LabView Beginner embarking on Motion/Vision App.

[andyzoumas]

I am embarking on my first big LabView project; a motion controlled vision application that is going to measure the diameter of the bore of a glass tube. I would like to get as much information and ideas as possible from as many colleagues as are interested in helping out. I am going to be programming this myself so any and all help would be much appreciated.
Thank you in advance
Andy Zoumas
andyzoumas@vitrocom.com

[BruceAmmons]

Andy,

You picked a pretty big project for your first one.

The motion part of this shouldn't be too bad. It depends how interlinked the motion and vision are.

The harder part will be vision. You are going to need to carefully select the appropriate lighting, lens, and camera. The equipment will be the hardest part. Once you have a good picture of the hole, the IMAQ Vision 6 Toolkit will make it relatively easy.

I would recommend contacting Robert Eastlund of Graftek (512) 416-1099. He can help you figure out what resolution of camera you need, what type of lens, what type of lighting, etc. He might be able to give you some ideas for the motion part also.

You might want to seriously consider hiring a vision expert to help you put this together. You will pr
obably spend a LOT of time putting it together yourself.

Bruce

[andyzoumas]

Bruce,
Thank you very much for your encouraging words (have i bitten off more than i can chew?) as well as the contact. I am going to try and contact as many people as i can
andy

[Jared 323]

I bet not. A lot of programmers (especially new) get nervous at the beginning of a project. I think people on the whole don't give themselves enough credit in what they can do, plus they want to do good for thier boss, then add time constraints on top of that and the butterflies come rushing in. Take a step back and look at the 80% of the program that won't be hard.

What will the program do on startup. What do you need to handle when shutting down? What errors do you expect and where? Are you going to use some sort of ini file to store and load program parameters? What are they? Write them down. Write this code. How about error logging to disk(good for debugging sections of code that you are questioning how it might behave? How will the front pane
ls that the users will interact with look? Draw them or make mock ups in labview. What will each button do on these front panels? Write this down. As a matter of fact, write down everything, make a project folder and keep good notes. Why you did something as well as why you didn't do something. You will start see what parts of the program are seperate from others and code those parts that are easy. Keep libraries for seperate sections so as not to mix up stuff that doesn't belong together (makes debug very easy).

Lastly, consult with experts in the areas that are too hard for you (like the contact you already received). Don't forget about this forum. This will fill in the last 20%.

Talk to a NI sales rep who area is IMAQ vision. They make a commision so they will be happy to set you up with the equipment that will do the job for you along with the help you need in figuring out what you need.

Good luck,
Jared

[andyzoumas]

Jared,
I thank you for your encouraging remarks. I have done programming in the past, but have just recently been introduced to LabView, and as you know, when you are not programming with a "team" it is much more difficult. I am in the process of layout right now, and have begun doing the planning that you have suggested. This is why I have posted this inquiry; to help in areas that I may have overseen. Again, thank you, and stay tuned, I think you are the kind of guy who will be answering more of my questions in the future.
Regards
Andy Zoumas