How to: Convert Desktop Direct3D Applications

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You can modify an existing managed Direct3D application developed for a desktop computer to run on a mobile device. The changes you need to make are in the following areas:

• References to components and namespaces.

• Changes to the Device constructor and constructors of other objects.

• Removal of unsupported functionality.

• Resource optimizations. For information about developing mobile Direct3D applications that use constrained resources effectively, see Managing Device Resources.

Note

Managed Direct3D mobile applications require Windows Mobile version 5.0 software for Pocket PCs and Smartphones. See External Resources for the .NET Compact Framework for information about Windows Mobile software and SDKs.

To convert a desktop Direct3D application

1. In Microsoft Visual Studio 2005, create a Smart Device application using a template that targets Microsoft Windows Mobile version 5.0 software for Pocket PC or Windows Mobile version 5.0 software for Smartphone.

2. Add a reference to the Microsoft.WindowsMobile.DirectX component to your project.

3. Depending on your programming language, add an Imports or Using statement for these namespaces:

   • Microsoft.WindowsMobile.DirectX

   • Microsoft.WindowsMobile.DirectX.Direct3D

4. Copy code from your desktop application and modify as required.

To modify the constructors

1. Constructing the Device object requires different parameters in a mobile application and requires the following changes:

   • Hardware is not a supported DeviceType value. Change it to Default.

   • SoftwareVertexProcessing is not a supported CreateFlags value. Change it to None.

2. Use a memory pool that is supported on the device. The TextureLoader and Mesh constructors check capability bits to ensure that the objects are created in a memory pool that exists, but all other constructors do not. For information about the appropriate capability bits to ensure that a memory pool is usable on the device, see Managing Device Resources.

To remove unsupported functionality

1. Remove members that do not exist in the .NET Compact Framework, such as members only in the desktop version of the VertexFormats enumeration.

2. Remove calls to the Mesh.Load methods. Managed Direct3D Mobile does not include a loader for .X files. The Direct3D Mobile Meshes Sample demonstrates how to load meshes using a custom .md3dm file format and contains code that converts .X files to .md3dm files and then loads them. Note that the .md3dm file format is not component of the .NET Compact Framework, but an example of how to load a mesh given that loading .X files is not supported.

3. Remove pixel and vertex shaders.

4. Ensure color depth support. Some mobile device drivers may not offer high color depths for screen resolution or textures because of tight memory restrictions. Ensure that drivers support your color depth requirements or make changes as necessary.

5. Remove code that refers to the following unsupported desktop Direct3D types:

   AllocateHierarchy AnimationOutput AnimationOutputFlags AnimationRootFrame AnimationSet AttributeWeights BandwidthTimings BasisType BoneCombination BoneInfluences Box CacheUtilization CallbackData CallbackSearchFlags CannotAttributeSortException CannotModifyIndexBufferException Channel CleanType ClipPlane ClipPlanes ColorOperator CompressedAnimationSet CompressionFlags CompressionQuality ConflictingRenderStateException ConflictingTextureFilterException ConflictingTexturePaletteException ConstantDescription ConstantTable ConstantTableDescription CubeMapFace CubeTexture CubeTextureRequirements CubeMapFace CubeTexture CubeTextureRequirements DeclarationMethod DeclarationType DeclarationTypeCaps DeclarationUsage DegenerateItems DegreeType DeviceInformation Direct3DXException DisplacementMap DisplacementParameter DriverCaps DuplicateNamedFragmentException Effect EffectCompiler EffectDefault EffectDefaultType EffectDescription EffectHandle EffectInstance EffectPool EffectStateManager EventDescription EventType ExtendedMaterial Fill2DTextureCallback Fill3DTextureCallback FormatList FragmentDescription FragmentLinker Frame FunctionDescription FX GammaRamp GlyphMetricsFloat GpuSimulatorOption HandleAnimationCallback ImageFileFormat ImageInformation Include IncludeType InterfaceGuid InterfaceTimings IntersectInformation InvalidDataException InvalidMeshException IssueFlags KeyCallback KeyFramedAnimationSet KeyQuaternion KeyVector3 Line LinePattern LoadedMeshHasNoDataException LoadUserData LockedBox Macro MeshContainer MeshData MyD3DXAllocateHierarchy MyD3DXAnimationCallback MyD3DXFrame MyD3DXIncludeClass MyD3DXLoadUserData MyD3DXMeshContainer MyD3DXSaveUserData

   NormalMap OutOfVideoMemoryException ParameterClass ParameterDescription ParameterFlags ParameterType PassDescription PatchEdge PatchInformation PatchMesh PatchType PipelineTimings PixelShader PixelShaderCaps PlaybackType Present PropertyDescription PrtBuffer PrtCompressedBuffer PrtEngine PrtEngineCallback PrtSplitMeshClusterData PrtSplitMeshVertexData Query QueryType RasterStatus RectanglePatchInformation RegisterSet RenderStates RenderTargetsMax RenderToEnvironmentDescription RenderToEnvironmentMap RenderToSurface RenderToSurfaceDescription ResourceManager ResourceStats SamplerStageStates SamplerStateManager SamplerStateManagerCollection SaveUserData ScaleRotateTranslate Semantic ShaderConstantInformation ShaderConstantTable ShaderDebugInformation ShaderFileInformation ShaderFlags ShaderInstructionInformation ShaderLoader ShaderStructMemberInformation ShaderTypeInformation ShaderVariableInformation ShaderWriteInformation SimplificationMesh SkinInformation SkinMesh SkinningNotSupportedException SphericalHarmonicMaterial SphericalHarmonics StageTimings StateBlock StateBlockType SurfaceLoader TextureGutterHelper TextureShader TextureStageStates TooManyInfluencesException TooManyOperationsException TrackDescription TransitionType TrianglePatchInformation UnsupportedAlphaArgumentException UnsupportedAlphaOperationException UnsupportedColorArgumentException UnsupportedColorOperationException UnsupportedFactorValueException UnsupportedTextureFilterException VertexCache VertexDeclaration VertexElement VertexFormatCaps VertexShader VertexShaderCaps VertexStats Volume VolumeDescription VolumeLoader VolumeTexture VolumeTextureRequirements WasStillDrawingException WeldEpsilons WeldEpsilonsFlags Wrap WrongTextureFormatException XFile XFileData XFileErrorCodes XFileFormat XFileGuid XFileManager XFileSaveData

See Also

Other Resources

Mobile Direct3D Programming in the .NET Compact Framework