Part 4. 2D and 3D graphics

If I had to pick a single place where Silverlight really excels, I’d say graphics. In fact, the very first version of Silverlight (Silverlight 1.0) was a simple platform for display of graphics and playback of media. It did almost nothing else. Silver-light has obviously come a long way since those days in 2006 and 2007, but its core strengths are as strong as ever.

In the next four chapters, you’ll explore the graphics capabilities of Silver-light, starting with vector graphics and GPU effects/shaders. You’ll learn how to define and manipulate shapes and geometries, as well as how to create things like blurs and drop shadows. From there, it’s natural to turn your eye to bitmap images, both the kind you download from a URL and those you create program-matically.

Combining concepts from both vector images and bitmaps with more than a little GPU sugar, you have the XNA-compatible 3D API. You’ll spend some time exploring how to use this API in Silverlight both to enhance your applications and even as a central aspect of your entire solution. At the end of the two 3D chapters, you’ll have implemented a simple 3D keyframe animation system. Oh, and if you’re a fan of the Amiga or old 8-bit (and 16-bit) computers, you’ll love what’s in store for you.