Editing Direct3D (section)

==Direct3D 6.0==
'''DirectX 6.0''' (released in August, 1998) introduced numerous features to cover contemporary hardware (such as [[Texture mapping|multitexture]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamedev.net/page/resources/_/reference/programming/directx/direct3d/direct3d-7-immediate-mode-framework-programming-r1028|title=Direct3D 7 Immediate Mode Framework Programming 3: Multitexturing|publisher=gamedev.net|date=2000-05-29|access-date=September 17, 2011|archive-date=August 5, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805004456/http://www.gamedev.net/page/resources/_/reference/programming/directx/direct3d/direct3d-7-immediate-mode-framework-programming-r1028|url-status=dead}}</ref> and [[stencil buffer]]s) as well as optimized [[geometry pipeline]]s for [[x87]], [[Streaming SIMD Extensions|SSE]] and [[3DNow!]] and optional texture management to simplify programming.<ref>{{cite web|title=Microsoft Ships Final Release of DirectX 6.0|url=http://news.microsoft.com/1998/08/07/microsoft-ships-final-release-of-directx-6-0/|publisher=Microsoft|date=1998-08-07}}</ref> Direct3D 6.0 also included support for features that had been licensed by Microsoft from specific hardware vendors for inclusion in the API, in exchange for the time-to-market advantage to the licensing vendor. [[S3TC|S3 texture compression]] support was one such feature, renamed as DXTC for purposes of inclusion in the API. Another was TriTech's proprietary [[bump mapping]] technique. Microsoft included these features in DirectX, then added them to the requirements needed for drivers to get a [[WHQL Testing|Windows logo]] to encourage broad adoption of the features in other vendors' hardware.

A minor update to '''DirectX 6.0''' came in the February, 1999 DirectX 6.1 update. Besides adding [[DirectMusic]] support for the first time, this release improved support for [[Intel Pentium III]] 3D extensions.<ref>{{cite web|title=Microsoft Ships DirectX 6.1|url=http://news.microsoft.com/1999/02/03/microsoft-ships-directx-6-1/|publisher=Microsoft|date=3 February 1999}}</ref>

A confidential memo sent in 1997<ref>{{cite web|title=Bill Gates April 1997 Talisman Update|url=http://www.alexstjohn.com/BillG_Apr_97_Talisman_update.pdf|publisher=Microsoft|date=1997-05-05|access-date=2015-10-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208112242/http://www.alexstjohn.com/BillG_Apr_97_Talisman_update.pdf|archive-date=2015-12-08|url-status=dead}}</ref> shows Microsoft planning to announce full support for [[Microsoft Talisman|Talisman]] in DirectX 6.0, but the API ended up being cancelled (See the [[Microsoft Talisman]] page for details).