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LabVIEW 2015 SP1 SoftMotion™ Module Readme

February 2016



This document contains information to introduce you to the LabVIEW 2015 SP1 SoftMotion Module including installation information, a list of changes in this version of SoftMotion, and information about known issues for this version of SoftMotion.


Contents

Overview

System Requirements

Installation Instructions

Licensing

New Features and Changes

Bug Fix List

General Information

Accessing the Help

Finding Examples

Known Issues

Automating the Installation of NI Products


Overview

The LabVIEW 2015 SP1 SoftMotion Module allows you to use the LabVIEW project to configure and test your motion axis settings, tune your servo motors, program deterministic motion profiles, create custom motion applications, and simulate your designs created in SOLIDWORKS.


Note: Refer to the SoftMotion Selection Guide at zone.ni.com for a description of the different SoftMotion Module packages available.


System Requirements

You can run the LabVIEW 2015 SP1 SoftMotion Module installer on the following operating systems:


  • Windows 10/8.1/8.0/7/Vista
  • Windows XP Service Pack 3 (32-bit)
  • Windows Server 2003 R2 (32-bit)
  • Windows Server 2008 R2 (64-bit)
  • Windows Server 2012 R2 (64-bit)

The LabVIEW 2015 SP1 SoftMotion Module runs as a 32-bit application on all operating systems.


Note:  Support for Windows Server 2003 R2 may require disabling physical address extensions (PAE). To learn how this might affect your use of Windows Server 2003 and what actions you might have to take, visit ni.com/info and enter the info code PAESupport.


The LabVIEW 2015 SP1 SoftMotion Module does not support Windows 2000/NT/Me/98/95, Windows XP x64, or the Windows Server non-R2 editions.


To run the LabVIEW 2015 SP1 SoftMotion Module, National Instruments recommends that your system meet the following requirements in addition to the minimum requirements for the LabVIEW Development System for Windows:


  • 2 GB of memory if using SoftMotion for SOLIDWORKS
  • 500 MB of free disk space

The LabVIEW 2015 SP1 SoftMotion Module is compatible with the following National Instruments software.


  • LabVIEW 2015 SP1 Base, Full, or Professional Development System (32-bit)
  • LabVIEW 2015 SP1 Real-Time Module
  • LabVIEW 2015 SP1 FPGA Module
  • NI-RIO Device Drivers February 2016
  • NI-Industrial Communications for EtherCAT® 15.0

Note  To use SoftMotion for SOLIDWORKS you must have SOLIDWORKS 2009 SP2.1 or later.


Installation Instructions

Installing from the LabVIEW 2015 SP1 Platform DVDs

You can install all of your LabVIEW products—including the LabVIEW 2015 SP1 SoftMotion Module—using the LabVIEW 2015 SP1 Platform DVDs. Refer to the LabVIEW Installation Guide on the LabVIEW Platform DVD 1 for installation instructions and system requirements.


To request additional LabVIEW 2015 SP1 Platform DVDs, refer to the National Instruments Web site at ni.com.


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.


Downloading the LabVIEW 2015 SP1 SoftMotion Module from the Web

Complete the following steps to download and install the LabVIEW 2015 SP1 SoftMotion Module:


  1. Download the LabVIEWSoftMotionModule2015SP1.exe file from ni.com/updates, and then run it.
  2. Follow the onscreen instructions.

    Note  (Windows 10/8.1/8.0/7/Vista)  Users may see access and security messages during installation. Accept the prompts to complete the installation.
  3. When the installer completes, a dialog box appears that asks if you want to restart, shut down, or restart later. Select Restart.

LabVIEW SoftMotion Module Updates and Notifications

National Instruments releases critical software updates after product release using the NI Update Service. Visit ni.com/info and enter updates to view a list of all currently available updates.


National Instruments provides notification of certain critical issues at install time. Visit ni.com/info and enter notifications to view a list of current product notifications.


Licensing

The LabVIEW SoftMotion Module relies on licensing activation. After the evaluation period for SoftMotion Module expires, you must activate a valid license before you can run the software. To activate the SoftMotion Module, use the serial number you received as part of your installation package.


Refer to the Activation Instructions for National Instruments Software for more information about licensing activation.


LabVIEW 2015 SP1 SoftMotion Module Features and Changes

Support for SDI Plug-in Configuration File

The SDI plug-in config file is an XML file that provides information to SoftMotion about supported drives and supported scan rates. The config file replaces and extends the functionality of GetBindings.vi.


LabVIEW 2015 SP1 SoftMotion Module Bug Fix List

Refer to the National Instruments Website for an up-to-date list of all bug fixes in this release.


General Information

LabVIEW Real-Time Users

To use the updates and features included in the LabVIEW 2015 SP1 SoftMotion Module, you must install the LabVIEW 2015 SP1 SoftMotion Module software on the LabVIEW Real-Time target system using Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX).


Accessing the Help

Refer to the LabVIEW Help, accessible by selecting Help»LabVIEW Help from the pull-down menu in LabVIEW, for information about SoftMotion Module concepts, using SoftMotion, step-by-step instructions using the LabVIEW SoftMotion Module, and reference information about SoftMotion VIs and functions.


Finding Examples

LabVIEW examples for the SoftMotion Module are located in the labview\examples\Motion folder. 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.


LabVIEW 2015 SP1 SoftMotion Module Known Issues

You can access the software and documentation known issues list online. Refer to the National Instruments Web site for an up-to-date list of known issues in this release.


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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, refer to the following KnowledgeBase articles:


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Important Information

Copyright


© 2004–2016 National Instruments. All rights reserved.


Under the copyright laws, this publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storing in an information retrieval system, or translating, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of National Instruments Corporation.


National Instruments respects the intellectual property of others, and we ask our users to do the same. NI software is protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. Where NI software may be used to reproduce software or other materials belonging to others, you may use NI software only to reproduce materials that you may reproduce in accordance with the terms of any applicable license or other legal restriction.


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:


  • 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.

Trademarks


LabVIEW, National Instruments, NI, ni.com, the National Instruments corporate logo, and the Eagle logo are trademarks of National Instruments Corporation. Refer to the Terms of Use section on ni.com/legal for more information about National Instruments trademarks. EtherCAT® is a registered trademark of Beckhoff Automation GmbH. Other product and company names mentioned herein are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies.


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/patent.


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