Textures

Textures are a powerful tool in the quest for realism in computer-generated 3-D images. Direct3D supports an extensive texturing feature set, providing developers with easy access to advanced texturing techniques. This section discusses the purposes and uses of textures in Direct3D. The information is presented in the following topics:

• Basic Texturing Concepts
• Texture Handles
• Texture Interfaces
• Texture Filtering
• Texture Wrapping
• Texture Blending
• Texture Compression
• Automatic Texture Management
• Hardware Considerations for Texturing

If you are familiar with what textures are and how they are used, you may want to skip the Basic Texturing Concepts section. It is important to note, however, that Direct3D now uses texture interfaces to access many of its most powerful texturing features. Therefore, you may want to look over the section entitled Texture Interfaces.