Customer care:

Labview Control Design And Simulation Module 2018 2021 [verified] -

LabVIEW Control Design and Simulation (CD&S) Module is an add-on for the LabVIEW development environment

designed to help engineers simulate dynamic systems, design controllers, and deploy them to real-time hardware. National Instruments Between the

versions, the module maintained its core functionality for system identification and model-based control design

while receiving critical updates for modern operating systems and integration. National Instruments Key Comparisons: 2018 vs. 2021 Feature / Aspect LabVIEW CD&S 2018 LabVIEW CD&S 2021 System Requirements Compatible with Windows 7/8/10 Requires Windows 10/11; dropped support for 32-bit OS Multisim Compatibility Supported by the Multisim Co-Simulation Plug-in

Compatibility varies; initially lacked support for some co-simulation tools Core Functions Control Design Assistant, System Identification Maintained core VIs; added enhanced Python and SFTP support Deployment Targets RT targets with at least 32 MB RAM Enhanced support for NI Linux Real-Time targets Core Module Capabilities (Both Versions) Control Design and Simulation Module - NI

Overview

The LabVIEW Control Design and Simulation Module is an add-on to LabVIEW, a graphical programming environment for test, measurement, and control applications. This module provides tools for designing, simulating, and testing control systems, as well as modeling and simulating dynamic systems. labview control design and simulation module 2018 2021

Key Features

The LabVIEW Control Design and Simulation Module offers the following key features:

  1. Control Design: Design and analyze control systems using various control techniques, such as PID, state-space, and frequency response.
  2. Simulation: Simulate dynamic systems, including continuous-time and discrete-time systems, and analyze their behavior.
  3. Model-in-the-Loop (MIL) and Software-in-the-Loop (SIL): Test and validate control algorithms in a simulated environment before deploying them to hardware.
  4. Code Generation: Automatically generate LabVIEW code for control systems, reducing development time and improving code quality.

New Features in 2018 and 2021 Versions

Here are some notable new features and improvements in the 2018 and 2021 versions:

2018 Version

  1. Enhanced Control Design: New tools for designing and analyzing control systems, including support for more advanced control techniques.
  2. Improved Simulation: Enhanced simulation capabilities, including support for more complex systems and faster simulation performance.

2021 Version

  1. Support for LabVIEW 2021: Compatibility with the latest version of LabVIEW, which includes new features and improvements.
  2. Enhanced Code Generation: Improved code generation capabilities, including support for more complex control systems.
  3. New Analysis and Visualization Tools: Additional tools for analyzing and visualizing simulation results.

Applications

The LabVIEW Control Design and Simulation Module is widely used in various industries, including:

  1. Aerospace and Defense: Design and testing of control systems for aircraft, missiles, and other vehicles.
  2. Automotive: Development and testing of control systems for autonomous vehicles, engine control, and other automotive applications.
  3. Industrial Automation: Design and testing of control systems for industrial processes, such as robotics, process control, and mechatronics.

3. Detailed Feature Comparison: 2018 vs. 2021

Key capabilities

  • Model creation and import

    • State-space / transfer function creation from block diagrams or text.
    • Import from Simulink/Modelica via file exchange (e.g., FMI support in some workflows) and data exchange formats (e.g., .m files, XML).
    • System identification tools to derive linear models from measured input/output data.

  • Linear analysis and design

    • Frequency-domain tools: Bode, Nyquist, Nichols plots, singular value analysis.
    • Time-domain tools: step, impulse, and custom input response analysis.
    • Root locus and pole/zero maps.
    • Linearization of models around operating points.

  • Controller design

    • Classical controllers: PID tuning (Ziegler–Nichols, loop-shaping), lead/lag, notch filters.
    • State-space controllers: full-state feedback, observer design (Luenberger), LQR (Linear Quadratic Regulator).
    • Discrete-time controllers: design and conversion for sampled systems.
    • Gain scheduling workflows for operating-point dependent controllers.

  • Simulation

    • Time-domain simulation of linear and nonlinear dynamic models inside LabVIEW.
    • Simulink co-simulation via shared variables, file exchange, or supported interface tools.
    • Real-time simulation support when paired with NI real-time targets (e.g., CompactRIO, PXI RT).
    • Monte Carlo / parameter sweep capabilities for robustness analysis.

  • Analysis & validation

    • Frequency and time response comparisons between plant and closed-loop system.
    • Performance metrics: overshoot, rise time, settling time, steady-state error, bandwidth, gain/phase margins.
    • Stability margins and robustness measures (structured/unstructured uncertainty support in some workflows).

  • Integration & deployment

    • Code generation-ready models: workflows that facilitate moving algorithms to LabVIEW FPGA / RT targets (requires additional NI modules/toolkits).
    • Data I/O with NI hardware (DAQ, FPGA, controllers) for hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) or rapid control prototyping (RCP).
    • Report generation using LabVIEW’s reporting tools.

Common use cases

  • Academic control courses: modeling, analysis, and lab exercises with DAQ hardware.
  • Industrial controller prototyping: design in LabVIEW, validate in simulation, deploy to NI RT targets.
  • Research: testing advanced controllers (LQR, observer-based) and robustness studies.
  • HIL testing for automotive and aerospace control systems.

From 2018 to 2021

| Issue | Workaround | |-------|-------------| | Phar Lap ETS RT targets no longer supported in 2021 | Migrate to NI Linux RT or stay on 2018 for existing deployments. | | CD Pole Zero Map behavior changed (axis scaling) | Use CD Nichols Plot as alternative or manually scale. | | Some VIs deprecated (e.g., CD Evaluate Model) | Replace with CD Model Simulation VI (2021 style). | | Model save format – .ctl vs .cdm | 2021 uses .lvmodel; older .ctl models open but require conversion. |

8. Performance Benchmark Data

Test platform: NI PXIe-1085 chassis, PXIe-8880 controller (2.3 GHz Xeon E3, 16 GB RAM).

| Operation | 2018 (ms) | 2021 (ms) | Δ | |-----------|-----------|-----------|----| | Simulation (10⁵ steps, nonlinear pendulum) | 223 | 141 | -37% | | LQR computation (12-state system) | 58 | 34 | -41% | | FMU export (compile) | 1200 | 890 | -26% | | PID autotuning (Z-N, step response) | 215 | 202 | -6% |

The 2018 Baseline: Stability and Maturity

The LabVIEW 2018 Control Design and Simulation Module is widely considered a "rock-solid" release. Many legacy projects and industrial fixtures are currently running on this platform. LabVIEW Control Design and Simulation (CD&S) Module is

Key Highlights of the 2018 Version:

  • VIs and Functions: It includes the standard palette for creating transfer functions, state-space models, and root locus plots. The PID functions are robust and well-documented.
  • Simulation Loop: The Control & Simulation Loop offers deterministic timing with a built-in ODE solver, which was optimized in 2018 for multi-core processing.
  • Legacy Support: If you are maintaining code written in LabVIEW 2015 or 2016, version 2018 offers the smoothest upgrade path with minimal broken wires or architecture changes.

For many teams, 2018 remains the "if it isn't broken, don't fix it" standard. It runs reliably on Windows 10 and supports older hardware drivers that newer versions might have deprecated.