DirectX Graphics Infrastructure

DirectX Graphics Infrastructure (DXGI) is a user-mode component of Windows Vista and above which provides a mapping between particular graphics APIs such as Direct3D 10.0 and above (known in DXGI parlance as producers) and the graphics kernel, which in turn interfaces with the user-mode Windows Display Driver Model driver. DXGI provides objects to handle tasks such as enumerating graphics adapters and monitors, enumerating display modes, choosing buffer formats, sharing resources between processes (such as between applications and the Desktop Window Manager), and presenting rendered frames to a window or monitor for display.

Both Direct3D 10 and OpenGL applications in Windows Vista work through DXGI.

DXGI 1.1 supports Direct3D 11 and WDDM 1.1 interfaces,^[1] and was released with Windows 7 and Windows Vista Platform Update.

DXGI 1.2 supports Direct3D 11.1 and WDDM 1.2; it was released with Windows 8 Developer Preview.^[2]

DXGI Object Model

DXGI provides the following objects:

• Factory, which implements the IDXGIFactory interface,^[3] and provides methods for enumerating hardware adapters, creating software adapters, creating swap chains, attaching a focus window.
• Adapter, which implements the IDXGIAdapter interface,^[4] and provides methods for enumerating outputs
• Output, which implements the IDXGIOutput interface,^[5] and provides methods for managing properties of a monitor, such as its gamma ramp.
• Swap chain, which implements the IDXGISwapChain interface,^[6] and provides methods for managing the presentation and animation of rendered frames.

Additionally, the producer must provide certain objects that implement various DXGI interfaces, including the following:

• Device, which implements the IDXGIDevice interface.^[7] This interface is implemented by the producer's device object, such as a Direct3D 10 device.
• Resource, which implements the IDXGIResource interface.^[8] This interface is implemented by resources such as textures.

References

1. ^ "Windows DDK - Changes in DXGI 1.1". MSDN. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb205075%28VS.85%29.aspx#DXGI_1_1. Retrieved 2010-07-14. 
2. ^ MSDN - DXGI 1.2 Improvements
3. ^ IDXGIFactory interface
4. ^ IDXGIAdapter interface
5. ^ IDXGIOutput interface
6. ^ IDXGISwapChain interface
7. ^ IDXGIDevice interface
8. ^ IDXGIResource interface

External links

• DXGI overview