Software

Software Development Kit

Matrox Imaging Library X

Machine vision and image analysis software development kit

Matrox® Imaging Library (MIL) X¹ is a comprehensive collection of software tools for developing machine vision, image analysis, and medical imaging applications. MIL X includes tools for every step in the process, from application feasibility to prototyping, through to development and ultimately deployment.

The software development kit (SDK) features interactive software and programming functions for image capture, processing, analysis, annotation, display, and archiving. These tools are designed to enhance productivity, thereby reducing the time and effort required to bring solutions to market.

Image capture, processing, and analysis operations have the accuracy and robustness needed to tackle the most demanding applications. These operations are also carefully optimized for speed to address the severe time constraints encountered in many applications.

MIL X at a glance

Solve applications rather than develop underlying tools by leveraging a toolkit with a more than 25-year history of reliable performance
Tackle applications with utmost confidence using field-proven tools for analyzing, classifying, locating, measuring, reading, and verifying
Base analysis on monochrome and color 2D images as well as 3D profiles, depth maps, and point clouds
Harness the full power of today’s hardware through optimizations exploiting SIMD, multi-core CPU, and multi-CPU technologies
Support platforms ranging from smart cameras to high-performance computing (HPC) clusters via a single consistent and intuitive application programming interface (API)
Obtain live data in different ways, with support for analog, Camera Link®, CoaXPress®, DisplayPort™, GenTL, GigE Vision®, HDMI™, SDI, and USB3 Vision® interfaces
Maintain flexibility and choice by way of support 64-bit Windows® and Linux® along with Intel® and Arm® processor architectures
Leverage available programming know-how with support for C, C++, C#, and CPython languages
Experiment, prototype, and generate program code using MIL CoPilot interactive environment
Increase productivity and reduce development costs with Matrox Vision Academy online and on-premises training.

MIL development

Manual testing performed prior to each release

First released in 1993, MIL has evolved to keep pace with and foresee emerging industry requirements. It was conceived with an easy-to-use, coherent API that has stood the test of time. MIL pioneered the concept of hardware independence with the same API for different image acquisition and processing platforms. A team of dedicated, highly skilled computer scientists, mathematicians, software engineers, and physicists continue to maintain and enhance MIL.

MIL is maintained and developed using industry recognized best practices, including peer review, user involvement, and daily builds. Users are asked to evaluate and report on new tools and enhancements, which strengthens and validates releases. Ongoing MIL development is integrated and tested as a whole on a daily basis.

MIL SQA

In addition to the thorough manual testing performed prior to each release, MIL continuously undergoes automated testing during the course of its development. The automated validation suite—consisting of both systematic and random tests—verifies the accuracy, precision, robustness, and speed of image processing and analysis operations. Results, where applicable, are compared against those of previous releases to ensure that performance remains consistent. The automated validation suite runs continuously on hundreds of systems simultaneously, rapidly providing wide-ranging test coverage. The systematic tests are performed on a large database of images representing a broad sample of real-world applications.

Setup for continuous automated testing

Latest key additions and enhancements^{2, 3}

Deep learning model for object detection
Deep learning inference using an Intel integrated GPU and NVIDIA GPU.
3D surface matcher
3D rectangle and box finders
Advanced 2D geometric matcher
Support for DotCode symbology
Improved support for PDF417 symbologies
Control over hybrid architecture found in recent Intel Core® processors

Field-proven vision tools

Image analysis and processing tools

Central to MIL X are tools for calibrating; classifying, enhancing, and transforming images; locating objects; extracting and measuring features; reading character strings; and decoding and verifying identification marks. These tools are carefully developed to provide outstanding performance and reliability, and can be used within a single computer system or distributed across several computer systems.

Registration tools
2D calibration tool
Image processing primitives tools
Image compression and video encoding tool
Tools fully optimized for speed
3D vision tools
Distributed MIL X interface

Utilities

MIL CoPilot interactive environment

Included with MIL X is MIL CoPilot, an interactive environment to facilitate and accelerate the evaluation and prototyping of an application. This includes configuring the settings or context of MIL X vision tools. The same environment can also initiate—and therefore shorten—the application development process through the generation of MIL X program code.

Running on 64-bit Windows, MIL CoPilot provides interactive access to MIL X processing and analysis operations via a familiar contextual ribbon menu design. It includes various utilities to study images and help determine the best analysis tools and settings for a given project. Also available are utilities to generate a custom encoded chessboard calibration target and edit images. Applied operations are recorded in an Operation List, which can be edited at any time, and can also take the form of an external script. An Object Browser keeps track of MIL X objects created during a session and gives convenient access to these at any moment. Non-image results are presented in tabular form and a table entry can be identified directly on the image. The annotation of results onto an image is also configurable.

MIL CoPilot presents dedicated workspaces for training one of the supplied deep learning neural networks for Classification. These workspaces feature a simplified user interface that reveals only the functionality needed to accomplish the training task like an image label mask editor. Another specialized workspace is provided to batch-process images from an input to an output folder.

Once an operation sequence is established, it can be converted into functional program code in any language supported by MIL X. The program code can take the form of a command-line executable or dynamic link library (DLL); this can be packaged as a Visual Studio project, which in turn can be built without leaving MIL CoPilot. All work carried out in a session is saved as a workspace for future reference and sharing with colleagues.

Matrox Profiler

Matrox Profiler is a Windows-based utility to post-analyze the execution of a multi-threaded application for performance bottlenecks and synchronization issues. It presents the function calls made over time per application thread on a navigable timeline. Matrox Profiler allows the searching for, and selecting of, specific function calls to see their parameters and execution times. It computes statistics on execution times and presents these on a per function basis. Matrox Profiler tracks not only MIL X functions but also suitably tagged user functions. Function tracing can be disabled altogether to safeguard the inner working of a deployed application.

Matrox Profiler application analysis performance tool

Development features

Complete application development environment
Portable API
.NET development
JIT compilation and scripting
Simplified platform management
Designed for multi-tasking
Buffers and containers
Saving and loading data
Industrial and robot communication
WebSocket access

Flexible and dependable image capture
Matrox Capture Works
Simplified 2D image display
Graphics, regions, and fixtures
Native 3D display
Application deployment
Documentation, IDE integration, and examples
MIL-Lite X
Software architecture

Supported environments

For Windows

64-bit Windows 10 (Versions 1607 to 22H2) and Windows 11 (Version 21H2 and 22H2)
Visual Studio 2017, and 2019 (unmanaged C++, and C# with .NET Framework 4.8³ or .NET 6³)
CPython 3.7 and 3.9

For Linux

64-bit Ubuntu 20.04 and 22.04 LTS
64-bit Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.6 and 9.0
64-bit SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 SP4
GNU Compiler Collection (for C/C++) and Python from Linux distribution
.NET 5 (for C#)

MIL X for Arm

The majority of processing, analysis, annotation, display, and archiving functionality in MIL X is also available to run on Arm Cortex®-A family processors, specifically those employing the Armv8-A 64-bit architecture. The processing and analysis functions are optimized for speed using the Neon™ SIMD architecture extension. MIL X for Arm is supported on appropriate 64-bit Linux distributions, like the one from Ubuntu. Image capture can be accomplished using the GenTL, GigE Vision or Video4Linux2 interfaces. MIL X for Arm is available to select users as a separate package upon qualification. For more information, contact Matrox Imaging sales.

Training and support

Matrox Vision Academy

Matrox Vision Academy provides all the expertise of live classroom training, with the convenience of on-demand instructional videos outlining how to get the most out of MIL X vision software. Available to customers with valid MIL X maintenance subscriptions, as well as those evaluating the software, users can seek out training on specific topics of interest, where and when needed. Regularly scheduled live classroom training is also offered at Matrox Imaging Headquarters.

Matrox Vision Academy aims to help users increase productivity, reduce development costs, and bring applications to market sooner. For more information, contact Matrox Vision Academy.

Matrox Professional Services

Matrox Professional Services delivers deep technical assistance and customized trainings to help customers develop their particular applications. These professional services comprise personalized training; assessing application or project feasibility (e.g., illumination, image acquisition, and vision algorithms); demo and prototype applications and projects; troubleshooting, including remote debugging; and video/camera interfacing.

Backed by the Matrox Vision Squad—a team of high-level vision professionals—Matrox Professional Services offer more in-depth support, recommending best methods with the aim of helping customers save valuable development time and deploy solutions more quickly. For more information on pricing and scheduling, contact Matrox Imaging sales.

MIL X maintenance program

MIL X users have access to a Maintenance Program, renewable on a yearly basis. This maintenance program entitles registered users to free software updates and entry-level technical support from Matrox Imaging, as well as access to Matrox Vision Academy.

For more information, please refer to the Matrox Imaging Software Maintenance Programs.

Videos

Double 3D sensing for more rounded inspection – Product Demo

MIL X imaging classification built on deep learning

MIL X – Image Classification Tools Built on Deep Learning

MIL X – Fully Supported CNN Training

MIL X – Registration Tools for HDR Imaging

MIL X – Broader Toolset for 3D Functionality

Deep Thoughts on Deep Learning – Q&A with Matrox Imaging

Photometric Stereo Techniques – Q&A with Matrox Imaging

Resources

Matrox Imaging Library datasheet (PDF)

Deep Learning in Machine Vision brief (PDF)

Deep learning: Its proper role and use in machine vision white paper (PDF)

MIL X User Guide, Reference, Release Notes, etc. (HTML)

Matrox Capture Works User Guide (PDF)

Latest news

Matrox Imaging Releases Updates 114 and 115 for MIL X Software

Updates 114 and 115 address inference or prediction offload using the MIL X deep learning classifier, enable higher inspection rates, and open access to more applications.

Matrox Imaging Releases Event-Logging Tool

Matrox® Imaging has released Matrox Gecho, its event-logging tool for Matrox Rapixo CXP frame grabbers. This new utility helps developers optimize image capture and ensure proper performance.

Matrox Imaging Announces Major Update to its Software Development Kit

Matrox® Imaging has released a major update to its powerful software development kit (SDK), Matrox Imaging Library (MIL) X.

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Case studies

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