Create your first Windows Store app using DirectX
[This tutorial series is featured in Develop great apps for Windows 8.]
If you know DirectX, you can develop a DirectX Windows Store app using native C++ and HLSL to take full advantage of graphics hardware.
This section provides basic tutorials and procedures for getting started with DirectX app development.
Windows Store apps with C++
A Windows Store app with DirectX is an app developed using native C++ and DirectX APIs that have been made available to the Windows Runtime.This model is more complex than the usual Windows Store app, but it provides greater flexibility and greater access to system resources, especially graphics devices. So, it is a good model for the experienced developer.
Why develop a Windows Store app with C++?
The answer is simple: you want to make a game that is graphics- or multimedia-intensive, and can use the features that many graphics devices support. This won't be easy if you are new to game development or to Windows development and C/C++, but there's some good news: this is the simplest and most cohesive version of Microsoft DirectX yet -- and the most powerful and feature-rich. If your goal is to master game development and learn the most advanced techniques, then DirectX can provide the opportunity for you.
That said, planning your game is essential. If you are new to game development, and your game doesn't have demanding graphics requirements, consider developing it as a usual Windows Store app instead. Also, many "middleware" graphics and game development packages are available for Windows platforms, and some do not require significant programming skills.
If you are confident, or simply have a dream of making a game with high-fidelity graphics (or an app with complex graphics content), then read on!
In this section
| Topic | Description |
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This document reviews the prerequisites you should consider when planning to develop a Windows Store app using DirectX, including the specific technologies you must be familiar with before you dive in. | |
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Although not required for game or graphics app development with DirectX 11.1, Visual Studio 2013 Preview makes development easier and more effective if you are new to the platform. It provides templates for many kinds of Windows Store apps, including DirectX apps (like games), and has a fully-integrated, basic debugging and app deployment environment. Here we step you quickly through the process of creating a new Windows Store app with DirectX in Visual Studio 2013 Preview. | |
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Before you start developing a DirectX Windows Store app, you must understand how to hook DirectX up to the windowing infrastructure provided by the Windows Runtime and exposed as the CoreApplicationView and CoreWindow types. Here we step you through the process of creating a CoreWindow object and connecting a DirectX swap chain to it. | |
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Here are key resources to help you get started with using DirectX and C++ to develop graphics-intensive Windows Store apps, like games. |
Build date: 6/21/2013
