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At its August NIWeek gathering, National Instruments rolled out LabView 8.20. From the opening keynote, where NI cofounder Dr. James Truchard proclaimed the “design, prototype, deploy” (DPD) development platform as an integrator of design and test functions, to later press conferences, tutorials, and booth demos, the NI team offered numerous test and measurement applications that supported the DPD concept.

The design phase emphasizes interactive algorithms for control, dynamic system simulation, digital filtering, and advanced mathematics. Prototype is characterized by tight I/O integration featuring modules and drivers, COTS FPGA hardware, VHDL and C code integration, and design-validation tools. The deploy stage relies on deployable targets defined by rugged platforms, distributed networking, human-machine interfaces, and custom designs.

NI projects this new DPD method will expand the reach of LabView into new applications across a spectrum of industries. After witnessing a series of demos and talking with several LabView users at the event, I conclude that the DPD method for reaching new constituencies is already working.

Surrounded by 2500 dedicated LabView users for three days, it was easy to become swayed by their enthusiasm. So tell me, does LabView 8.20 cut the mustard for you?