Direct3D 12 Graphics API Reference

This section provides detailed reference documentation for the Direct3D 12 API, a low-overhead graphics API that gives developers more control over hardware performance. This API is designed for modern graphics development on Windows.

Core Concepts

Understanding the fundamental concepts of Direct3D 12 is crucial for effective graphics programming. This includes:

Enumerations

Enumerations define specific states, flags, and values used within the Direct3D 12 API.

Name	Description
`D3D12_COMMAND_LIST_TYPE`	Specifies the type of command list.
`D3D12_PRIMITIVE_TOPOLOGY_TYPE`	Specifies the primitive topology.
`D3D12_DESCRIPTOR_HEAP_TYPE`	Specifies the type of descriptor heap.
`D3D12_RESOURCE_DIMENSION`	Specifies the dimensions of a resource.
`D3D12_SHADER_VISIBILITY`	Specifies which shader stages a root signature parameter is visible to.

Structures

Structures are used to pass data to and from Direct3D 12 functions, defining parameters, states, and resource configurations.

Name	Description
`D3D12_GRAPHICS_PIPELINE_STATE_DESC`	Describes the pipeline state for graphics rendering.
`D3D12_ROOT_SIGNATURE_DESC`	Describes a root signature.
`D3D12_RESOURCE_DESC`	Describes a generic resource.
`D3D12_VIEWPORT`	Specifies the viewport transform.
`D3D12_RECT`	Specifies a rectangle.
`D3D12_CLEAR_VALUE`	Specifies a clear value for a render target or depth-stencil buffer.

Functions

These functions are the primary interface for interacting with the Direct3D 12 device and its capabilities.

Name	Description
`D3D12CreateDevice`	Creates a Direct3D 12 device.
`ID3D12Device::CreateCommandAllocator`	Creates a command allocator.
`ID3D12Device::CreateCommandList`	Creates a command list.
`ID3D12Device::CreateGraphicsPipelineState`	Creates a graphics pipeline state object.
`ID3D12GraphicsCommandList::DrawInstanced`	Draws instances of an indexed or non-indexed primitive.
`ID3D12CommandQueue::ExecuteCommandLists`	Executes an array of command lists.

Interfaces

Interfaces represent the core objects and functionalities exposed by the Direct3D 12 API.

Name	Description
`ID3D12Device`	Represents the graphics adapter.
`ID3D12CommandQueue`	Represents a queue for command lists.
`ID3D12CommandAllocator`	Manages command list memory.
`ID3D12GraphicsCommandList`	Records rendering commands.
`ID3D12PipelineState`	Represents a complete pipeline state.
`ID3D12Resource`	Represents a graphics resource such as a texture or buffer.
`ID3D12DescriptorHeap`	Manages descriptor tables for shader resource binding.
`ID3D12Fence`	Synchronization primitive to signal completion.

Callbacks

Callbacks define methods that the application implements to respond to specific events or provide data.

Name	Description
`PFN_D3D12_DEBUG_MESSAGE_CALLBACK`	Callback function for debug messages.

Constants

Predefined constants and macros used in Direct3D 12 programming.

Name	Value	Description
`D3D12_DEFAULT_SHADER_MODEL`	`6_5`	Default shader model version.
`D3D12_MAX_SPLIT_CHART_COLORS`	`16`	Maximum number of split chart colors.
`D3D12_REQ_SUBRESOURCE_WIDTH_128`	`128`	Minimum required subresource width.