LabVIEW 2015 Control Design and Simulation Module Readme

June 2015


This file contains important information about the LabVIEW Control Design and Simulation Module, including system requirements, installation instructions, a partial list of bugs fixed for the LabVIEW 2015 Control Design and Simulation Module, and known issues.


Overview

System Requirements

Installation Instructions

Product Security and Critical Updates

Known Issues

Bug Fixes

Accessing the Help

Finding Examples

Automating the Installation of NI Products

How to Use NI Software with Microsoft Windows 8.x

NI Software Support for Microsoft Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003

Legal Information



Overview

The Control Design and Simulation Module provides tools with which you can analyze open-loop model behavior, design closed-loop controllers, simulate online and offline systems, and conduct physical implementations. The Control Design and Simulation Module also provides tools to complete the entire system identification process, which involves building mathematical models of a dynamic system based on a set of measured stimulus and response data samples.


Use the Control Design Assistant to load and save models, perform analysis on systems, and design controllers. Refer to the Control Design Assistant Readme for information about the Control Design Assistant.


Use the System Identification Assistant to create a project that encompasses the whole system identification process. Refer to the System Identification Assistant Readme for information about the System Identification Assistant.


System Requirements

In addition to the system requirements for the LabVIEW Development System, the Control Design and Simulation Module has the following requirements:


  • LabVIEW 2015 Full or Professional Development System (32-bit)
  • At least 800 MB of disk space
  • (Optional) LabVIEW MathScript RT Module for designing, analyzing, and simulating linear controller models using a text-based language

Refer to the LabVIEW Readme for additional system requirements and supported operating systems for LabVIEW 2015.


(OS X and Linux) Limitations on OS X and Desktop Linux

The Control Design and Simulation Module on OS X and desktop Linux does not support the following features:


  • Control Design Assistant
  • Real-Time support
  • System Identification Assistant
  • System Identification VIs

Installation Instructions

(Windows) You can install all of your LabVIEW products—including the Control Design and Simulation Module—using the LabVIEW 2015 Platform media. Refer to the LabVIEW Installation Guide on the LabVIEW Platform media for installation instructions and system requirements.


To request additional LabVIEW Platform media, refer to the National Instruments website.


Note  If you purchased this product with an NI Software Suite or NI Product Bundle, use the installation media that shipped with your purchase to install this product.


(OS X) Complete the following steps to install the Control Design and Simulation Module for OS X from the LabVIEW 2015 Control Design and Simulation Module installation CD:


  1. Insert the LabVIEW 2015 Control Design and Simulation Module installation CD and open LabVIEW2015CDSim.mpkg located under the Mac OS X directory.
  2. Select Continue to run a program to determine if the Control Design and Simulation Module can be installed on your system.
  3. Follow the instructions that appear on the screen and continue to the Destination Select screen.
  4. In the Destination Select screen, you must select the location where a compatible version of LabVIEW is installed. Otherwise, the installation will not complete.
  5. After you select the destination directory, continue to follow the instructions that appear on the screen.

(Linux) Complete the following steps to install the Control Design and Simulation Module for Linux from the LabVIEW 2015 Control Design and Simulation Module installation CD:


  1. Log into the system as root.
  2. Insert the LabVIEW 2015 Control Design and Simulation Module installation CD. Use mount /mnt/cdrom to mount the CD. On some systems, the CD mounts automatically.
  3. To change the current directory to the mounted CD, enter the following command:

    cd /mnt/cdrom/Linux
  4. To run the installation script, enter the following command:

    sh ./INSTALL

    If you encounter the following message: "bad interpreter: Permission denied", the CD may not have mounted with executable permissions. To work around this, enter the following command:

    /bin/sh ./INSTALL

Product Security and Critical Updates

Visit ni.com/security to view and subscribe to receive security notifications about National Instruments products. Visit ni.com/critical-updates for information about critical updates from National Instruments.


Known Issues

You can access the software and documentation known issues list online. Refer to the National Instruments website for an up-to-date list of known issues in the Control Design and Simulation Module.


Bug Fixes

The following items are the IDs and titles of a subset of issues fixed in the Control Design and Simulation Module. This is not an exhaustive list of issues fixed in the current version of the Control Design and Simulation Module. If you have a CAR ID, you can search this list to validate that the issue has been fixed.


ID Fixed Issue
484398 Integrator in vector mode initializes incorrectly when using a single element array input to "initial condition for reset"
484537 LabVIEW crashes when you create a simulation subsystem for a section of code with a cluster input

Accessing the Help

The LabVIEW Control Design User Manual contains conceptual information about using the control design functionality of the Control Design and Simulation Module. Open this manual by navigating to the labview\manuals directory and opening CD_User_Manual.pdf.


The LabVIEW Control Design and Simulation Module Help contains conceptual, how-to, and reference information about the Control Design and Simulation Module.


(Windows) Complete the following steps to access the LabVIEW Control Design and Simulation Module Help:


  1. Launch LabVIEW.
  2. Select Help»LabVIEW Help to launch the LabVIEW Help.
  3. Click the Contents tab.
  4. On the Contents tab, navigate to the Control Design and Simulation Module book.

(OS X and Linux) Launch LabVIEW and select Help»Control Design and Simulation Module to launch the LabVIEW Control Design and Simulation Module Help.


Refer to the LabVIEW Control Design and Simulation Module Algorithm References manual for information about algorithms implemented in the Control Design and Simulation Module and their corresponding references. Access the LabVIEW Control Design and Simulation Module Algorithm References manual by navigating to the labview\manuals directory and opening CDreference.pdf.


Refer to the LabVIEW System Identification VIs Algorithm References manual for information about algorithms implemented in the System Identification VIs and their corresponding references. Access the LabVIEW System Identification VIs Algorithm References manual by navigating to the labview\manuals directory and opening SIreference.pdf.


Finding Examples

Select Help»Find Examples from LabVIEW to launch the NI Example Finder. Navigate to the Control and Simulation folder to access the LabVIEW examples for the Control Design and Simulation Module. You can modify an example VI to fit an application, or you can copy and paste from one or more examples into a VI that you create.


You also can find the LabVIEW examples for the Control Design and Simulation Module in the labview\examples\Control and Simulation directory and the labview\examples\System Identification directory.


Automating the Installation of NI Products

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 4.0, 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 4.0 separately before you install NI software.


For more information about automating the installation of NI products, refer to the following KnowledgeBase articles:


How to Use NI Software with Microsoft Windows 8.x

When you install National Instruments software on Microsoft Windows 8.x, 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.


Using NI Launcher

NI Launcher helps you find and launch installed NI products. It provides you with a method of finding NI products similar to the Start menu in previous versions of Microsoft Windows. To use NI Launcher, click the NI Launcher tile in the Apps view. NI Launcher launches the desktop and opens a menu containing a list of NI products. Click any NI product to launch it.


Note  NI MAX does not appear as a desktop shortcut when installed on Microsoft Windows 8.x. You can launch NI MAX either from the Apps view or from within NI Launcher.


Pinning Frequently Used Applications

For convenience, you can pin your most-used NI applications, such as MAX, to either the Start screen or the Taskbar on the desktop, as necessary:


Current ApplicationIcon LocationPin to Action
Windows 8.x DesktopDesktop TaskbarRight-click application and select Pin to Taskbar
Windows 8.x Desktop Start screenRight-click application and select Pin to Start
Windows 8.x Start screenDesktop TaskbarRight-click application and select Pin to taskbar from the menu bar on the bottom of the screen

Finding All Programs

If you want to find a particular application or related files, such as documentation files, from the Start screen, you can access all installed files from the Apps view. To get to the Apps view, right-click anywhere on the Start screen and select All apps (Windows 8.0) or click the down arrow on the bottom left of the screen (Windows 8.1).


For more information about NI support for Windows 8.x, visit ni.com/windows8.


NI LabVIEW Control Design and Simulation Module Drops Support for Microsoft Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 in 2016

National Instruments LabVIEW Control Design and Simulation Module will drop support for Microsoft Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 as of July 1, 2016. Versions of LabVIEW Control Design and Simulation Module that ship after July 1, 2016 will not install or run on Windows Vista, Windows XP, or Windows Server 2003. For detailed information about NI application software product life cycles, visit ni.com/info and enter one of the following Info Codes:


Product Info Code
LabVIEWlifecycle
LabWindows™/CVI™cvi_lifecycle
Measurement Studiomstudiolifecycle
TestStandtslcp
DIAdemddlcp
SignalExpressselcp
VeriStandnivslifecycle

Legal Information

Copyright


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End-User License Agreements and Third-Party Legal Notices


You can find end-user license agreements (EULAs) and third-party legal notices in the following locations after installation:


  • Notices are located in the <National Instruments>\_Legal Information and <National Instruments> directories.
  • EULAs are located in the <National Instruments>\Shared\MDF\Legal\license directory.
  • Review <National Instruments>\_Legal Information.txt for information on including legal information in installers built with NI products.

U.S. Government Restricted Rights


If you are an agency, department, or other entity of the United States Government ("Government"), the use, duplication, reproduction, release, modification, disclosure or transfer of the technical data included in this manual is governed by the Restricted Rights provisions under Federal Acquisition Regulation 52.227-14 for civilian agencies and Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement Section 252.227-7014 and 252.227-7015 for military agencies.


IVI Foundation Copyright Notice


Content from the IVI specifications reproduced with permission from the IVI Foundation.


The IVI Foundation and its member companies make no warranty of any kind with regard to this material, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. The IVI Foundation and its member companies shall not be liable for errors contained herein or for incidental or consequential damages in connection with the furnishing, performance, or use of this material.


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Patents


For patents covering the National Instruments products/technology, refer to the appropriate location: Help»Patents in your software, the patents.txt file on your media, or the National Instruments Patent Notice at ni.com/patents.


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