This guide to maximizing visual effects and optimizing graphics for game programming with C++ and DirectX is a practical introduction to the latest C++ technologies and techniques. The new concept of demo coding—a program whose purpose is to present the technical and artistic skills of programmers—is provided, as is help for programmers demonstrating their new skills in creating 2-D and 3-D games and demo scenes. An accompanying CD-ROM includes demo scenes, game-development projects, and examples from the book.