Automation design software focuses on innovation

NI LabVIEW 2013 system design software helps users innovate rather than create infrastructure, National Instruments said. The Aug. 7 keynote presentation at NIWeek Worldwide Graphical System Design Conference will highlight NI LabVIEW features that facilitate the management, documentation, and debugging of increasingly complex systems, use of web services, and support for NI’s new Linux-based controller.

August 7, 2013

National Instruments (Nasdaq: NATI) introduced NI LabVIEW 2013, the latest version of its software design platform on Aug. 6. Users can take advantage of the most advanced technologies without rewriting existing applications or learning new tools. LabVIEW 2013 also offers overhauled sample projects and an expanded training library that serve as a strong foundation for any undertaking.

“LabVIEW 2013 utilizes the most current and powerful technologies, making it a necessity for any developer,” said Ray Almgren, vice president of marketing at National Instruments. “Not only does it support the NI Linux Real-Time OS, giving developers access to dynamic, community-sourced libraries, it’s the foundation of the new cRIO-9068 software-designed controller.”

Jack Dunaway, founder of Wirebird Labs, LabVIEW user since 2006, previewed the new software. “The web service experience in 2013 is reason enough to upgrade,” he said. “I rely heavily on it for the tools I create in LabVIEW, and the changes they made in this version make designing complex, web-based systems more intuitive than ever. In the past few years, LabVIEW has seen evolutionary improvements. This year is revolutionary.”

NI LabVIEW 2013 features include:

• Simplified block diagram comment navigation and organization

• Updated templates, shipping examples, and online training courses

• Access to the LabVIEW Tools Network, an expansive network of third-party add-ons

• Support for the latest evolution of the NI CompactRIO platform, the NI cRIO-9068 software-designed controller, which runs the NI Linux Real-Time operating system

• New tools facilitate the management, documentation and debugging of increasingly complex systems

• Streamlined deployment of large systems through improved web services and NI LabVIEW Application Builder

In the Aug. 7 keynote presentation, Jeff Kodosky, cofounder and business and technology fellow, NI, and “father” of LabVIEW, is expected to demonstrate how graphical programming scales for system design and abstracts complexity at the right levels to create intuitive, and elegant engineering solutions. The software allows control design to be ported to various hardware platforms and operating systems and allows users to use the software to adapt NI hardware platforms for a huge variety of applications, small to massive.

– Edited by Mark T. Hoske, content manager CFE Media, Control Engineering, Plant Engineering, and Consulting-Specifying Engineer, mhoske@cfemedia.com.

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