June 2017
This file contains important information about National Instruments Vision Builder for Automated Inspection (Vision Builder AI) and is organized into the following sections:
Overview
System Requirements
Product Security and Critical Updates
Installation Instructions
Automating the Installation of NI Products
Activation Instructions
New Features
Updates and Improvements
Known Issues
Remote Target Support
Software Requirements for Migrating an Inspection to LabVIEW
PC-Based Image Acquisition and I/O Support
Additional Resources
Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 10
Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 8.1
Legal Information
NI Vision Builder AI gives you an easy way to configure, benchmark, and deploy a system that addresses vision applications from pattern matching to code reading and presence detection to precision alignment and classification.
For information about licensing NI Vision software, visit ni.com/info and enter the Info Code LicenseVision. Refer to the NI Vision website at ni.com/vision for the latest information about NI Vision Builder for Automated Inspection.
To configure inspections using Vision Builder AI, the host machine must meet the following requirements:
| Minimum | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Pentium 4/M or equivalent | Core Duo or equivalent |
| Memory | 512 MB RAM | 1 GB RAM |
| Display | 1,024 × 768 resolution video adapter with a 24- or 32-bit display | 1,280 × 1,024 resolution video adapter with a 24- or 32-bit display |
| Operating System |
|
|
| Browser | Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or later | |
| Hard Disk Space | 1 GB | |
Note NI Vision Builder AI 2015 f2 dropped support for Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, and installations of Windows 7 without any service packs. NI Vision Builder AI 2015 f2 and later will not install or run on an unsupported OS. You cannot deploy or distribute applications that use NI Vision Builder AI 2015 f2 or later to an unsupported OS. Additionally, after installing NI Vision Builder AI 2015 f2 or later, you cannot use any installers built on this computer with any version of LabVIEW, LabWindows™/CVI™, NI TestStand™, or Measurement Studio on an unsupported OS.
For more information about the changes to our OS support for 2016, refer to KB 79UC78LS, Why Does my LabVIEW, LabWindows/CVI, Measurement Studio, or TestStand Built Installer Fail on Windows XP/Vista and Server 2003?.
Note Support for Windows 32-bit operating systems may require disabling physical address extension (PAE). To learn how this might affect your system and what actions you might need to take, visit ni.com/info and enter the Info Code PAESupport.
1 NI software installs VC2015 Runtime and .NET 4.6.2. Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2 require Microsoft updates to support these items. Refer to Microsoft KB2919442 and KB2919355 for more information about how to install these updates.
2 NI software is signed with a SHA-256 certificate. Windows 7 SP1, Windows Embedded Standard 7 SP1, and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 require Microsoft updates to support SHA-256. Refer to Microsoft KB3033929 for more information about how to install this security update.
Visit ni.com/security to view and subscribe to receive security notifications about NI products. Visit ni.com/critical-updates for information about critical updates from NI.
Complete the following steps to install Vision Builder AI:
Note: You must be logged in with administrator privileges to install Vision Builder AI.
If you choose to enter a serial number, enter the serial number found on your Certificate of Ownership card. Vision Builder AI automatically uses this serial number when you run the NI Activation Wizard.
You can automate the installation of most NI products using command-line arguments to suppress some or all of the installer user interface and dialog boxes. However, starting with the August 2012 releases (products using NI Installers version 3.1 or later), you may need to perform additional steps before or during a silent installation of NI software.
If the NI product you are installing uses Microsoft .NET 4.6.2, the .NET installer may run before any NI software installs and may require a reboot before the installation of NI software begins. To avoid a .NET reboot, install .NET 4.6.2 separately before you install NI software.
For more information, refer to the following KnowledgeBase articles:
If you do not activate a valid license, Vision Builder AI runs in evaluation mode and continues to prompt you to activate a license on each launch. At the end of the evaluation period you must activate a Vision Builder AI license to continue using the product.
Note: While Vision Builder AI is in Evaluation mode, all features are available except Migrate Inspection to LabVIEW.
Complete the following steps to activate the Vision Builder AI license:
The following list describes the new features in Vision Builder AI 2015 f3:
The following list describes the new features in Vision Builder AI 2015 f2:
The following list describes the new features in Vision Builder AI 2015 f1:
The following list describes the new features in Vision Builder AI 2015:
The following list describes the changes and enhancements to existing features in Vision Builder AI 2015 f3:
The following list describes the changes and enhancements to existing features in Vision Builder AI 2015 f2:
The following list describes the changes and enhancements to existing features in Vision Builder AI 2015:
Refer to the National Instruments Website for an up-to-date list of all bug fixes in this release.
You can access the software and documentation known issues list online. Refer to the National Instruments Web site for an up-to-date list of known issues in NI Vision Acquisition Software.
You can use Vision Builder AI to configure and control the following Windows-based National Instruments devices:
You can use Vision Builder AI to remotely configure and control a supported remote target. Vision Builder AI supports the following remote targets:
To use Vision Builder AI with a remote target, you must use Vision Builder AI to configure the remote target. For more information about using Vision Builder AI to configure the remote target, refer to the documentation included with the remote target.
Note: National Instruments recommends using WebDAV to transfer files to and from a real-time target. For more information on using WebDAV to transfer files to and from a remote target, go to ni.com/info and enter the Info Code WebDAVTransfer.
The following table illustrates when a remote target requires you to install driver software on the development computer.
| Remote Target or Camera Connected to a Remote Target |
Requires Driver Software Installed on Development Computer |
|---|---|
| NI Smart Camera | No |
| IEEE 1394 | No |
| GigE Vision | No |
| Camera Link | Yes |
Note: To acquire images from a Camera Link camera attached to a NI EVS-1463RT device, you must use MAX to associate a camera file with the camera. For information about how to associate a camera file with a Camera Link camera connected to a remote target, visit ni.com/info and enter the info code rtcamerafile.
The following table illustrates which USB CompactDAQ chassis are supported by remote Vision Builder AI targets.
| Remote Target | Supported USB cDAQ chassis |
|---|---|
| NI 17xx Smart Camera | Not supported |
| NI 177x Smart Camera |
|
| ISC-178x Smart Camera | |
| EVS-146x Embedded Vision System | |
| CVS-145x Compact Vision System | |
| IC-312x Industrial Controller | |
| IC-317x Industrial Controller |
Vision Builder AI no longer provides support for the following devices:
| Device | Last Version of Vision Builder AI Supported |
|---|---|
| NI 1762, and 1764 Smart Cameras | 2011 SP1 |
| NI CVS-1454, 1455, and 1456 Compact Vision Systems | 2011 SP1 |
| NI 1722, 1742, 1744 Smart Cameras | 2013 SP1 |
Note: Vision Builder AI 2015 is the last version which will support both Windows-based and real-time Embedded Vision Systems.
To migrate an inspection to LabVIEW, Vision Builder AI 2015 requires LabVIEW 2015 or later and NI Vision Development Module 2015 or later.
Some Vision Builder AI steps require additional software to successfully migrate an inspection to LabVIEW.
Refer to the following table for software requirements to migrate specific steps. Driver versions must support the target version of LabVIEW for migration.
| Step Name | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Acquire Image | NI-IMAQ |
| Acquire Image (IEEE 1394, GigE, or USB) | NI-IMAQdx |
| Acquire Image (Smart Camera) | NI-IMAQ (excluding NI 177x
Smart Cameras) NI-IMAQdx (NI 177x Smart Cameras only) |
| Generate Pulse | NI-IMAQ |
| Generate Pulse (Vision RIO) | NI-IMAQ I/O for PCIe-8237R and PCIe-825xR boards, Embedded Vision Systems, and Compact Vision Systems NI Industrial Controller Device Drivers for industrial controllers |
| Read/Write I/O | NI-IMAQ |
| Read/Write I/O (NI-DAQmx) | NI-DAQmx |
| Read/Write I/O (Vision RIO) | NI-IMAQ I/O for PCIe-8237R and PCIe-825xR boards, Embedded Vision Systems, and Compact Vision Systems NI Industrial Controller Device Drivers for industrial controllers |
Note: NI-IMAQ, NI-IMAQdx, and NI-IMAQ I/O are available on the NI Vision Acquisition Software DVD included with Vision Builder AI. The NI Industrial Controller Device Drivers DVD is provided separately with industrial controller devices.
The Run LabVIEW VI step in Vision Builder AI 2015 supports VIs saved in LabVIEW 2015 or later.
Vision Builder AI supports the following types of image acquisition and I/O devices:
Note: You must install driver software to acquire images from an image acquisition device connected to the development computer.
This version of Vision Builder AI supports National Instruments image acquisition devices that require NI-IMAQ driver version 4.6.4 or later. Specific devices may require later versions.
Note: If you are using an image acquisition device, you must install NI Vision Acquisition Software before you install the image acquisition device. NI Vision Acquisition Software gives you access to Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX), which is software you can use to configure National Instruments devices.
This version of Vision Builder AI supports IEEE 1394 cameras, GigE Vision cameras, USB 3 Vision, DirectShow-compatible USB cameras, IP cameras, and requires NI-IMAQdx driver version 3.3 or later. Specific devices may require later versions.
To acquire an image from one of these camera types when the camera is connected to the host computer, use the Acquire Image (1394, GigE, or USB) step. The Acquire Image (1394, GigE, or USB) step requires NI-IMAQdx, which can be installed from the NI Vision Acquisition Software DVD included with Vision Builder AI.
You must configure an IEEE 1394 camera to use the NI-IMAQdx driver. Complete the following steps to use MAX to configure an IEEE 1394 camera to use the NI-IMAQdx driver.
This version of Vision Builder AI supports digital and analog I/O from any National Instruments data acquisition (DAQ) device using NI-DAQmx Global Virtual Channels. To support NI DAQ devices, Vision Builder AI requires NI-DAQmx 8.0 or later.
To support serial communication, Vision Builder AI requires NI-VISA 2.6.0 or later, which is included with Vision Builder AI. You can use the serial ports built into the PC or one of the following NI serial interfaces: NI PCI-232/x, NI PXI-8420/x, or NI PXI-8422/x. You do not need to install NI-VISA to use the serial port on a remote target.
Pursuant to the National Instruments Software License Agreement, Vision Builder AI software is licensed to run on only one machine. Deployed applications that use Vision Builder AI require that Vision Builder AI be installed and licensed on each host machine. Therefore, you must purchase a separate Vision Builder AI license for each host machine. For more information, refer to the enclosed National Instruments Software License Agreement or visit ni.com/legal/license.
For information about licensing NI Vision software, visit ni.com/info and enter the Info Code LicenseVision. Vision Builder AI offers the following licensing options:
If you are using the Windows Firewall and launch Vision Builder AI, a dialog box may prompt you to allow Vision Builder AI to receive information over the network. Select Allow access so that Vision Builder AI can communicate with your remote target.
Read the NI Vision Builder for Automated Inspection Tutorial, which provides exercises for learning how to perform basic machine vision techniques using Vision Builder AI.
Reference information for Vision Builder AI is available from within Vision Builder AI by clicking the Show Context Help button, or selecting Start»All Programs»National Instruments»Vision Builder AI»Documentation.
The following documents are provided with Vision Builder AI as online help:
Use the Search tab in the help files to quickly locate specific information. For information about how to use the search functionality, refer to the Using Help»Searching Help topic in the help file.
The following documents are provides with Vision Builder AI as Adobe PDF documents:
Examples of common Vision Builder AI inspections are installed to the <Vision Builder AI>\Examples directory, where <Vision Builder AI> is the location to which you installed Vision Builder AI.
Visit ni.com/vision and the NI Developer Zone at ni.com/zone for the most up-to-date information about Vision Builder AI.
Microsoft Windows 10 is the latest version of the Windows operating system and features significant changes compared to previous versions. Windows 10 introduces several new capabilities and also combines features from both Windows 7 and Windows 8. For more information about NI support for Windows 10, visit ni.com/windows10.
When you install NI software on Microsoft Windows 8.1, you will notice a few additional tiles in the Apps view, including shortcuts to NI application software products such as NI LabVIEW, Measurement & Automation Explorer (NI MAX), and NI Launcher. For more information about NI support for Windows 8.1, visit ni.com/windows8.
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