LabVIEW 3.0 Goes Beyond Complete Platform Portability
Developers Roll Many Extras into Latest Version

May 24, 1993 -- Atlanta, GA - National Instruments announced today at
COMDEX/Windows World LabVIEW Version 3.0, its multiplatform graphical
instrumentation software for Microsoft Windows PCs, Macintosh computers,
and SPARCstations from Sun Microsystems Computer Corporation.

With LabVIEW 3.0, not only will the company fulfill its earlier commitment
to deliver complete LabVIEW program portability between Windows PCs,
Macintosh computers, and Sun SPARCstations, it will also surprise users
with a long list of new features. Included in Version 3.0 are
measurement-based analysis capabilities, a Test Executive, a new Attribute
Node for programmatic control of panel objects, a Control Editor for
user-defined controls, intensity charts and graphs, interapplication
communication enhancements, built-in global variables, new local variables
for setting controls and indicators, labeling numeric controls with
physical units, and controlling separate, synchronous activities with new
Occurrences Functions.

Platform Independence 

All three platform versions of LabVIEW 3.0 (for Windows PCs, Macintosh
computers, and Sun SPARCstations) now use the same portable architecture,
so users have the freedom and flexibility to transfer virtual instruments
(VIs) between these platforms, yet retain a common look and feel
regardless of platform. With this portable architecture, users are not
locked into one particular computing platform. They can also look forward
to migrating to other platforms in the future - because 80 percent of the
LabVIEW code is platform independent, National Instruments can more easily
port LabVIEW to other popular operating systems.

Measurement-Based VIs 

National Instruments added Measurement VIs to LabVIEW 3. 0. Measurement VIs
have characteristics that model the behavior of traditional bench-top
frequency-analysis instruments.

The VIs assume real-world time-domain signal input and connect directly to
LabVIEW-data acquisition (DAQ) Vls. The VIs also produce outputs in
magnitude and phase, scaled, and in units ready for immediate graphing.
The VIs convert sampling period to frequency interval for appropriate
x-axis scaling and correct outputs where necessary for the different
window types. The Vls can display the power or amplitude spectrum in
various unit formats, including dB and spectral density. Measurement VIs
include functions for frequency-measurement applications in instruments
such as dynamic signal analyzers, which measure single-sided amplitude and
phase spectrum, power and frequency estimation, transfer function, impulse
response function, coherence function, and cross-power spectrum.

Test Executive 

LabVIEW 3.0 includes a Test Executive for creating automated test suites.
The VI includes basic test sequencing capabilities, such as stop on first
failure and loop on failure. Specific features of the Test Executive
include a run-time operator interface, UUT prompt, pass/fail banners, and
tests results log. The Test Executive VI is included in diagram source
code so users can modify it to meet custom application needs.

Attribute Node and User-Defined Controls 

Two new control features in LabVIEW 3.0 are the Attribute Node and the
Control Editor. With the Attribute Node, users can programmatically set
and read attributes of controls. Some useful attributes include
visibility, the location of graph cursors, colors for controls, and the
strings for ring controls. With the Control Editor, users can make custom
controls and save them in a library. These controls then become part of
the standard Controls menu.

Type Definitions 

From the LabVIEW 3.0 Control Editor, users can now save a control as a Type
Definition. When a control is saved as a Type Definition, VIs that use it
will remain linked to the file containing the control, so the VIs will
automatically be updated if the users ever change the control file. Type
Definitions are very useful in large projects where data types evolve
throughout the project. Rather than having to update every VI that uses
the control, users can update the single control file containing the
definition.

Intensity Charts and Graphs 

LabVIEW 3.0 gives users Intensity Graph and Intensity Chart functions,
which display 3D data by showing the values of the third dimension as
colors defined by a color table. In previous versions of LabVIEW, users
could display three-dimensional (3D) data only by massaging the data into
a 2D waveform, like a waterfall display on an XY graph, or opening an
external window to display an image.

Interapplication Communication 

LabVIEW continues to use the most popular interapplication communication
protocol for each platform. For users who want to communicate between
platforms, LabVIEW 3.0 now includes TCP/IP capability on all three
platforms, not just the Sun version. In addition, LabVIEW 3.0 has expanded
capabilities for Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) under Windows - users can
build VIs with DDE server capabilities. On the Macintosh, LabVIEW 3.0
continues to work with AppleEvents and Program-to-Program Communication
(PPC).

Global Variables Simplified 

LabVIEW 3.0 now has built-in global variables - users simply drop a global
variable on the diagram, open it, define the data type with front panel
controls, and give it a name. Previously, users had to build a subVI with
a shift register for storing and retrieving data.

Control/Indicator Capability Added 

LabVIEW 3.0 also introduces the concept of a local variable that can set
the value of front panel controls and indicators from several locations on
the diagram. This control/indicator capability addresses the need to use
the same front panel object for both input and output operations.

Physical Units 

Users can now add physical units, such as m or km/s, to their numeric
controls. When units are enabled, LabVIEW enforces type checking to
automatically scale and display numeric values in the appropriate units as
well as prevent ambiguous or nonsensical operations.

Occurrence Functions Added 

LabVIEW 3.0 introduces Occurrence Functions to simplify the control of
separate, synchronous activities. With Occurrence Functions, users can
make one part of a diagram wait until another diagram finishes. While it
is possible to emulate this functionality with Global Variables,
Occurrence Functions are easier to use and require less overhead.

System Requirements 

The minimum configuration for LabVIEW for Windows is a 386 PC with a 387
coprocessor, 8 MB RAM, 10 MB hard disk space, Microsoft Windows 3.1, and
DOS 5.0. A Super VGA display and a Windows 3.1 compatible graphics
accelerator are recommended.

The minimum Sun configuration for LabVIEW is a SPARCstation with 24 MB main
memory, 32 MB disk swap space, and 10 MB disk space (for the application
and associated files). LabVIEW 3.0 for the Sun will run under Solaris 1.x
or Solaris 2.x. LabVIEW requires MIT's X Window System, Version 11,
Release 4 or 5. It can also run under OpenWindows Version 3.

The minimum Macintosh configuration for LabVIEW is at least 8 MB of memory
and a math coprocessor. LabVIEW for Macintosh requires System 6.0.3 or
later operating system.

Price and Availability All versions of LabVIEW 3.0 will be available in
July. The Windows and Macintosh versions are priced at $1,995. LabVIEW for
the Sun is priced at $3,995 for a single-user license.

For More Information For more information, please contact the company at
6504 Bridge Point Parkway, Austin, TX 78730-5039, (512) 794-0100. Call
toll free in the U.S. and Canada at (800) 433-3488. Fax: (512) 794-8411.

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