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Getting Started with DirectX 12 Computational Graphics

Welcome to the exciting world of high-performance graphics and computation on Windows using DirectX 12. This tutorial series will guide you through the fundamental concepts and practical implementation of leveraging the power of your GPU for tasks beyond traditional rendering.

1. Introduction to DirectX 12

DirectX 12 represents a significant leap forward in graphics API design, offering lower-level access to the GPU. This allows for:

  • Reduced CPU overhead through explicit control over command scheduling.
  • More efficient multi-core CPU utilization.
  • Greater control over GPU resources.

Understanding these principles is key to unlocking maximum performance in your applications.

2. Setting Up Your Development Environment

Before diving in, ensure you have the necessary tools:

  1. Visual Studio: Install the latest version of Visual Studio with the "Game development with C++" workload.
  2. Windows SDK: Ensure you have a recent Windows SDK installed, which includes DirectX headers and libraries.
  3. Graphics Debugging Tools: Familiarize yourself with tools like the DirectX PIX for debugging and performance analysis.

3. The Core Concepts of DirectX 12

DirectX 12 introduces several new concepts that are crucial for computational graphics:

Command Objects

Instead of a single command list, DirectX 12 uses multiple command queues and command lists. This enables parallel command submission and execution.

Resource Management

You gain finer control over resource creation, memory allocation, and synchronization, leading to more predictable performance.

Pipeline State Objects (PSOs)

PSOs encapsulate the entire graphics or compute pipeline state, allowing for faster state transitions.

4. Your First Compute Shader

Computational shaders are the heart of DirectX 12 compute graphics. They allow you to execute arbitrary parallel computations on the GPU.

Let's outline the basic steps to create and dispatch a simple compute shader:

  1. Define Shader Code: Write your compute shader in HLSL (High-Level Shading Language).
  2. Compile Shader: Use `fxc.exe` or `dxc.exe` to compile your HLSL into bytecode.
  3. Create Compute Pipeline State: Set up a PSO that points to your compiled compute shader.
  4. Dispatch Compute Shader: Use the Dispatch command to launch your shader on the GPU, specifying the number of thread groups.
  5. Read Results: Retrieve the computed data back to the CPU.

For a detailed example, please refer to the Compute Shader Basics Sample.

5. Next Steps

This introduction covers the initial steps. Future tutorials will explore:

  • Advanced compute shader techniques.
  • Interfacing compute shaders with graphics pipelines.
  • Parallel data processing and simulations.
  • GPU memory management and optimization.

Continue your journey with DirectX 12 computational graphics to build powerful and performant applications.