Known issues with Whidbey Managed DirectX

So, how is it that I can get scooped by my own information?  (Just kidding ZMan, I appreciate it!)

Anyway, two main known issues with the Whidbey MDX Beta.  First, it requires VS2005 Beta2.  Nothing later.  Those of you using RC0 will get “FileNotFound” exceptions when trying to load the assemblies.

Two, there is a large ‘chunk’ of D3DX that is ‘missing’ from the assembly due to a mistake on my part.  It is most certainly unintentional.  (Oh, and MatrixStack is a D3DX component too, despite it being in the Microsoft.DirectX namespace).

We are working on getting these issues addressed as quickly as possible.  One of the benefits of releasing every other month though is no matter what, you don’t have *that* long to wait for updates.  Please keep the feedback coming, particularly on design issues, but on anything you feel the need to tell me about.

Whidbey Managed DirectX

The October SDK release is now available and (if you read ZMan’s blog, you already know) it includes the first beta of the Managed DirectX for the 2.0 CLR.  I’m extremely interested in your feedback on this, particularly design decisions that were made, what you think should have been done, etc.
Here is the information from our “announcement” internally:
The DirectX® Team is pleased to announce the next release of the DirectX 9.0 SDK Update (October 2005)
The October 2005 update includes the first release of XInput, beta releases of XACT, Managed DirectX for Whidbey, several new samples, as well as the usual slew of bug fixes and documentation updates.
XInput API
This new SDK optional component allows applications to use the Xbox 360 Controller for Windows.  Controller input, vibration effects, and voice input/output are supported.  Several samples are included that introduce the API and features of the controller.
Microsoft Cross-Platform Audio Creation Tool (XACT Beta)
XACT is an audio design tool and runtime that allows application developers and audio content designers to create vibrant sound in games.  Samples are included demonstrating features such as cues, streaming, and auditioning.
10-Foot Experience Updates
The article covering topics related to games on Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 has been updated to help you make your game more accessible within the Media Center interface.  Two new samples, MCELauncher and MediaCenterGame, have been added to illustrate best practices as well.
Graphics Card Capabilities
A chart, in Adobe PDF and Microsoft Excel formats, containing a collection of capabilities exposed by current drivers on a wide range of graphics hardware is now available in the SDK.
Simple2D
This Managed DirectX sample demonstrates several basic 2D techniques including scrolling and sprites using Direct3D.
DxOps Batch Processing Tool
The DxOps tool is a command-line tool that allows you to do common mesh and texture processing using simple scripts.
Managed DirectX for Whidbey (Beta)
This is the first release of Managed DirectX with support for the Common Language Runtime (CLR) 2.0.  In addition to addressing issues related to using Managed DirectX with Microsoft Visual Studio 2005, it includes new features that take advantage of CLR 2.0.  Support for Direct3D, D3DX, DirectSound, DirectInput, and XInput are included in this release.
There have been no updates to D3DX or PIX for Windows in this release.