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338 13. Programming 3D Graphics in Real Time
Figure 13.8. Direct 3D system overview. Note the programmable b ranch of the graph-
ics pipeline. Primitive data refers to bitmaps and any other non-vertex input.
Figure 13.9. Direct3D/Windows system communication.
Direct3D’s relationship with an application program is mediated by the
device driver. A diagrammatic indication of this is presented in Figure 13.9.
You will notice a special block called the HAL (the hardware abstraction
layer). This is a device-specific interface provided by the hardware manufac-
turer. The HAL can be part of the display driver or contained in a separate dy-
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