User Animation to AVI

Hi.... I need to convert a file of this format into AVI.

This is the layout of the file
=================================
Public Type ActorFileHeader
a1 As Integer
a2 As Long
a3 As Long
a4 As Long
End Type
Public Type ACTORINFO
dwStructSize As Long
dwImageCount As Long
dwImageWidth As Long
dwImageHeight As Long
dwBitCount As Long
dwControlFlags As Long
End Type
Public Type ARGB
Blue As Byte
Green As Byte
Red As Byte
Alpha As Byte
End Type

the file looks like this:
Public Actheader As ActorFileHeader
Public ActInfo As ACTORINFO
Public m_membits() as ARGB ' series of bytes that make up image

======================================

Any code on how to do this???

I need to convert this bitmap data first into a DIB so i can put it into AVI. Any API Code that would let me convert my bitmap into a dib?

Thanks in advance. Help is greatly appreciated!

A DIB is just a BMP if I'm not wrong. You can use direct memory access (there's an article on that at Unlimited Realities: http://www.ur.co.nz/ ) to read the RGB values from the array and put them on a bitmap, then make an AVI out of it. But you won't be able to use alpha in it ;)

Thanks for the info!

BTW. I visitied your dx effects thread and I noticed you wanted to put it in a dll... i found this tutorial on the net that teaches you to create a dll in vc++ then use it in vb

its in http://www.allapi.net/vbtutor/vcdll1.php

Anyways, i cant seem to find the tutorial. What's the tutorial name???

Thanks, I'll have a look into that (if it doesn't work, since I tried it before with another tutorial and it didn't work, I guess I'll ahve to learn C++ the hard way :) )

Since I can't fine it too, here it is :)

VB Code:

'These are the declarations you need to put before every other sub
 
Private Type SAFEARRAYBOUND
    cElements As Long
    lLbound As Long
End Type
 
Private Type SAFEARRAY1D
    cDims As Integer
    fFeatures As Integer
    cbElements As Long
    cLocks As Long
    pvData As Long
    Bounds(0 To 0) As SAFEARRAYBOUND
End Type
 
Private Type SAFEARRAY2D
    cDims As Integer
    fFeatures As Integer
    cbElements As Long
    cLocks As Long
    pvData As Long
    Bounds(0 To 1) As SAFEARRAYBOUND
End Type
 
Private Declare Function VarPtrArray Lib "msvbvm50.dll" Alias "VarPtr" (Ptr() As Any) As Long
Private Declare Sub CopyMemory Lib "kernel32" Alias "RtlMoveMemory" (pDst As Any, pSrc As Any, ByVal ByteLen As Long)
Private Type BITMAP
    bmType As Long
    bmWidth As Long
    bmHeight As Long
    bmWidthBytes As Long
    bmPlanes As Integer
    bmBitsPixel As Integer
    bmBits As Long
End Type
 
Private Declare Function GetObjectAPI Lib "gdi32" Alias "GetObjectA" (ByVal hObject As Long, ByVal nCount As Long, lpObject As Any) As Long
 
 
'This will extract an array from the picture property of a picturebox
 
' these are used to address the pixel using matrices
Dim pict() As Byte
 
Dim sa As SAFEARRAY2D, bmp As BITMAP
' get bitmap info
GetObjectAPI Pictbox.Picture, Len(bmp), bmp 'dest
' exit if not a supported bitmap
If bmp.bmBitsPixel <> 24 Then
    MsgBox " 24-bit bitmaps only", vbCritical
    Exit Sub
End If
 
' have the local matrix point to bitmap pixels
With sa
    .cbElements = 1
    .cDims = 2
    .Bounds(0).lLbound = 0
    .Bounds(0).cElements = bmp.bmHeight
    .Bounds(1).lLbound = 0
    .Bounds(1).cElements = bmp.bmWidthBytes
    .pvData = bmp.bmBits
End With
CopyMemory ByVal VarPtrArray(pict), VarPtr(sa), 4
 
'Here's where you manipulate the array! The RGB values of each pixel are by order in the X, so you'd have to use this:
 
For Y = 0 to UBound(pict,2)
  For X = 0 to UBound(pict,1) Step 3
    'This is the red value
    pict(X+2,Y) = ...
    'The green value
    pict(X+1,Y) = ...
    'The blue value
    pict(X,Y) = ...
  Next X
Next Y
 
'This is necessary, or VB will destroy your array and you'll get errors!
 
' clear the temporary array descriptor
' without destroying the local temporary array
CopyMemory ByVal VarPtrArray(pict), 0&, 4

If you need help, reply here again!

So, uh.. why did you declare a SafeArray1D?

Huh yah, you're right :)

It's not my code; I also had to remove an unused BitBlt declaration and lots of unused code :)

Thanks for the input guys. I figured the thing out with the help of a friend who knows VC++. It involves use of the APIs createBitmap then supplying the bits to the function.

Safe arrays? never heard of that before. I'll study the above code throughly and the API varptrarray.

BTW the dxeffects looks good! :)

Thanks! ;)

SafeArrays is how VB stores YOUR arrays. We use them to cheat VB and be able to translate machine code arrays into VB arrays. That's how we get the bits out of the images :)

Here's the entire code where that came from, it also has some effects, but this way you can see how it works. I think it's a lot better to give you the source code than to tell you how to do ;)

Also note that one of the (2) samples uses an 8-bits image and the other uses 24-bits images :D