DirectX Tool Kit for DirectX 12 — Usage Guide

Overview

The DirectX Tool Kit for DirectX 12 (DirectXTK12) is a collection of helper classes for writing Direct3D 12 C++ code for Win32 desktop applications (Windows 10+), Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps.

• Repository: https://github.com/microsoft/DirectXTK12
• Documentation: https://github.com/microsoft/DirectXTK12/wiki
• NuGet Packages: directxtk12_desktop_win10, directxtk12_uwp
• vcpkg Port: directxtk12

Integration Methods

vcpkg manifest-mode (Recommended)

In your vcpkg.json file, add the following:

{
  "$schema": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/microsoft/vcpkg-tool/main/docs/vcpkg.schema.json",
  "dependencies": [
    "directx-headers",
    "directxmath",
    "directxtk12"
  ]
}

If using GameInput for the game input functionality, add the following:

{
  "$schema": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/microsoft/vcpkg-tool/main/docs/vcpkg.schema.json",
  "dependencies": [
    "directx-headers",
    "directxmath",
    {
      "name": "directxtk12",
      "default-features": false,
      "features": [
        "gameinput"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

If using DirectX Tool Kit for Audio and GameInput, add the following:

{
  "$schema": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/microsoft/vcpkg-tool/main/docs/vcpkg.schema.json",
  "dependencies": [
    "directx-headers",
    "directxmath",
    {
      "name": "directxtk12",
      "default-features": false,
      "features": [
        "gameinput",
        "xaudio2-9"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

vcpkg (classic)

vcpkg install directxtk12

Features: xaudio2-9 (DirectX Tool Kit for Audio using XAudio 2.9), gameinput (Using GameInput for gamepad, keyboard, and mouse), tools (command-line tools). Triplets: x64-windows, arm64-windows, etc.

For DLL usage (x64-windows default triplet), define DIRECTX_TOOLKIT_IMPORT in your consuming project. For static library usage, use -static-md triplet variants.

CMakeLists.txt:

find_package(directxtk12 CONFIG REQUIRED)
target_link_libraries(your_target PRIVATE Microsoft::DirectXTK12)

Use the d3d12game_vcpkg template as a starting point.

NuGet

Use directxtk12_desktop_win10 for Win32 desktop applications or directxtk12_uwp for UWP apps.

Project Reference

Add the appropriate .vcxproj from the DirectXTK12/ folder to your solution and add a project reference. Add the DirectXTK12\Inc directory to your Additional Include Directories.

Minimum Requirements

• Windows 10 May 2020 Update SDK (19041) or later
• Visual Studio 2022, Visual Studio 2026, clang for Windows v12+, or MinGW 12.2
• Direct3D Feature Level 11.0 or higher

Getting Started

For a full step-by-step walkthrough, see the Getting Started tutorial on the wiki.

A minimal initialization sequence:

1. Create a ID3D12Device.
2. Create a GraphicsMemory instance (one per device).
3. Create a DescriptorHeap for SRV/CBV/UAV descriptors.
4. Use ResourceUploadBatch to upload textures and static buffers to the GPU.
5. Create rendering helpers (e.g., SpriteBatch, Effects, Model) with the appropriate pipeline state.
6. Each frame, call GraphicsMemory::Commit after executing command lists.

API Reference

The public API is defined in the header files in the Inc/ directory. See the reference overview for a categorized summary of all classes and helpers.

Full documentation for each class is available on the GitHub wiki.

API signatures are defined in the public headers under the Inc/ directory. Always consult those headers for the authoritative function signatures, parameters, and SAL annotations.

Key Concepts

Resource Ownership

DirectXTK12 classes follow RAII principles. Most objects are created with std::make_unique and destroyed automatically. COM resources are managed with Microsoft::WRL::ComPtr.

Device-Dependent vs Device-Independent

Most DirectXTK12 objects are device-dependent — they are created with a ID3D12Device* and must be recreated if the device is lost. Plan your resource management accordingly.

Thread Safety

DirectXTK12 rendering classes (SpriteBatch, Effects, PrimitiveBatch, etc.) are not thread-safe. Use one instance per thread, or synchronize access externally. Resource creation (texture loading, model loading) can be done from any thread.

Key Concepts for DirectX 12 Users

• Pipeline State Objects (PSOs): Unlike the DX11 version, DX12 requires explicit PSO management. Use EffectPipelineStateDescription and RenderTargetState to configure PSOs for effects and rendering helpers.
• Descriptor Heaps: Use DescriptorHeap to manage shader-visible descriptor heaps. Most rendering classes require descriptor heap indices at draw time.
• Resource Upload: GPU resources must be uploaded explicitly. ResourceUploadBatch batches uploads into a single command list for efficiency.
• Graphics Memory: GraphicsMemory manages per-frame dynamic allocations (constant buffers, dynamic vertex/index buffers). Call Commit once per frame.

Namespace

All classes and functions reside in the DirectX namespace. Headers that contain Direct3D 12-specific types use inline namespace DX12 to avoid conflicts when both DX11 and DX12 toolkits are linked together.

#include "SpriteBatch.h"

// Usage:
auto spriteBatch = std::make_unique<DirectX::SpriteBatch>(device, ...);

Common Patterns

Creating an Effect

#include "Effects.h"
#include "EffectPipelineStateDescription.h"
#include "RenderTargetState.h"

RenderTargetState rtState(DXGI_FORMAT_B8G8R8A8_UNORM, DXGI_FORMAT_D32_FLOAT);

EffectPipelineStateDescription pd(
    &VertexPositionNormalTexture::InputLayout,
    CommonStates::Opaque,
    CommonStates::DepthDefault,
    CommonStates::CullCounterClockwise,
    rtState);

auto effect = std::make_unique<BasicEffect>(device, EffectFlags::Lighting | EffectFlags::Texture, pd);

Loading and Drawing a Model

#include "Model.h"

auto model = Model::CreateFromSDKMESH(device, L"mymodel.sdkmesh");

// Upload resources
ResourceUploadBatch upload(device);
upload.Begin();
model->LoadStaticBuffers(device, upload);
upload.End(commandQueue).wait();

// Draw (simplified — see wiki for full parameter details)
model->Draw(commandList, ...);

Texture Loading

#include "DDSTextureLoader.h"
#include "ResourceUploadBatch.h"
#include "DescriptorHeap.h"

ResourceUploadBatch upload(device);
upload.Begin();

Microsoft::WRL::ComPtr<ID3D12Resource> texture;
CreateDDSTextureFromFile(device, upload, L"texture.dds", texture.ReleaseAndGetAddressOf());

upload.End(commandQueue).wait();

Input Handling

#include "Keyboard.h"
#include "Mouse.h"
#include "GamePad.h"

auto keyboard = std::make_unique<DirectX::Keyboard>();
auto mouse = std::make_unique<DirectX::Mouse>();
auto gamePad = std::make_unique<DirectX::GamePad>();

// In update loop
auto kb = keyboard->GetState();
if (kb.Escape)
    PostQuitMessage(0);

auto pad = gamePad->GetState(0);
if (pad.IsConnected())
{
    if (pad.IsAPressed())
        /* jump */;
}

Audio

#include "Audio.h"

// Create audio engine
auto audioEngine = std::make_unique<DirectX::AudioEngine>();

// Load and play a sound
auto soundEffect = std::make_unique<DirectX::SoundEffect>(audioEngine.get(), L"explosion.wav");
soundEffect->Play();

// Per-frame update
audioEngine->Update();

Note: Code examples above are simplified for clarity. Consult the wiki tutorials and public headers in Inc/ for complete working code with all required parameters.

Further Reading

• DirectXTK Wiki
• DirectX Tool Kit for Audio
• SimpleMath documentation
• Project templates