XNA® 3D Primer

Chapter 1. XNA 3D Primer

In early computer graphics, graphic adapters were 2D (two-dimensional) only. Games created a frame by setting pixel colors in the graphics adapter's memory, then telling the graphics adapter to make the buffer active in a simple process called frame buffering. If a game was in 3D (three dimensions), it meant that the programmers wrote 3D-to-2D conversion methods, sometimes in C, often in Assembly, to generate 2D frames from 3D sources.

Fortunately, it's no longer 1980, and graphics adapter advancements include processing 3D images. With XNA, it's possible to write high-performance 3D games in managed code that will run on a Windows PC and Xbox 360. 3D game development has never been easier, but that doesn't mean it is easy. ...