DirectPython is an open source C++ extension to the Python programming language which provides basic access to DirectX (9.0c) API, including Direct3D, DirectSound, DirectShow and DirectInput.

This project is no longer maintained and it has been succeeded by DirectPython 11.

DirectPython uses DirectX almost directly, usually just interpreting Python objects to a form that DirectX can understand. Naturally Python's philosophy has been kept in mind during the planning: DirectPython is simple to use and install. There is no need to download any external libraries (assuming that Python and DirectX are installed) in order to use DirectPython. The full installation has everything that is needed.

It is also possible to use Direct3D directly through comtypes. The header files required for this are located in the downloads section under DirectX comtypes.

I hope that DirectPython will be found useful in the Python community. If you have any questions or feedback, do not hesitate to ask. The mailing list is a good place to ask questions along with the official e-mail address: general(at)directpython.org

DOWNLOADS
SourceForge page (more details and downloads)

Features

Each of these features is demonstrated in the samples that are included with the full installation. Currently there are over 20 different samples that show the basics of DirectPython programming. The documentation is provided as a single help file containing full reference and articles.

• High-performance 3D and 2D rendering
• Alpha blending, antialiasing and anisotropic filtering
• Bump- and environmental mapping
• High-level language (HLSL) shaders with shader model 3.0 support
• Meshes, both static and animated using the flexible .x-format
• Integrate DirectPython with your favorite windowing toolkit like wxPython...
• ...or use the skinnable Direct3D GUI library
• Use physics libraries like PyODE for high speed demonstrations or games
• Pass raw matrix- and vertexdata (eg. from NumPy) directly to Direct3D
• Play sounds (with basic 3D support if needed) and videos easily without any third-party dependencies
• Use DirectInput to receive status information from game controllers

If you are not convinced yet, see some screenshots.

Links

• DirectX documentation. Most of the information there applies to DirectPython, too. The documentation and FAQ pages are very useful to study.

Heikki Salo, page updated on 1 March, 2007