DirectX 12 Basic Rendering Sample

Overview

DirectX 12 introduces a more low-level approach to graphics programming, giving developers greater control over the GPU for improved performance. This sample walks you through the essential components required to draw a simple scene.

Key concepts covered include:

Device and Swap Chain creation
Command Queue and Command List management
Resource creation (Buffers and Textures)
Shader compilation and Pipeline State Object (PSO) setup
Drawing calls
Synchronization primitives (Fences)

Prerequisites

To build and run this sample, you will need:

Windows 10 or later
A DirectX 12 compatible graphics card
Visual Studio (2019 or later recommended) with the C++ workload
The Windows 10 SDK

Core Components

1. Device and Swap Chain

The DirectX 12 device represents the graphics adapter, and the swap chain manages the presentation of rendered frames to the screen. They are fundamental for any DirectX application.

D3D12CreateDevice(...);
IDXGIFactory4->CreateSwapChainForHwnd(...);

2. Command Objects

DirectX 12 uses command queues to send instructions to the GPU. Command lists record these instructions, which are then executed by the command queue. This asynchronous nature allows for significant performance gains.

ID3D12CommandQueue;
ID3D12CommandAllocator;
ID3D12GraphicsCommandList;

3. Pipeline State Object (PSO)

The PSO encapsulates all the fixed-function and programmable shader stages that define the rendering pipeline. It's crucial for optimizing draw calls.

D3D12_GRAPHICS_PIPELINE_STATE_DESC psoDesc = { ... };
ID3D12PipelineState* pso;
ID3D12Device->CreateGraphicsPipelineState(&psoDesc, IID_PPV_ARGS(&pso));

4. Resources and Descriptors

This includes vertex buffers, index buffers, constant buffers, and textures. Descriptors are handles that allow the GPU to access these resources.

ID3D12Resource;
D3D12_DESCRIPTOR_HEAP_DESC descriptorHeapDesc = { ... };
ID3D12DescriptorHeap* descriptorHeap;

5. Synchronization

Fences are used to synchronize the CPU and GPU, ensuring that operations complete before the next step in the process.

ID3D12Fence* fence;
UINT64 fenceValue = 0;
ID3D12CommandQueue->Signal(fence, ++fenceValue);

Sample Output

When executed successfully, this sample will render a basic geometric shape (e.g., a triangle or a cube) with simple shading on your screen.

Imagine a rendered triangle here, demonstrating the successful execution of the basic rendering pipeline.

Download and Explore

You can download the full source code for this sample to further explore its implementation. Experiment with modifying shaders, adding more complex geometry, or incorporating textures.

Download Sample Source Code (.zip)