http://www.gamedev.net/reference/articles/article1972.asp

here ya go.

// Redmar

In a nutshell, DirectX 7 was the last to update DirectDraw and there are no future plans to maintain it. DirectDraw, being 2D, does not benefit from most hardware acceleration graphic cards can provide. Direct3D, being 3D, can gain massive performance boosts because graphics cards are optimized for 3D nowadays.

Furthermore, it is MUCH easier and faster to render special effects with 3D than with 2D. For instance, translucency in 2D must be calculated on the fly and uses up massive amounts of CPU for anything but small sprites. In 3D, a textured quad rendered with an alpha channel is not only handled nearly automatically, it renders MUCH faster.

2D is not dead, however. Far from it. Using Direct3D is just a means of rendering your images. The fact it''s a 3D API doesn''t mean it cannot do 2D. You just have to think of your sprite as a textured polygone instead of a block of pixel data.

Also check out this article:

http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20010629/geczy_01.htm

It''s for an older version of DX, if I remember correctly. But I was able to use it to get started using D3D in C++.

Rattlehead

PS: I think you''ll have to get a gamasutra membership to view that article, but that''s not a big deal... it''s free.