VEERMATA JIJABAI TECHNOLOGICAL

INSTITUTE
MATUNGA, MUMBAI 400019

CHARTS AND GRAPHS

Guided By: Dr.M.S.Panse
Prepared By: Shivraj Rathod
Devendra Shetye

Introduction
1. Charts & graphs provide a great deal of visual appeal.
2. They allow users to quickly spot trends, examine pronounced
data, and see an actual picture.
3. Charts & graphs can be used
To represent data, illustrate important patterns or relationships.
Observe changes as data is altered.
Provide a visual representation of data.
Effectively clarify information.
Represent many different types of data.
Allow users to perceive information quickly.

Presenting your Results in VI

1. Displaying Data on the Front Panel
Controls and Indicators
Graphs and Charts
Loop Timing

2. Signal Processing

Math Script
Arrays
Clusters
Waveforms
Fig.1-The Virtual Instrumentation Approach

Waveform Charts
1.
2.
3.
4.

The waveform chart is a special numeric indicator that displays

one or more plots.
The waveform chart is located on the Controls >> Graphs >>
Waveform Chart.

Waveform charts can display single or multiple plots.

Waveform Charts update modes
Strip chart -shows running data continuously scrolling from left
to right across the chart.
Scope chart -shows one item of data, such as a pulse or wave,
scrolling partway across the chart from left to the right.
Sweep chart- works similarly to a scope except it shows the old
data on the right and the new data on the left separated by a
vertical line.

Waveform Charts
Selected from the Controls Palette
Graphs Waveform Charts
Palette
Waveform Charts update modesWaveform Chart Advance Update
Mode Strip/Scope/Sweep Chart.

Wiring Data into Charts

1. You can wire a scalar output directly to a waveform chart or display
multiple plots.
2. Bundle multiple plots together using the Bundle function located on
the Functions Cluster palette.
3. The Bundle function bundles multiple outputs to plot on the
waveform chart.
4. The waveform chart terminal changes to match the output of the
Bundle function.
5. To add more plots, use the Positioning tool to resize the Bundle
function.

Single Plot Charts

Multi Plot Charts

Modifying Chart Properties

Change the appearance
Set the format and
precision of the axis
Choose the plot type
Edit the scales
Document the chart

Customizing Charts and Graphs

Right-click and select Visible Items to view the following items:
Plot Legend
Digital Display
Graph Palette
Scrollbar
X and Y Scale
Zoom
Graph Palette
Subpalette
Scale Legend

Scale
Legend

Charts Add 1 data point at a time with

history
Chart updates with each individual point it receives
Functions Express Graph Indicators Chart

Example-1
To construct a VI to study different types of Charts
Strip Chart
Scope Chart
Sweep Chart

Example-2
This VI illustrates how to programmatically clear
different types of charts.
Charts can accept a single point at a time or
multiple points at a time.
The charts are cleared by writing empty arrays to
the History Data property node.

Graphs in VI
Outline

Basics
Differences between Charts and Graphs
Different Types of Graphs
Examples in LabVIEW

GRAPH
It displays one or more plots of sampled
measurements.
It can plot single-valued/Multivalued functions with
points uniformly/non-uniformly distributed along the xaxis.
It can display plots containing any number of points.
It also accepts several data types, which minimizes the
extent to which you must manipulate data before you
display it.

Differences between Waveform Chart

and Waveform Graph
Waveform Graph

Waveform Chart

This is for offline display. (i.e.

data is already acquired and
stored.)

This is for online display. (i.e.

real time data )

Does not have History; thus

Arrays and clusters are
essential.

It has History.

Initial point and interval of the

x-axis can be specified using
Bundle.

Waveform Chart does not

allow this.

Build Array can be used to

combine multiple channels of
data to display them together
on single Waveform Graph.

Bundle is used for multiple

channel data display on single
Waveform Chart.

Displays data row-wise.

Displays data column-wise.

Types of Graphs
Type

Description

Waveform
Graphs

Display data typically acquired at a

constant rate.

XY Graphs

Display data acquired at a non-constant

rate and data for multivalued functions.

Intensity
Graphs

Display 3D data on a 2D plot by using

color
to display the values of the third
dimension.

Digital
Waveform
Graphs

Display data as pulses or groups of digital

lines

Types of Graphs
Type

Description

Mixed Signal Graphs

Display data types accepted

by waveform graphs, XY
graphs, and digital waveform
graphs. Also accept clusters
that contain any combination
of those data types.

2D Graphs

Display 2D data on a 2D front

panel plot.

3D Graphs

Display 3D data on a 3D front

panel plot.

ActiveX 3D Graphs

3D data on a 3D plot in an
ActiveX object on the front
Note: 3D and ActiveX 3D graph controls are supported only on Windows in the LabVIEW Full and
panel.
Professional Development Systems.

Waveform Graph
Chart plots data point by point, whereas
Graph plots it all at once.
X-axis data is uniformly spaced.
Arrays and Clusters play important role
while using Graphs.
Graphs and Loops

Front Panel and Block Diagram of VI to

send same Array data to both Chart and
Graph

The Front Panel after one cycle through

the WHILE Loop

The Front Panel after multiple cycles

through the WHILE Loop

Waveform Graph- Single and

Multiple plots
For Single plot, Initial point and interval of the xaxis can be specified using Bundle.
The waveform graph accepts an array of clusters
of an x value, a delta x value, and an array of y
data. This is the most general of the multiple-plot
waveform graph data types.

XY Graph
To plot data for given (uniformly/non-uniformly
spaced) x-axis values.
Bundle is used for a single channel display.
Build Array is used after Bundle for multiple
channel display.

Intensity Graph
Used to display 3D data on a 2D plot by placing a block of
colors on a Cartesian plane.
Eg.To display patterned data such as temperature pattern
and terrains.
The rows of the data pass into the display as new columns
on the graph

Intensity graph

Digital Waveform Graph

Digital Waveform Graph

Digital Waveform Graph

Upon Expanding Digital Buses on Y Axis

Mixed Signal Graph

Thank You

REFERENCES
Ronald W. Larsen,(Copyright-2011),LabVIEW for
Engineers,Prentice Hall Publications(ISBN-13: 978-0-13609429-6 (alk. paper),ISBN-10: 0-13-609429-5 (alk.
paper))
Sanjay Gupta and Joseph John, second edition- Fifth
reprint 2013,Virtual Instrumentation using LabVIEW,
McGraw Hill Education(India),ISBN:978-0-07-070028-4
LabVIEW Introduction Course Manual available at
www.ni.com.
Examples available in LabVIEW 2013 HELP.