Alternative visualisation software / editor

Hello everybody!

As the OPC-UA interface is a more less widely used standard: Does anybody work with another visualisation system instead of mappVIEW? I have never seen something more complex and confusing before i my whole life!

Best regards
Hannes

Hello,

You can use the older visualization VC4 which some people find less complex.

However…

If you haven’t tried MappView in automation studio 6 you should give it a try since it solves a lot of the redundant work you had to do by hand in the previous version. It is basically choosing a template and then drag and drop widgets from the toolbox.

Also in Automation Studio 6 you have the option to expose the OPC UA servers variables through a REST API using MappConnect, that way you can use whatever web technology you want to create an HMI (react/vanilla js/etc etc ) :smiley:

But please elaborate your pain points and we can help you getting started

6 Likes

well, web technology simply is a complex technology and mappView tries to hide the complexity from you when you need user management, language switching, multiple monitors etc.

For a very long time now, there has been a built-in web server that can be used with conventional web technology:

Integrated web server

I made examples how this can be used.

1 Like

If the OPC UA is your only requirement, then you can use any SCADA system. In the past, I used ZENON, and it is quite simple to use.

However, I would give mappView another chance, as its AS6 implementation has been extended with configuration wizards.

What visualization software have you had experience with, such as VC4,…end?

3 Likes

Hello! Thanks for all your replies, and also for the example to be used on the internal web server (we had a small application running there in the past).
In 2006 I started to convert an existing VC3 visualisation to VC4, there was a built in converter that did most of the work. Overhauling some code, doing some redesign, and also had to continue “normal work” beside, it took me about one year to finish.
Meanwhile there are 2 sizes (VGA and WXGA) in use, each containing 80 pages, some of them have up to 45 layers, as the shown machine can also be built mirrored.
Now I have to start at ZERO. Even the exported texts cannot be reused (2000 lines, 14 languages). At least a colleague wrote a Python script that created the needed textmodules.
Using AS6 is no option at the moment as we are using some libraries (in AS 4.12) which are not supported there.
So I will either spend the whole summer on reconstructing the functionality (as the deadline is the end of October), or quit.

Anyway, thanks again for all your motivating replies! Keep on thinking that positive!

Best regards,
Hannes

Hi @John , mappView is completely different compared to VC4. So I understand your doubts. Unfortunately, there is no converter. The main reason is that web-based visualization must be done completely differently from an architectural perspective. If you follow the VC4 architecture in mapp View, you might run into performance issues with your visualization. For this, I would suggest contacting B&R support; they should have enough experience to help you. Out of curiosity, why do you need to switch from VC4 to mapp View now? VC4 is still supported and is included in AS6 as well.

1 Like

Hi,
switching to mappView is just logical step into the future of machine operation. It also improves the possibility to use mobile devices e.g. for doing diagnostics or condition monitoring.
That’s the way life goes.

1 Like

is there way how anyone from Community can help you?

Everything fine, its’s mostly mental support that I needed and got here. As the Brits say: “Keep calm and carry on.”

2 Likes

we can provide you mental support as well as answer on technical questions :slight_smile:

1 Like