Introduction & Getting Started

General information

Users can configure Dashboards panels to create visual interfaces in RT-LAB. Applications include, but are not limited to, test benches and machine-human interfaces.

• Interact with your model in real time: Users can modify control signals; they can visualize acquisition signals.

• Monitor your model: Users can quickly probe model signals.

• Associate signals from your model: Users can assign model signals and parameters to Dashboards elements.

Users can also view signals through the Dashboards, and change parameters--but the parameters themselves remain unchanged in the original model: tweaks can be made for viewing on-the-fly, but these do not change the original compiled model.

Easy-to-Tune simulation parameters

RT-LAB automatically manages a user console built in Simulink®. It opens at the start of the simulation to display the desired signals and control parameters. RT-LAB also has a variable table in order to view and modify any data point at any moment. These data points can be visualized and manipulated from a Dashboards user interface rather than from the Simulink user console.

Open	Open

Dashboards now replace Dynamic LabVIEW panels in RT-LAB

Starting from RT-LAB 2025.1, Dynamic LabVIEW®have been disabled and must be replaced with the Dashboards panels.

When using projects created with older versions of RT-LAB, existing Dynamic LabVIEW pannels will remain accessible from the Project Explorer but can only be opened in viewing mode for consultation. This will allow the user to still view the content of the old LabVIEW panel while reimplementing them in the Dashboards interface.

Dynamic LabVIEW panels no longer perform interaction with a running simulation, be it displaying values and signals or allowing to modify them.

Recreating LabVIEW panels in Dashboards

The user is invited to recreate the LabVIEW panels with Dashboards. Here is the example Dynamic LabVIEW panel that used to be distributed with the classic RT-LAB example RTDEMO1:

In older RT-LAB versions, this panel could be used to view signals from the model in the graph and set various parameters with the controls such as Reference, Kp and Ki. Also, connection of panel elements to model signals and parameters were consulted and modified through the Configuration item in the project explorer:

Now, the user can use the Dashboards interface, accessible by double-clicking the Dashboards item in the project explorer:

This will open an interface window where the user can now create new panels and manage connections. Here is an example showing the PID Controller panel recreated in Dashboards:

The connections are now also managed directly in Dashboards.

Retrieving previous connection information to LabVIEW panels

The Configuration section that was previously available in the project has now been removed. It used to contain all information regarding connections between model elements and the LabVIEW panel. However, consulting the old connection information remains possible using the API. Consulting this information might be useful when recreating the LabVIEW panels as Dashboards panels.

To access the old connection information:

1. Open a python console from the RT-LAB UI using Tools->Python->Open Console:
   
   

2. In the console, run the r.OpenProject() command with your project name as argument

3. In the console, run the r.ExportProject() command with a text file path of your choice. Remember to use proper path separators respecting python’s path convention, usually doubled backslashes. Make sure the destination folder already exists.
   
   
   

    

4. Open the text file and the old connection information is available in CSV format. Here is an example where, for instance, line 2 designates a connection between the model signal ‘rtdemo1/sm_computation/Sum1/port1' and LabVIEW panel element 'PID Controller/Waveform Graph[0]’.
   
   

Adding Dashboards panels to your project

Step 1: Ensure your model is compiled and loadable

• Make sure your model is loadable by checking if the variables you’d like to use are in place in the left margin.

• To receive real-time Dashboards panels feedback, the model must be built/loadable on the target machine

• Variables are located in the collapsible Models folder in the left RT-LAB Project Explorer menu.

• Expand the folders under Models to see if your variables are located there.

  • If they are not, then your model is not loadable.

  • Alternately, if you receive an error message starting Not compiled for…, this is another indicator that your model is not built.

    • To add a model to the RT-LAB project, right-click Models, then >Add.

    • To build your model, right-click Your model > Simulation, then >Build.

Step 2: Add Dashboards panels

• Double-click on the Dashboards element under your project in the Project Explorer:
  
  
  

• The Dashboards IU will now open

• From the newly opened window, click the “+“ sign underneath “Boards” to add create a new panel:
  
  

   

• A small prompt will appear. Select “Board“ and give your new board a name and, optionally, a description:
  
  

   

• Finaly, click Create

Step 3: Edit your new panel

• The widget library is accessible by clicking the large “+“ at the lower left corner of the edit zone:
  
  

• From the library browser, a collection of widgets can be drag and dropped into the edit zone. They are sorted in 3 categories: Commands, Displays and Graphics
  
  

• Once all intended widgets have been added, note of the signals from the model that you’d like to control, observe or interact with.

• Using the rtdemo1 model as an example, we’ll take note of four areas we may want to measure, watch or interact with:

Step 4: Select variables of interest

Using the rtdemo1 model as an example, we’ll take note of four areas we may want to measure, watch or interact with:

In the SM subsystem, above.

• A: Output of the plant, whose signal is connected to the sensor response time block, B.

• B: Sensor response time block.

• C: The control from the actuator response time block.

• D: The reference value the represents the input of the system

Step 5: Perform connections

• Back in the Dashboards panel, select a widget with a left-click. A link sign will then appear next to the widget and click on it:
  
  

• A pop-up window will appear, allowing you to select the proper model element to connect to the widget, in our case the one selected in highlight:
  
  

• Double-click on the data point of your choice to complete the connection

• Repeat the procedure for all widgets to complete connections as intended

• A reminder that RT-LAB output signals must be connected to Display widgets, while RT-LAB control signals and parameters must be connected to Command widgets, as described in Managing Connections below.

Additional Dashboards connection notes

Managing connections