Brand new to LabVIEW, need to acquire video and have no idea where/how to start

[pbirkner]

So I am completely brand new to LabVIEW. I don't know a single thing, or even where to start learning things. I've started an Evaluation license of of both LabVIEW and the Vision Development module with the ultimate goal of bringing in video from a USB camera with a direct show filter. Where do I start, where do I go to learn?

[GerdW]

Hi pbirkner,

as you are "brand new" you should start by going through all those FREE online resources for LabVIEW beginners offered by NI on their website!

Once you have done this you may start to open the example VIs coming with LabVIEW and IMAQ/VISION and study them. There surely is an example VI explaining how to acquire a video…

[udka]

Adding the links to which Gerd referring to:

-You can check NI Vision for LabVIEW Basics

-The examples you might need to look into are: Grab and Snap depending on type of acquisition required.

NI Learning Center

NI Getting Started

LabVEW Basics

3 Hour LabVIEW Introduction

6 Hour LabVIEW Introduction

LabVIEW Graphical Programming Course

Using the Context Help Window

LabVIEW Inbuilt Examples

[billko]

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@udka wrote:

Adding the links to which Gerd referring to:

-You can check NI Vision for LabVIEW Basics

-The examples you might need to look into are: Grab and Snap depending on type of acquisition required.

NI Learning Center

NI Getting Started

LabVEW Basics

3 Hour LabVIEW Introduction

6 Hour LabVIEW Introduction

LabVIEW Graphical Programming Course

Using the Context Help Window

LabVIEW Inbuilt Examples

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Yes, please take advantage of the free learning aids, first.  It's hard to explain how to build a car engine if the learner doesn't know what a socket wrench is.  🙂

[james.macmillan]

Are you looking to do anything with the image other than viewing it? After doing the LabVIEW basics training, you can start messing around with programming.

I like learning by doing, so I found a good way to start playing around with vision structures is to use the Vision Acquisition Express VI (Right click on block diagram ----> Vision and Motion ----> Vision Express ----> Vision Acquisition Express VI).

As soon as you put it down you'll start configuring an acquisition (what you're doing sounds like "Continuous Acquisition with inline processing"). Once you get the Express VI in place, you can run your program and see that your camera is work.

Next, right click on the Express VI and Select "Open Front Panel". When the pop-up comes up, select to convert it to a subVI. Now you can see how the acquisition is set-up. Open the context help window (ctrl+h) and start checking what all of the icons are and how they make the program work. Repeat the process for different video configurations and compare the changes. Finally, start trying to build your own VI based on the structures of these express VIs.

Also, as was mentioned previously, the example finder is great (Help ----> Find Examples). Search for "IMAQdx" (as that's likely what you're going to be using) or "Vision".