DirectX 11 Technical Preview For Windows 7

Martin | Mar 25, 2009 | Comments

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A lot of buzz surrounds the upcoming release of DirectX 11, a collection of application programming interface for the Microsoft Windows platform which was first announced at last year’s Gamefest event in Seattle (read DirectX 11 confirmed). The beta of Windows 7 was already released with DirectX 11 albeit a technical preview and not the final version of it.

Microsoft released an update to the DirectX End-User Runtimes in the last days including a release of the DirectX Software Development Kit containing a Direct3D 11 Technical Preview for the Windows 7 operating system. This release contains the following new features and tools:

Technical Preview of Direct2D

Direct2D is a hardware-accelerated, immediate-mode, 2-D graphics API that provides high performance and high quality rendering for 2-D geometry, bitmaps, and text. The Direct2D API is designed to interoperate well with Direct3D and GDI. This technical preview allows developers to evaluate the API and write simple applications, with some of the more advanced functionality possible on properly configured machines.

Technical Preview of DirectWrite

DirectWrite provides support for high-quality text rendering, resolution-independent outline fonts, and full Unicode text and layout support, and much, much more.

Technical Preview of DXGI 1.1

DXGI 1.1 builds on DXGI 1.0 and will be available on both Windows Vista and Windows 7. DXGI 1.1 adds several new features.

The DirectX Software Development Kit can be downloaded directly from the Microsoft homepage.

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Filed Under: Windows 7 News

Tags: direct3d 10level9 • directx • directx 11 • directx sdk • Windows 7 • windows 7 directx 11 • windows 7 games

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LeftTesti
I don't agree to that comment. Any functionality added and improvements made, or any extra features that allows a developer of a game/video editing software etc to push the limits further and supply better graphics or effects is a welcome addition.
What you have said is like saying, why release Office 2007 if people are still using Office 2003. It will get used and graphics cards are what pushes directx not so much the OS. If card manufacturers are asking for this that and the rest of it so they can release a new gfx card they will need dx to be upgraded.

Just my 20pence work

smilingman
I have to agree with Eoraptor on this, DX10 is not being used by game makers and I doubt the release of DX11 will change that.
The simple fact is that MS did not add support for DX10 to WinXP, the failure of Vista and the lack of any true performance gains over DX9 has made the move to DX10 meaningless.
If Win7 is the success that I hope it is, them maybe DX11 will be used by more game studios.
Check DX10 game list here >>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_games_with_DirectX_10_support

I do prefer Office 2003 over 2007.

Austin Nougat
I agree with LeftTesti here. If Windows 7 is just a stepping stone to Windows 8, as is stated by multiple sources, then Microsoft would do well by packing in everything they not only think would be used immediately, but in the furure. Windows 7 may replace XP, and be used by many people for a long time. Even if developers do not utilise DriectX 11, at least they have the option available. If Microsoft stuck with DirectX9 when developing Vista, we would not be seeing games like Crysis released. Who knows what DirextX 11 has to offer..

Martin
The strategic decision to include DirectX 10 only in Windows Vista was the main reason why DirectX 10 did not take of as intended. The majority of gamers is still using Windows XP.

smilingman
In respondance to Austin Nougat, I was not saying that MS should have stuck with DX9, but only that not adding support to DX10 for WinXP was a mistake. The WinXP install base is to big to ignore and Vista did not perform the way it should of.
I believe DX10 was a minimal update to DX9, the switch to Dx10 would of be easier and faster for game studios if the huge WinXP base was support.
I beleive lengecy devices and software sould only be support for two generations back at the most. DirectX has become the center of game dev. and should support the largest user base, not as some marketing cimmick to sell your lastest bloated OS.

Dan Dar3
I think some of us are missing the point, it's not Microsoft that decides "hey, we haven't release a new version of DirectX in a while, let's just waste some time and money and do that" - it's a joint effort with the graphic chips manufactures and graphics companies - if they ask it, they get it. It's not DirectX itself that's selling an OS (that's why it's free), it's the games that come with that DirectX. The slow adoption of the DX 10 and DX 11 is mostly due to graphic cards costs - see them going cheaper in the next couple of years and we'll be talking about DX 10 or 11 same as we're talking about DX9 now.

Who doesn't see the diference btween DX 9 and DX10 obviously should have his eyesight checked...

http://www.winmatrix.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=9550

smilingman
I disagree that GPU makers have that much say in MS DirectX dev. cycle. Graphic cards are cheaper and more powerful than they where just a few years ago right now.
The Flight Sim I believe was a early mockup and not real in game screenshot.
Conan increase the view distance and lighting effects but DX9 still looks good.
You can not compare in game screenshot of a 1999 xbox game ported to PC in 2003 to 2008 Crysis tech demo rendering.
Does DX10 improve game graphics, YES, is it a most have feature, NO. In 2007 Vista Ultimate retail cost was 400 and aÂ GeForce 8800 GTX was around 600, for a total cost of 1000 USD to play little more than a hand full of games that took full advantage of just these two products.
As I state before no-support for WinXP hurt MS bottom line, slowed game studio adaptation and made Vista a needless upgrade for gamers. I hope that this changes with Win7 and DX11.

Dan Dar3
@smilingman
But that proves my point - there's this trio of MS, graphics manufacturers and gaming software companies (actually MS has a foot in gaming software as well). By far the most important factor is the graphics chips/cards manufacturers. MS pushed DX regardless because they can use it in their Xbox gaming development, regardless of what happens on PC gaming front, but until graphic cards that support higher DX with lots more detail and effects, gaming software companies won't move a muscle, there's no point to make a game that as you're saying no-one is going to buy cause they don't have a 600$ graphic cards. Although by reading most of the online gaming sites and magazines you would believe that everyone nowadays has a 3000$ gaming computer, it's not. Gaming studios won't put more effort into creating higher detail graphics or more beautiful effects costly as they are and they will settle for DX9 for as long as they can. I hope so too, but again even W7 will be a success and I'm pretty sure it will based on the general feedback, I don't think things are going to change solely based on W7 adoption - no cheaper >= DX10 cards for the masses, no nada. Time will tell.

smilingman
@Dan Dar3
I think we have chick or the egg situation here.
Heres a good article I found goggling the net.

http://www.cpu3d.com/news/6383-1/ati-radeon-hd-5870-rumors/story.html

This is one of the reason I now skip one full generation of hardware. In Feb. 2006 I bought a Radeon 1600 Pro apg 256MB for $150, in July 2008 I got a Radeon 3650 pic-e 512MB for $75. It played Crysis with low to medium settings on WinXP.