The DirectX Shader Compiler project includes a compiler and related tools used to compile High-Level Shader Language (HLSL) programs into DirectX Intermediate Language (DXIL) representation. Applications that make use of DirectX for graphics, games, and computation can use it to generate shader programs.
The starting point of the project is a fork of the [LLVM](http://llvm.org/) and [Clang](http://clang.llvm.org/) projects, modified to accept HLSL and emit a validated container that can be consumed by GPU drivers.
At the moment, the DirectX HLSL Compiler provides the following components:
The goal of the project is to allow the broader community of shader developers to contribute to the language and representation of shader programs, maintaining the principles of compatibility and supportability for the platform. It's currently in active development across two axes: language evolution (with no impact to DXIL representation), and surfacing hardware capabilities (with impact to DXIL, and thus requiring coordination with GPU implementations).
Development kits containing only the dxc.exe driver app, the dxcompiler.dll, and the dxil.dll signing binary are available [here](https://github.com/microsoft/DirectXShaderCompiler/wiki/Releases), or in the [releases tab](https://github.com/microsoft/DirectXShaderCompiler/releases).
As an example of community contribution, this project can also target the [SPIR-V](https://www.khronos.org/registry/spir-v/) intermediate representation. Please see the [doc](docs/SPIR-V.rst) for how HLSL features are mapped to SPIR-V, and the [wiki](https://github.com/microsoft/DirectXShaderCompiler/wiki/SPIR%E2%80%90V-CodeGen) page for how to build, use, and contribute to the SPIR-V CodeGen.
To run shaders compiled as DXIL, you will need support from the operating system as well as from the driver for your graphics adapter. Windows 10 Creators Update is the first version to support DXIL shaders. See the [Wiki](https://github.com/microsoft/DirectXShaderCompiler/wiki/Running-Shaders) for information on using experimental support or the software adapter.
AMD’s driver (Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition 18.4.1 or later) provides release mode support for DXIL 1.1 and Shader Model 6.1. Drivers can be downloaded from [AMD's download site](https://support.amd.com/en-us/download).
You can find documentation for this project in the `docs` directory. These contain the original LLVM documentation files, as well as two new files worth nothing:
This project has adopted the [Microsoft Open Source Code of Conduct](https://opensource.microsoft.com/codeofconduct/). For more information see the [Code of Conduct FAQ](https://opensource.microsoft.com/codeofconduct/faq/) or contact [opencode@microsoft.com](mailto:opencode@microsoft.com) with any additional questions or comments.