DirectX Graphics – Textures Overview

What is a Texture?

A texture in DirectX is a GPU resource that stores image data used for rendering. Textures can hold color maps, normal maps, depth buffers, and more. They are accessed by shaders through Shader Resource Views (SRV) and can be sampled with various filtering modes.

Common Texture Types

Type	Description	Typical Use
2D Texture	Standard image stored in a 2D array.	Diffuse maps, normal maps.
Cube Texture	Six 2D faces forming a cube.	Environment mapping, skyboxes.
3D Texture	Volume texture with depth dimension.	Volume rendering, fog.
Array Texture	Array of 2D textures.	Texture atlases, material variations.

Creating a Texture (C++)

// Example: Creating a 2D texture
ID3D11Texture2D* tex = nullptr;
D3D11_TEXTURE2D_DESC desc = {};
desc.Width = 256;
desc.Height = 256;
desc.MipLevels = 1;
desc.ArraySize = 1;
desc.Format = DXGI_FORMAT_R8G8B8A8_UNORM;
desc.SampleDesc.Count = 1;
desc.Usage = D3D11_USAGE_DEFAULT;
desc.BindFlags = D3D11_BIND_SHADER_RESOURCE;
HRESULT hr = device->CreateTexture2D(&desc, nullptr, &tex);

Binding a Texture to a Shader

// Bind SRV to slot 0
ID3D11ShaderResourceView* srv = nullptr;
device->CreateShaderResourceView(tex, nullptr, &srv);
context->PSSetShaderResources(0, 1, &srv);

Texture Formats

DirectX supports many formats. Choose the appropriate one based on precision and performance.

DXGI_FORMAT_R8G8B8A8_UNORM – Standard 8‑bit per channel.
DXGI_FORMAT_BC7_UNORM – Compressed high‑quality.
DXGI_FORMAT_R16G16B16A16_FLOAT – High dynamic range.

What is a Texture?

Common Texture Types

Creating a Texture (C++)

Binding a Texture to a Shader

Texture Formats

Further Reading