Table of Contents

Class GPUVideoEffectNightVision

Namespace
VisioForge.Core.Types.VideoEffects
Assembly
VisioForge.Core.dll

Represents a GPU-accelerated night vision video effect that simulates the appearance of infrared night vision goggles or cameras.

public class GPUVideoEffectNightVision : GPUVideoEffect, IGPUVideoEffectNightVision, IGPUVideoEffect

Inheritance

Implements

Inherited Members

Remarks

The VisioForge.Core.Types.VideoEffects.GPUVideoEffectNightVision effect creates a realistic night vision appearance by applying a characteristic green phosphor tint combined with brightness enhancement and subtle image noise. This effect simulates the visual output of Generation 1-3 night vision devices commonly used in military, law enforcement, and security applications. The green monochromatic appearance is derived from the phosphor screens used in actual night vision intensifier tubes.

SDK Availability

  • Video Capture SDK .Net: Yes
  • Video Edit SDK .Net: Yes
  • Media Player SDK .Net: Yes
  • Media Blocks SDK .Net: Yes

GPU Acceleration

This effect is implemented as a GPU shader that performs multiple operations in a single pass: luminance extraction, green channel tinting, brightness amplification, and subtle noise addition. The entire effect is computed per-pixel on the GPU, enabling real-time application at high resolutions (1080p, 4K) with minimal performance overhead. No CPU processing or frame buffering is required, making it suitable for live video streaming and recording.

Technical Details

  • Applies characteristic green phosphor tint (typically RGB: 0, 255, 0 with variations)
  • Enhances brightness and contrast to simulate light intensification
  • Adds subtle grain/noise to replicate image intensifier tube characteristics
  • Converts color video to monochromatic green appearance
  • May include vignetting effect to simulate binocular viewing
  • Optimized for real-time processing with hardware acceleration

Common Use Cases

  • Creating military or tactical game footage aesthetics
  • Simulating security camera night vision feeds
  • Adding cinematic night operations scenes to films
  • Creating realistic surveillance video appearances
  • Enhancing horror or thriller video game recordings
  • Generating training material for night vision equipment users
  • Educational content about night vision technology

Performance Characteristics

The night vision effect is computationally lightweight despite its complex appearance. GPU implementation ensures sub-millisecond processing time per frame at 1080p resolution. The effect can be applied to multiple video streams simultaneously without impacting system performance. Memory footprint is minimal as all processing occurs in GPU shader units without intermediate frame buffering.

Visual Characteristics

  • Green monochromatic color scheme (mimicking P-43 or P-45 phosphor)
  • Increased brightness in mid-tones to simulate light amplification
  • Subtle noise pattern replicating image intensifier tube artifacts
  • Enhanced contrast between bright and dark areas
  • Optional bloom/glow effects around bright light sources

Integration Notes

This effect is designed to be applied as a complete night vision simulation and does not require additional effects for basic night vision appearance. However, it can be combined with other effects such as VisioForge.Core.Types.VideoEffects.GPUVideoEffectDenoise to reduce grain for cleaner output, or VisioForge.Core.Types.VideoEffects.GPUVideoEffectBrightness for additional light amplification control. The effect works best with video content that has adequate luminance information in the source footage.

Related Effects

  • VisioForge.Core.Types.VideoEffects.GPUVideoEffectMonoChrome: General-purpose single-color tinting
  • VisioForge.Core.Types.VideoEffects.GPUVideoEffectGrayscale: Black and white conversion without tint
  • VisioForge.Core.Types.VideoEffects.GPUVideoEffectBrightness: Light level adjustment
  • VisioForge.Core.Types.VideoEffects.GPUVideoEffectDenoise: Noise reduction for cleaner appearance

Constructors

GPUVideoEffectNightVision(bool, string, TimeSpan, TimeSpan)

Initializes a new instance of the VisioForge.Core.Types.VideoEffects.GPUVideoEffectNightVision class with specified timing parameters.

public GPUVideoEffectNightVision(bool enabled, string name = "NightVision", TimeSpan startTime = default, TimeSpan stopTime = default)

Parameters

enabled bool

true to enable the night vision effect immediately; false to create the effect in a disabled state. The effect can be enabled or disabled later using the VisioForge.Core.Types.VideoEffects.GPUVideoEffect.Enabled property.

name string

A unique identifier for this effect instance. Defaults to "NightVision". This name can be used to retrieve the effect interface from the effect collection for runtime control and modification. Use descriptive names when applying multiple instances of the same effect type (e.g., "NightVisionScene1", "NightVisionTransition").

startTime TimeSpan

The time position in the video timeline when this effect should become active. Use Zero (the default) to apply the effect from the beginning of the video. This enables time-based effect control for creating scenes that transition between normal vision and night vision modes.

stopTime TimeSpan

The time position in the video timeline when this effect should become inactive. Use Zero (the default) to apply the effect until the end of the video. When combined with startTime, this creates time-windowed effects that automatically activate and deactivate at specific timestamps.

Remarks

The night vision effect simulates the appearance of infrared night vision devices by applying a characteristic green phosphor tint with brightness enhancement and subtle noise. The effect is GPU-accelerated for real-time performance and can be applied to live video streams or pre-recorded footage. Time-based activation allows for dynamic switching between normal and night vision modes during video playback.

Methods

GetEffectType()

Gets the specific GPU video effect type identifier for this night vision effect.

public GPUVideoEffectType GetEffectType()

Returns

GPUVideoEffectType

Returns VisioForge.Core.Types.VideoEffects.GPUVideoEffectType.NightVision, which uniquely identifies this effect as a night vision simulation effect in the GPU video effects pipeline.

Remarks

This method is used internally by the video processing pipeline to identify and route effects to the appropriate GPU shader implementations. The effect type determines which shader program is executed for rendering the night vision appearance.