Wrappers

A wrapper is a reimplementation of a library, where the goal is to substitute the original API with a better-supported interface. It works as a drop-in replacement for the original library, since a lot of software usually bundled it as-is without any fine-tuning. Wrappers are most common for proprietary interfaces that are either abandoned or otherwise platform-specific.

See High and low-level emulation page for more information about terms like "hypervisors", "simulators", "compatibility layers", "wrappers", "FPGA" and "software emulators".

Before diving in;

Windows Glide and DOS Glide games list. See other proprietary APIs, cards and supported software - [1], [2] See DirectX 1.0 DirectX 3.0 DirectX 5.0 DirectX 6.0, DirectX 7.0, DirectX 8.1, DirectX 9.0a, DirectX 9.0b, DirectX 9.0c, DirectX 10.0, DirectX 10.1 cards. See pcgamingwiki's #API sections on each dedicated game page for what API's used. See audio API and middleware supported games list;

'90s APIs

(Glide, DirectDraw 1-7, Direct3D 2-7^{[N 1]}, OpenGL 1.x)

During the 90s, many IBM-Compatible PC game developers used 3dfx's Glide API for hardware accelerated 3D games, which is compatible only with 3dfx Voodoo cards. Neither NVIDIA nor ATI supported Glide, hence a wrapper is needed to play Glide games on non-Voodoo hardware.

Games using older versions of DirectDraw or Direct3D can also benefit from wrappers, since their interfaces may not work properly on newer systems. Wrappers can also enable various overrides and enhancements, such as ReShade.

Type	Name	Platform(s)	Latest version	Translates	Into	Compatibility	License	Active	Recommended
Graphics	dgVoodoo2		2.87.5	Glide 2.11-3.10 DirectDraw 1-7 Direct3D 2-7	Direct3D 11, 12	?	Proprietary	✓	✓
	WineD3D		11.0 (Linux, macOS) 11.10 (Windows)^{[N 2]}	DirectDraw 1-7 Direct3D 2-7	Vulkan OpenGL	?	LGPLv2.1 (Copyleft)	✓	✓
	D7VK		1.2	Direct3D 5-6 (experimental) Direct3D 7 DirectDraw (partial)^{[N 3]}	Vulkan		zlib License (Permissive)	✓	✓
	DxWnd		2.06.15^{[N 2]}	DirectDraw 1-7 Direct3D 2-7	no API conversion		GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✓	✓
	glrage		r10	ATI3DCIF DirectDraw 2	OpenGL 3.3		LGPLv3 (Copyleft)	✗	✓
	RReady (Rendition Verite wrapper)		RReady Rendition Verité	RRedline Speedy3D	OpenGL		Proprietary	✓	✓
	S3d wrappers		S3d wrappers	S3D MSI95	Software		Proprietary	✓	✓
	nGlide		2.10	Glide	Vulkan Direct3D 9		Proprietary	✗	✓
	DxWrapper		v1.4.7900.25	DirectDraw 1-7 Direct3D 2-7	Direct3D 9^{[N 4]} Direct3D 7 (for Direct3D 2-6) DirectDraw 7 (for DirectDraw 1-6)	?	zlib License (Permissive)	✓	~
	DDrawCompat		0.7.1	DirectDraw 1-7 Direct3D 2-7 GDI (Partially)	no API conversion		BSD-0-Clause (Permissive)	✓	~
	cnc-ddraw	^{[N 5]}	6.6	DirectDraw 1-7	GDI OpenGL Direct3D 9		MIT (Permissive)	✓	~
	DXGL		0.5.27	DirectDraw 1-7	OpenGL		LGPLv2.1 (Copyleft)	✓	~
	Glidos		1.59	Glide (DOS)	?		?	✓	✗
	dgVoodoo		v1.50b2	Glide 2.11-2.45	Direct3D 7, 9		Proprietary	✗	✗
	OpenGlide		0.09 Alpha	Glide	OpenGL		Apache 2.0 (Permissive)	✗	✗
	psVoodoo		0.17	Glide	Direct3D 9		LGPL (Copyleft)	✗	✗
Input	XOutput		3.32	DirectInput	XInput		MIT (Permissive)	✓	✓
Input	DxWrapper		v1.4.7900.25	DirectInput 1-7	DirectInput 8		zlib License (Permissive)	✓	~
Sound	DSOAL		git dsoal-XP	DirectSound	OpenAL		LGPLv2.1 (Copyleft)	✓	TBD

↑ Direct3D 1 is not listed, since DirectX 1 did not have a Direct3D component. The first release was Direct3D 2. The internal numbers of Direct3D pre-7 actually differ from the corresponding DirectX, but they were not referred to as such, outside of low-level dev material, possibly to avoid confusion.
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 DxWnd 2.05.70, WineD3D 1.7.52 or 1.9.7-staging(partially) versions are the latest compatible versions with Windows XP (if OneCoreAPI is not installed to OS), for getting these old "WineD3D for Windows" builds use this link. Also you can use JHRobotics port for using WineD3D on Windows 9x (Wine9x) or Windows XP.
↑ Does not support DirectDraw-only games
↑ Through dd7to9
↑ Linux and macOS are supported through wine.

Comparisons

dgVoodoo2: Supports Glide 2.11, 2.45, 3.10, 3.1 Napalm, all versions of DirectDraw, and Direct3D up to version 7. Outputs Direct3D 11 and Direct3D 12 with different device types as wrapping output, such as hardware or software rendering.

WineD3D: Wine's internal wrapper. Wraps DirectDraw and Direct3D up to 7 into Vulkan and OpenGL. It works pretty well for running older Direct3D games, though it does not come with a Glide implementation of its own. A custom build is available for Windows here.

nGlide: A great Glide wrapper, supporting all three public versions (2.11, 2.60 and 3.10) but it's closed-source. It originally only used Direct3D 9 until Vulkan output was added in 2.0, allowing it to work under Linux using Wine 2.10.0 and newer.^[1] nGlide also supports high resolution modes. See the compatibility list.

DXGL: Reimplements DirectDraw using OpenGL. It is considered alpha software despite many applications working.

glrage: Reimplements ATI3DCIF, an API from ATI used in a handful of games, and DirectDraw 2 over OpenGL. Originally designed specifically for Tomb Raider 1/UB patched with ATIRage patch, currently also supports Assault Rigs and Wipeout. Additionally, it applies some improvements, fixes and QoL changes to the games.

2000s and later APIs

(Direct3D 8 and higher, OpenGL 2.x and higher, Vulkan)

Modern Windows games will likely need one of these wrappers to work on other platforms. Usually these are not separate downloads, and will come packaged into compatibility layers like Proton, Wine, or CrossOver.

The term "wrapper" is not entirely accurate for some software listed in this table, such as OpenAL Soft. Unlike a true wrapper, which translates or redirects API calls to another system (e.g., DSOAL mapping OpenAL to DirectSound3D), OpenAL Soft is a complete, open-source software implementation of the OpenAL 3D audio API. It directly provides full functionality, including positional audio, distance attenuation, Doppler effects, and environmental audio processing, through software-based rendering. Operating independently of hardware acceleration, OpenAL Soft supports multiple platforms (e.g., Linux, Windows, macOS) and audio backends (e.g., ALSA, PulseAudio, WASAPI), making it a standalone audio engine rather than a wrapper layer.

Name	Latest Version	Translates	Into	License	Active	Recommended
dgVoodoo2	2.87.5	Direct3D 8-9	Direct3D 11, 12	Proprietary	✓	✓
DXVK	3.0.2	Direct3D 8-11	Vulkan	zlib License (Permissive)	✓	✓
WineD3D	11.0 (Linux, macOS) 11.10 (Windows)	Direct3D 8-11	Vulkan OpenGL	LGPLv2.1 (Copyleft)	✓	✓
VKD3D-Proton	3.0.1	Direct3D 12	Vulkan	LGPLv2.1 (Copyleft)	✓	✓
Zink	git pal1000's Windows builds^{[N 1]}	OpenGL 2.1-4.6	Vulkan	MIT (Permissive)	✓	✓
d3d8to9	1.12.0	Direct3D 8	Direct3D 9	BSD-2-Clause (Permissive)	✓	✓
Mesa3D for Windows + MesaInjector	20.1.8 lightningterror's builds vogonsdrivers builds	OpenGL	Software	MIT (Permissive)	✓	✓
grvk	0.5.0	Mantle	Vulkan 1.2	zlib License (Permissive)	✓	✓
MoltenVK	1.3.268	Vulkan	Metal	Apache 2.0 (Permissive)	✓	✓
KosmicKrisp		Vulkan 1.3/1.4	Metal	style="background: #DFD; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-green" data-sort-value="1" \| MIT (Permissive)		✓	TBD
OpenAL Soft	1.24.3	OpenAL	no API conversion	LGPL	✓	✓
GLon12	git pal1000's Windows builds	OpenGL	Direct3D 12	MIT (Permissive)	✓	~
D3D9On12	git	Direct3D 9	Direct3D 12	MIT (Permissive)	✓	~
D3D11On12	git	Direct3D 11	Direct3D 12	MIT (Permissive)	✓	~
3Dmigoto	1.3.16	Direct3D 11 (Stereo3D)	no API conversion	GPLv3 (Copyleft)	✓	~
VorpX ($)	v21.3.2	Direct3D 11 (Stereo3D)	no API conversion	Proprietary	✓	~
Indium		Metal	Vulkan	BSD-0-Clause (Permissive)	~	~
vkd3d	[https://source.winehq.org/git/vkd3d.git/ This page is a candidate for deletion. The reason is: "duplicate template" If you disagree with the candidate, explain why at the talk page or improve the page and remove the `{{delete}}` tag. Remember to check for any active links to the page and its history before deleting. ]	Direct3D 12	Vulkan	LGPLv2.1 (Copyleft)	✓	✗
D8VK	1.0	Direct3D 8	Vulkan	zlib License (Permissive)	✗	✗^{[N 2]}
Gallium Nine	v0.10 (WIP)	Direct3D 9	Gallium	LGPLv2.1 (Copyleft)	✗	✗^{[N 3]}
ToGL		Direct3D 9.0c	OpenGL	MIT (Permissive)	✗	✗

↑ Requires setting environment variable GALLIUM_DRIVER=zink
↑ Merged to DXVK. Use that instead
↑ Deprecated in favor of more portable translation layers, such as DXVK or WineD3D

Comparisons

dgVoodoo2: Supports Direct3D 8-9. Outputs Direct3D 11 and Direct3D 12 with different device types as wrapping output, such as hardware or software rendering.

DXVK: It was originally designed to accelerate support for Direct3D 11 games running under Wine since a native implementation seemed unlikely. Today it is bundled with Proton. D9VK was later merged to add Direct3D 9 support, and D8VK was also merged to add Direct3D 8 support.

WineD3D: Wine's internal wrapper. Wraps Direct3D 8-11 into Vulkan and OpenGL. For newer APIs it has more bugs than DXVK. A custom build is available for Windows here.

VKD3D-Proton: A fork of VKD3D funded by Valve, which is more developed and has experimental support for DXR via VK_KHR_ray_tracing. Requires DXVK's dxgi.dll file to work on Windows.

vkd3d: Wine's work-in-progress Direct3D 12 to Vulkan wrapper.

d3d8to9: Not as versatile as dgVoodoo2, however it's the only wrapper that can wrap Direct3D 8 into 9. Its main advantage is Windows XP support, which dgVoodoo2 lacks. It's specifically useful for Windows XP running in VMware, since VMware's Direct3D 8 acceleration has graphical and/or performance issues.

Indium: A implementation of Metal on top of Vulkan, originally devolped by iglunix and later by Darling the open-source macOS compatibility layer.

MoltenVK: Developed by the Brenwill Workshop under the Khronos Group, it re-implements Vulkan for Metal. Emulators like Dolphin and DuckStation use MoltenVK instead of a native Metal renderer to support Apple devices.

Gallium Nine: An implementation of the Direct3D 9 library on top of the Gallium driver for Linux. By using calls native to Linux, applications running under Wine run "at near-native speeds" according to the maintainers. The caveat is that it only works on Mesa, not NVIDIA's proprietary driver.

Zink: A "just-in-case" implementation of OpenGL on top of Vulkan first introduced in 2018 by Collabora for the Mesa driver.^[2]

References

↑ http://www.zeus-software.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2044
↑ Erik Faye-Lund (October 31, 2018). Introducing Zink, an OpenGL implementation on top of Vulkan. Collabora.

External links

VOGONS: The Wrapper Collection Project PCGamingWiki: Display wrapper

State of Direct3D 9-12 translation layers by DXVK author YoRHa-2B (2019-04-02)
Levan's Wrapper Benchmarks

[1] Direct3D 1 is not listed, since DirectX 1 did not have a Direct3D component. The first release was Direct3D 2. The internal numbers of Direct3D pre-7 actually differ from the corresponding DirectX, but they were not referred to as such, outside of low-level dev material, possibly to avoid confusion.

[XPcompatibility-2] 2.0 ^2.1 DxWnd 2.05.70, WineD3D 1.7.52 or 1.9.7-staging(partially) versions are the latest compatible versions with Windows XP (if OneCoreAPI is not installed to OS), for getting these old "WineD3D for Windows" builds use this link. Also you can use JHRobotics port for using WineD3D on Windows 9x (Wine9x) or Windows XP.

[D7VK-3] Does not support DirectDraw-only games

[dxwrapper-4] Through dd7to9

[cnc-ddraw-5] Linux and macOS are supported through wine.

[Zink-7] Requires setting environment variable GALLIUM_DRIVER=zink

[d8vk-8] Merged to DXVK. Use that instead

[galliumnine-9] Deprecated in favor of more portable translation layers, such as DXVK or WineD3D

[nglidevulkan-6] ttp://www.zeus-software.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2044

[10] Erik Faye-Lund (October 31, 2018). Introducing Zink, an OpenGL implementation on top of Vulkan. Collabora.

[N 1]

[N 2]

[N 3]

[N 4]

[N 5]

[1]

[N 1]

[N 2]

[N 3]

[2]

Wrappers

Contents

'90s APIs

Comparisons

2000s and later APIs

Comparisons

See also

References

External links

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Wrappers

'90s APIs

Comparisons

2000s and later APIs

Comparisons

See also

References

External links

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