DXGI

DXGI, short for DirectX Graphics Infrastructure, is a Windows API component of the DirectX family. It provides the low‑level infrastructure that enables graphics device enumeration, display-output management, and the swap-chain based presentation model used by Direct3D applications. By abstracting the interaction with graphics drivers, DXGI helps applications select a suitable adapter, create the surfaces needed for rendering, and present frames to the user display.

Key concepts and interfaces in DXGI include factories, adapters, and swap chains. A process obtains a DXGI factory object, uses it to enumerate graphics adapters (graphics cards) and their outputs (monitors), and then creates a swap chain (IDXGISwapChain) that binds to a window or surface. The swap chain manages back buffers and handles Present calls to display rendered frames. DXGI also provides the DXGI Resource family for sharing textures and other resources across processes through shared handles and synchronization primitives.

DXGI supports multi-GPU configurations and multiple displays, enabling applications to select an optimum adapter and to render to different outputs as needed. It also handles fullscreen transitions, mode switching, and optional tearing support, coordinating timing with the display driver and the Windows Display Driver Model.

DXGI is designed as a component of DirectX and is used by Direct3D 10/11/12 and related APIs. It is platform-specific to Windows and is typically accessed via header dxgi.h and the associated libraries. Over its history, DXGI has evolved through multiple revisions to add features for modern rendering, swap-chain modes, and inter-process resource sharing.