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🔧 National Instruments LabVIEW

National Instruments LabVIEW

Graphical programming for test and measurement.

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Overview

LabVIEW (Laboratory Virtual Instrument Engineering Workbench) is a system-design platform and development environment with a graphical programming language. While its primary use is in test, measurement, and control systems, it is also frequently used to create custom HMIs for industrial and research applications. Its strength lies in its ability to rapidly acquire data from thousands of hardware devices and provide tools for complex analysis and visualization.

✨ Key Features

  • Graphical programming language (G)
  • Extensive hardware integration (DAQ, vision, motion)
  • Large library of analysis and signal processing functions
  • Customizable user interface elements
  • Web-based remote front panels

🎯 Key Differentiators

  • Intuitive graphical programming paradigm
  • Unmatched integration with NI and third-party hardware
  • Comprehensive built-in libraries for data analysis and signal processing

Unique Value: Enables engineers and scientists to rapidly develop complex test, measurement, and control systems with integrated, custom user interfaces, significantly reducing development time compared to text-based languages.

🎯 Use Cases (4)

Automated test and validation systems Data acquisition and logging Research and development Custom machine control and monitoring

✅ Best For

  • Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing for automotive and aerospace
  • Semiconductor validation
  • Academic research labs
  • Industrial machine vision systems

💡 Check With Vendor

Verify these considerations match your specific requirements:

  • Standard, plant-wide SCADA applications
  • Simple machine HMIs where a dedicated HMI panel is more cost-effective
  • Projects where traditional text-based programming is preferred

🏆 Alternatives

MATLAB/Simulink Python (with libraries like NumPy, SciPy) Dedicated HMI/SCADA software (for industrial automation use cases)

Offers a much tighter and more seamless integration between data acquisition hardware and the software development environment, along with a graphical approach that can be more intuitive for hardware-focused engineers.

💻 Platforms

Desktop (Windows, Linux, macOS)

✅ Offline Mode Available

🔌 Integrations

NI Hardware (cRIO, PXI, DAQ) Third-party instruments (via VISA, GPIB) PLCs (via OPC Server) Python, C/C++, .NET

🛟 Support Options

  • ✓ Email Support
  • ✓ Phone Support
  • ✓ Dedicated Support (Standard Service Program (SSP) tier)

🔒 Compliance & Security

✓ GDPR ✓ SSO

💰 Pricing

Contact for pricing
Free Tier Available

✓ 14-day free trial

Free tier: LabVIEW Community Edition is free for non-commercial use.

Visit National Instruments LabVIEW Website →