DirectX SDK:

Those who are new to DirectX SDK can start with the DirectX documentation pages to know more details about development tools available in the DirectX SDK. Advanced and seasoned developers can check the "What's New" section in the documentation file to know the latest updates available in the software development kit. Checking the "Known Issues" section will provide the latest information on issues with each Direct X releases.

The DirectX SDK allows developers to take complete advantage of DirectX technologies for creating excellent games and graphics applications. The DirectX SDK allows developers to utilize the latest in hardware innovations for developing outstanding games. An update of DirectX SDK is released every two months which boasts additional samples, tools, C/C++ and managed libraries, and documentation for the Microsoft Platform SDK.

One of the important features included in the DirectX SDK is the D3DX library. This is a toolkit which provides developers with high-level functionality to easily create DirectX applications. The D3DX library also provides optimized low-level routines so as to obtain the best performance out of the Microsoft platform. The D3DX library incorporates both the basics, such as math and texture loading routines, and the updated technology for manipulating art content including tangent-frame generation, mesh optimization, and PRT (Pre-Computed Radiance Transfer).

The D3DX Effects Framework and the High Level Shading Language (HLSL) allow developers to utilize the latest time shader technology exposed by D3D (Direct3D). The Shader Debugger extensions provide easy ways for developers to write and debug their shaders in the familiar environment of Microsoft Visual Studio .NET.