XIL 1.3 Runtime Environment

The XIL library is an imaging API that provides a basic set of functions for imaging and video applications. The library provides a strategy for low-level software interfaces (foundation libraries) and enables APIs and API developers to port their code to these foundation libraries.

The XIL 1.3 runtime environment (RTE) is included with the Solaris 2.6 release and should be installed if users at your site are running imaging applications. It is not always obvious whether an application requires the XIL RTE; therefore, you should install the XIL RTE if you are installing either OpenWindows or CDE software, since an application may reference the XIL libraries.

Backward Compatibility

The XIL 1.3 library API is fully backwards compatible. This means that existing applications can be run without modification or recompilation.

MT-Hot

The XIL 1.3 library is MT-hot. Developers can write multithreaded applications without putting locks around XIL functions. Multiple threads from the API will execute correctly as long as they do not require data from the same image. The library itself also is MT-hot. It takes advantage of multiprocessor systems without applications having to be rewritten.

Tiled Storage

The XIL 1.3 library stores very large images in buffers of memory called tiles. If a region of an image within a tile boundary is needed, only that tile is loaded into memory, thereby increasing performance.

The library also includes a new storage object, which supports conventional contiguous storage as well as tiled or stripped storage for XIL images. The storage object serves as a container for the image's attributes, such as its scanline and pixel stride, and its data pointer. Storage is not allocated for the image until you export the image and modify it directly. This saves on memory use.

New Data Type

The XIL 1.3 library now supports the 32-bit single-precision, IEEE floating-point data type. Using this data type enables you to develop highly sophisticated scientific imaging applications.

Temporary Images

The XIL 1.3 library supports temporary images, which are images used as an intermediate step in creating a subsequent image. They may only be written to, and read from, once. Temporary images are particularly advantageous for large images, because XIL can release the storage associated with them when it's no longer needed.

XIL_GENERAL Storage Format

The XIL 1.3 library supports the new XIL_GENERAL() storage format. This format provides the flexibility of specifying each band of a multiband image as a separate memory buffer. Furthermore, each band can have its own scanline and pixel stride.

XIL_BAND_SEQUENTIAL Storage Format

The XIL 1.3 library now supports the XIL_BAND_SEQUENTIAL format for all data types, not just XIL_BIT images.

KCMS Integration

The XIL 1.3 library includes Kodak Color Management System (KCMS) support. You can achieve very close color matching between a display image and the actual stored image.