SlimDX

SlimDX is a super cool open-source library that lets you use Microsoft's DirectX APIs in your .NET apps. It was first created by Promit Roy and works with .NET 2.0 and newer, so you can build stuff using C#, VB.NET, IronPython, F#, and more!

Why Was SlimDX Created?

Before SlimDX, Microsoft had the Managed DirectX (MDX) library for .NET 1.1 apps. But since .NET 1.1 is pretty much ancient history now and Microsoft isn’t updating MDX anymore, it was time for something new! Thanks to a ton of community support and contributions from other developers, SlimDX has turned into a solid platform for building DirectX-based applications.

What About XNA Game Studio?

You might be wondering why not just use XNA Game Studio? Well, XNA is another Microsoft tool aimed at game development for both Windows and Xbox 360. While both SlimDX and XNA share some similar goals, they’re actually made for different things. SlimDX focuses on giving you access to as much of Windows’ multimedia stuff as possible for all kinds of applications. In contrast, XNA is all about making managed games.

How to Get Started with SlimDX

Getting started with SlimDX is a piece of cake! First off, you’ll need a development environment where you can write code in a .NET language. We suggest Visual C# Express; it’s user-friendly! You should also grab the latest DirectX SDK. This SDK has loads of documentation from Microsoft plus sample projects in C++ that are easy to turn into SlimDX code.

Growing Popularity

SlimDX first hit the scene on June 30, 2007, in beta form but has exploded in popularity since then! By June 2008, it was no longer in beta and officially stable. There are even commercial projects using it—some have shipped AAA game titles on Windows! With support for various libraries like DirectX 9, DirectX 10, DirectSound, XAudio2, XInput, and even Windows 7 beta libraries included, SlimDX stands out as one of the most complete multimedia libraries available for .NET.