D7VK 1.5 Released With Direct3D 3 Now Implemented Over Vulkan

The open-source D7VK project has reached a significant milestone with the release of version 1.5, now implementing Direct3D 3 over Vulkan. This latest release completes the legacy Direct3D graphics support puzzle, bringing D3D3 through D3D7 compatibility to the translation layer that sits atop Vulkan.

Direct3D 4.0 was cancelled by Microsoft and never released, creating a gap in the API numbering that jumped from D3D3 directly to D3D5. With D7VK 1.5, all of these legacy Direct3D APIs are now supported via this open-source translation layer. The project began by implementing Direct3D 7 over Vulkan, similar to how DXVK and VKD3D-Proton provide support for newer Direct3D APIs atop Vulkan. Subsequent releases extended support to Direct3D 6 and then Direct3D 5.

Direct3D 3 support was the final piece of the puzzle, and it came through community contribution. As the project lead explained, "Not so long ago I said I am not going to work on supporting D3D3... and I haven't, really. It was @CkNoSFeRaTU who volunteered and implemented execute buffers, so we pushed the remaining piping onward, to have D3D API completeness after all. Yes, you heard that right, we now support D3D3 as well, which was the last piece of the D3D puzzle in the DDraw world."

The developer also noted that Direct3D 2 and Direct3D 3 are largely indifferent in terms of functionality, meaning this release effectively rounds out the complete legacy Direct3D 3D graphics support stack now all running atop Vulkan.

Beyond the major Direct3D 3 implementation, D7VK 1.5 includes numerous improvements and fixes for "higher API" games. The release also brings better rendering correctness for more games, addressing various compatibility issues that players have encountered.

This release is particularly significant for Linux gaming enthusiasts who want to run older Windows games that rely on these legacy Direct3D APIs. By implementing the complete D3D3 through D3D7 stack over Vulkan, D7VK provides a unified solution for running a wide range of classic Windows games on Linux systems without requiring native ports.

For developers and users interested in the technical details, the full release notes and source code are available on the D7VK GitHub repository. The project continues to evolve as an important tool in the Linux gaming ecosystem, bridging the gap between legacy Windows graphics APIs and modern Vulkan implementations.