July 2023
This file contains installation instructions and compatibility information for Vision Builder for Automated Inspection 2023 Q3.
You can find more release information on ni.com.
Software Requirements for Migrating an Inspection to LabVIEW
Automating the Installation of NI Products
Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 11
Using NI Software with Microsoft Windows 10
Unsupported Windows Operating Systems
NI Vision Builder AI helps you to configure, benchmark, and deploy a system that addresses vision applications from pattern matching to code reading and presence detection to precision alignment and classification.
For information about licensing NI Vision software, visit ni.com/info and enter the Info Code LicenseVision. Refer to the NI Vision website at ni.com/vision for the latest information about NI Vision Builder AI.
Vision Builder for Automated Inspection 2023 Q3 has the following requirements:
| Minimum | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Pentium 4/M or equivalent | Core Duo or equivalent |
| Memory | 512 MB RAM | 1 GB RAM |
| Display | 1,024 × 768 resolution video adapter with a 24- or 32-bit display | 1,280 × 1,024 resolution video adapter with a 24- or 32-bit display |
Vision Builder for Automated Inspection 2023 Q3 supports the following operating systems:
Vision Builder for Automated Inspection 2023 Q3 supports the following application software versions, including service packs.
| Application Software | Versions Supported by Vision Builder for Automated Inspection 2023 Q3 |
|---|---|
| LabVIEW | 2020, 2021, 2022 Q3, 2023 Q1 and later |
| LabWindows™/CVI™ | 2019 and later |
Download the Vision Builder for Automated Inspection installer from ni.com/downloads. NI software includes NI Package Manager to handle the installation. Refer to the NI Package Manager Documentation for more information about installing, removing, and upgrading NI software using Package Manager.
After installing your software, you will need to activate it. Activating your software verifies the licenses associated with your NI account, so you can start using your software. You have different options for activation, based on your software and how it was purchased. Please visit ni.com/activate for more information on activation methods.
If you do not activate a valid license, Vision Builder AI runs in evaluation mode and continues to prompt you to activate a license on each launch. At the end of the evaluation period you must activate a Vision Builder AI license to continue using the product.
Note: While Vision Builder AI is in Evaluation mode, all features are available except Migrate Inspection to LabVIEW.
The "Vision Builder for Automated Inspection Support for LabVIEW" package supports applications using Vision Builder for Automated Inspection with LabVIEW 2023 Q1 or later. When installing Vision Builder for Automated Inspection, this package will be recommended if you have already installed LabVIEW 2023 Q1 or later and installs to the LVAddons directory.
LVAddons directory location: C:\Program Files\NI\LVAddons
Vision Builder AI supports the following types of image acquisition and I/O devices:
Note: You must install driver software to acquire images from an image acquisition device connected to the development computer.
This version of Vision Builder AI supports NI image acquisition devices that require NI-IMAQ driver version 20.0 or later.
Note: If you are using an image acquisition device, you must install NI Vision Acquisition Software before you install the image acquisition device. NI Vision Acquisition Software gives you access to Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX), which is software you can use to configure NI devices.
This version of Vision Builder AI supports GigE Vision cameras, USB3 Vision, and DirectShow-compatible USB cameras. These cameras require NI-IMAQdx driver version 20.0 or later.
To acquire an image from one of these camera types when the camera is connected to the host computer, use the Acquire Image (1394, GigE, or USB) step. The Acquire Image (1394, GigE, or USB) step requires NI-IMAQdx driver to be installed.
This version of Vision Builder AI supports digital and analog I/O from any NI data acquisition (DAQ) device using NI-DAQmx Global Virtual Channels. To support NI DAQ devices, Vision Builder AI requires NI-DAQmx 20.0 or later.
To support serial communication, Vision Builder AI requires NI-VISA 20.0 or later, which is included with Vision Builder AI. You can use the serial ports built into the PC or one of the following NI serial interfaces: NI PCI-232/x, NI PXI-8420/x, or NI PXI-8422/x.
This release of Vision Builder AI does not support remote targets.
To migrate an inspection to LabVIEW, Vision Builder AI 2023 Q3 requires LabVIEW 2023 Q1 or later and NI Vision Development Module 2023 Q1 or later.
Some Vision Builder AI steps require additional software to successfully migrate an inspection to LabVIEW.
Refer to the following table for software requirements to migrate specific steps. Driver versions must support the target version of LabVIEW for migration.
| Step Name | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Acquire Image | NI-IMAQ |
| Acquire Image (IEEE 1394, GigE, or USB) | NI-IMAQdx |
| Generate Pulse | NI-IMAQ |
| Generate Pulse (Vision RIO) | NI-IMAQ I/O for PCIe-8237R and PCIe-825xR boards |
| Read/Write I/O | NI-IMAQ |
| Read/Write I/O (NI-DAQmx) | NI-DAQmx |
| Read/Write I/O (Vision RIO) | NI-IMAQ I/O for PCIe-8237R and PCIe-825xR boards |
Note: NI-IMAQ, NI-IMAQdx, and NI-IMAQ I/O are available when downloading NI Vision Acquisition Software.
To download NI-DAQmx, visit ni.com/downloads/products/.
The Run LabVIEW VI step in Vision Builder AI 2023 Q3 supports VIs saved in LabVIEW 2023 Q3 or earlier.
See Additional Resources.
See Additional Resources.
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.
For more information about automating the installation of NI products, refer to Automating an Installer in the NI Package Manager documentation.
Pursuant to the National Instruments Software License Agreement, Vision Builder AI software is licensed to run on only one machine. Deployed applications that use Vision Builder AI require that Vision Builder AI be installed and licensed on each host machine. Therefore, you must purchase a separate Vision Builder AI license for each host machine. For more information, refer to the enclosed National Instruments Software License Agreement or visit ni.com/legal/license.
For information about licensing NI Vision software, visit ni.com/info and enter the Info Code LicenseVision. Vision Builder AI offers the following licensing options:
Read the NI Vision Builder for Automated Inspection Tutorial, which provides exercises for learning how to perform basic machine vision techniques using Vision Builder AI.
Reference information for Vision Builder AI can be accessed through the following methods:
The following documents are provided with Vision Builder AI as online help:
Use the Search tab in the help files to quickly locate specific information. For information about how to use the search functionality, refer to the Using Help»Searching Help topic in the help file.
The following documents are provided with Vision Builder AI as Adobe PDF documents:
Access examples of common Vision Builder AI inspections by selecting Start»All Programs»National Instruments»Vision Builder AI 2023»Vision Builder AI 2023 Examples on your PC.
Visit ni.com/vision and the NI Developer Zone at ni.com/zone for the most up-to-date information about Vision Builder AI.
Microsoft Windows 11 is the latest version of the Windows operating system and features significant changes compared to previous versions. For more information about NI support for Windows 11, refer to NI Product Compatibility for Microsoft Windows 11.
For more information about NI support for Windows 10, refer to NI Product Compatibility for Microsoft Windows 10.
Vision Builder for Automated Inspection no longer supports Windows Vista/XP/7/8.x, Windows Server 2003/2008/2012, or any 32-bit Windows operating system. Versions of this product that ship after May 1, 2021, may not install or execute correctly on these operating systems. For detailed information about NI operating system support, visit https://www.ni.com/r/win32bitsupport.