D3d_feature_level ((exclusive))

Traditional graphics APIs (e.g., Direct3D 9) required developers to query specific capabilities (caps bits) to determine if a feature was supported. As GPUs became more complex, this approach became unmanageable. Direct3D 10 introduced the concept of feature levels , later refined in D3D11 and D3D12. A feature level is a well-defined set of GPU functionality, similar to a DirectX version number but tied to hardware capabilities rather than the API version.

Feature levels are backward compatible. A GPU supporting level 11_0 also supports all lower levels (10_0, 10_1, 9_x). Below is the official hierarchy (from lowest to highest): d3d_feature_level

The following are the standard Feature Levels defined in the d3dcommon.h header, arranged from lowest to highest capability: Traditional graphics APIs (e