RLEAPP: Demonstrates Animations Using DIB RLE Format

RLEAPP loads, generates, plays and saves animations using the device-independent bitmap (DIB) run-length encoding (RLE) format for delta frames.

The RLE format is described in the following documentation:

> The Microsoft(R) Windows(TM) version 3.0 Software Development Kit (SDK): "Reference--Volume 1," in the section on the BITMAPINFOHEADER structure.

> The Microsoft Windows version 3.1 SDK: "Programmer's Reference, Volume 3: Messages, Structures, and Macros," in the section on BITMAPINFOHEADER.

> The Multimedia Development Kit (MDK): "Programmer's Reference," in the "Windows 3.0 Bitmap Compression Formats" section.

RLEAPP handles only 8-bits-per-pixel DIBS, although the same technology applies to 4-bits-per-pixel DIBs (RLE, delta frame, and so on).

RLEAPP source code includes many optimizations for 80386-specific machines. This is a very useful way to increase speed because the MPC specification calls for a machine that uses a 80386 or higher processor, so in most cases, the 80286 support can be left out.

RLEAPP is very dependent on the BitBlt function speed of the video card and driver. In most cases, the video driver is very slow doing BitBlt. Comments on speed should be directed to the video card manufacturer, who is responsible for this code. The speed to BitBlt a 160x120 256-color frame (with the same palette) is approximately 15 frames per second. The BitBlt speed for slow drivers or cards is about 1 frame per second.

RLEAPP was built and tested under Microsoft Windows version 3.1.

{ewc navigate.dll, ewbutton, /Bcodeview /T"Click to open or copy files in the rleapp project." /C"samples}