With a range of features and APIs that are used to create realistic graphics 3-D games, this book can do everything C + + developers to the world of DirectX. This book best explains the basic and advanced features in DirectX version 7, a gaming platform that includes many APIs such as Direct3D (for 3-D graphics), DirectDraw (for 2-D graphics), and DirectInput (for joystick input). This text explains how to implement 3-D effects such as texture mapping, lighting effects, fog, and the stencil buffer (which can be used to create cinematic fade-in/fade out effects, for example). Each section here trace the relevant part of the DirectX API, starting with the DirectDraw and then moved to various aspects of Direct3D and other APIs. While game development is a big topic, this title can definitely help you get started with DirectX APIs to concentrate on its own, with some interesting visual demo that shows various graphical effects in action Dragan. - Richard Topics covered: Overview of Microsoft 7, API DirectX DirectX (DirectDraw, Direct3D, DirectPlay, DirectInput), COM for game programmers, using the Microsoft Direct3D Framework, the basic message handling, programming with DirectDraw, enumerating and selecting Direct3D devices, windowed and full screen mode, reverse and choose the surface, Direct3D Immediate Mode features and APIs, Transform and Lighting (T & L) pipeline, vertex, vertex format strided, viewports, type of lighting, rendering 3-D scene, primitive type (point list, line list , the lines of a triangle, and triangle fans), said rendering, keyboard and joystick input with DirectInput, force feedback, texturing, texture management, compression and format of DXT textures, bitmaps, texture filtering, texture blending and packaging, fog effects, alpha blending, light mapping, cinematic effects with stencil buffer, 3-D models and animations (segmented and single-mesh characters), Direct3D optimization guide, multiplayer games, and RoadRage (eg custom gaming machines).