DirectX+HLSL/Graphics/Compute All-in-One (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798289659729)

Modern GPUs are capable of over 10 trillion floating-point operations per second. That's more computing power than NASA had during the entire Apollo program-combined. Yet most software barely taps into that potential. That's where DirectX 12 steps in.

This isn't your grandfather's graphics API. DirectX 12 puts you in control of a silicon supercomputer-with no safety net. The conveniences of DX11 are gone. In their place: unprecedented speed and complexity. Memory missteps can crash your entire system. Misplace a barrier and your GPU happily renders corrupted output. But when you get it right, the performance gains are extraordinary.

Most resources fall into two categories: basic tutorials that stop short of real-world utility, or specification-heavy docs that read like hardware contracts. This book cuts through both. You'll get the how and the why-because even drawing a single triangle requires hundreds of lines of code.

You'll begin with the fundamentals, but quickly explore the areas most books avoid:

• Structuring your engine for multi-threaded command list recording

• Transitioning from rasterization to ray tracing

• Managing pipeline state objects like a pro

• Navigating GPU memory heaps (there are three, and yes-it matters)

• Making the most of compute pipelines

• A full GPU-driven rendering implementation

• A compute-powered system for large-scale particle simulation

• A material and lighting system using DXIL shader linking

• A working real-time ray tracing pipeline

More importantly, you'll learn how to think in DirectX 12 terms. Once you do, even Vulkan will start to make sense.

1. DirectX 12 has no training wheels. Your first programs will crash-spectacularly.

2. Memory management is your job now. Barriers matter, and mistakes are visible.

3. Your debugger isn't optional. It's a survival tool.

Whether you're transitioning from DX11/OpenGL or entering graphics programming for the first time, this book is your deep-end dive. Stick with it, and you'll gain skills that usually take years to develop.

Let's get your GPU sweating.