NI DIAdem VIEW Panel Tutorial

Introduction to the DIAdem VIEW Panel

The DIAdem VIEW panel allows you to visually inspect and graphically analyze data loaded into the Data Portal.   Channel Tables allow you to see the contents of channel individual values in tabular format.   The 2D Axis System enables inspection of plotted channel data.   The layout in VIEW is flexible, allowing you to view a channel table in one section, and one or more 2D Axis System plots in an other.   Other types of interactive visualization tools are available, including Bode, Polar, Orbit, Shaft Centerline, Birds Eye View, Contour, Cascade, Map, Graphic, Video, and Textbox, depending on the type of channel you have.  

If video was recorded simultaneously with data, you can use VIEW to interactively inspect the data and visually see the video content at that point in time.   Videos and data are synchronized using the data time channel, and the time reference data in the video.  

To get a quick visual overview of the capabilities of the DIAdem VIEW panel, load the DIAdem example VIEW layout file 'View_Example.tdv' from the folder: 'C:\PROGRAM FILES\NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS\DIADEM ####\Examples\Documents\'.  

For the tutorials that follow, find the example file that comes with the DIAdem installation named 'Example.tdm' located in 'C:\PROGRAM FILES\NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS\DIADEM ####\Libr\Data\Example.tdm'   and load that file into memory (the Data Portal).  

The VIEW Panel GUI

The VIEW toolbar is always visible when the VIEW panel is selected, along with the Group Bar where you can select worksheet partitions.   The 2D Axis Toolbar is only visible when a '2D Axis System' (or other axis system) is assigned to a worksheet area.  

Graphical Analysis

Click on the VIEW panel button to activate it.   Make sure the Data Portal is visible, using the keys 'Alt-F6' to show it if not.   From the VIEW panel 'File' menu, choose 'New'.   Hover your mouse over the Group Bar option 'Regular Worksheet Partitions' and select the 'Two Areas' option.  

In the Data Portal, under the channel group 'Example', select the channel 'Time' and then while pressing the 'Ctrl' key, select the channels 'Speed' and 'RPM'.   With the mouse still over the selected channels, drag and drop them to the upper VIEW sheet.   A pop up menu will appear, select the '2D Axis System' option.  

Note that whenever dragging and dropping anything but waveform channels to the VIEW sheet to create a 2D Chart, you should always select the X Channel, followed by one or more Y channels.  

The 'Speed' channel is the red curve, and it cannot be seen because it's amplitude is far less than the 'RPM' green curve.   To make them both visible, go to the 2D Axis System toolbar 'Y-Axis' and select the option 'n Systems [linear]'.  

Choose the VIEW toolbar options 'Crosshair Cursor' and 'Curve Cursor'.   Then click on the Speed curve and notice as you follow from left to right along the curve, the X and Y channel values are shown.  

Click on the VIEW 'Maximum Values Cursor' toolbar, and then click on the RPM curve and drag from left to right, observing how the cursor jumps from one discovered peak to the next, displaying the X and Y channels values in a small windows.  

Let's inspect the data more closely between 0 and 10 seconds.   Select the VIEW toolbar Band Cursor and choose the 'Band Zoom' option.   The cursor changes to a magnifying glass with two vertical lines.   Align the left line with the X axis at Time = 0 sec, click and drag to the right and release at approximately 10 sec.   If you don't get it right, click on the VIEW toolbar 'Zoom Off' and start over.  

Click on the VIEW toolbar 'Minimum Values Cursor'.   Then click on the RPM channel curve, identifying the first minimum after the first peak of 3800 RPM at 3.19 sec.  

Channel Table

In the Data Portal, select the channels 'Time', 'Speed', and 'RPM' from within the channel group 'Example' and then drag and drop into the VIEW sheet lower area.   Choose the 'Channel Table' option from the pop up menu.  

Removing Spikes/Outliers

Sometimes your data may contain spikes / outliers caused by noise or interference.   This can adversely affect your ability to perform a peak analysis or other statistical analysis.   You can remove channel values directly from a 2D Axis System, or using the Channel Table.  

Continuing from the prior example, right click on the active VIEW worksheet and choose the option 'Add New Sheet to End' from the pop up menu.  

A new blank sheet will appear.   From the Data Portal, collapse the 'Example' channel group and expand 'the 'Noise data' channel group by first selecting it, and then right click and choose the pop up menu option 'Collapse Groups' and 'Expand Groups'.   Note that the channel data in the channel group 'Noise data' has a sine wave looking icon to the left of the channel names.   These are waveform channels.   Click on the 'Noise_2' channel and drag and drop it to the empty VIEW worksheet you created, choosing the '2D Axis System' pop up menu option.   In the image below, a blue circle shows the spike we are going to remove.  

Use the Band Cursor 'Band Zoom' option to zoom into the area of interest, roughly between 3.8 and 4.2 seconds.   Repeat the process until roughly 3.908 to 3.909 seconds is shown like in the image below.   Use the VIEW toolbar 'Minimum Values Cursor' to show details about the first spike (a valley).  

The 'Minimum Values Cursor' states that the minimum value occurs at X = 3.90846 sec, and at the position in the channel of 'P1: 195424'.   That position is what DIAdem calls a 'row'.   Let's look at that row for all channels in that group in a Channel Table.   Right click in the 2D Axis System background and choose 'New Area' and then 'Bottom'.  

Click on the channel group 'Noise data' and then drag and drop it to the new bottom blank area, and choose 'Channel Table' when the pop up menu appears.  

We want to delete row 'P1: 195424' at X = 3.90846 sec for all channels, so that they are the same length and will be accepted by any other analysis we may wish to perform.   Click anywhere in the Channel Table to make sure it is selected and active.   From the VIEW 'View' menu, choose 'Go To', 'Row...'.  

In the dialog that appears, enter the value '195242' to the right of the label 'Row:' and then click the 'OK' button.  

The table will scroll down, putting row 195242 within view.   Select the row 195242 by clicking on it.  

While row 195242 is selected, right click and choose 'Cut' from the pop up menu.   A dialog will appear, asking to confirm that data should be cut.   Click 'Yes'.   The row will be removed for all channels.  

Another way to remove a spike is to do it completely from the 2D Axis System.   Click the 2D Axis System 'Zoom off' option to show the entire time history for channel 'Noise_2'.   We are going to graphically remove the spike highlighted with a blue circle in the image below.  

Before using flags, it is important to configure the DIAdem settings for the VIEW panel flags.   From any panel, select the menu options 'Settings', 'DIAdem Settings...', select the 'Panels' section, and then under 'Flag settings' review the options.   It is recommended to set 'Remove selected points:' option to 'Set values to NoValue'.   The choice of 'Linear' or 'Spline' for the option 'Interpolate selected points:' is an engineering choice dependent upon each situation (this tutorial will use the 'Linear' option).  

Use the Band Cursor to zoom into that spike until you can easily use the VIEW toolbar 'Maximum Values Cursor' to select the spike.  

While the spike is still selected, click on the 2D Axis System toolbar 'Set Flags' button.  

Drag the cursor away from the spike, and you will see a red dot marking the flag you set.  

Then click on the 2D Axis System toolbar 'Flags' and choose the option 'Flags: Delete Data Points'.   This will actually set the value for channel 'Noise_2' to NOVALUE (no rows will be deleted).  

As you can see from the image above, the spike is gone, leaving a gap between the remaining points.   That gap is because the value for channel 'Noise_2' at row 221175 is NOVALUE.   Use the VIEW toolbar 'Curve Cursor' to see the value at the gap and confirm it is NOVALUE.   If you look at the data with a Channel Table, you will see that in row 221175, channel 'Noise_2' has a value of NOVALUE.   If you plan to do further analysis, a NOVALUE may cause problems, forcing you to do something with it.   Now is the best time to resolve that NOVALUE.  

Set a flag at that NOVALUE (a red dot will not appear), and then click on the 2D Axis System toolbar 'Flags' and choose 'Flags: Interpolate NoValues'.   The curve gap will now close because the NOVALUE has been replaced with an interpolated value based on the points prior to and after the NOVALUE.   The flag (red dot) is now visible because the row for that channel now has a value.  

You now know two methods for resolving a spike/outlier in the channel data.   The best method depends on the situation, and what further analysis you intend to perform on the data, and the decisions that may be made from the data.   It is good engineering practice to keep careful notes when you modify data in any way like what was demonstrated by the last two examples.  

Descriptive Statistics Within Band Cursor

Descriptive statistics may be calculated for the channel values specified between the VIEW band cursor situated on a curve by using an example script provided with the DIAdem installation.   This script can be found by searching DIAdem help for 'Dynamic Display of Statistical Characteristic Values in DIAdem VIEW.   (Click here for online link to help document)   Find, load, and run the script named 'VIEW_Statistic_Init.vbs'.   The script will add the custom icon shown below, and it will have the expanded options shown in the second image below.  

 

The script will create a new VIEW sheet and area, configure it for a 2D Axis System, and assign the channel 'Noise data/Noise_2' to the curve.   Click on the band cursor icon on the VIEW toolbar and set it so that it falls on the 2D Axis System curve between 'P1: 100985' and 'P2: 251310' as shown below.  

Click on the 'View Statistics' icon in the VIEW toolbar, and choose the option 'Enable VIEW Statistics'.   A dialog titled 'Example for Calculating Statistical Characteristic Values in VIEW' will appear.   Click the 'All Off' button to remove checks from all check boxes.   Then check the options 'Root mean square' under 'Mean values', '0.50 quantile from 'Quantiles', and finally 'Standard deviation' from the section titled 'Dispersion'.   Click the 'OK' button when finished.  

Another dialog will appear named 'Statistical Characteristic Values'.   The three statistical metrics you selected will appear in the dialog, along with information about the band cursor position in terms of the X values.  

Click on the 'Save Values' button in the dialog.   In the Data Portal, you will find a new channel group named 'StatisticResultGroup' with channels created containing the values from the dialog.   Note that when descriptive statistics are calculated for all values in a channel, DIAdem by default adds those values as properties to the channel analyzed.   But in this case only a portion of the channel was added, and therefore it was necessary to create channels that identify the range of values analyzed, and the results.  

Note that the 'Statistical Characteristic Values' dialog is non-modal, meaning that you can move your mouser cursor in the VIEW sheet area, click between the band cursor, move the band cursor, and the values in the dialog will be updated.  

Close the dialog by clicking on the 'x' in the upper right of the dialog.   You may optionally remove the added toolbar by clicking the option 'Enable VIEW statistics and Delete Command Symbol'.  

 

Exporting VIEW

You can export the VIEW panel display for the active sheet to the REPORT panel, or to a PDF (.pdf) file.   To export to a PDF file, from the VIEW panel, access the 'File' menu and choose 'Print...'.   Click on the 'Printer...' button and in the 'Name:' combo box, change it to 'DIAdem PDF Export'.   Set the 'Orientation' to Portrait or Landscape, and then click the 'OK' button.   Click the 'OK' button in the 'Print' dialog, and then you be prompted to choose where to save the file.   Click on the image below to see the PDF file from this example.  

To export the VIEW active sheet to REPORT, access the VIEW 'File' menu and choose the menu option 'Transfer to REPORT'.   Typically you will need to perform some formatting in REPORT, but the advantage is that you have many formatting options in REPORT, and this method creates the chart and table objects for you from what you had in VIEW.  

What You Learned

• The VIEW panel allows you to easily visually inspect and graphically analyze data loaded into memory / Data Portal.  
• You can plot multiple Y channel data to curves in VIEW, and then quickly identify maximum and minimum values on a curve.  
• The band cursor allows you to zoom into a particular section of the curve.  
• A channel table shows you the channel data in a tabular format.  
• Spikes / outliers can be managed by either using the channel table to delete the data for all channels, or by interpolating the data on either side of the spike for only the channel with the outlier.  
• Descriptive statistics within the bounds of the band cursor can be calculated by using a script example included with the DIAdem installation.  
• The active VIEW sheet can be exported to a PDF file, or a new REPORT panel layout.  

 

More VIEW Tutorials

Scroll Cursor Range   |   Axis Scaling   |  Curve Formatting   |  Flags   |  Descriptive Statistics Within Band Cursor   |  Map, Video, & Textbox   | 

Scroll Cursor Range

Load the DIAdem example file 'Example_data.tdm' in order to follow this tutorial.

Activate the VIEW panel and create a new layout with the 'File', 'New' menu options.   Choose the 'Regular Worksheet Partitions' group bar and then the option 'Two Areas'.  

In the Data Portal, expand the channel group 'Example', and then select the channel 'Time' first, and then the channel 'RPM'.   Drag and drop the two selected channels into the VIEW sheet upper area, and then choose the '2D Axis System' from the popup menu that appears.   Activate the VIEW toolbar 'Free Cursor'.   Activate the VIEW toolbar 'Band Cursor'.   The 'Band Cursor' will appear as two vertical lines, with the area on either side of the lines shaded.   The left band cursor line will have a small blue square in the vertical center of the line.   Hover your mouse over each line, and observe how the mouse cursor changes from a four-way arrow cursor, to a two-way left/right cursor.   A popup information box will appear as well, showing you the coordinates of the band cursor line.   With your mouse over the band cursor line and the mouse cursor appearing as a two-way left/right arrow cursor, click and hold the left mouse button on line, and then move the lines individually to approximately the positions shown in the image below.  

Position your mouse cursor in the center between the band cursor and then click and hold the left mouse button.   Move your mouse left and right and observe how the two band cursor lines move to follow the mouse cursor.   Position the band cursor so it appears as shown in the image below.  

The 'Time' and 'RPM' channels should still be selected in the Data Portal (if they are not, select the 'Time' channel, and then the 'RPM' channel).   Drag and drop the channels into the lower VIEW sheet area, and select '2D Axis System' when the popup menu appears.   The two channels will be plotted in the lower VIEW sheet area, and the band cursor will be configured exactly as it was in the upper VIEW sheet area.   Note that the lower VIEW sheet area was configured exactly the same as the upper area because the VIEW sheet toolbar settings are relative to each VIEW sheet.   If you created a new VIEW sheet and configured a different cursor option such as 'Frame Cursor' or 'Free Cursor', those setting would be unique to the actively displayed VIEW sheet.  

The lower VIEW sheet area should be currently active.   Click on the area toolbar labeled 'Scroll Cursor Range'.   The lower 2D Axis System will immediately zoom into the X-axis range specified by the Band Cursor.   Note that the Band Cursor is no longer visible in the lower VIEW sheet area.  

Click in the upper VIEW sheet area between the two Band Cursors.   While holding the left mouse button down, your mouse left and right causing the Band Cursor in the upper VIEW area to scroll along the curve, and causing the 2D Axis System in the lower VIEW sheet to scroll as well (but with a zoomed in view of the signal).   This scrolling of the lower 2D Axis System in conjunction with the Band Cursor in the upper VIEW area is called 'Scroll Cursor Range'.  

Try changing the positions of the Band Cursor in the upper VIEW area and observe what happens in the lower VIEW area.  

The video below will demonstrate the latter part of the 'Scroll Cursor Range'.  

The Descriptive Statistics Within Band Cursor tutorial demonstrates how to get the statistics for the channel values between the band cursor lines.  

Curve Formatting

Load the file 'Example.tdm' in order to follow this tutorial.

2D Axis System Curve Formatting

Activate the VIEW panel and create a new layout with the 'File', 'New' menu options.   Choose the 'Regular Worksheet Partitions' group bar and then the option 'Four Areas'.   In the Data Portal, expand the channel group 'Example', and then select the channel 'Time' first, and then the channels 'Speed' and 'RPM'.   Drag and drop the three selected channels into every the VIEW sheet upper left area, and then choose the '2D Axis System' from the popup menu that appears.   Repeat this for the remaining three VIEW sheet areas.   Click here to see how the VIEW sheet should appear.   Use the 2D Axis System 'Y-Axis' toolbar to configure the Y-Axis for each of the four VIEW sheet areas as 'n Systems [linear]'.  

The '2D Axis System' settings dialog will appear if you either double click inside a 2D Axis System chart, or right click on it and choose the popup menu option 'Settings...'.  

The upper section of the dialog labeled 'Curve List' will list any curves assigned to the 2D Axis System.   You may use the toolbar within the Curve List frame to edit, add, and delete curves.   Within a specific Curve List Item, the column 'No.' identifies the curve, and the checkbox enables or disables the display of the curve.   The column 'Type' allows you to select between a curve type of 'Line', 'Spikes', and 'Stair curve'.  

The column 'Color' allows you to change the color assigned to the curve.  

Clicking on the 'Properties' button for a curve loads the 'Curve Properties' dialog.   Click on the 'Markers' tab to activate it, and then change the 'Marker style:' from 'None' to 'Square'.   Click the 'OK' button to close the 'Curve Properties' and then again to close the '2D Axis System' dialog.  

The curve for the channel 'Speed' appears as a thick red line.   This is because the channel has many data values, causing the overlapping marker to appear as a line.  

Go back to the 'Curve Properties' dialog, and change the marker to appear every '100' points.   Click on the 'Labels' tab to activate it.   Drag and drop the 'Speed' channel from the Data Portal to the 'Labels' tab channel control labeled 'From channel:'.   Set the 'Alignment:' to 'Automatic'.   Set the 'Repeat text' to 'Every n points', and then set the 'n' option to '100'.   Click the 'OK' button to close the 'Curve Properties' and then again to close the '2D Axis System' dialog.  

Another example of labeling points on a 2D Axis System curve can be found in the tutorial for FFT Full Spectrum.  

Load the '2D Axis System' settings dialog for the 2D Axis System in the VIEW sheet upper left area, and change the color for curve No. 2 to 'Blue'.  

Use the 'Band Zoom' toolbar for the 2D Axis System in the VIEW sheet upper right area to zoom into the X-axis range from 5 to 10 seconds.  

In the Data Portal, select the channel group 'Example', and then right click and choose the option 'Set Default Group'.   Activate the ANALYSIS panel and select the menu options 'Channel Functions', 'Find Peaks'.   Configure the 'Find Peaks' dialog as shown below and then click the 'Calculate' button.   Click the 'Close' button to close the dialog.   Two new channels were created in the channel group 'Example' named 'PeakX', and 'PeakY'.  

Load the '2D Axis System' settings dialog for the 2D Axis System in the VIEW sheet upper left area.   Drag and drop the 'PeakY' channel from the Data Portal to the '2D Axis System' dialog, curve No. 1, 'Y-Channel'.   Drag and drop the 'PeakX' channel from the Data Portal to the '2D Axis System' dialog, curve No. 1, 'X-Channel'.   Change the 'Color' for curve No. 1 to 'No Color'.   Click on the curve No. 2 'Properties' button and configure the 'Markers' as shown below.   Activate the 'Labels' tab and configure it as shown below.   Click the 'OK' button to close the 'Curve Properties' dialog.   In the '2D Axis System' dialog, set the 'Scaling' to 'Manually over all curves' and set the Y-Axis end value to '7000'.   Click the 'OK' button to close the dialog.   The peak values for the 'RPM' channel are now shown and identified with a marker for the first 10 seconds of the channel.  

Legend Settings

Modify the display of the 2D Axis System legend by moving the mouse cursor to the VIEW sheet lower left and hovering the mouse over the divider between the curve and the legend.   Click and hold the left mouse button and drag the divider to the left, exposing the legend.  

Access the legend settings by right clicking on a 2D Axis System and choosing 'Legend...' from the popup menu.   Remove the display of the 'Unit' by selecting the second row in the 'Properties for display:', and then clicking the '<' button to the left.   Note the list of channel properties in the 'Properties not for display:' that could be added to the legend.   Click the 'OK' button to close the dialog.  

Background Segments

In the tutorial Finding a Channel Event, the curve feature 'Background Segments' was used to highlight sections of the time history when the event search conditions were true.  

The VBScript code below will replicate the prior manual operations.

' Curve Formatting

Call LogFileDel()

Dim oChnX, oChnY, oChnPeakX, oChnPeakY
Dim oSheet, oAreaTop, oAreaCenter, oAreaBottom, o2DCurve
Dim sPathDocuments, sPathData
sPathDocuments = ProgramDrv & "Examples\Documents\"
sPathData      = ProgramDrv & "Examples\Data\"
Call Data.Root.Clear()
Call DataFileLoadSel(sPathData & "Example_data.tdm", "TDM", "[1]/*", "Load|ChnXYRelation")

'Add a new View sheet and split it into three equal horizontal areas: Top, Center, Bottom
Call View.NewLayout
Set oSheet = View.ActiveSheet
Set oAreaTop = oSheet.ActiveArea
oAreaTop.Name = "Top"
Set oAreaBottom = oAreaTop.SplitBottom("BottomArea",0.33)
Set oAreaCenter = oAreaTop.SplitBottom("CenterArea",-1)

'Plot the channels 'Speed' and 'RPM' to the top area
oAreaTop.DisplayObjType = "CurveChart2D"   
oAreaTop.DisplayObj.YScaling = "n systems [phys.]"    ' "1 system [phys.]"  "n systems [phys.]"  "n axes [phys.]"  
Set oChnX = Data.GetChannel("Example/Time")
Set oChnY = Data.GetChannel("Example/Speed")
Set o2DCurve = oAreaTop.DisplayObj.Curves2D.Add(oChnX.GetReference(eRefTypeIndexName),oChnY.GetReference(eRefTypeIndexName))
'Add markers to the 'Speed' curve
o2DCurve.MarkerType                 = "square"
o2DCurve.MarkerFrequencyMode        = "CalcNPoint"
o2DCurve.MarkerIntervalPoints       = 100
'o2DCurve.MarkerIntervalLength       = 10
o2DCurve.MarkerLineWidth            = "min"
o2DCurve.Type                       = "Line"
o2DCurve.LabelChannelName           = oChnY.GetReference(eReferenceIndexName)
o2DCurve.LabelIndexChannelName      = ""
o2DCurve.LabelChannelOrientation    = "automatic"
o2DCurve.LabelIntervalPoints        = 100
o2DCurve.LabelIntervalLength        = 0
o2DCurve.LabelRepetitionMode        = eVIEWLabelRepetitionNthPoint
Set oChnY = Data.Root.ChannelGroups(1).Channels("RPM")
Set o2DCurve = oAreaTop.DisplayObj.Curves2D.Add(oChnX.GetReference(eRefTypeIndexName),oChnY.GetReference(eRefTypeIndexName))
o2DCurve.Color = "blue"  '"red","green","blue","violet","turquoise","grey","dark red",..

'Plot the channel  'RPM' to the center area
oAreaCenter.DisplayObjType = "CurveChart2D"   
oAreaCenter.DisplayObj.YScaling = "1 system [phys.]"    '' "1 system [phys.]"  "n systems [phys.]"  "n axes [phys.]" 
Set oChnX = Data.GetChannel("Example/Time")
Set oChnY = Data.GetChannel("Example/RPM")
Set o2DCurve = oAreaCenter.DisplayObj.Curves2D.Add(oChnX.GetReference(eRefTypeIndexName),oChnY.GetReference(eRefTypeIndexName))
'Zoom in to the X-axis range 0 to 10 sec
oSheet.Cursor.X1 = 0.0
oSheet.Cursor.X2 = 10.0
oAreaCenter.DisplayObj.XScalingMode = "RangeZoom"
o2DCurve.Color = "blue"  '"red","green","blue","violet","turquoise","grey","dark red",..
'Find the first five maximum peaks for the channel 'RPM'
Call oChnY.ChannelGroup.Activate()
Set oChnPeakX = oChnY.ChannelGroup.Channels.Add(oChnY.Name & "_PeakX",DataTypeChnFloat64)
Set oChnPeakY = oChnY.ChannelGroup.Channels.Add(oChnY.Name & "_PeakY",DataTypeChnFloat64)
Call ChnPeakFind(oChnX, oChnY, oChnPeakX, oChnPeakY, 5, "Max.Peaks", "Time")
'Plot channels oChnPeakX and oChnPeakY
Set o2DCurve = oAreaCenter.DisplayObj.Curves2D.Add(oChnPeakX.GetReference(eRefTypeIndexName),oChnPeakY.GetReference(eRefTypeIndexName))
o2DCurve.Color = ""  '"red","green","blue","violet","turquoise","grey","dark red",..
o2DCurve.MarkerType                 = "square"
o2DCurve.MarkerColorAuto            = false
o2DCurve.MarkerColor                = "red"
o2DCurve.MarkerFillColor            = ""
o2DCurve.MarkerSize                 = 3
o2DCurve.MarkerFrequencyMode        = "CalcNPoint"
o2DCurve.MarkerIntervalPoints       = 1
o2DCurve.MarkerIntervalLength       = 10
o2DCurve.MarkerLineWidth            = "0.5"
o2DCurve.Type                       = "Line"
o2DCurve.LabelChannelName           = oChnPeakY.GetReference(eReferenceIndexName)
o2DCurve.LabelIndexChannelName      = ""
o2DCurve.LabelChannelOrientation    = "automatic"
o2DCurve.LabelMode                  = eVIEWLabelModeChannel
o2DCurve.LabelText                  = ""
o2DCurve.LabelIntervalPoints        = 1
o2DCurve.LabelIntervalLength        = 0
o2DCurve.LabelRepetitionMode        = eVIEWLabelRepetitionEveryPoint
o2DCurve.LabelColorAuto             = false
o2DCurve.LabelColor                 = "red"
o2DCurve.LabelColorRGB              = 0
oAreaCenter.DisplayObj.YScalingMode = "manual"
oAreaCenter.DisplayObj.YScalingBegin       = 800.650000000373
oAreaCenter.DisplayObj.YScalingEnd         = 6023.20866569877

'Plot the channel  'RPM' to the center area
oAreaBottom.DisplayObjType = "CurveChart2D"   
oAreaBottom.DisplayObj.YScaling = "1 system [phys.]"    '' "1 system [phys.]"  "n systems [phys.]"  "n axes [phys.]" 
Set oChnX = Data.GetChannel("Example/Time")
Set oChnY = Data.GetChannel("Example/RPM")
Set o2DCurve = oAreaBottom.DisplayObj.Curves2D.Add(oChnX.GetReference(eRefTypeIndexName),oChnY.GetReference(eRefTypeIndexName))
'Configure the legend for the bottom area
oAreaBottom.DisplayObj.LegendItems.Remove(2)
oAreaBottom.DisplayObj.LegendWidth = 120

Call WndShow("VIEW")

Flags

Flags may be used to visually mark points or sections of a curve, and then to copy, delete, and interpolate curve sections.   In the image below, you can see peaks and valleys flagged, as well as a continuous section of a curve.   The 2D Axis System Flags toolbar is highlighted in the upper right of the image of the VIEW panel shown below.  

Load the file 'Example_data.tdm' in order to follow this tutorial.

Before using flags, it is important to configure the DIAdem settings for the VIEW panel flags.   From any panel, select the menu options 'Settings', 'DIAdem Settings...', select the 'Panels' section, and then under 'Flag settings' review the options.   It is recommended to set 'Remove selected points:' to 'Set values to NoValue'.   The choice of 'Linear' or 'Spline' for the option 'Interpolate selected points:' is an engineering choice dependent upon each situation (this tutorial will use the 'Linear' option).  

The DIAdem VIEW panel toolbar has the following flag buttons:

  Remove Flags from All Data   Removes all flags from every channel (and 2D axis curve) in the Data Portal.  

DIAdem v2018 and later has the following flag options accessible from the VIEW panel 2D Axis System toolbar:

  Set Flags   Use the 'Crosshair Cursor' with this toolbar to specify individual curve points to be flagged.   Use the 'Band Cursor' with this toolbar to specify a curve section to be flagged.  

  Remove Flags   Removes the flag at the point specified by the 'Crosshair Cursor', or those at and between the 'Band Cursor'.  

  Copy, Delete, Interpolate   These three functions operate on flags set on a curve in the currently active 2D axis system.   The 'Delete' and the 'Interpolate' functions depend on the DIAdem settings.  

  Set Data Point and Flag   Use this toolbar to specify a new point value to be included in an interpolation.   Using the 'Crosshair Cursor', identify on a 2D Axis System curve the Y-axis position to assign to an existing point previously set to NoValue.   The interpolation employed will be either 'Linear' or 'Spline', depending on the DIAdem settings.  

Set Flags

Use the 'Crosshair Cursor' specify a curve point to be flagged, and then click the 'Set Flags' toolbar button.   A large red dot will appear on the 2D axis curve to confirm that the flag has been set.  

Use the 'Band Cursor' specify a series of sequential curve points to be flagged, and then click the 'Set Flags' toolbar button.   Large red dots will appear on the 2D axis curve for each point selected to confirm that the flag has been set.  

Remove Flags

Use the 'Crosshair Cursor' specify a flag to remove, and then click the 'Remove Flags' toolbar button.   The large red dot on the curve representing the flag will be removed.  

Use the 'Band Cursor' to specify a range of flags along a curve to be removed, and then click the 'Remove Flags' toolbar button.   The large red dots on the curve representing the flags will be removed.  

Note that The DIAdem VIEW panel toolbar button 'Remove Flags from All Data' is also available.   This function removes all flags from every channel (and 2D axis curve) in the Data Portal.  

Delete Data Points

The action performed when clicking this toolbar option is dependent upon the DIAdem global VIEW panel settings for flags 'Remove selected points:'.  

'Set values to NoValue'   will set all points flagged in the active 2D axis system to NoValue.   This is the recommended action because it allows those NoValues to be interpolated linearly or as a spline between the neighboring points (that are not NoValue).   The large red dots representing the flags will disappear, the curve will disappear at that particular point, but the flag at those data point(s) will still exist.   Note that NoValues in a channel may limit what subsequent channel manipulations and analysis may be performed on that channel.  

'Delete values'   will delete all points flagged in the active 2D axis system.   This will change the number of values in the channel (size/length), possibly limiting what channel analysis and minipulations can be done with that channel with any related channels.   It may also require that a Time or Date/Time channel needs to be reconstructed.   The large red dots representing the flags will disappear (because the points have been deleted).  

Interpolate Points

This toolbar button will only be enabled when at least one flag is present in the active 2D axis curve.   Interpolation will only occur where flags are present at points with the value NoValue.   Interpolation will be performed on either side of the point(s) with NoValue, at the position of the closest point that is not NoValue.  

The type of interpolation performed (linear or spline) is dependent upon the DIAdem settings for 'Interpolate selected points:', with options of 'Linear' or 'Spline'.   The exception to this is if the flag toolbar function 'Set Data Point and Flag' is employed, then any new point values specified for former NoValues will be included in the interpolation.  

The behaviour and use of the 'Interpolate Points' button will be illustrated with the following example.   The curve section below is plotted in REPORT with the individual points highlighted with square hollow markers.  

In the VIEW panel 2D axis system shown below, four points have been flagged.   Two of those points on the right of the curve are sequential, causing the curve to be highlighted with a thick red line between the two flags.  

With the DIAdem global VIEW panel settings for flags set to 'Set values to NoValue', clicking on the flag toolbar button 'Delete Data Points' will cause those four points to be set to NoValue.   As a result, the curve appears disconnected as shown below.   Note however, the flags at each of those points set to NoValue continue to exist.  

An additional pair of points that are not set as NoValue are flagged as shown below.  

Clicking the 2D axis system toolbar flag button 'Interpolate Points' will cause the four points with flags and values of NoValue to be interpolated with the neighboring points with values.   The two flags on points that are not set to NoValue are ignored (not interpolated).  

An additional tutoral exists for using flags to 'Remove Spikes/Outliers' from a signal.   In that tutorial, a flag was set at the spike location, and then the value (channel row) was set to NoValue.   Then the flag option 'Flags: Interpolate NoValues' was used to calculate an interpolated value on either side of that NoValue.  

Set Data Point and Flag

Using the same curve portion from the 'Example/RPM' channel, and clearing all flags, three points on the curve are flagged as shown in the second image below as a highlighted three point curve.  

 

The flag toolbar button 'Delete values' is then clicked, setting those three points to NoValue.  

The 'Free Cursor' is used to specify a new y-axis value for the third point currently assigned NoValue.   Next, the toolbar button 'Set Data Point and Flag' is clicked to assign a new value to the point.   This causes the new point value to appear connected to the last value to the right of it that has a value.  

Clicking on the flag toolbar 'Interpolate Points' causes interpolation of the flagged points with a value of NoValue, and the point flagged with 'Set Data Point and Flag' to be included in that interpolation.  

The original curve and points are shown below for comparison.   The inclusion of the point assigned a new value using the 'Set Data Point and Flag' toolbar option is evident.   Although only one new point value was set with 'Set Data Point and Flag', multiple points with a value of NoValue could have been assigned a new (Y) value, and then included in the interpolation.  

 

Copy Data Points

The same curve portion from the 'Example/RPM' channel is shown in the REPORT plot below, with the actual points highlighted with hollow square red markers.  

 

The 'Band Cursor' is used to select a range of points on the curve.   Then the flag toolbar 'Set Flags' is clicked to flag all of the points within the band cursor.  

 

Click on the flag toolbar button 'Copy Data Points'.   The flagged curve is copied, and two new channels are created, one for the X values, and one for the Y values.  

 

A new VIEW sheet area is added below the existing, and then the new channels with the copied data points in dragged and dropped into the new VIEW sheet area, and a 2D axis system is chose.  

 

 

What You Learned

• The VIEW panel flags toolbar options allow you to interactively and visually flag points on a 2D axis system.  
• The points flagged can be set to NoValue, and then assigned a new Y-axis value, and/or interpolated between neighboring values using a linear or spline fit.  
• Points flagged can be deleted from a channel.  
• Flagged points can be copied to a new pair of X & Y channels.  

Video

The VIEW panel supports embedding a video into a VIEW sheet area.   The types of video files supported are MPEG, MPG, WMV, AVI, and MP4 format.   Using the VIEW toolbar, you can play, pause, and repeat play the video.   The 'Position Cursor' dialog also supports the controls for fast forward or fast reverse and step-by-step forward or step-by-step reverse.   Before playing the video, you may use the VIEW menu options to zoom in or out of the video.   The video context menu also allows you to turn the video sound on or off.   The best experience of viewing a video synchronized with measurement data is achieved when the video codec does not use interframe compression.   If you experience a problem playing a video in the DIAdem VIEW panel, see the DIAdem help document topic 'Requirements for Playing Videos in DIAdem VIEW'.  

The greatest value of showing a video in the VIEW panel is when the video is synchronized with a measurement data channel.   This can be accomplished in two ways within the VIEW panel.   The first is scenario is when the video is imported to DIAdem as a channel.   The second is when the video exists as an external file.  

Jump to: Video in Channel Data | Video From External File | Video Synchronization Tips

Video In Channel Data

This tutorial will embed a video into a VIEW sheet area along with measurement data that is synchronized to the video.   The video itself has been included in the TDM data file.   Activate the NAVIGATOR panel and then clear the Data Portal with the menu options 'File', 'New'.   Use the NAVIGATOR menu commands 'File', 'Open' to load the data file 'Austin_drive.tdm' from the folder: 'C:\Program Files\National Instruments\DIAdem ####\Examples\Data\'.   Activate the VIEW panel and clear it by using the menu commands 'File', 'New'.   Choose the 'Three Worksheet Partitions' group bar and then the option 'Three Areas' where the top is split into two even areas, and a larger horizontal area is below them.  

In the VIEW top left area, right click and choose the context menu options 'Display Type', 'Video'.   The 'Video' dialog will appear.   Activate the 'Video' tab in the 'Video' dialog and select the option 'Video channel'.   Drag the 'Austin_Drive' video channel from the Data Portal to the 'Video' dialog channel control to the right of 'Video channel'.   Make sure the checkbox 'Keep aspect ratio' is checked.  

Activate the 'Synchronization' tab in the 'Video' dialog.   Click on the 'Cursor Synchronization...' button and set the 'Time axis:' drop down box option to 'X-Cursor'.   Click 'OK' to close the 'Cursor Synchronization' dialog.  

Activate the 'Object List' tab in the 'Video' dialog and ensure the list box is clear of any items.   Use the 'X' toolbar to delete any that exist.   Close the 'Video' dialog and accept the changes by clicking the 'OK' button.

Click on the VIEW toolbar 'Cursor Parameters'.   Configure the 'Cursor Parameters' dialog as shown in the images below.   Most of the defaults should be fine, just make sure to assign a play speed of 5 to the 'Play' tab.  

In the Data Portal, select the channel 'Time Since Engine Start', and then the channels 'Engine RPM', 'Speed', and 'Engine Load'.   Drag and drop the channels into the VIEW sheet lower area and select the option '2D Axis System' when the context popup menu appears.   Set the 2D Axis System toolbar option 'Y-Axis' to 'n Systems[linear]'.   Right click in the '2D Axis System' area and choose the context menu option 'Settings...'.   Click on the 'Cursor Synchronization...' button and insure the 'Abscissa:' option is set to 'X-Cursor', and the 'Ordinate:' option is set to 'Y-Cursor'.   Click the 'OK' button twice to close the dialogs and confirm the settings.  

Click the mouse in the center of the VIEW sheet lower area with the 2D Axis System.   With the left mouse button held down, drag the cursor left and right and observe how the video changes because it is synchronized with the data channels via the channel 'Time Since Engine Start'.   This synchronization exists because the video Cursor Synchronization is set to 'X-Cursor', and the 2D Axis System Cursor Synchronization for the 'Abscissa:' is set to 'X-Cursor'.  

The VBScript code below will replicate the prior manual commands.  

' Video

Call LogFileDel()

Dim oChnX, oChnY, oChnVideo
Dim oSheet, oAreaTopLeft, oAreaTopRight, oAreaBottom, oVideo, o2DCurve, oCursor
Dim sPathDocuments, sPathData
sPathDocuments = ProgramDrv & "Examples\Documents\"
sPathData      = ProgramDrv & "Examples\Data\"
Call Data.Root.Clear()
Call DataFileLoadSel(sPathData & "Austin_drive.tdm", "TDM", "[2]/*|[3]/*", "Load|ChnXYRelation")
Set oChnVideo = Data.GetChannel("Video_data/Austin_Drive")

'Add a new View sheet and split it into three areas: TopLeft, TopRight, Bottom
Call View.NewLayout
Set oSheet = View.ActiveSheet
Set oAreaTopLeft = oSheet.ActiveArea: oAreaTopLeft.Name = "TopLeft"
Set oAreaBottom = oAreaTopLeft.SplitBottom("Bottom",-1)
Set oAreaTopRight = oAreaTopLeft.SplitRight("TopRight",-1)
Call WndShow("VIEW")

'Configure the VIEW sheet top left area as a Video
oAreaTopLeft.DisplayObjType = "Video"   
'Set the video parameters
Set oVideo = oAreaTopLeft.DisplayObj
'Below first argument options are eVideoFile and eVideoChannel 
Call oVideo.SetVideo(eVideoChannel, oChnVideo.GetReference(eReferenceIndexName))
oVideo.KeepRatio = True
oVideo.CursorReference = "X-Cursor"
oVideo.StartTime = 0.0    ' seconds
oVideo.Transparency = 50
oVideo.Sound = False
'.ZoomCursor changes the zoom function for a video
oVideo.ZoomCursor = "StandardCursor"    '"StandardCursor","MoveZoomCursor","FrameZoomCursor"
Call LogFileWrite("oVideo.FrameRate : " & Str(oVideo.FrameRate,"AutoAdj") & " [1/s]")
Call oVideo.OverlayObjects.RemoveAll()

'Cursor Parameters dialog
Set oCursor = oSheet.Cursor
'.Speed defines how quickly the cursor follows the map
'IMPORTANT: Set the following prior to .Play() in order for the oCursor.Speed argment to be recognized:
'           oSheet.Cursor.Type="Crosshair": oSheet.Cursor.Mode="arbitrary"
oCursor.Speed = 5
oCursor.X1 = 0
oCursor.X2 = 1
oCursor.XRangeMode = "automatic"
oCursor.Interpolating=true
oCursor.ConstantDeltas=1
oCursor.Dimensions(1).Name        = "X-Cursor"
oCursor.Dimensions(1).Description = "Engine RPM, Speed, Engine Load"

'Configure the VIEW sheet bottom area
oAreaBottom.DisplayObjType = "CurveChart2D"   
oAreaBottom.DisplayObj.YScaling = "n systems [phys.]"    ' "1 system [phys.]"  "n systems [phys.]"  "n axes [phys.]"  
Set oChnX = Data.GetChannel("OBD data/Time Since Engine Start")
Set oChnY = Data.GetChannel("OBD data/Engine RPM")
Set o2DCurve = oAreaBottom.DisplayObj.Curves2D.Add(oChnX.GetReference(eRefTypeIndexName),oChnY.GetReference(eRefTypeIndexName))
Set oChnY = Data.GetChannel("OBD data/Speed")
Set o2DCurve = oAreaBottom.DisplayObj.Curves2D.Add(oChnX.GetReference(eRefTypeIndexName),oChnY.GetReference(eRefTypeIndexName))
Set oChnY = Data.GetChannel("OBD data/Engine Load")
Set o2DCurve = oAreaBottom.DisplayObj.Curves2D.Add(oChnX.GetReference(eRefTypeIndexName),oChnY.GetReference(eRefTypeIndexName))
oSheet.Cursor.X1 = 0.0
oSheet.Cursor.Type="Crosshair"
oSheet.Cursor.Mode="GraphPoints"

Call View.Refresh()
Call View.ActiveSheet.Cursor.Play(True)

The script above can be modified to reference an external video file by making the changes shown below:

'Configure the VIEW sheet top left area as a Video
oAreaTopLeft.DisplayObjType = "Video"   
'Set the video parameters
Set oVideo = oAreaTopLeft.DisplayObj
sFilePathVideo = sPathDocuments & "Austin_Drive.wmv"
'Below first argument options are eVideoFile and eVideoChannel 
Call oVideo.SetVideo(eVideoFile, sFilePathVideo)
oVideo.KeepRatio = True

Video From External File

This tutorial demonstrates embedding an external video file into a VIEW sheet area configured for video.   Activate the NAVIGATOR panel and then clear the Data Portal with the menu options 'File', 'New'.   Use the NAVIGATOR menu commands 'File', 'Open' to load the data file 'Austin_drive.tdm' from the folder: 'C:\Program Files\National Instruments\DIAdem ####\Examples\Data\'.   Activate the VIEW panel and clear it by using the menu commands 'File', 'New'.   Choose the 'Three Worksheet Partitions' group bar and then the option 'Three Areas' where the top is split into two even areas, and a larger horizontal area is below them.  

In the VIEW top left area, right click and choose the context menu options 'Display Type', 'Video'.   The 'Video' dialog will appear.   Activate the 'Video' tab in the 'Video' dialog and select the option 'Video file'.   Click on the '...' button to the very right of the 'Video file' label and then locate the video file 'Birds_Eye_View.mp4' in the folder: 'C:\Program Files\National Instruments\DIAdem ####\Examples\Documents\'.   Make sure the checkbox 'Keep aspect ratio' is checked.  

Activate the 'Synchronization' tab in the 'Video' dialog.   Click on the 'Cursor Synchronization...' button and set the 'Time axis:' drop down box option to 'X-Cursor'.   Note the 'Frame rate:' and 'Duration:' values.   Write them down, you will need them later.   Click 'OK' to close the 'Cursor Synchronization' dialog.  

Activate the 'Object List' tab in the 'Video' dialog and ensure the list box is clear of any items.   Use the 'X' toolbar to delete any that exist.   Close the 'Video' dialog and accept the changes by clicking the 'OK' button.

Click on the VIEW toolbar 'Cursor Parameters'.   Configure the 'Cursor Parameters' dialog as shown in the images below.   Most of the defaults should be fine, just make sure to assign a play speed of 5 to the 'Play' tab.  

In the Data Portal, expand the channel group 'OBD data', and then right click on it and select the menu option 'Set Default Group'. Click on the channel 'Time Since Engine Start' and review the Base Properties at the bottom of the Data Portal.   The duration for the channel is 126 seconds.   We are going to build a new time channel to be used for video synchronization that is compatable with the video that has a duration of 8 seconds.  

Activate the ANALYSIS panel and choose the menu options 'Channel Functions', 'Generate Numeric Channel...'.   In the 'Generate Numeric Channel' dialog, set the 'Channel generation mode' to 'Equidistant'.   Set the 'Start value:' to '0'.   Set the 'End value:' to '8', equal to the video duration value of 8 seconds.   In the Data Portal, click on the channel 'Time Since Engine Start' and get the 'Length' of the channel (1372).   In the 'Generate Numeric Channel', set the 'Number of values' to 1372.   Make sure the checkbox 'Generate implicit channel' is unchecked.   Set the 'Unit:' to 's' for seconds.   Click the 'Calculate' button to generate the channel.   Click the 'Close' button to close the dialog.  

In the Data Portal, select the channel 'LinearGenerated', right click on it, and choose 'Rename'.   Change the name from 'LinearGenerated' to 'Time_4video'.   Drag the channel 'Time_4video to the second channel position.  

Activate the VIEW panel.   In the Data Portal, select the 'Time_4video' channel, then with the left mouse pressed down, select the channels 'Engine RPM', 'Speed', and 'Engine Load'.   Drag and drop those channels into the VIEW sheet lower area and select the option '2D Axis System' from the context menu that appears.   Click on the 2D Axis System toolbar 'Y-Axis' and choose the option 'n System [linear]'.  

Click the mouse in the center of the VIEW sheet lower area with the 2D Axis System.   With the left mouse button held down, drag the cursor left and right and observe how the video changes because it is synchronized with the data channels via the channel 'Time_4video'.   This synchronization exists because the video Cursor Synchronization is set to 'X-Cursor', and the 2D Axis System Cursor Synchronization for the 'Abscissa:' is set to 'X-Cursor'.  

The VBScript code below will replicate the prior manual commands.  

' Video - external video file

' Demonstrates configuring a VIEW sheet area for Video where the video is an external file.
' Note that this example picks channel data that is completely unrelated to the video and
' configures it so that the video is synchronized to the video.
' This is intended to illustrate how to configure channel data that may not have a perfect
' time channel so that it can be used with the video that was simultaneously recorded with
' the channel data.  If the video and channel data is out of sync, then the data channels
' will require additional manipulation, such as adding NoValues to the beginning Y channels
' and then rebuilding the X data channel for video synchronization.

Call LogFileDel()

Dim oChnX, oChnY, sFilePathVideo, oChnVideoX, dVideoDurationSec
Dim oSheet, oAreaTopLeft, oAreaTopRight, oAreaBottom, oVideo, o2DCurve, oCursor
Dim oGrp, oElementList
Dim sPathDocuments, sPathData
sPathDocuments = ProgramDrv & "Examples\Documents\"
sPathData      = ProgramDrv & "Examples\Data\"
Call Data.Root.Clear()
Call DataFileLoadSel(sPathData & "Austin_drive.tdm", "TDM", "[2]/*", "Load|ChnXYRelation")

'Add a new View sheet and split it into three areas: TopLeft, TopRight, Bottom
Call View.NewLayout
Set oSheet = View.ActiveSheet
Set oAreaTopLeft = oSheet.ActiveArea: oAreaTopLeft.Name = "TopLeft"
Set oAreaBottom = oAreaTopLeft.SplitBottom("Bottom",-1)
Set oAreaTopRight = oAreaTopLeft.SplitRight("TopRight",-1)

'Configure the VIEW sheet top left area as a Video
oAreaTopLeft.DisplayObjType = "Video"   
'Set the video parameters
Set oVideo = oAreaTopLeft.DisplayObj
' Birds_Eye_View.mp4:  960x540  10 fps    
sFilePathVideo = sPathDocuments & "Birds_Eye_View.mp4"
Call LogFileWrite("Video file: " & sFilePathVideo)
'Below first argument options are eVideoFile and eVideoChannel 
Call oVideo.SetVideo(eVideoFile, sFilePathVideo)
oVideo.KeepRatio = True
oVideo.CursorReference = "X-Cursor"
oVideo.StartTime = 0.0    ' seconds
oVideo.Transparency = 50
oVideo.Sound = False
'.ZoomCursor changes the zoom function for a video
oVideo.ZoomCursor = "StandardCursor"    '"StandardCursor","MoveZoomCursor","FrameZoomCursor"
Call LogFileWrite("oVideo.FrameRate : " & Str(oVideo.FrameRate,"AutoAdj") & " [1/s]")
'oVideo.FrameRate : 10 [1/s] or frames/sec
Call LogFileWrite("oVideo.NoOfFrames : " & Str(oVideo.NoOfFrames,"AutoAdj"))
'oVideo.NoOfFrames : 79
dVideoDurationSec = oVideo.NoOfFrames/oVideo.FrameRate
Call LogFileWrite("Video duration : " & Str(dVideoDurationSec,"AutoAdj") & " s")
'Video duration : 7.9 s
Call oVideo.OverlayObjects.RemoveAll()

'Cursor Parameters dialog
Set oCursor = oSheet.Cursor
'.Speed defines how quickly the cursor follows the map
'IMPORTANT: Set the following prior to .Play() in order for the oCursor.Speed argment to be recognized:
'           oSheet.Cursor.Type="Crosshair": oSheet.Cursor.Mode="arbitrary"
oCursor.Speed = 1     'Adjust this value to change the playback speed
oCursor.X1 = 0
oCursor.X2 = 1
oCursor.XRangeMode = "automatic"
oCursor.Interpolating=true
oCursor.ConstantDeltas=1
oCursor.Dimensions(1).Name        = "X-Cursor"

'Generate a time channel for the channels in the channel group 'OBD data' that
'will allow those channels to be used for synchronization with the video.
'The key parameter for the video synchronization is a time channel with the same duration
'as the video.
Set oChnX = Data.GetChannel("OBD data/Time Since Engine Start")
Call ChnLinGenImp("Time_4video", oChnX.Size, 0, 1/(oChnX.Size/dVideoDurationSec), "s")
Set oChnVideoX  = Data.GetChannel("Time_4video")
Call ChnValExpand(oChnVideoX)
Call Data.Move(oChnVideoX, oChnX.ChannelGroup, 2)

'Configure the VIEW sheet bottom area
oAreaBottom.DisplayObjType = "CurveChart2D"   
oAreaBottom.DisplayObj.YScaling = "n systems [phys.]"    ' "1 system [phys.]"  "n systems [phys.]"  "n axes [phys.]"  
Set oChnY = Data.GetChannel("OBD data/Engine RPM")
Set o2DCurve = oAreaBottom.DisplayObj.Curves2D.Add(oChnVideoX.GetReference(eRefTypeIndexName),oChnY.GetReference(eRefTypeIndexName))
Set oChnY = Data.GetChannel("OBD data/Speed")
Set o2DCurve = oAreaBottom.DisplayObj.Curves2D.Add(oChnVideoX.GetReference(eRefTypeIndexName),oChnY.GetReference(eRefTypeIndexName))
Set oChnY = Data.GetChannel("OBD data/Engine Load")
Set o2DCurve = oAreaBottom.DisplayObj.Curves2D.Add(oChnVideoX.GetReference(eRefTypeIndexName),oChnY.GetReference(eRefTypeIndexName))
oSheet.Cursor.X1 = 0.0
oSheet.Cursor.Type="Crosshair"
oSheet.Cursor.Mode="GraphPoints"

Call View.Refresh()
Call View.ActiveSheet.Cursor.Play(True)

Video Synchronization Tips

Supported video formats are: MPEG, MPG, WMV, AVI, and MP4.  

It is not necessary for the frame rate of the video (frames per second or fps) to match the sample rate of the data channel (samples/s).   However, the duration of the data file channel must match the duration of the video file (assuming the video cursor synchronization is set to 'X-Cursor').  

In order to play a video in DIAdem, the host PC must have the required codec installed.   The easiest way to confirm that the required codec is installed is to attempt to view the video (external video file, not video channel) using an app already installed in Windows OS.   If the Windows Media Player cannot initially play a video, it will attempt to install the necessary codec.  

When working with MPEG-4 videos, use null latency to avoid cursor synchronization issues.  

The error message "Codec does not support accurate synchronization" means DIAdem cannot play the file because the required positioning information is missing from the file.   Try saving the file with a different format (MPEG, MPG, WMV, and AVI).  

The script below will create a resampled copy of the designated data channels so that they may be synchronized to an external video.   A VIEW sheet is added by the script with the video shown, as well as a 2D chart with the synchronized video channels.

'-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'-- VBS script file View_video_sync.VBS
'-- Author:   Mechatronic Solutions LLC
'             Mark W Kiehl
'             www.SavvyDiademSolutions.com
'             www.SavvyDIAdemPySolutions.com/
'             www.MechatronicSolutionsLLC.com
'-- License:  http://www.savvydiademsolutions.com/license.php
'-- Comment:  Assists in the synchronization of an external video file
'             with a data channel. 
'
'             Edit the following in the script below:
'               file_path_tdms, file_path_video
'               chn_x, chn_list_y
'-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Option Explicit  
Call LogFileDel()

Dim file_path_tdms, file_path_video, chn_x, chn_list_y, chn_list_result, chn_y, chn_name

'Specify the path to the video file below
file_path_video = ProgramDrv & "Examples\Documents\Birds_Eye_View.mp4"

'Specify below the path to the TDM/TDMS data file, 
'OR load the file your self into the data portal and comment out the script snippet below.
file_path_tdms = ProgramDrv & "Examples\Data\" & "Austin_drive.tdm"
'Load data file & assign channel references to chn_x and chn_list_y
Call Data.Root.Clear
If Not FileExist(file_path_tdms) Then Call Err.Raise(65535,,"ERROR: file not found: " & file_path_tdms)
Call DataFileLoad(file_path_tdms, uCase(NameSplit(file_path_tdms,"E")),"Load|ChnXYRelation")

'Edit below to reference the X Channel
Set chn_x = Data.GetChannel("*Time Since Engine Start")
Set chn_list_y = Data.CreateElementList
'Add all the Y channels below that you want plotted on the VIEW sheet
'and synchronized with the video specified by file_path_video.
'(at least one Y channel must be specified)
Call chn_list_y.Add(Data.GetChannel("*Engine RPM"))
Call chn_list_y.Add(Data.GetChannel("*Speed"))
Call chn_list_y.Add(Data.GetChannel("*Engine Load"))


'Run the script (F5) and wait.

Set chn_list_result = ViewVideoSync(chn_x, chn_list_y, file_path_video)
Call LogFileWrite(Str(chn_list_result.Count) & " data channels resampled for video synchronization:")
For Each chn_y in chn_list_result
  Call LogFileWrite(String(1,vbTab) & chn_Y.GetReference(eReferenceIndexName))
Next
Call WndShow("VIEW")


Function ViewVideoSync(ByVal chn_x, ByVal chn_list_y, ByVal file_path_video)
  'Prepares channels chn_x and chn_list_y for synchronization with video file file_path_video.
  'The types of video files supported are MPEG, MPG, WMV, and AVI format.
  
  Dim sample_rate, chn_y, video_duration_sec, chn_grp, chn_resampled_y, element_list, chn_resampled_x
  Dim sheet, area_top_left, area_top_right, area_bottom, video, curve, cursor, i, sheet_name
  
  Call LogFileWrite("ViewVideoSync()..."):  Call MsgLineDisp("ViewVideoSync()...")
  Set ViewVideoSync = Data.CreateElementList
  If Not FileExist(file_path_video) Then Call Err.Raise(65535,,"ERROR: file not found: " & file_path_video)
  
  If Not IsObject(chn_x) Then Call Err.Raise(65535,,"ERROR: Argument chn_x passed to ViewVideoSync() is not a channel object")
  Call ChnCharacter(chn_x)
  Call LogFileWrite(String(1,vbTab) & "Data channel duration: " & Str(chn_x.Maximum - chn_x.Minimum,"AutoAdj") & " " & chn_x.UnitSymbol)
  sample_rate = chn_x.Size / (chn_x.Maximum - chn_x.Minimum)
  Call LogFileWrite(String(1,vbTab) & "Data channel sample rate: " & Str(sample_rate, "AutoAdj") & " samples/" & chn_x.UnitSymbol)
 
  'Verify that the video file type is supported by DIAdem
  Select Case uCase(NameSplit(file_path_video,"E"))
  Case "MPEG","MPG","WMV","AVI","MP4"
  Case Else
    Call Err.Raise(65535,,"ERROR: Video file format not supported by DIAdem.  Convert to MPEG, MPG, WMV, and AVI")
  End Select

  Dim bUIAutoRefresh, bViewAutoRefresh: bUIAutoRefresh = UIAutoRefresh: bViewAutoRefresh = View.AutoRefresh
  Call UIAutoRefreshSet(False): View.AutoRefresh = False

  'Add a new View sheet and split it into three areas: TopLeft, TopRight, Bottom
  i = 0
  Do
    If i = 0 Then
      sheet_name = "VideoSync"
    Else
      sheet_name = "VideoSync" & Str(i)
    End If
    i = i + 1
  Loop Until Not View.Sheets.Exists(sheet_name)
  Set sheet = View.Sheets.Add(sheet_name)
  Set area_top_left = sheet.ActiveArea: area_top_left.Name = "TopLeft"
  Set area_bottom = area_top_left.SplitBottom("Bottom",-1)
  Set area_top_right = area_top_left.SplitRight("TopRight",-1)
  area_top_right.DisplayObjType = "TextBox": area_top_right.DisplayObj.Text = "Script written by:" & vbCrLf & vbCrLf & String(1,vbTab) & "Mechatronic Solutions LLC" & vbCrLf & String(1,vbTab) & "Mark W Kiehl" & vbCrLf & String(1,vbTab) & "http://mechatronicsolutionsllc.com/" & vbCrLf & vbCrLf

  'Configure the VIEW sheet top left area as a Video
  area_top_left.DisplayObjType = "Video"   
  'Set the video parameters
  Set video = area_top_left.DisplayObj
  'Below first argument options are eVideoFile and eVideoChannel 
  Call video.SetVideo(eVideoFile, file_path_video)
  video.KeepRatio = True
  video.CursorReference = "X-Cursor"
  video.StartTime = 0.0    ' seconds
  video.Transparency = 50
  video.Sound = False
  '.ZoomCursor changes the zoom function for a video
  video.ZoomCursor = "StandardCursor"    '"StandardCursor","MoveZoomCursor","FrameZoomCursor"
  Call LogFileWrite(String(1,vbTab) & "video.FrameRate : " & Str(video.FrameRate,"AutoAdj") & " [1/s] or fps")
  'video.FrameRate : 23.98 [1/s]
  Call LogFileWrite(String(1,vbTab) & "video.NoOfFrames : " & Str(video.NoOfFrames,"AutoAdj"))
  'video.NoOfFrames : 47949
  video_duration_sec = video.NoOfFrames/video.FrameRate
  Call LogFileWrite(String(1,vbTab) & "Video duration : " & Str(video_duration_sec,"AutoAdj") & " s")
  'Video duration : 7.9 s
  Call video.OverlayObjects.RemoveAll()
  'Configure the VIEW sheet bottom area
  area_bottom.DisplayObjType = "CurveChart2D"   
  area_bottom.DisplayObj.YScaling = "n systems [phys.]"    ' "1 system [phys.]"  "n systems [phys.]"  "n axes [phys.]"  
  sheet.Cursor.X1 = 0.0
  sheet.Cursor.Type="Crosshair"
  sheet.Cursor.Mode="GraphPoints"

  Set chn_grp = Data.Root.ChannelGroups.Add("video_sync")
  Call chn_grp.Activate

  'Calculate the new sample rate for the data file so the duration matches the video...
  sample_rate = chn_x.Size / (video.NoOfFrames/video.FrameRate)
  Call LogFileWrite(String(1,vbTab) & Str(chn_x.Size,"AutoAdj") & " samples / " & "(" & Str(video.NoOfFrames,"AutoAdj") & " frames / " & Str(video.FrameRate,"AutoAdj") & " fps) = " & Str(sample_rate,"AutoAdj") & " samples/" & chn_x.UnitSymbol)
  Call LogFileWrite(String(1,vbTab) & "Data channel new sample rate: " & Str(sample_rate, "AutoAdj") & " samples/" & chn_x.UnitSymbol & " to change duration from " & Str(chn_x.Maximum - chn_x.Minimum,"AutoAdj") & " " & chn_x.UnitSymbol & " to " & Str(video_duration_sec,"AutoAdj") & " s")
  area_top_right.DisplayObj.Text = area_top_right.DisplayObj.Text & "Channels in channel group '" & chn_grp.Name & "' for video sync are " & Str(sample_rate, "AutoAdj") & " samples/" & chn_x.UnitSymbol & vbCrLf & vbCrLf
  area_top_right.DisplayObj.Text = area_top_right.DisplayObj.Text & "Video frame rate: " & Str(video.FrameRate,"AutoAdj") & " fps" & vbCrLf
  area_top_right.DisplayObj.Text = area_top_right.DisplayObj.Text & "Video duration : " & Str(video_duration_sec,"AutoAdj") & " s" & vbCrLf & vbCrLf
      
  If Not IsObject(chn_list_y) Then Call Err.Raise(65535,,"ERROR: Argument chn_list_y passed to ViewVideoSync() is not a channel list object")
  For Each chn_y in chn_list_y
    'Call LogFileWrite(String(2,vbTab) & chn_Y.GetReference(eReferenceIndexName))
    'Resample the channel to sample_rate
    Set chn_resampled_y = chn_grp.Channels.Add(chn_Y.Name,DataTypeChnFloat64)
    SampleFrequency  = sample_rate
    ResampleMappingMode = "Automatic"
    ResampleAntiAliasingFilter = False
    ResampleInterpolateNovalues = False
    ResampleInterpolationMethod = "Akima"
    Set element_list = ChnResampleFreqBased(chn_x, chn_Y, chn_resampled_y, sample_rate, "Automatic", False, False, "Akima")
    Call LogFileWrite(String(2,vbTab) & "Resampled '" & chn_y.GetReference(eRefTypeIndexName) & "' from " & Str(chn_x.Size/(chn_x.Maximum - chn_x.Minimum),"AutoAdj") & " samples/" & chn_x.UnitSymbol & " to " & Str(sample_rate,"AutoAdj") & " samples/" & chn_x.UnitSymbol & " as '" & chn_resampled_y.GetReference(eRefTypeIndexName) & "'")
    
    If StrComp(chn_y.GetReference(eReferenceNameName),chn_list_y.Item(1).GetReference(eReferenceNameName),vbTextCompare) = 0 Then
      'First channel in chn_list_y
      
      'Convert waveform channel chn_resamples back to numeric with separate time channel
      KeepWfProperties = False
      WfXStartTimeMode = "WfXRelative"
      If ProgramRevision => 2100 Then 
        Set element_list = ChnConvertWaveformToNumeric(chn_resampled_y, False, "WfXRelative")
      Else
        Set element_list = WfChnToChn(chn_resampled_y, False, "WfXRelative")
      End If
      'Delete the X channel
      Call Data.Remove(element_list)
      'Create a time channel...
      chn_name = ChnLinGenImp("Time", chn_resampled_y.Size, 0, 1/(chn_resampled_y.Size/video_duration_sec), "s")
      Call LogFileWrite("chn_name = '" & chn_name & "'")
      Set chn_resampled_x = Data.GetChannel(chn_name)
      Call ChnValExpand(chn_resampled_x)
      Call Data.Move(chn_resampled_x, chn_grp, 1)
      Set chn_resampled_y.XRelation = chn_resampled_x
      
      Set curve = area_bottom.DisplayObj.Curves2D.Add(chn_resampled_x.GetReference(eRefTypeIndexName),chn_resampled_y.GetReference(eRefTypeIndexName))
      
      Call ViewVideoSync.Add(chn_x)
      Call ViewVideoSync.Add(chn_resampled_y)
      
    Else
      'Convert waveform channel chn_resamples back to numeric with separate time channel
      KeepWfProperties = False
      WfXStartTimeMode = "WfXRelative"
      If ProgramRevision => 2100 Then 
        Set element_list = ChnConvertWaveformToNumeric(chn_resampled_y, False, "WfXRelative")
      Else
        Set element_list = WfChnToChn(chn_resampled_y, False, "WfXRelative")
      End If
      'Delete the X channel
      Call Data.Remove(element_list)
      Set chn_resampled_y.XRelation = chn_resampled_x
      Call ViewVideoSync.Add(chn_resampled_y)
      
      Set curve = area_bottom.DisplayObj.Curves2D.Add(chn_resampled_x.GetReference(eRefTypeIndexName),chn_resampled_y.GetReference(eRefTypeIndexName))
      
    End If
    
  Next

  'Configure the VIEW sheet cursor
  Set cursor = sheet.Cursor
  '.Speed defines how quickly the cursor follows the map
  'IMPORTANT: Set the following prior to .Play() in order for the cursor.Speed argment to be recognized:
  '           sheet.Cursor.Type="Crosshair": sheet.Cursor.Mode="arbitrary"
  cursor.Speed = 1     'Adjust this value to change the playback speed
  cursor.X1 = 0
  cursor.X2 = 1
  cursor.XRangeMode = "automatic"
  cursor.Interpolating=true
  cursor.ConstantDeltas=1
  cursor.Dimensions(1).Name        = "X-Cursor"

  Call Portal.Refresh
  Call Portal.Structure.Collapse(Data.Root)
  Call Portal.Structure.Expand(chn_grp)
  Call UIAutoRefreshSet(bUIAutoRefresh): View.AutoRefresh = bViewAutoRefresh: Call View.Refresh()
  Call MsgLineDisp(vbTab)

End Function  'ViewVideoSync()