GfxControls

Version 0.1.1

GfxControls is a lightweight C# library containing WPF and WinForms controls that enables embedding a DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan windows within an application.

Current Support

Framework	DirectX	OpenGL	Vulkan
WPF	✔	✖	✖
WinForms	✔	✖	✖

---

API Version Support

API	Version	WPF	WinForms
DirectX	9	✖	✖
	10	✖	✖
	11	✔	✔
	12	✖	✖
OpenGL	3.3	✖	✖
	4.6	✖	✖
Vulkan	1.0	✖	✖
	1.1	✖	✖

Getting Started

DirectX

1. Add a Reference
   Reference GfxControls.WPF.dll or GfxControls.Forms.dll in your project.

2. Add the Control in XAML
   Include GfxControls.WPF/Forms.DirectX.D3D11Host in your XAML file.

3. Initialize DirectX
   Wait for D3D11Host.IsDXInitialized to be true or subscribe to the D3D11Host.DXInitialized event before accessing DirectX resources.

4. Access DirectX Interfaces
   Use the provided DX interfaces directly in your native code or cast them to managed objects using libraries like SharpDX. You can access these through properties that return an IntPtr.

Exposed Interfaces: The following DirectX interfaces are available:

• IDXGIDevice
• IDXGISwapChain
• IDXGISwapChain1
• ID3D11Device
• ID3D11DeviceContext

Example: Convert Interface Pointers to SharpDX Objects:

You can cast the exposed interfaces to SharpDX objects using ComObject.FromPointer:

//D3D11Host dxHost;
SharpDX.DXGI.Device dxdevice = ComObject.FromPointer<SharpDX.DXGI.Device>(dxHost.DXGIDevice);
SharpDX.DXGI.SwapChain swapChain = ComObject.FromPointer<SharpDX.DXGI.SwapChain>(dxHost.SwapChain);
SharpDX.DXGI.SwapChain1 swapChain1 = ComObject.FromPointer<SharpDX.DXGI.SwapChain1>(dxHost.SwapChain1);
SharpDX.Direct3D11.Device device = ComObject.FromPointer<SharpDX.Direct3D11.Device>(dxHost.D3DDevice);
SharpDX.Direct3D11.DeviceContext context = ComObject.FromPointer<SharpDX.Direct3D11.DeviceContext>(dxHost.DeviceContext);

Explore These Example Projects:

• WPF SharpDX Example
• WinForms SharpDX Example
• WPF CLI Example (Coming Soon)

OpenGL

Coming Soon

Vulkan

Coming Soon

Building the Project

1. Select Configuration

   • Choose the build configuration you need, such as Debug, Release, or any custom configurations.
   • The project includes multiple configurations for different .NET frameworks, including .NET 8, .NET 6, .NET Core 3.1, and .NET Framework 4.7.

2. Restore NuGet Packages (Optional)

   • Open the Package Manager Console in Visual Studio and run:

     dotnet restore

   • Restore the CLI project using Visual Studio Command Prompt:

     msbuild GfxControls.CLI\GfxControls.CLI.vcxproj /t:Restore

3. Build

   • Compile the WpfGfxControls or an example project in Visual Studio.

Notes for Switching Between Framework Configurations

Warning: This is now handled using OnConfigChange.targets, be aware if importing GfxControls.CLI.vcxproj to another solution, as files/folders are deleted relative to $(SolutionDir).

If the GfxControls.CLI does not build after changing configurations or frameworks, try the following steps:

• Clean the Project in Visual Studio (GfxControls.CLI > Clean).
• Restore NuGet Packages using MSBuild.
• Reload the Project in Visual Studio to ensure settings are updated.
• Delete Intermediate and Output Directories like bin, obj and Framework if any build issues persist.

License

GNU AGPLv3