LabVIEW 8.5 Addresses Multi-Core Design Challenges

LabVIEW 8.5, the latest version of the established graphical system-design platform, extends the embedded platform to program multi-core, real-time processors. This incarnation combines the software with commercial multi-core hardware and also introduces the Statechart Module, which allows higher-level designs to run on targets including FPGAs, real-time systems, PDAs, touch panels, and a variety of microprocessors. To achieve real-time symmetric multiprocessing, the application integrates a real-time load balancing scheduler to automatically assign tasks to different processor cores, providing performance improvements without sacrificing determinism or requiring user code changes. Users can also manually assign portions of code to specific processor cores to fine tune or isolate time-critical tasks on a particular core. The Statechart Module provides an alternative for designing systems with a high-level diagram based on the Unified Modeling Language standard. The module supports the design of software combined with real-world I/O running on deterministic real-time or FPGA-based hardware with high-level statechart notations. Other LabVIEW 8.5 features include: enhanced FPGA IP including multi-channel PID, notch filter, and signal generators; an OEM evaluation bundle with QNX Neutrino RTOS and the company's USB data-acquisition hardware; project-file-management tools and graphical-code merging for team-based development; low-level memory management tools; optimized BLAS linear-algebra libraries; improved edge detection, control design, and simulation enhancements including Model Predictive Control and analytical PID controller design; and additional support for .m file scripts. LabVIEW pricing starts at $1,199. NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS, Austin, TX. (800) 258-7022.