LabVIEW Graphs and Charts

LabVIEW, a product of National Instruments, analyses data and generates insightful charts and graphs to understand trends in data, system behaviors, etc.

Whether you're working with time-based signals, multidimensional data, or digital signals, LabVIEW helps you create visualizations by analyzing data deeply. That’s why it is widely used in various industries, R&D centers, academics, and other domains.

The article will walk you through various LabVIEW charts and graphs, helping you better understand their features and benefits.

Let’s jump on board!

Table of Contents:

• Overview of LabVIEW Charts and Graphs
  
• LabVIEW Charts 
  
• LabVIEW Graphs
  
• Graphical System Design using LabVIEW
• Customizing Charts and Graphs
  
• Frequently Asked Questions
  

Overview of LabVIEW Charts and Graphs:

LabVIEW charts and graphs intuitively visualize various data types, including time series, sensor outputs, and statistical data.

Understanding the difference between charts and graphs is essential before exploring LabVIEW charts and graphs.

• Charts: Charts are highly suitable for visualizing dynamic, continuous, time-based, and real-time data. Waveform charts and Strip charts are some examples of charts.
• Graphs: Graphs are the best way to display static, non-relational, and non-continuous data. XY graphs, Intensity graphs, and 3D Graphs are a few examples of graphs.

If you would like to Enrich your career and become a professional in LabVIEW, then visit Mindmajix - A Global online training platform: “LabVIEW Training” Course. This course will help you to achieve excellence in this domain.

LabVIEW Charts:

LabVIEW offers Waveform, Strip, and Intensity charts to visualize complex data in multiple forms. 

Let’s discuss them in the following.

• Waveforms Charts: 

The waveform charts in LabVIEW allow you to display continuous data in a time series graph. They help monitor real-time data acquisition systems, temperature changes, voltage fluctuations, and more.

Waveform charts can display one or more plots of data at a constant rate. The X-axis represents the data points in these charts, whereas the Y-axis represents the measured signal value.

• • Key Features:
    • Waveform charts handle dynamic signals efficiently
    • They can display multiple plots in a single graph.
    • They get updated with instant changes in data.
  • Applications: 
    • These charts support monitoring sensor outputs
    • They are used in oscilloscopes and function generators
    • They can visualize time-dependent signals used in control systems and embedded systems.
    • They help visualize trends in measurements and identify anomalies in real-time data.
  • Example: The Figure below shows a LabVIEW waveform chart. The chart maintains a history of data from previous updates.
    
  • Displaying a Single Plot on Waveform Charts: In Labview, you can generate the waveform chart with a single plot. You can view data as points in the chart and increment their value.This chart supports the ‘waveform’ data type with data, start time, and delta 't' of the waveform. Using the ‘Build waveform’ function, you can plot a graph with time values on the chart's X-axis.
  • Displaying Multiple Plots on Waveform Charts: You can bind data collectively into a cluster of numeric values to create multiple plots on a LabVIEW waveform chart. You can use an array of clusters if you need to pass various points to create plots in a single update. You can use the ‘waveform’ datatype to generate multiple plots on a chart. Also, you can use the build waveform function to place time on the X-axis and use the correct interval between markers on the chart.

 

• Strip Chart

A Strip chart is similar to a Waveform chart in some ways. However, it displays new data over time while keeping the old values intact.

• • Key Features:
    • A strip chart displays data shifting from left to right continuously.
    • It measures long-duration signals effectively.
    • It can display multiple plots for various time ranges
  • Applications: 
    • It is used in data loggers to display temperature and pressure measurements.
    • It is suitable for monitoring systems that have multiple data channels. 

 

• Intensity Charts

In Intensity charts, new data appears on the right side, while the old data appears on the left. Once new data arrives, the old data automatically shifts to the left.

The below figure shows an example of an intensity chart.

The intensity chart is similar to the waveform chart in many ways, including the scale legend and graph palette. However, it uses color as a third dimension, so color mapping indicates data ranges visually.

• • Features:
    • Intensity graphs use colors to display 3D data on a 2D plot.
    • You can set the color mapping for an intensity chart with the color scale. 
    • The color scale consists of at least two arbitrary markers. One marker has a numeric value, and another has a display color.
    • The intensity graphs and charts are limited to 254 colors.
    • The colors displayed on an intensity graph correspond to the numeric values of the specified colors.

Thus, LabVIEW charts visually represent time-varying, multidimensional, and digital data in different ways based on requirements.

LabVIEW Graphs:

Like charts, LabVIEW provides powerful graphs for data analysis, monitoring trends, and visualizing system behavior.

Let’s have a look at the various LabVIEW graph types below.

• XY Graphs in LabVIEW

You can visualize data in X and Y coordinates using LabVIEW’s XY graph. XY graph is a general-purpose, cartesian graph with which you can plot multivalued functions. The graph can be circular or waveform with a varying time base.

Moreover, you can display the Nyquist and Nichols plots on the XY graph. Lines and labels on these planes will have the same color as the cartesian lines.

• • Key Features:
    • XY graph displays multiple datasets in a single graph, simplifying comparisons with different colors and markers.
    • It can visualize non-continuous or time-independent signals
  • Applications:
    • This graph is widely used in control systems, signal processing, and mathematical data analysis.
    • It is the perfect platform for displaying mathematical functions and relationships between variables.
    • It is used in electrical engineering to help plot a voltage versus current graph.
    • It helps to analyze trends and compare experimental datasets.
  • Example: The below Figure shows an example of an XY graph.
    
    The XY graph can display plots with any number of points. It mainly supports multiple data types. You can display single and various plots on XY graphs.

 

• Waveform Graphs

The waveform graph displays one or more plots for evenly sampled values. It only plots single-valued functions, such as acquired time-varying functions. However, it can also display value points and support multiple data types.

The below image is an example of a waveform graph.

Know that you can display single and multiple plots on a waveform graph. These graphs support waveform and dynamic data types to display a single plot on a single graph.

The waveform graph supports a 2D array of values to display multiple plots on a single graph.

Difference between Waveform Graphs and Waveform Charts

Waveform Charts	Waveform Graphs
Waveform charts continuously accept data and display plots.	They display graphs using an array of values at once
They are dynamic and updated with real-time data	They are static and updated with data at specific intervals
Ideal for monitoring live signals. You can view real-time updates with these charts.	Suitable for analyzing a complete data set and tracking trends in the data.

 

• Intensity Graphs

An Intensity graph in LabVIEW is a powerful tool for representing the magnitude of values with varying color intensity. It will be highly beneficial when working with data with spatial and intensity dimensions.

The intensity graph is similar to the intensity chart but does not retain previous data values. It replaces the old values every time new data arrives.

Like other graphs, the intensity graph has cursors. Every cursor displays the x, y, and z values for the specified point on the graph.

• • Key Features
    • An Intensity graph displays data set in matrix form
    • It supports both 1D and 2D data visualizations of complex datasets
    • It is ideal for visualizing heatmaps and images
      
  • Applications
    • Intensity graphs support visualizing temperature distributions
    • They effectively display images with various intensity levels.
    • they are widely used in science and engineering data analysis
    • They are helpful in visualizing GIS data.

 

• 3D Graphs 

3D Graphs in LabVIEW support visualizing data in 3-dimensional space. When you need to display data with multiple variables, using 3D graphs is the best solution. The 3D graphs in LabVIEW are easy to use and customizable.

In 3D graphs, you can create graphs in 3D coordinates (x, y, and z) to represent data in a spatial view. In three dimensions, you can visualize an object's motion, time-frequency analysis, and temperature distribution on a surface.

• • Key Features:
    • A 3D graph visualizes surfaces, data points, and volumes
    • It interprets relationships between multiple variables.
    • It supports interactive rotation and zooming.
  • Applications
    • The 3D graph displays plots of multiple variables in complex scientific simulations.
    • It helps in visualizing mathematical surfaces and functions
    • It helps to create 3D models of physical systems such as fluid dynamics and structural mechanics.
    • It supports the visualization of data points and volumes.
    • It can display the temperature distribution on a surface, the motion of an airplane, etc.
  • Types of 3D Graph: LabVIEW offers different types of 3D graphs to represent data in three dimensions. Let’s outline them below.
    • Scatter – This graph has two axes, each representing a data set.
    • Comet – A circle that traces the data point on the display in which the trailing segment follows the head. 
    • Mesh – It is a collection of vertices, edges, and faces that define the shape of an object.
    • Bar – It is used to visualize the data that contain different proportions in a single view.
    • Ribbon – It appears to be coiled ribbons formed with smooth curves.
    • Pie – It is a simple and efficient tool for comparing various data 
    • 3D Surface Graph – It includes a surface in 3D space.
    • 3D Curve Graph – It includes lines in 3D space.
    • 3D Parametric Surface Graph – It includes a parametric surface in 3D space. 

 

• Digital Waveform Graphs in LabVIEW:

A digital waveform graph displays the digital data. It plots logic levels like 0s and 1s against time and represents the behavior of digital systems.

• • Key Features: 
    • A digital waveform graph is ideal for displaying clock pulses and logical high/low levels.
    • It supports multi-signal analysis 
  • Applications:
    • It helps to visualize digital data transmission in communication systems
    • It is used in timing diagrams and logic analyzers.
    • It helps to analyze PWM signals and monitor signals in digital circuits 
  • Example: The digital waveform graph accepts digital data and an array of this data type as input. It displays data as digital lines and buses, as shown in the image below.
    
    In the above image, the Virtual Instrument (VI) converts the elements of the number array into digital data and displays the binary representations of the numbers in the graph.
    Further, ‘0’ appears without a top line in the graph, indicating a zero-bit value. Similarly, the number 255 seems without a bottom line to show that the bit value is one.
  • Digital Waveform Data Type: The digital waveform data type contains the start time, delta 'x', data, and other aspects of the digital waveform. The Build Waveform function creates a digital waveform.
  • Digital Waveform Properties: 
    • If you wire digital waveform data to the digital waveform graph, the graph plots a waveform based on the time and other data of the digital waveform.
    • You can wire digital waveform data to a digital data indicator. It allows you to view the samples and signals of a digital waveform.

Okay! You have understood the features and benefits of LabVIEW data visualization tools. These LabVIEW charts and graphs help users interpret data efficiently and make data-driven decisions.

Related Article:- Customizing Graphs In Labview

Graphical System Design using LabVIEW:

The graphical system in LabVIEW visualizes data through charts and graphs. These LabVIEW data charts help users with data analysis and process control.

• Components of the graphical system:
  • User interface – It includes the front panel elements, including buttons, sliders, and graphs.
  • Graphical output – It contains various graph types representing data.
  • Data flow programming – LabVIEW follows the data flow approach. It integrates user inputs and system outputs effectively.
• Applications: 
  • LabVIEW provides an intuitive user interface to handle inputs and outputs.
  • It provides enhanced data visualization with real-time analysis.        
  • It enables seamless communication between various systems and devices.

Related Article : Customizing Graphs And Charts In Labview 

Customizing Charts and Graphs in LabVIEW:

LabVIEW charts and graphs are highly customizable so you can customize the visual aspects of the charts and graphs based on your requirements.

Let’s take a short look at them in the following.

• Appearance – You can change the color, line styles, and markers of LabVIEW charts and graphs.
• Multiple Plots – You can display multiple plots on a graph to analyze relationships and track trends.  
• Scales and Axes – You can modify the axis labels, titles, legends, ranges, and grid lines to make it more informative.

Summary:

• Charts and graphs in LabVIEW are used to analyze and display data.
• Waveform charts in LabVIEW help display a continuous stream of data over time.
• The waveform graph in LabVIEW displays the entire data set at once.
• XY graphs in LabVIEW help to display data points on a Cartesian coordinate system
• Intensity graphs in LabVIEW support displaying 3D data in a 2D plot.
• Digital waveform graph helps to display digital signals and visualize digital control systems.

Related Article : LabVIEW Interview Questions 

Frequently Asked Questions

1, What is LabVIEW?

Ans: LabVIEW stands for Laboratory Virtual Instrument Engineering Workbench. It is a graphical programming platform extensively used in engineering and research domains.

2. What are the advantages of LabVIEW?

Ans: 

• Drag and drop programming.
• Support to cross-platforms
• User-friendly interface
• Low learning curve
• Cost-efficient

3. Is LabVIEW worth learning?

Ans: AmbitionBox says LabVIEW developers can get a salary from 3 LPA to 10 LPA in India. Talent.com reports they can earn between USD 96k and USD 156k in the USA. LabVIEW professionals can grasp lucrative jobs in top companies, including HCLTech, Bosch, L&T, UST, etc.

4. Learning LabVIEW easy for beginners?

Ans:  Yes, even beginners can learn LabVIEW quickly. There are many online resources available. Above all, MindMajix offers practical-based LabVIEW training for beginners with comprehensive course content, including all the basics.

5. What skills will I acquire learning LabVIEW?

Ans: 

• Sound knowledge of automation, instrumentation, and control systems
• Strong skills in data acquisition and analysis, as well as instrument control.
• Deep understanding of data types, LabVIEW programming, virtual instruments, controls, etc.
• Good knowledge of data logging, signal processing, and analysis.
• Proficiency in drag and drop, event-driven, and dataflow programming

6. What job roles can I apply for after learning LabVIEW?

Ans: 

• Test Engineer
• Labview Developer/Engineer
• Systems Engineer
• Field Application Engineer
• Embedded System Developer

Explore - LabVIEW Sample Resumes! Download & Edit, Get Noticed by Top Employers!

Conclusion:

LabVIEW provides an array of powerful graphs and charts for visualizing data. These tools help users gain deeper insights into their data and streamline real-time decision-making processes. 

Well! We hope you have gained significant exposure to waveform charts and graphs, intensity charts, XY graphs, and more. If you wish to learn more about LabVIEW charts and graphs, you can sign up for LabVIEW training with MindMajix - a one-stop solution for all your learning needs.

Completing the training with MindMajix will make you an industry-ready LabVIEW professional and allow you to apply for multiple job roles.