Metacreations

  • Thread starter Thread starter Rehan
  • Start date Start date
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Rehan

Can somebody from Microsoft comment on the status of Metacreations
transforms!

I would like to create some cool custom effects and transition for Windows
Movie Maker by using the Metacreations DirectX transforms. These used to be
part of Internet Explorer 5 installation but later versions and updates have
silently removed or disabled them. Nevertheless these can be resurected back
to life by way of some hacking around :-> But these still refuse to work in
Windows Movie Maker although I can make them work in Internet Explorer.

Similarly one of the xml file in Microsoft Producer specifically disables
them. Please can somebody tell what is the legal status of these and why are
these disabled in WMM and Microsoft Producer.

Rehan
 
Rehan, posed the Q amongst Digital media MM MVP's and here was an answer
given, hope it helps.

Graham







Hi Rehan,



The MetaCreations effects and transitions are not owned by Microsoft and are
not pubic domain. Documentation can be found in the DXMedia SDK which may
be downloaded from Microsoft.com:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=9909ba22-8caa-4241-
954c-e7d710e18522&displaylang=en.



Below is a copy of the copyright agreement found in the DXMedia SDK.
MetaCreations is now owned by Viewpoint Corporation.



Cheers,

Mike





Copyright, Installation, and Redistribution Information

This is a copyrighted MetaCreations transform. If you use this version of
the transform in your Web pages, the MetaCreations logo is displayed on the
output. You need to obtain a licensed version of this transform from
MetaCreations if you don't want the logo displayed. For licensing
information, see http://www.metacreations.com.

This transform is not part of the Microsoft® DirectX® Media Software
Development Kit (SDK) core install. It is only installed if the "Optional
DirectX Transforms" option is selected. This is selected by default. This
particular transform is located in DXTMeta2.dll file in the
\Samples\Multimedia\Dtrans\bin folder. This dynamic-link library (DLL) file
can be redistributed according to the same terms as the DirectX Media 6.0
SDK redist. For information on the DirectX media redist, see Redistribution
Information.
 
Graham,

Thanks a lot for your prompt reply and taking interest in this matter.

That clears one thing that it is OK to distribute it according to DirectX
license terms but I am still trying to verify whether it is delibrately
disabled via some exclusion code in WMM.

In MS Producer the effects xml file explicitly disables these by putting
them in <exclude> section. Since I am not able to use them in WMM I am
guessing if there is such an exclusion list in WMM as well and if so how to
bypass it.

Rehan
 
Rehan,
Latest update from MS........ only short I'm afraid, but gives hope!!!

The reason the Metacreations effects are disabled in Producer is simply
because we didn't believe the style and quality of the effects were valuable
to Producer users. There is no technical reason that I am aware why they
wouldn't work in WMM2. If I have a free moment this week I will try using
them in WMM2 and let you know the results.



Graham
 
Graham, this is excellent news.

Hope this guy get the free moment as I am getting frustrated rtying to debug
why it doesnt work. All the non-meta creations effects and transition that
came with the same package (direct x media 6) work without a hitch. And
metacreations effects work in internet explorer without a hitch.

I have also sent an email to Viewpoint about the licensing issue.

Rehan
 
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