National Instruments has released LabVIEW 8.6, the latest version of the graphical system design software platform for control, test and embedded system development.
Building on the inherent parallel nature of graphical programming, this release delivers new tools to help engineers and scientists take advantage of the benefits of multicore processors, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and wireless communication.
To take advantage of these technologies, engineers are typically forced to work with multiple tools which are not designed for parallel programming. In the latest version of LabVIEW, engineers now have a single platform to increase test and control system throughput with multicore processors, reduce the development time of high-performance FPGA-based advanced control and embedded prototyping applications and more easily create distributed measurement systems to acquire data remotely.
To increase performance, LabVIEW 8.6 includes more than 1200 advanced analysis functions optimised for faster math and signal processing on multicore systems for control and test applications. Vision applications can benefit from multicore systems by using innovative image processing functions included in the NI Vision Development Module that automatically distributes data sets across multiple cores.
Also using new multicore features, test engineers can develop applications to test wireless devices up to four times faster with the latest version of the Modulation Toolkit, and control system engineers can execute simulation models in parallel up to five times faster with the LabVIEW 8.6 Control Design and Simulation Module. Additionally, engineers now can better identify parallel sections of code using a new feature that reorganises LabVIEW diagrams.
Release 8.6 further reduces FPGA-based development time with new features that engineers can use to program CompactRIO programmable automation controllers (PACs) directly without having to separately program the FPGA. In addition, new simulation features reduce the number of time-consuming compilations by validating an FPGA application on the desktop. LabVIEW 8.6 also offers new IP development and integration features, including the new fast Fourier transform (FFT) IP core to offload spectral analysis functions which increases the performance in applications such as machine condition monitoring and RF test. Engineers can easily import existing or third-party IP into LabVIEW FPGA using the new component-level IP (CLIP) node.
With support for the latest wireless data acquisition devices and drivers for 22 third-party wireless sensors, LabVIEW 8.6 simplifies programming of distributed measurement systems with a single software platform. Engineers can configure data acquisition applications to use NI Wi-Fi data acquisition hardware without making code changes in LabVIEW. New 3D visualisation tools help engineers integrate remote measurements with design models to accelerate design validation.
Also new is the ability for engineers to convert LabVIEW applications into Web services on desktop and realtime hardware that they can access from any Web-enabled device such as smartphones and PCs. With this feature, engineers can develop remote user interfaces for their LabVIEW applications using standard technologies such as HTML, JavaScript and Flash.
For more information contact National Instruments, 0800 203 199, sales@natinst.co.za, www.ni.com/southafrica
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