12/5/2005: Added link to some .Net 2.0 insight.
Download the October SDK from MSDN.
Big release for Managed DirectX this time. Included is a beta version of Managed DirectX for .Net 2.0. Read more about some of the changes in Inside Managed DirectX for .Net 2.0 (part 1). This is prerelease so Microsoft is looking for feedback on the API changes - email them or contact Tom via his blog. Its not to late for things to change.
Note: Although the release notes here (which I copied this morning) say 'beta 2 or later', this is actually incorrect. You will get a FileNotFound exception on later builds. The readme does not have the 'or later'. Tom has confirmed to me in email that due to changes made after beta 2 the October Whidbey assemblies REQUIRE beta 2 of .Net 2.0. The December DirectX SDK, which will ship after the .Net 2.0 RTM will fix this.
Managed DirectX for Whidbey (Beta) Included with the October 2005 DirectX SDK is the first support for the 2.0 Common Language Runtime in Managed DirectX. This assembly addresses the issues users were having with using Managed DirectX in Visual Studio 2005. It also includes new features designed to take full advantage of the features included in the 2.0 CLR such as generics.
To use the new assembly, load up Visual Studio 2005 (Beta 2 *ONLY* or later), and after creating a new project add a reference to "Microsoft.DirectX.dll" You may see multiple versions of this assembly depending on any past DirectX SDK's you've installed, so add the reference to the one with the version 2.0.900. The namespaces you'll find in this assembly are:
- Microsoft.DirectX - Which includes all of the common math structures, as well as the new GraphicsBuffer class which replaces the GraphicsStream class from the original Managed DirectX
- Microsoft.DirectX.Direct3D - Direct3D and D3DX functionality
- Microsoft.DirectX.DirectSound - DirectSound functionality
- Microsoft.DirectX.DirectInput - Direct Input functionality
- Microsoft.DirectX.XInput - The newly released XInput functionality
Also included is XInput SDK and a prerelease version of XACT (Cross-Platform Audio Creation Tool).
The managed documents appear to have avoided being updated! The 'Whats new' section still lists the August 05 changes.
The following are new Managed DirectX samples:
- Basic HLSL (Whidbey)
- HDRCubeMap (Whidbey)
- HDRFormats (Whidbey)
- Simple 2D - 2D and sprites as promised
New/updated utilities:
- DirectX Viewer - note that this replaces Mesh Viewer which is removed from the SDK with this release.
- DXOps - a command line tool for modifying .x files and textures
- XACT Audio Console and Build Tool
New/Updated Articles:
- DirectX 9.0 FAQ - though the date at the top still says August 05, there is additional information added about XInput
- Introduction to the 10-Foot Experience for Windows Game Developers
