Matrox Imaging Library (MIL)

Development features

Complete application development environment 

In addition to image processing, analysis, and archiving tools, MIL X includes image capture, annotation, and display functions, which form a cohesive API. The API and accompanying utilities are recognized by the large installed base of users for facilitating and accelerating application development.

Portable API

The MIL X C/C++ API is not only intuitive and straightforward to use but it is also portable. It allows applications to be easily moved from one supported video interface or operating system to another, providing platform flexibility and protecting the original development investment.

.NET development

Included in MIL X is a low-overhead API layer for developing Windows applications within the .NET Framework using managed Visual Basic and Visual C# code.

JIT compilation and scripting

MIL X supports C# and Visual Basic JIT compilation and CPython scripting, facilitating experimentation and prototyping. Such code can even be executed from within a MIL X-based application, providing a simpler way to tailor an already-deployed application.
Configuration and diagnostic tool
MIL X configuration and diagnostic tool

Simplified platform management

With MIL X, a developer does not require in-depth knowledge of the underlying platform. MIL X is designed to deal with the specifics of each platform and provide simplified management (e.g., hardware detection, initialization, and buffer copy). MIL X gives developers direct access to certain platform resources such as the physical address of a buffer. MIL X also includes debugging services (e.g., function parameter checking, tracing, and error reporting), as well as configuration and diagnostic tools.

Designed for multi-tasking

MIL X supports multi-processing and multi-tasking programming models, namely, multiple MIL X applications not sharing MIL X data or a single MIL X application with multiple threads sharing MIL X data. It provides mechanisms to access shared MIL X data and ensure that multiple threads using the same MIL X resources do not interfere with each other. MIL X also offers platform-independent thread management for enhancing application portability.

Buffers and containers

MIL X manipulates data stored in buffers, such as monochrome images arranged in 1-, 8-, 16-, and 32-bit integer formats, as well as 32-bit floating point formats. It also handles color images laid out in packed or planar RGB/YUV formats. Commands for efficiently converting between buffer types are included. MIL X additionally operates on containers4, which combine related buffers into a cohesive whole. Containers simplify working with multi-component data such as point clouds for 3D processing and analysis as well as display.
 
MIL 3D (point cloud) data container
 
MIL X 3D (point cloud) data container

Saving and loading data

MIL X supports the saving and loading of individual images, image sequences, and data containers to and from disks. Supported file formats are AVI (Audio Video Interleave), BMP (bitmap), JPG (JPEG), JP2 (JPEG2000), MP4 (MPEG-4 Part 14), PLY, MIM (native), PNG, STL, and TIF (TIFF), as well as a raw format.

Industrial and robot communication

MIL X lets applications interact directly with automation controllers using the CC-Link IE Field Basic4, EtherNet/IP™, Modbus®, and PROFINET® (with appropriate Matrox Imaging I/O card, smart camera, or vision controller) industrial communication protocols. It also supports native communication with robot controllers from ABB, DENSO, EPSON, FANUC, KUKA, and Stäubli.

WebSocket access

MIL X allows an application to publish MIL X object data for access from a browser or another standalone application using the HTML-5 WebSocket communication protocol. It uses a client-server architecture where the server is the MIL X-based application and the client is a JavaScript program running in a browser or a standalone application.
 
The functionality can be used locally on the same device running the MIL X-based application or remotely on another device that does not have MIL X installed on it. The API extension supports client-side programming in JavaScript or C/C++. The MIL objects supported are the buffer and display ones. The functionality serves to view and interact with a MIL X display (i.e., pan, scroll, zoom, etc.).

Flexible and dependable data capture

There are many ways for an imaging system to capture data: Analog, Camera Link, CoaXPress, DisplayPort, GenTL, GigE Vision, HDMI, SDI, and USB3 Vision. MIL X supports all these interfaces either directly or through Matrox Imaging or third-party hardware. MIL X works with images captured from virtually any type of color or monochrome source including standard, high-resolution, high-rate, frame-on-demand cameras, line scanners, 3D sensors, slow scan, and custom-designed devices.
 
For greater determinism and the fastest response, MIL X provides multi-buffered image capture control performed in the operating system’s kernel mode. Image capture is secured for frame rates measured in the thousands per second even when the host CPU is heavily loaded with tasks such as HMI management, networking, and archiving to disk. The multi-buffered mechanism supports callback functions for simultaneous capture and processing even when the processing time occasionally exceeds the capture time.

Matrox Capture Works

MIL X includes Matrox Capture Works, a utility for verifying the connection to one or more GenICam™-based cameras or 3D sensors and testing acquisition from these. Matrox Capture Works can obtain CoaXPress, GenTL, GigE Vision, and USB3 Vision device information, collect and present acquisition statistics, and provide access to acquisition properties. The built-in Feature Browser allows the user to configure and control devices with ease. Device settings can be saved for future reuse. Captured data from multiple devices can be displayed efficiently in 2D and 3D where applicable, with the option to view histograms, 3D and profile data, real-time pixel profiles, memory values, MIL code snippets, and much more. Matrox Capture Works can also be used to apply firmware updates to devices provided these follow the GenICam FWUpdate standard. Another utility, Matrox Intellicam, is provided to set up and test acquisition from cameras with analog, Camera Link and other digital interfaces.

Matrox Capture Works configuration and test tool

Matrox Capture Works configuration and test tool

Matrox Capture Works configuration and test tool for GenICam-based interface standards.
MIL can manage image display across multiple monitors
MIL X can manage image display across multiple monitors

Simplified 2D image display

MIL X provides transparent 2D image display management with automatic tracking and updating of image display windows at live video rates. MIL X also allows for live image display in a user-specified window. Display of multiple video streams using multiple independent windows or a single mosaic window is also supported. Moreover, MIL X provides non-destructive graphics overlay, suppression of tearing artifacts, and filling the display area at live video rates. All of these features are performed with little or no host CPU intervention when using appropriate graphics hardware.
 
MIL X also supports multi-screen display configurations that are in an extended desktop mode (i.e., desktop across multiple monitors), exclusive mode (i.e., monitor not showing desktop but dedicated to MIL X display), or a combination.
MIL graphics facility
MIL X provides a graphics facility to annotate images and define regions of operation

Graphics, regions, and fixtures

MIL X provides a feature-rich graphics facility to annotate images and define regions of operation. This capability is used by the MIL X analysis tools to draw settings and results onto an image. It is also available to the programmer for creating application-specific image annotations. The graphics facility supports different shapes—dot, line, polyline, polygon, arc, and rectangle—and text with selectable font. It takes image calibration into account, specifically the unit, reference coordinate system, and applicable transformations. The graphics scale smoothly when zooming to sub-pixel. An interactive mode is available to easily allow developers to provide user editing of graphics, and the ability to add, move, resize, and rotate graphic elements. Moreover, the application can hook to interactivity-related events to automatically initiate underlying actions. The graphics facility can further be used to define regions to guide or confine subsequent MIL X analysis operations. Regions can also be repositioned automatically by tying their reference coordinate system to the positional results of a MIL X analysis operation.
MIL 3D display
 MIL X 3D display

Native 3D display

MIL X can natively display point clouds. A 3D display can be panned, tilted, and zoomed in all directions. Visual guides appear to help orient the view. In addition to showing individual points, a 3D display can be supplemented with geometric shapes (i.e., arc, cylinder, line, plane, sphere, and textured polygon), text, coordinate system axes, grid (on reference plane), and orientation box. MIL X allows control over appearance (solid or wireframe), opacity, color (including point cloud colorization using jet or turbo lookup tables), visibility, and thickness.

Application deployment

MIL X offers a flexible licensing model for application deployment. Only the components required to run the application need to be licensed. License fulfillment is achieved using a pre-programmed dongle or an activation code tied to Matrox Imaging hardware (i.e., smart camera, vision controller, I/O card, frame grabber, or dongle). Some components are pre-licensed with certain Matrox Imaging hardware; please consult the individual Matrox Imaging hardware datasheets for details. The use of Distributed MIL within the same physical system does not require the additional specific license. The installation of MIL X for redistribution can even be hidden from the end user.

Documentation, IDE integration, and examples

MIL X’s online help provides developers with comprehensive and easy-to-find documentation, and online help can even be tailored to match the environment in use. The online help can be called up from within Visual Studio to provide contextual information on the MIL API. Also supported is Visual Studio’s intelligent code-completion facility, giving a programmer on-the-spot access to relevant aspects of the MIL API. An extensive set of categorized and searchable example programs allow developers to quickly get up to speed with MIL X.
MIL comprehensive and easy-to-find documentation
 
MIL X includes comprehensive and easy-to-find documentation
MIL categorized and searchable programming examples
 
MIL X provides a rich set of categorized and searchable programming examples

MIL-Lite X

MIL-Lite X is a subset of MIL X, featuring programming functions for performing image capture, annotation, display, and archiving. It also includes fast operators for arithmetic, Bayer interpolation, color space conversion, de-interlacing, temporal filtering, basic geometric transformations, histogram, logic, LUT mapping, and thresholding.
 
MIL-Lite X is licensed for both application development and deployment with Matrox Imaging hardware and is available as a free download. MIL-Lite X users gain unfettered access to applicable Matrox Vision Academy training content and software updates.

Software architecture

MIL software architecture
 
MIL X provides a comprehensive set of application programming interfaces, imaging tools and hardware support