DirectX 12

DirectX 12 consumes DXIL (shader model 6) directly, which is convenient because DXC already emits DXIL as an intermediate on other paths — DX12 just carries it through instead of translating to DXBC:

HLSL → DXC → DXIL (SM6)   (consumed directly by MonoGame WindowsDX12)

Current state

The CLI and PlatformTarget accept a DirectX12 profile. Compiling targets MonoGame's WindowsDX12 platform (new in MonoGame 3.8.5, stable since 2026-07-15): the .mgfx uses its own container (profile byte 2), with each shader's DXIL wrapped via DirectX12ShaderCodeWrapper. ShadowDusk's own DX12 output is validated end-to-end against a real mgfxc /platform:WindowsDX12 golden (MonoGame's own 3.8.5 content pipeline) — max Δ 0 across the standard PS/SpriteBatch corpus, a VS-driven rig, and the real-world Apos.Shapes SDF shape renderer (custom vertex shader).

DirectX 12 requires MonoGame 3.8.5+ on the consumer's side (the WindowsDX12 platform didn't exist before). ShadowDusk's own MonoGame reference pin stays at 3.8.2.1105 regardless — targeting DX12 is a choice about the consumer's runtime, the same way choosing Vulkan is.

KNI does not ship a DirectX 12 platform, so this target is MonoGame-only, like Vulkan.

Compile DirectX 12 effects on Windows (SD0214)

DXIL signing is Windows-only. DXC's validation-and-signing step runs through dxil.dll, which exists only on Windows (it is a no-op on Linux, and macOS ships no dxil at all). A DirectX12 compile on a non-Windows host therefore produces unsigned DXIL, which:

  • loads only on a machine with Windows Developer Mode enabled, and
  • is rejected by retail D3D12 at pipeline-state creation.

Same source, same ShadowDusk version, different build host, differently-broken artifact. ShadowDusk does not hide this: a non-Windows DX12 compile emits the SD0214 warning (DxcShaderCompiler) rather than shipping a silently host-dependent output.

Practically: build your DX12 content on Windows until cross-platform signing ships. This is the one target where the usual "compile anywhere, get the same bytes" property does not hold; DX11, OpenGL, and FNA are unaffected and remain byte-identical across hosts.

Additive by policy

Like all backends, targeting DirectX 12 is opt-in per compile (PlatformTarget.DirectX12) and does not change OpenGL/DX11/v10 output for consumers who don't ask for it.

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