   DirectDraw - DirectX 9.0c
  Does it even still exist? I saw some tutorials on this site about DirectDraw however some look kinda old and I cant find anything about it in the DirectX Documentation. If so is it better to use DirectDraw or Direct3D?   
USE DIRECT3D [grin]DirectDraw was last updated for DirectX7. That is, the latest version you'll find (and hence any information about it) will be around 7-8 years old now - we're talking back in the dark ages (okay, maybe only the 20th century...).I think the only remaining rationale behind DirectDraw programming is for maintaining older code-bases that used it when it was still available/relevant. Any new software should just start with Direct3D.Despite its name it is perfectly possible to do 2D graphics via Direct3D. In fact, provided you program your 2D in a 3D-like way (that is, ignore the old DMA stuff for DirectDraw) you open up an absolutely HUGE number of possibilities. Simple tricks like rotation and alpha blending are effectively free via D3D - they were never so easy in DDraw [wink]hthJack   ;  Ok, are there any tutorials for making 2D games using sprites and so forth in Direct3D, the only things I can find are DirectDraw tutorials.EDIT:Would it just be a matter of making a bunch on square meshes in the program and putting the sprites on them? Or is there a way to get on big plane mesh and combine the textures on to it?EDIT2: (The above are ways to do it without the extensions library (d3dx), I don't like to use it).   ;  The simplest way of getting it up-and-running is to use the ID3DXSprite interface; but this won't necessarily cover all possible 2D requirements. I don't think theres a specific C/C++ sample covering them (there is for MDX if you dont mind reading C# code) but your favourite search engine should find some example material.Failing that you can also use "Transformed and Lit" vertices - code using D3DFVF_XYZRHW in its vertex format or the POSITIONT semantic for a declaration. Try searching on those if you want a more powerful (but more complex) way of doing 2D graphics.Maybe some other people round here will have some links/tutorials/examples to share [smile]hthJack   ;Quote:Original post by brwarnerEDIT2: (The above are ways to do it without the extensions library (d3dx), I don't like to use it).Well that rules out ID3DXSprite then.Why don't you like to use it? You're just creating more work for yourself. Admittedly some people prefer to learn like this, but the D3DX library is so useful that its just easiest to use it....Jack;  I don't like it because I feel better when I do more myself, I personally find it more difficult because you have to learn all the extension classes while it is easier to learn things you make yourself. However I may give it a shot.   ;  Thats an understandable angle... but D3DX is very much a productivity aid once you get used to it. Rolling your own is good for learning, but after a while you'll probably want to drop the simple stuff and leave it to D3DX [smile]In particular, loading textures - something I'm sure your 2D game would like to do.. No D3DX means you're gonna be manually parsing and decoding any bitmap/jpeg/png files you want to use. Admittedly not that hard, but its not exactly exciting either...Jack   