Sprite Support

The sprite helper application programming interface (API) provided by the Direct3DX utility library allows you to render 2-D style sprites using 3-D hardware. Sprite rendering is designed for 3-D hardware, and, for performance reasons, is not recommended for software emulation.

A sprite is an object that can be manipulated without disturbing the background image underneath it. In terms of the Direct3DX utility library, a sprite is loosely defined as a 2-D image that you can transfer to the rendering target.

This section discusses common tasks that applications will perform when using the Direct3DX utility library to work with sprites.

• Preparing to Draw a Sprite
• Drawing a Simple Sprite
• Drawing a Transformed Sprite

For more information on the sprite functionality offered by the Direct3DX utility library, see the Sprite Helper Functions reference topic.