C++: DirectX and 3-D editing in Visual Studio

Weird.  This has been a hidden story since VS 2012 came out.  Not sure why.

Did you know that you can do 3-D editing in Visual Studio?  Check it out, and it isn’t documented very well on the MSDN sites, sure there are a few videos and so forth, but when I show this to C++ TEs many are surprised at the simplicity of working with 3D in Visual Studio.  Ok, doesn’t make up for XNA, but it certainly is a reason to check out C++ and Direct3 (I tricked you with DirectX, sorry).  This tool gives you a chance to do some 3D editing.

Is it blender?  No.  Is it whatever Maya is being called these days? No.

Do I like it? Yep.

Here is what it looks like, I am using Ultimate, and it is only available in Pro and Ultimate.

Cool, 3D editing in Visual Studio

But how?

How do I use it?

Easy.

Open a New Project C++, Windows Store, Blank App

From the solution explorer at the project level add a 3-D Graphic, the process is shown below:

Once the 3-D Scene opens you will see the following, you can also use this to touch up an existing .FBX:

Now what about lighting?

That get’s more interesting and I will cover the way that you edit lighting, which in any tool has it’s complexity. 

Conclusion:

Wow, why isn’t this discussed in more depth on the MSDN and Channel 9 site?  I have no idea, but now that I know about, I am going to use the heck out of it and I hope you do too.

Go forth and build apps!