Introduction

DirectPython (11) is an extension to Python programming language providing access to Microsoft Windows Direct3D 11 interface. Basically DirectPython is a layer that converts Python objects into a form which Direct3D can handle. Biggest differences are in the interface: the Python side is heavily simplified (or “pythonized”). You don’t have to write hundreds of lines of low-level COM-handling code to just draw a triangle. In short, DirectPython is not a 1:1 mapping to Direct3D. While this causes some small amount of overhead, in my opinion the resulting API is much nicer to use. And if you really require 110% performance and control, you can always use C++ or some other suitable language to optimize any hot spots.

There are many sources that can be used to find useful information about Direct3D, one being the official Direct3D reference that can be found online at MSDN. The code snippets in the documentation are in C++ or C#, but there is still plenty of general information that can be applied to DirectPython too.

Also see the Frequently asked questions.

System requirements

Supported operating systems:

• Windows Vista Service Pack 2 with Platform Update
• Windows 7

Direct3D 11 supports Direct3D 9.0-level hardware, but most DirectPython samples require at least Direct3D 10.0-level functionality. Fortunately all samples have a fallback to a software WARP-device, so as long as your CPU-has some kick in it samples should work fine even if you don’t have any GPU at all.