Real-Time 3D Rendering with DirectX® and HLSL: A Practical Guide to Graphics Programming

Chapter 5. Texture Mapping

Texture mapping is the process of adding detail to the surface of a 3D object. This can be likened to gift wrapping, where your wrapping paper is a 2D texture. Texture mapping is fundamental to modern rendering and is used for a multitude of interesting graphics techniques.

An Introduction to Texture Mapping

Generally, you’ll want more detail in your rendered 3D objects than the solid color produced by the HelloShader and HelloStructs effects from the last chapter. As you’ve learned, 3D models consist of vertices, typically organized into triangles. Those vertices are described, at a minimum, by a position. But they can contain additional information. A step toward additional surface detail is to provide a color for ...