Beginning 3D Game Programming

Defining the Programmable Pipeline

Prior to the release of DirectX 8 a few years ago, the only way for you to render any 3D graphics using DirectX was by using the fixed-function pipeline. The fixed-function pipeline is essentially a set of rules and behaviors that govern how a particular type of data is rendered by the system. For example, a directional light is always calculated by taking the dot product of the normal and light direction. That is just the way it is designed, and there were no options to change it.

With more powerful graphics hardware coming out, it became apparent that something more robust would be required. The fixed-function pipeline was serving its purpose well, but it would be unrealistic to assume it could handle every ...