DirectX 9 Graphics: The Definitive Guide to Direct3D provides a detailed and comprehensive guide to getting started with DirectX, with a specific focus on Direct3D, a technology designed to create interactive multimedia products. This book demystifies DirectX, starting with the basics of setting up a DirectX application and finishing with the intricacies of real-time 3D animation. Learn how to: Create and render 3D worlds. Use index and vertex buffers to represent 3D primitives. Apply 3D mathematical theory to graphic design. Export 3D models from 3D rendering applications and import them into DirectX as meshes. Save and load data using X files. Create snow, rain, fog, and more using point sprites and particle systems. Animate pixel data on textures. Enhance your game world with real-time lighting and texture mapping. Employ skeletal animation to animate meshes.