The headers and libraries for Direct3D and other Windows graphics APIs, like Direct2D, are available in the Windows SDK. The following technologies and tools, formerly part of the DirectX SDK, are now part of the Windows SDK. To download the Windows 11 SDK, Windows 10 SDK, or Windows 8.x SDK see Windows SDK and emulator archive. You can now use the Windows SDK to build great games for Windows.

DirectX is now a fundamental part of Windows.īecause the Windows SDK is the primary developer SDK for Windows, DirectX is now included in it. In parallel, DirectX technologies are more integrated with Windows. Today, the availability of Direct3D hardware in computers drives even traditional desktop applications to use graphics hardware acceleration.

As DirectX technologies matured, they became relevant to a broader range of applications. We originally created the DirectX SDK as a high-performance platform for game development on top of Windows. Starting with Windows 8, the DirectX SDK is included as part of the Windows SDK.

Dxcpl directx 12