National Instruments has launched LabVIEW 8.20, the 20th anniversary edition of its graphical software for system-design and development of test, control, and embedded systems. Version 8.20 extends LabVIEW’s graphical dataflow language to include native support for text-based maths with MathScript. The new release also improves performance in control design and simulation, and accelerates development of real-time prototypes using standard PCs, FPGAs, or custom designs.
As system complexity grows, designers often need to have design and simulation tools from different domains working together. Using MathScript, engineers can integrate their existing m-files, created using the Matlab software, or create new scripts with LabVIEW. They can mix and match graphical and text-based approaches. In addition to its compatibility with Matlab, LabVIEW 8.20 can help engineers incorporate algorithms from other mathematics packages, including Maple, Mathcad, and Scilab.
