[Closed] MAXScript: How to create layered .NET window in Windows Forms

Use WPF.

Thank. If it’s not hard for you, could you show me how to do this in MAXScript using the C# code below?

#region Using directives
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Data;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Text;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using System.Drawing.Imaging;
using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
#endregion
namespace CSWinFormLayeredWindow
{
    public partial class PerPixelAlphaForm : Form
    {
        public PerPixelAlphaForm()
        {
            this.FormBorderStyle = System.Windows.Forms.FormBorderStyle.None;
            this.ShowInTaskbar = false;
            this.StartPosition = FormStartPosition.CenterScreen;
            this.Load += PerPixelAlphaForm_Load;
        }

        void PerPixelAlphaForm_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            this.TopMost = true;
        }
        protected override CreateParams CreateParams
        {
            get
            {
                // Add the layered extended style (WS_EX_LAYERED) to this window.
                CreateParams createParams = base.CreateParams;
                if(!DesignMode)
                    createParams.ExStyle |= WS_EX_LAYERED;
                return createParams;
            }
        }
        /// <summary>
        /// Let Windows drag this window for us (thinks its hitting the title 
        /// bar of the window)
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="message"></param>
        protected override void WndProc(ref Message message)
        {
            if (message.Msg == WM_NCHITTEST)
            {
                // Tell Windows that the user is on the title bar (caption)
                message.Result = (IntPtr)HTCAPTION;
            }
            else
            {
                base.WndProc(ref message);
            }
        }
        /// <summary>
        /// 
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="bitmap"></param>
        public void SelectBitmap(Bitmap bitmap)
        {
            SelectBitmap(bitmap, 255);
        }
        /// <summary>
        /// 
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="bitmap">
        /// 
        /// </param>
        /// <param name="opacity">
        /// Specifies an alpha transparency value to be used on the entire source 
        /// bitmap. The SourceConstantAlpha value is combined with any per-pixel 
        /// alpha values in the source bitmap. The value ranges from 0 to 255. If 
        /// you set SourceConstantAlpha to 0, it is assumed that your image is 
        /// transparent. When you only want to use per-pixel alpha values, set 
        /// the SourceConstantAlpha value to 255 (opaque).
        /// </param>
        public void SelectBitmap(Bitmap bitmap, int opacity)
        {
            // Does this bitmap contain an alpha channel?
            if (bitmap.PixelFormat != PixelFormat.Format32bppArgb)
            {
                throw new ApplicationException("The bitmap must be 32bpp with alpha-channel.");
            }

            // Get device contexts
            IntPtr screenDc = GetDC(IntPtr.Zero);
            IntPtr memDc = CreateCompatibleDC(screenDc);
            IntPtr hBitmap = IntPtr.Zero;
            IntPtr hOldBitmap = IntPtr.Zero;

            try
            {
                // Get handle to the new bitmap and select it into the current 
                // device context.
                hBitmap = bitmap.GetHbitmap(Color.FromArgb(0));
                hOldBitmap = SelectObject(memDc, hBitmap);

                // Set parameters for layered window update.
                Size newSize = new Size(bitmap.Width, bitmap.Height);
                Point sourceLocation = new Point(0, 0);
                Point newLocation = new Point(this.Left, this.Top);
                BLENDFUNCTION blend = new BLENDFUNCTION();
                blend.BlendOp = AC_SRC_OVER;
                blend.BlendFlags = 0;
                blend.SourceConstantAlpha = (byte)opacity;
                blend.AlphaFormat = AC_SRC_ALPHA;

                // Update the window.
                UpdateLayeredWindow(
                    this.Handle,     // Handle to the layered window
                    screenDc,        // Handle to the screen DC
                    ref newLocation, // New screen position of the layered window
                    ref newSize,     // New size of the layered window
                    memDc,           // Handle to the layered window surface DC
                    ref sourceLocation, // Location of the layer in the DC
                    0,               // Color key of the layered window
                    ref blend,       // Transparency of the layered window
                    ULW_ALPHA        // Use blend as the blend function
                    );
            }
            finally
            {
                // Release device context.
                ReleaseDC(IntPtr.Zero, screenDc);
                if (hBitmap != IntPtr.Zero)
                {
                    SelectObject(memDc, hOldBitmap);
                    DeleteObject(hBitmap);
                }
                DeleteDC(memDc);
            }
        }
        #region Native Methods and Structures

        const Int32 WS_EX_LAYERED = 0x80000;
        const Int32 HTCAPTION = 0x02;
        const Int32 WM_NCHITTEST = 0x84;
        const Int32 ULW_ALPHA = 0x02;
        const byte AC_SRC_OVER = 0x00;
        const byte AC_SRC_ALPHA = 0x01;

        [StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential)]
        struct Point
        {
            public Int32 x;
            public Int32 y;

            public Point(Int32 x, Int32 y)
            { this.x = x; this.y = y; }
        }

        [StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential)]
        struct Size
        {
            public Int32 cx;
            public Int32 cy;

            public Size(Int32 cx, Int32 cy)
            { this.cx = cx; this.cy = cy; }
        }

        [StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential, Pack = 1)]
        struct ARGB
        {
            public byte Blue;
            public byte Green;
            public byte Red;
            public byte Alpha;
        }

        [StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential, Pack = 1)]
        struct BLENDFUNCTION
        {
            public byte BlendOp;
            public byte BlendFlags;
            public byte SourceConstantAlpha;
            public byte AlphaFormat;
        }

        [DllImport("user32.dll", CharSet = CharSet.Auto, SetLastError = true)]
        [return: MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.Bool)]
        static extern bool UpdateLayeredWindow(IntPtr hwnd, IntPtr hdcDst,
            ref Point pptDst, ref Size psize, IntPtr hdcSrc, ref Point pprSrc,
            Int32 crKey, ref BLENDFUNCTION pblend, Int32 dwFlags);

        [DllImport("gdi32.dll", CharSet = CharSet.Auto, SetLastError = true)]
        static extern IntPtr CreateCompatibleDC(IntPtr hDC);

        [DllImport("user32.dll", CharSet = CharSet.Auto, SetLastError = true)]
        static extern IntPtr GetDC(IntPtr hWnd);

        [DllImport("user32.dll", CharSet = CharSet.Auto, SetLastError = true)]
        static extern int ReleaseDC(IntPtr hWnd, IntPtr hDC);

        [DllImport("gdi32.dll", CharSet = CharSet.Auto, SetLastError = true)]
        [return: MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.Bool)]
        static extern bool DeleteDC(IntPtr hdc);

        [DllImport("gdi32.dll", CharSet = CharSet.Auto, SetLastError = true)]
        static extern IntPtr SelectObject(IntPtr hDC, IntPtr hObject);

        [DllImport("gdi32.dll", CharSet = CharSet.Auto, SetLastError = true)]
        [return: MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.Bool)]
        static extern bool DeleteObject(IntPtr hObject);

        #endregion
    }
}

public partial class Form4 : CSWinFormLayeredWindow.PerPixelAlphaForm
{
    public Form4()
    {
        InitializeComponent();
        this.SelectBitmap(Properties.Resources.splash);
    }
}

I do it like this:

fn CreateImageSource fileName =
(
	src = dotNetObject "System.Windows.Media.Imaging.BitmapImage"
	src.BeginInit()
	src.UriSource = dotNetObject "System.Uri" fileName
	src.EndInit()
	src
)

try(window.close())catch()

window = dotNetObject "System.Windows.Window"
window.WindowStartupLocation = window.WindowStartupLocation.CenterScreen
window.AllowsTransparency = true
window.WindowStyle = window.WindowStyle.None
window.background = dotnetobject "System.Windows.Media.SolidColorBrush" ((dotnetclass "System.Windows.Media.Color").FromArgb 0 0 0 0)
(dotnetobject "System.Windows.Interop.WindowInteropHelper" Window).owner = dotnetobject "IntPtr" (windows.getMAXHWND())
(dotnetclass "ManagedServices.AppSDK").ConfigureWindowForMax Window

image = dotNetObject "System.Windows.Controls.Image"
image.Source = CreateImageSource @"C:\Users\New\Downloads\9xu2u.png"
window.content = image

window.show()

Thanks, your method works well with static images (for example * .png), but unfortunately, this method does not work with animated GIF images.

“When displaying a multiframe image, only the first frame is displayed. The animation of multiframe images is not supported by the Image control.”

In the first message I filled up a question about an animated GIF.
I tried to change your code for using MediaElement, but since the animation was played only once, no looping. There is also an old problem with pixels at the edges of the image when using Opacity on the mask.
To fix these problems, I wanted to use the method with Layered Window implemented in C#, which was given in the first post, but unfortunately I do not know how to adapt this code for use in MAXScript.

try(form.close()) catch()
form = dotnetobject "MaxCustomControls.Maxform"
form.Text = "Life is getting better!" 
form.size = dotnetobject "System.Drawing.Size" 300 170
form.StartPosition = form.StartPosition.CenterScreen
--form.Location = dotnetobject "System.Drawing.Point" 400 400
	
pbx = dotnetobject "PictureBox" 
pbx.Dock = pbx.Dock.Fill
pbx.SizeMode = pbx.SizeMode.Zoom
form.controls.add pbx

theGif = @"C:\Temp\GIFs\Minions10.gif"	
animatedImage = dotnetobject "System.Drawing.Bitmap" theGif
pbx.Image = animatedImage
	
form.ShowModeless()

try(destroydialog AnimGIF_Rollout) catch()
rollout AnimGIF_Rollout "Life is getting better!" width:300
(
	local theGif = @"C:\Temp\GIFs\Minions10.gif"	
	local animatedImage = dotnetobject "System.Drawing.Bitmap" theGif
	local sz = [animatedImage.Width, animatedImage.Height]
	dotnetcontrol panel "UserControl" width:sz.x height:sz.y align:#center
	
	on AnimGIF_Rollout open do
	(
		pbx = dotnetobject "PictureBox" 
		pbx.Dock = pbx.Dock.Fill
		pbx.SizeMode = pbx.SizeMode.Zoom
		panel.controls.add pbx
		pbx.Image = animatedImage
	)
)
createdialog AnimGIF_Rollout

Hello, denisT!

Thanks for the suggested ways. But I actually have no problem creating a window to display an animated GIF.
The problem is quite different!
Probably I did not explain well in the first post of this topic, but I have a problem with the fact that animated GIF images with transparency are displayed dirty, i.e. along the edges of the mask pixels of a different color remain, which are not anti-aliased. You can see this issue in the image below:

In the first post I provided a link that describes a way to get rid of these pixels and get antialiased edges of the transparent image, but this method is written in C# and I would like to know how you can implement this in MAXScript.

The short answer is that what you want to do, in the way you want to do it, can’t be done.

In the link you referenced, the OP asks about using .PNG with ALPHA channel, and so are the solutions.

You are trying to do the same with .GIF with TRANSPARENCY, which is something completely different.

There are some major differences between .GIF and .PNG:

.GIF

• 8 Bit
• Can be animated.

.PNG

• 24-32 Bit
• Can’t be animated

So, what options do you have?

Using animated .GIF
Have 2 separated animated GIF, one with color and the other with a grayscale mask for the ALPHA channel and compose them at runtime.

Using .PNG sequence
Have a sequence of .PNG files with proper ALPHA channel and compose them at runtime.

Alternatively, you could use .APNG (an extension of .PNG format), which is a mix of both worlds as it supports both animation and ALPHA channel.

You could also look into the .WEBP format

BTW, I don’t think neither .APNG nor .WEBP are natively supported by the .Net framework.

how complicated is your animation? maybe you can do it with WPF and System.Windows.Shapes?