DirectX 9, a brand-new version of Microsoft's multimedia libraries, features the latest 3D graphics technology in the form of Direct3D 9. Direct3D Programming will cover everything a C++ programmer needs to know in order to use Direct3D 9 to create interactive 3D worlds. The book begins with an overview of basic Windows and 3D programming techniques and works its way through the library, starting with getting Direct3D up-and-running all the way to more advanced topics such as textures, lighting, and fog. All concepts and programming techniques are demonstrated in example programs that the reader can build himself using detailed step-by-step instructions.

About the Author

Award-winning author Clayton Walnum has been writing about computers for two decades. In the 80's, he published many computer games in Atari computer magazines and eventually became the Executive Editor of two monthly Atari magazines, ANALOG Computing and ST-Log. Over the course of his career, he has written many books on graphics and game programming, covering such technologies as Visual Basic, C++, OpenGL, and DirectX. Some of these books include Sams Teach Yourself Windows Game Programming with DirectX in 21 Days, Sams Teach Yourself Game Programming with Visual Basic 6 in 21 Days, and 3-D Graphics Programming with OpenGL. He holds a degree in Computer Science.

Contributor: Justin Rogers has created a fully functional game engine, for Microsoft to host the Terrarium, a game Microsoft uses to demonstrate the capabilities of their new .NET platform.