D2D1

D2D1 is the core API surface and data type namespace for Direct2D, a Windows graphics API designed for high-performance, hardware-accelerated 2D rendering. The term encompasses the public interfaces, structures, and enumerations used to create and manipulate 2D graphics, including vector shapes, bitmaps, and text, with an emphasis on efficiency and quality through GPU acceleration. Direct2D is designed to work closely with Direct3D for rendering, and it integrates with DirectWrite for text layouts and Windows Imaging Component (WIC) for image handling.

The typical Direct2D workflow begins with creating an ID2D1Factory object via D2D1CreateFactory. The factory is then used to create render targets (for example, ID2D1HwndRenderTarget for window drawing or bitmap render targets) and a variety of resources such as brushes, geometries, and bitmaps. Rendering proceeds with BeginDraw, a sequence of drawing commands (lines, fills, text, bitmaps), and EndDraw. Render targets can be tied to windows or used offscreen, and rendering results can be composited or presented as needed. The API emphasizes resource management through COM semantics and supports multi-threaded scenarios with careful synchronization.

D2D1 defines many fundamental data types, including D2D1_POINT_2F, D2D1_RECT_F, D2D1_SIZE_F, and D2D1_COLOR_F, along with transformation matrices and style enumerations such as D2D1_CAP_STYLE and D2D1_LINE_JOIN. The API is designed for interoperability, often used in tandem with DirectWrite for text and WIC for images, and is available to desktop and UWP applications through the Windows SDK.

See also: Direct2D, DirectWrite, Windows Imaging Component, COM.