HMI Background

This function block provides a large, resizable visual canvas intended for building Human-Machine Interface (HMI) layouts inside your scenario. It acts as a background graphic where you can place and organize interactive blocks and visual elements to create a dashboard-like interface.

📥 Inputs

This block does not have any inputs.

📤 Outputs

This block does not have any outputs.

🕹️ Controls

Resize Adjust the block size in the editor to fit your desired HMI layout area.

Background Canvas The visual area where you arrange and preview other HMI elements and visual blocks.

🎨 Features

• Visual-only background for laying out HMI screens and dashboards.

• Resizable canvas so you can design compact or expansive interfaces.

• Designed to host and visually organize other blocks and display elements (images, text, indicators) for operator panels and demos.

• Lightweight: it does not process image or sensor data itself; it exists to structure and present other blocks.

⚙️ Running mechanism

• This block does not produce data or perform computations during scenario runs.

• Its purpose is purely graphical and organizational: use it to visually group and position interactive and output blocks that do produce data when the scenario runs.

• Because it is visual-only, placing heavy processing elements inside the same visual area does not change the background’s behavior—processing still happens in the connected function blocks.

📝 Usage

1. Add the HMI Background block as a canvas for your interface.

2. Resize the block to match the screen area you want to design.

3. Place display and control blocks over the background to build your HMI layout (for example, image viewers, text overlays, buttons, and indicators).

4. Use structural blocks to keep logic behind the interface tidy and reusable.

💡 Tips and Tricks

• Group logic and presentation: Use Subsystem, Subsystem In, and Subsystem Out to keep the processing logic separated from the visual layout placed on the background.

• Visualize camera feeds: Combine with Show Image to display live camera frames on the HMI canvas.

• Add status indicators and labels: Use Write Text On Image and Led Output to show dynamic text and boolean status indicators on top of displayed images.

• Provide user controls: Place Logic Input, Number Input, or String Input blocks near the related displays so operators can interact with the scenario.

• Save evidence and logs: Use Image Logger or Record Video (when available) together with displayed images to archive important frames triggered from your HMI.

• Keep UI responsive: Place only visualization and input blocks on the background. Heavy processing (detection, segmentation, tracking) should remain in separate functional blocks.

🛠️ Troubleshooting

• Background not visible or too small: Try increasing the block size with the Resize control.

• Layout feels cluttered: Use Subsystem blocks to collapse and hide complex logic while keeping the HMI canvas clean.

• Slow editor interaction: Remove or relocate heavy processing blocks out of the immediate visual area; keep the background focused on presentation and control elements.