David Weller [MSFT]
2005-10-04 16:54:44 UTC
The DirectX® Team is pleased to announce the release of the DirectX 9.0 SDK
October 2005 Update! The October Update includes the first public release of
the XInput SDK. This SDK will allow game developers to fully support Xbox
360 Controller for Windows. To download or learn more about this release
please visit http://msdn.com/directx/sdk.
Features added in the October 2005 DirectX SDK update
- XInput
XInput is an API that allows applications to receive input from the Xbox 360
controller for Windows. Controller rumble effects and voice input and output
are supported.
For a quick start guide to using the XInput API, see "Getting Started With
XInput", and the "XInput Reference". Four XInput Samples are available in
the Sample Viewer. See "XInput Frequently Asked Questions" for answers to
commonly-asked questions about XInput.
- Microsoft Cross-Platform Audio Creation Tool (XACT Beta)
XACT is an audio design tool and associated API that allow application
designers and audio content designers to work together to bring vibrant
sounds to games.
To access the XACT documentation, click the Start Menu, choose All Programs,
Microsoft DirectX 9.0 SDK Update (October 2005), and select "Microsoft Audio
Creation Tool Documentation".
To get started using the XACT design tool, click click the Start Menu,
choose All Programs, Microsoft DirectX 9.0 SDK Update (October 2005),
Utilities, and select "Microsoft Audio Creation Tool".
- 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 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:
o 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
o Microsoft.DirectX.Direct3D - Direct3D and D3DX functionality
o Microsoft.DirectX.DirectSound - DirectSound functionality
o Microsoft.DirectX.DirectInput - Direct Input functionality
o Microsoft.DirectX.XInput - The newly released XInput functionality
Besides support for the 2.0 CLR, this updated assembly has a number of new
additions which we would love feedback on, including better performance, and
a cleaner API. Feedback can be given on the MSDN public forums for DirectX
and Windows Game Development. You can also offer feedback to
***@microsoft.com.
Note: Managed DirectX for Whidbey is an early beta; complete samples and
documentation will be provided in a later release of the DirectX SDK.
- Samples and Tools
o The DirectX Ops tool (see DirectX Ops (dxops.exe)) can accept an
expression string, which contains a series of script commands, files and
optional arguments. Each expression is built from one or more script
commands. See "DirectX Ops Script Commands".
o EffectEdit and Mesh Viewer are no longer shipped with the SDK. The
equivalent functionality for these tools can be achieved by using the new
DirectX Ops (dxops.exe) and DirectX Viewer (dxviewer.exe) tools.
o Graphics Card Capabilities: A new chart containing a collection of the
capabilities exposed by current drivers on a wide range of graphics hardware
available on the market today is available in the SDK. To view it, use the
DirectX SDK Sample Browser and search for "Graphics Card Capabilities".
Technical Article Updates
The article introducing the gaming experience on Windows XP Media Center
Edition 2005 has been updated with a new section to help you make your
application accessible using the Media Center interface. Two new
corresponding samples, MCELauncher and MediaCenterGame, have been added to
illustrate this. For more information see: "Installing Games on Windows XP
Media Center Edition".
--
David Weller
Community Manager, Wingows Graphics and Gaming
Want something better than USENET newsgroups? Check out the Windows Game
Development Forums at http://msdn.microsoft.com/directx/forums/
Track answers! Search! RSS! Spam- and Flame-free!
Legal Stuff: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and
confers no rights.
October 2005 Update! The October Update includes the first public release of
the XInput SDK. This SDK will allow game developers to fully support Xbox
360 Controller for Windows. To download or learn more about this release
please visit http://msdn.com/directx/sdk.
Features added in the October 2005 DirectX SDK update
- XInput
XInput is an API that allows applications to receive input from the Xbox 360
controller for Windows. Controller rumble effects and voice input and output
are supported.
For a quick start guide to using the XInput API, see "Getting Started With
XInput", and the "XInput Reference". Four XInput Samples are available in
the Sample Viewer. See "XInput Frequently Asked Questions" for answers to
commonly-asked questions about XInput.
- Microsoft Cross-Platform Audio Creation Tool (XACT Beta)
XACT is an audio design tool and associated API that allow application
designers and audio content designers to work together to bring vibrant
sounds to games.
To access the XACT documentation, click the Start Menu, choose All Programs,
Microsoft DirectX 9.0 SDK Update (October 2005), and select "Microsoft Audio
Creation Tool Documentation".
To get started using the XACT design tool, click click the Start Menu,
choose All Programs, Microsoft DirectX 9.0 SDK Update (October 2005),
Utilities, and select "Microsoft Audio Creation Tool".
- 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 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:
o 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
o Microsoft.DirectX.Direct3D - Direct3D and D3DX functionality
o Microsoft.DirectX.DirectSound - DirectSound functionality
o Microsoft.DirectX.DirectInput - Direct Input functionality
o Microsoft.DirectX.XInput - The newly released XInput functionality
Besides support for the 2.0 CLR, this updated assembly has a number of new
additions which we would love feedback on, including better performance, and
a cleaner API. Feedback can be given on the MSDN public forums for DirectX
and Windows Game Development. You can also offer feedback to
***@microsoft.com.
Note: Managed DirectX for Whidbey is an early beta; complete samples and
documentation will be provided in a later release of the DirectX SDK.
- Samples and Tools
o The DirectX Ops tool (see DirectX Ops (dxops.exe)) can accept an
expression string, which contains a series of script commands, files and
optional arguments. Each expression is built from one or more script
commands. See "DirectX Ops Script Commands".
o EffectEdit and Mesh Viewer are no longer shipped with the SDK. The
equivalent functionality for these tools can be achieved by using the new
DirectX Ops (dxops.exe) and DirectX Viewer (dxviewer.exe) tools.
o Graphics Card Capabilities: A new chart containing a collection of the
capabilities exposed by current drivers on a wide range of graphics hardware
available on the market today is available in the SDK. To view it, use the
DirectX SDK Sample Browser and search for "Graphics Card Capabilities".
Technical Article Updates
The article introducing the gaming experience on Windows XP Media Center
Edition 2005 has been updated with a new section to help you make your
application accessible using the Media Center interface. Two new
corresponding samples, MCELauncher and MediaCenterGame, have been added to
illustrate this. For more information see: "Installing Games on Windows XP
Media Center Edition".
--
David Weller
Community Manager, Wingows Graphics and Gaming
Want something better than USENET newsgroups? Check out the Windows Game
Development Forums at http://msdn.microsoft.com/directx/forums/
Track answers! Search! RSS! Spam- and Flame-free!
Legal Stuff: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and
confers no rights.