Demo Applet Designs
To get a first impression, let’s have a look at the real thing. You have been provided with some VisualApplets demo projects by Silicon Software:
- BaseAreaGray8.va (Camera Link Base configuration, area scan gray scale, bit depth 8 bit)
- FullAreaGray8.va (Camera Link Full configuration, area scan gray scale, bit depth 8 bit)
- BaseLineGray8.va (Camera Link Base configuration, line scan gray scale, bit depth 8 bit)
To open a demo design in VisualApplets:
- Start VisualApplets, e.g., via the Start menu (Start -> All Programs -> Silicon Software -> VisualApplets 3.x).
The start window of VisualApplets opens:
- Click on File → Open ( Ctrl+O ) or use the Open icon from the File icon bar.
- Select, for example, the example design file BaseAreaGray8.va you have been provided with by Silicon Software. The design is opened in VisualApplets:
Example design BaseAreaGray8.va, opened in VisualApplets
You already see here several operators:
- The two upper ones (AppletProperties and BoardStatus) are read-only operators that are automatically inserted into each design. They provide information on the applet (name, version, author, etc.) and board status (board temperature, etc.). The information provided in these operators can be read out via SDK during runtime.
- The three operators in the middle that are linked by arrows represent the actual image acquisition pipeline:
- The first operator in the chain is operator BaseGrayCamera. This is the interface to the actual camera (in this case, a Camera Link Base gray-scale camera). For other camera types, there are other camera operators available in the library, e.g., FullGrayCamera for Camera Link full configuration. You use an camera operator to receive image data directly from the camera.
- The last operator in the chain is operator DmaToPC. It’s the interface to the DMA of the host PC. This is the operator you use to send the processed image data directly to the host PC’s memory.
- Everything between the two operators is what makes out an individual design. Of course, you may have several image data input (camera) operators, e.g., with Camera Link Base configuration, or if you are using several LightBridge 2 VCL devices in a daisy-chain.
- So-called hierarchical boxes allow to modularize parts of a complex design. The hierarchical box operator called “Trigger” at the bottom of the design window houses an example trigger system for LightBridge 2 VCL. You can simply modify the trigger system provided here or set up your own one. If you double-click on the operator symbol in the design, a new design window opens, showing the trigger design which you can adjust and play around with as you please.