.NET Gaming Docs

Overview

This article covers advanced 3‑D graphics techniques for .NET gaming, including the modern rendering pipeline, shader programming, and performance tips.

Rendering Pipeline

The typical pipeline consists of the following stages:

1. Vertex Processing
2. Primitive Assembly
3. Rasterization
4. Fragment (Pixel) Processing
5. Output Merging

Implement each stage using GraphicsDevice and custom Effect classes.

// Example: Setting up a basic vertex shader
var vertexShader = new VertexShader(GraphicsDevice, shaderBytecode);
GraphicsDevice.SetVertexShader(vertexShader);
                

Shaders

Write shaders in HLSL or GLSL and compile them at build time. Below is a simple Phong lighting shader pair.

// PhongVertex.hlsl
struct VS_IN
{
    float4 Position : POSITION0;
    float3 Normal   : NORMAL0;
};

struct VS_OUT
{
    float4 Position : SV_POSITION;
    float3 Normal   : TEXCOORD0;
};

cbuffer WorldViewProj : register(b0)
{
    matrix World;
    matrix View;
    matrix Projection;
};

VS_OUT main(VS_IN input)
{
    VS_OUT output;
    float4 worldPos = mul(input.Position, World);
    output.Position = mul(worldPos, View);
    output.Position = mul(output.Position, Projection);
    output.Normal = mul(input.Normal, (float3x3)World);
    return output;
}
                

// phong.vert
#version 450
layout(location = 0) in vec3 inPos;
layout(location = 1) in vec3 inNormal;

layout(set = 0, binding = 0) uniform Matrices {
    mat4 model;
    mat4 view;
    mat4 proj;
} uMats;

out vec3 fragNormal;
out vec3 fragPos;

void main() {
    vec4 worldPos = uMats.model * vec4(inPos, 1.0);
    fragPos = worldPos.xyz;
    fragNormal = mat3(uMats.model) * inNormal;
    gl_Position = uMats.proj * uMats.view * worldPos;
}
                

Load and apply the compiled shaders using Effect or Shader classes in your game loop.

Further Resources

• Xamarin Graphics Docs
• .NET Graphics GitHub
• Silk.NET – Cross‑platform low‑level graphics
• Mesh Optimization Guide

Sample Projects

Download the complete source for the sample scenes below.