DirectX 9 Graphics: The Definitive Guide to Direct3D provides a detailed and comprehensive guide to getting started with DirectX, with a specific focus on Direct3D, a technology designed to create interactive multimedia products. This book demystifies DirectX, starting with the basics of setting up a DirectX application and finishing with the intricacies of real-time 3D animation. Learn how to create and render 3D worlds; use index and vertex buffers to represent 3D primitives; apply 3D mathematical theory to graphic design; export 3D models from 3D rendering applications and import them into DirectX as meshes; save and load data using X files; create snow, rain, fog, and more using point sprites and particle systems; animate pixel data on textures; enhance your game world with real-time lighting and texture mapping. Employ skeletal animation to animate meshes.