Glossary:DirectX
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|
| Developers | |
|---|---|
| Microsoft | |
| Release dates | |
| Windows | September 1995 |
 |
|
DirectX is a collection of application programming interfaces (APIs) created by Microsoft for Microsoft Windows.
Contents
Updating DirectX[edit]
To obtain the latest DirectX, make sure to have all the related Windows updates. For legacy optional components for older games install DirectX End-User Runtimes.
DirectX redistributable packages that come with many games should then become redundant.
Components[edit]
Direct3D[edit]
Direct3D renders 3D graphics whilst prioritising performance. It is the main competitor against OpenGL.
Direct2D[edit]
Direct2D renders 2D graphics and vectors. It can interoperate with Direct3D.
DirectWrite[edit]
DirectWrite renders text.
DirectCompute[edit]
DirectCompute supports general-purpose computing on graphics processing units.
DirectX Media[edit]
DirectX Media includes DirectAnimation, DirectShow, DirectX Transformation and Direct3D Retained Mode as-well as DirectX plugins for audio signal processing and DirectX Video Acceleration.
DirectX Graphics Infrastructure[edit]
DirectX Graphics Infrastructure provides a mapping between graphics APIs and the graphics kernel.
Complementing Software[edit]
DirectSetup[edit]
Checks for the newest version of DirectX and installs the latest version.
DirectX Diagnostics[edit]
A tool for diagnosing and generating reports on components related to DirectX.