Capturing Images in LABVIEW without IMAQ

[LTE]

Hello all I work in a Biomedical Engineering lab where we use a Blue Fox (Matrix Vision) camera to capture images from a microscope. Currently we use a C++ routine to capture a nice series of images during experimentation, but it is complex to use and we would like to integrate this function into LABVIEW.

Matrix Vision was nice enough to include a .vi that can be used to view images with there camera, but not capture them. I've managed to save the image to the hard drive using the flatten pixmap.vi and save bmp.vi. This combination gives me a .bmp file, but the colors look all messed up even though I'm not feeding a color information matrix into the .vi.

Also, when I capture continously, instead of saving a nice series of images it just keeps saving over the same one. I would like to create a continous sequence of images if possible. I realize I'm asking a lot for some one who doesn't have any of the machine vision hardwar (like IMAQ) but you know how the powers at be hate spending money...

Can any of you offer me suggestions to resolving these two problems? I would greatly appreciate it...

(p.s. I'm attaching my capture .vi for those who feel brave enough to look... I use LABVIEW 8.2)



Message Edited by LTE on 11-28-2007 09:31 AM

[BruceAmmons]

I'm not sure why the image is color when you are saving grayscale.  I would try loading it back into LabVIEW and see if it goes back to grayscale.

To save different images, you need to generate unique file names for your images.  I usually wire the iteration counter to the input of Convert to String so it generates file names like "Image 00001.jpg".  Append that to the base path and use it for saving the image.

Bruce

[McCarty]

Hello Lowell,

You may also want to check out KB 3W69QFHL, Converting 2D Arrays to Grayscale Pictures Without IMAQ VIs, for an example. 

Best Regards,
T. McCarty