Direct3D

Direct3D is Microsoft’s graphics application programming interface for rendering three-dimensional scenes. It is a core component of the DirectX family and is used chiefly on Windows and Xbox platforms.

Graphics pipeline: A sequence of processing stages that transforms scene data into a two-dimensional image. Direct3D organizes rendering work through programmable and fixed-function pipeline stages.
Graphics processing unit: A processor designed to perform graphics operations and many parallel computations. Direct3D commands are executed primarily by the GPU.
Video game: An interactive digital activity in which players influence a computer-generated environment. Real-time game engines commonly use Direct3D to render interactive 3D scenes.
Vulkan: A cross-platform, low-overhead graphics and compute API maintained by the Khronos Group. Vulkan offers an alternative to Direct3D, especially for applications targeting multiple operating systems.
Direct3D device: An object that represents a graphics-processing interface and manages rendering resources and commands. Applications use a device to create resources and submit rendering work.
Application programming interface: A defined set of rules and functions through which software components communicate. Direct3D specifies how applications request graphics operations from system software and hardware.
Unreal Engine: A game engine developed by Epic Games for creating games and other real-time 3D applications. On supported platforms, Unreal Engine can render through Direct3D.
OpenGL: A cross-platform API for rendering two-dimensional and three-dimensional graphics. OpenGL provides a long-standing alternative to Direct3D for graphics applications.
Shader: A program that runs on a graphics processor to control a stage of rendering. Direct3D shaders customize vertex processing, pixel shading, and other pipeline stages.
DirectX: Microsoft’s collection of multimedia and gaming technologies for Windows and Xbox. Direct3D is the graphics component within this broader technology family.

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