This section describes Direct3D's Retained Mode, Microsoft's solution for real-time 3D graphics on the personal computer. If you need to create a 3D environment and manipulate it in real time, you should use Direct3D's Retained-Mode API.
Direct3D is integrated tightly with DirectDraw. A DirectDraw object encapsulates both the DirectDraw and Direct3D states—your application can use the IDirectDraw::QueryInterface method to retrieve an IDirect3D interface to a DirectDraw object. For more information about this integration, see Direct3D Driver Interface.
If you have written code that uses 3D graphics before, many of the concepts underlying Retained Mode will be familiar to you. If, however, you are new to 3D programming, you should pay close attention to Introduction to Direct3D Retained-Mode Objects, and you should read A Technical Foundation for 3D Programming. Whether you are new to 3D programming or just beginning, you should look carefully at the sample code included with this SDK; it illustrates how to put Retained Mode to work in real-world applications.
This section is an introduction to 3D programming. It describes Microsoft's 3D-graphics solutions and some of the technical background you need to manipulate points in three dimensions. It is not an introduction to programming with Direct3D's Retained Mode; for this information, see Direct3D Retained-Mode Tutorial.