Metagraphics Media!Lab

Overview

...multimedia programming power for Windows!

Thank you for your interest in Media!Lab!

Media!Lab is a full featured multimedia programming toolkit that lets you create stunning interactive graphic programs, animated titles and games better and faster than ever before. Media!Lab combines imaging, animation, video, sound and special effects in a streamlined C++ component class library toolkit that can be used either by itself, or in combination with application frameworks such as MFC. Optimized in assembly language for quick tight code, Media!Lab pushes the limits for fast Windows performance. Media!Lab provides a complete solution for Windows multimedia application development:

= New Media!Lab Version 3 Feature!

	Full Support for BMP / PCX / GIF / JPEG Image Files Read and display animated sprites, backgrounds and images from standard BMP, PCX/DCX, GIF and JPEG image files.
	<Advanced AVI / FLC / FLI / Smacker Video Support Play one or multiple video files simultaneously. Videos can even be used for sprite animation!
	Transparent "Blue Screen" Video Animation Let your videos fly with “blue screen” background transparency. Play video sprites along with other sprites over your own variable backgrounds (great for WinToon-style sprite animation!).
	WAV / AU / AIFF / MIDI / AVI Audio Mixing Mix and play any number of audio files simultaneously. Media!Lab includes built-in audio mixing that allows you to play multiple audio and AVI streams at the same time.

	Integrated Multimedia Director Media!Lab's built-in “Director” handles the low-level sequencing of audio, video and sprite animated events.
	Optimized Sprite Animation Engine Media!Lab's Z-level sprite animation engine includes optimized dirty-rectangle tracking for fast frame generation.
	Executable Sprite Scripts Simple to use ASCII sprite scripts allow you to define basic sprite operations quickly and easily. Executable sprite scripts compile at run-time initialization for fast execution.
	Palette Animation Fade-in/fade-out, plus other palette special-effects (such as for rippling water, twinkling lights, flickering fire, etc.).
	Sprite Groups Group and operate multiple sprites as a single object. Groups can even be nested to contain multiple other sprite groups.
	Image Tiling and Scrolling Manual and automated scrolling of tiled backgrounds and images.

	Hyperfast Transparent Blits Intensily optimized assembly language primitives for super-fast transparent blits.
	Dynamic Color-Translated Blits Optimized color-translated blits support for "non-identity palette" images (handy for applications where images are user-selected at runtime).
	Quick Color Remapping A single call remaps images to a common identity palette for optimal blit speed.

	Fits Your Design Use Media!Lab by itself or in combination with application frameworks such as MFC.
	Direct Bitmap Access Your application retains total control over the frame animation process plus full access to all bitmap surfaces.
	Single executable works with either Windows 95/98/Me/NT4 or Windows 2000 Simply compile and link your application with Media!Lab to run with Windows 95/98/Me/NT4 or Windows 2000.