications don't have to access the hardware directly. That's what keeps them compatible from one machine to the next, and from one revision of the operating system to the next.

It probably also makes them much easier to write.

06-22-2008, 01:08 AM	#1
Greg Da Guy Wut Owns Dis Joint Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 3,566	What the heck is DirectX? I was just updating DirectX when an interesting thought occurred to me: What the heck is DirectX? __________________ Who are all these people and what do they know?

06-22-2008, 10:36 AM	#2
Miros1 Goddess for Life Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: NY State Posts: 3,303	From Wikipedia: Microsoft DirectX is a collection of application programming interfaces (APIs) for handling tasks related to multimedia, especially game programming and video, on Microsoft platforms. Originally, the names of these APIs all began with Direct, such as Direct3D, DirectDraw, DirectMusic, DirectPlay, DirectSound, and so forth. DirectX, then, was the generic term for all of these Direct-something APIs, and that term became the name of the collection. After the introduction of the Xbox, Microsoft has also released multiplatform game development APIs such as XInput, which are designed to supplement or replace individual DirectX components. __________________ A game that horrible Odessa-person introduced me to: http://www.puzzlepirates.com/?affili...163251&lang=en I'm spreading the addiction by corrupting all my friends (and attempting to make in-game money when they try the game).

06-22-2008, 02:56 PM	#3
Greg Da Guy Wut Owns Dis Joint Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 3,566	Aha! That almost 'splains it! It sounds like DirectX is the part of the operating system provides a bridge to the graphics card. I can attest that it's a whopping big lot of code, so it's probably doing something interest. __________________ Who are all these people and what do they know?

06-22-2008, 03:52 PM	#4
Miros1 Goddess for Life Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: NY State Posts: 3,303	Yep. Sounds like it gives programs an even playing field when doing funky drawing stuff. __________________ A game that horrible Odessa-person introduced me to: http://www.puzzlepirates.com/?affili...163251&lang=en I'm spreading the addiction by corrupting all my friends (and attempting to make in-game money when they try the game).

06-22-2008, 07:58 PM	#5
Greg Da Guy Wut Owns Dis Joint Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 3,566	Even more than that. These operating system routines mean that the applications don't have to access the hardware directly. That's what keeps them compatible from one machine to the next, and from one revision of the operating system to the next. It probably also makes them much easier to write. __________________ Who are all these people and what do they know?