A hardware abstraction layer API from Microsoft that is integral to the Windows® operating system. The DirectX standard includes Direct3D, DirectSound, DirectDraw, DirectVideo, DirectPlay, and DirectInput. Microsoft continues to revise DirectX to make it the industry standard consumer graphics API. Microsoft even licensed NVIDIA technology for the latest version, DirectX 8, in order to add programmability to the API. NVIDIA's GPUs support DirectX, and the GeForce3™ GPU is the most complete hardware implementation of DirectX 8.
TM A suite of multimedia APIs built into the Microsoft Windows TM operating system.
Microsoft's multimedia and gaming extensions.
The API (application program interface) created by Microsoft for its Windows products and its Xbox console. DirectX allows developers to more easily program games for Windows and Xbox by using common hardware and software protocols.
Windows application for speeding up video card access in games and multimedia programs.
Microsoft's proprietary software libraries that interface the operating system with your hardware. Having up-to-date versions of DirectX is usually a prerequisite for running modern games.
A set of API program libraries developed by Microsoft for high-performance applications like games. AW 3.x needs DirectX 7.0 or later
DirectX is an application program interface developed by Microsoft, first for Windows 95, for creating and managing graphic images and multimedia effects in applications such as games and active Web pages. It includes the DirectDraw API for direct access to video memory.
A compilation of interpreters created by Microsoft that allow sound and video to work faster in Windows95 or later and Windows NT 4 or later.
A low-level API that provides user- mode media interfaces for games and other high-performance multimedia applications. DirectX is a thin layer, providing direct access to hardware services, and takes advantage of available hardware accelerators and emulates accelerator services when accelerators are not present. Distributed Component Object Model (Distributed COM) Additions to the Component Object Model (COM) that facilitate the transparent distribution of objects over networks and over the Internet.
DirectX is the term given to a collection of common APIs, including Direct3D, which are owned and developed by Microsoft. Simply put, DirectX is a Windows technology that enables higher performance in graphics and sound when you're playing games or watching video on your PC.
Microsoft DirectX is a group of technologies designed by Microsoft to make Windows-based computers an ideal platform for running and displaying applications rich in multimedia elements such as full-color graphics, video, 3-D animation, and surround sound. Built directly into the Microsoft Windows family of operating systems, DirectX is an integral part of Windows 98 and Windows 2000, as well as Microsoft Internet Explorer.
A collection of API's written by Microsoft which are used as a common platform for 3D and multimedia applications. This collection currently includes different API for each aspect; DirectSound for sound, DirectDraw for 2D and sprite based graphics, Direct3D for 3D graphics, DirectPlay for networking, and DirectInput to handle user input. Instead of programs having to program the low level functions for each of these, they can pass the job off to these preprogramed APIs. DirectX is also a standard to which hardware is build. If hardware is compatible with DirectX, and programs are compatible with DirectX, than the software and hardware will be compatible, and so the software will be able to take advantages of low level features otherwise unaccessible.
An MS Windows program that allows applications to "talk" directly to graphics and audio hardware.
Microsoft's windows API suite
Allow programmers to access hardware features on a computer despite the fact that they might not know exactly what hardware is installed on the computer that runs the software. Microsoft developed this technology.
This Microsoft Windows API was designed to provide software developers with direct access to low-level functions on PC peripherals. Before DirectX, programmers usually opted for the DOS environment, which was free of the limited multimedia feature set that characterized Windows for many years.
A set of APIs developed by Microsoft that enables programmers to write programs that access hardware features of a computer without knowing exactly what hardware will be installed on the machine where the program eventually runs. DirectX achieves this by creating an intermediate layer that translates generic hardware commands into specific commands for particular pieces of hardware. In particular, DirectX lets multimedia applications take advantage of hardware acceleration features supported by graphics accelerators
Microsoft DirectX is a set of low-level application programming interfaces (APIs) for creating high-performance multimedia applications.
DirectX is a technology developed by Microsoft that facilitates the displaying o multimedia elements such as full-color graphics, video, and 3-D animation.
Microsoft DirectX is an advanced suite of multimedia application programming interfaces (APIs) built into Microsoft Windows operating systems. DirectX provides a standard development platform for Windows-based PCs by enabling software developers to access specialized hardware features without having to write hardware-specific code. This technology was first introduced in 1995 and is a recognized standard for multimedia application development on the Windows platform.
A Microsoft Windows API focused on multimedia content development. In Microsoft's words, it "provides the first complete set of tools that enable developers to access the cross-platform flexibility of the Internet and the powerful multimedia capabilities of the personal computer."
A set of audio and video drivers from Microsoft. These are also released in foreign-language versions.
DirectX is an SDK by Microsoft that is used to quickly access hardware.
A set of API procedures that allow a programmer more direct access to the machine's hardware while still shielding him from a substantial amount of tedious machine specific coding. This is Microsoft's answer to the complaints of programmers that Windows was too slow to be a gaming platform. By allowing us access to the video, audio, and input devices directly Microsoft has succeeded in convincing developers that Windows is a viable platform for their games.
Microsoft's counterpart for the openGL standard. This standard is not open, and can only be used on Windows systems. Because Microsoft is so powerful, this ensures that most of the graphic card producers support directX. DirectX also supports features other than the mentioned 3D acceleration used for gaming, such as audio.
A Microsoft programming interface standard, first included with Windows 95. DirectX gives (games) programmers a standard way to gain direct access to enhanced hardware features under Windows 95 instead of going via the Windows 95 GDI. Some DirectX code runs faster than the equivalent under MS DOS
ActiveX. A technology that allows graphics, audio, and animation to be played on a Web page. DirectX allows object linking and embedding; allowing, for example, an Excel spreadsheet to be embedded in a Web page. You won't be able to view DirectX components unless you're using Windows 95 or above. See Microsoft's DirectX page for more.
An extension of the Microsoft Windows operating system. DirectX technology helps games and other programs use the advanced multimedia capabilites of your hardware.