Can Direct3D 12 Render to Xaml.Media.Imaging.SurfaceImageSource?

Step-by-Step Guide to Rendering Direct3D 12 Graphics to SurfaceImageSource

Now that we’ve covered the challenges and limitations, let’s get our hands dirty and create a working example of rendering Direct3D 12 graphics to SurfaceImageSource. Follow these steps to create a stunning graphics demo:

Step 1: Create a UWP Project

Open Visual Studio and create a new Universal Windows Platform (UWP) project. Choose the “Blank App (Universal Windows)” template and name your project “Direct3D12ToSurfaceImageSource”.

Step 2: Add Direct3D 12 Components

Add the following Direct3D 12 components to your project:

• Microsoft.Direct3D.XAML.12.dll
• d3dcompiler_47.dll

These components provide the necessary infrastructure for rendering Direct3D 12 graphics in your UWP app.

Step 3: Create a Direct3D 12 Device

Create a new class called “Direct3D12Device” and add the following code:

using Microsoft.Direct3D.XAML.12;

public class Direct3D12Device
{
    private Device _device;

    public Direct3D12Device()
    {
        _device = new Device(0, DeviceType.HardwareDevice, null, CreateFlags.HardwareVertexProcessing);
    }

    public void CreateResources()
    {
        // Create a swap chain, render target, and viewport
        SwapChainDescription swapChainDescription = new SwapChainDescription();
        swapChainDescription.Width = 1024;
        swapChainDescription.Height = 768;
        swapChainDescription.Format = Format.R8G8B8A8_UNorm;
        swapChainDescription.BufferUsage = Usage.RenderTargetOutput;
        swapChainDescription.SampleDescription.Count = 4;
        swapChainDescription.SampleDescription.Quality = 0;
        swapChainDescription.SwapEffect = SwapEffect.Discard;

        SwapChain swapChain = new SwapChain(_device, swapChainDescription);
        RenderTargetView renderTargetView = new RenderTargetView(_device, swapChain);
        Viewport viewport = new Viewport(0, 0, 1024, 768, 0f, 1f);

        // Create a graphics pipeline state object
        GraphicsPipelineStateDescription pipelineStateDescription = new GraphicsPipelineStateDescription();
        pipelineStateDescription.InputAssembler.InputLayout.Add(new InputElement("POSITION", 0, Format.R32G32B32A32_Float, 0, 0));
        pipelineStateDescription.InputAssembler.InputLayout.Add(new InputElement("COLOR", 0, Format.R32G32B32A32_Float, 12, 0));
        pipelineStateDescription.Rasterizer.State.FillMode = FillMode.Solid;
        pipelineStateDescription.BlendState.AlphaBlendOperation = BlendOperation.Add;
        pipelineStateDescription.BlendState.DestAlphaBlendFactor = BlendFactorZero;
        pipelineStateDescription.BlendState.SrcAlphaBlendFactor = BlendFactorOne;

        PipelineState pipelineState = new PipelineState(_device, pipelineStateDescription);
    }
}

Step 4: Create a SurfaceImageSource

Create a new class called “SurfaceImageSourceRenderer” and add the following code:

using Windows.UI.Xaml.Media.Imaging;

public class SurfaceImageSourceRenderer
{
    private SurfaceImageSource _surfaceImageSource;

    public SurfaceImageSourceRenderer()
    {
        _surfaceImageSource = new SurfaceImageSource(1024, 768);
    }

    public SurfaceImageSource SurfaceImageSource
    {
        get { return _surfaceImageSource; }
    }
}

Step 5: Integrate Direct3D 12 with SurfaceImageSource

Create a new class called “Direct3D12ToSurfaceImageSourceRenderer” and add the following code:

using Microsoft.Direct3D.XAML.12;
using Windows.UI.Xaml.Media.Imaging;

public class Direct3D12ToSurfaceImageSourceRenderer
{
    private Direct3D12Device _direct3D12Device;
    private SurfaceImageSourceRenderer _surfaceImageSourceRenderer;

    public Direct3D12ToSurfaceImageSourceRenderer()
    {
        _direct3D12Device = new Direct3D12Device();
        _surfaceImageSourceRenderer = new SurfaceImageSourceRenderer();
    }

    public void Render()
    {
        // Create a Direct3D 12 command allocator
        CommandAllocator commandAllocator = _direct3D12Device._device.CreateCommandAllocator(CommandListType.Direct);

        // Create a Direct3D 12 command list
        CommandList commandList = commandAllocator.CreateCommandList();

        // Set the graphics pipeline state
        commandList.SetPipelineState(_direct3D12Device.pipelineState);

        // Set the viewport and scissor rectangle
        commandList. RSSetViewports(new Viewport(0, 0, 1024, 768, 0f, 1f));
        commandList.RSSetScissorRectangles(new RectInt10(0, 0, 1024, 768));

        // Clear the render target
        commandList.ClearRenderTargetView(_direct3D12Device.renderTargetView, Color.Black);

        // Draw a triangle
        commandList.DrawIndexedInstanced(3, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0);

        // Execute the command list
        commandList.Close();
        _direct3D12Device._device.ExecuteCommandLists(new CommandList[] { commandList });

        // Get the render target data
        DataBox renderTargetData = _direct3D12Device.swapChain.GetCurrentBackBufferData();

        // Copy the render target data to the SurfaceImageSource
        _surfaceImageSourceRenderer.SurfaceImageSource.CopyFromBuffer(renderTargetData.Data, renderTargetData.RowPitch, renderTargetData.SlicePitch);
    }
}

Step 6: Display the SurfaceImageSource in XAML

Create a new XAML page called “MainPage.xaml” and add the following code:

<Page

    x:Class="Direct3D12ToSurfaceImageSource.MainPage"

    xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"

    xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"

    xmlns:local="using:Direct3D12ToSurfaceImageSource"

    mc:Ignorable="d">

Frequently Asked Question
Get ready to dive into the world of Direct3D 12 and Xaml.Media.Imaging.SurfaceImageSource!


Can Direct3D 12 render to Xaml.Media.Imaging.SurfaceImageSource directly?

Unfortunately, the answer is no. Direct3D 12 cannot render directly to Xaml.Media.Imaging.SurfaceImageSource. This is because SurfaceImageSource is a part of the XAML framework, and Direct3D 12 is a low-level graphics API that doesn't have built-in support for rendering to XAML surfaces.



What's the alternative to rendering Direct3D 12 to Xaml.Media.Imaging.SurfaceImageSource?

One way to render Direct3D 12 content to a XAML surface is to use a SwapChainPanel, which is a XAML control that allows you to render Direct3D 12 content to a XAML surface. This requires creating a SwapChainPanel instance, creating a Direct3D 12 device, and then presenting the rendered content to the SwapChainPanel.



What's the benefit of using a SwapChainPanel to render Direct3D 12 content to XAML?

Using a SwapChainPanel to render Direct3D 12 content to XAML provides a powerful way to integrate high-performance, low-level graphics with the XAML framework. This enables you to take advantage of the strengths of both worlds, such as the flexibility of XAML for UI composition and the performance of Direct3D 12 for graphics rendering.



Can I use SurfaceImageSource with Direct3D 11?

Yes, you can use SurfaceImageSource with Direct3D 11. In fact, Direct3D 11 has built-in support for rendering to a SurfaceImageSource. This is because SurfaceImageSource is a part of the XAML framework, and Direct3D 11 has better integration with XAML than Direct3D 12.



What's the trade-off between using Direct3D 12 and Direct3D 11 for rendering to XAML?

The trade-off is performance vs. ease of use. Direct3D 12 provides better performance and more control over graphics rendering, but it requires more work to integrate with XAML. Direct3D 11, on the other hand, has better integration with XAML, but it may not offer the same level of performance as Direct3D 12. The choice ultimately depends on your specific requirements and constraints.



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