First SDK specifically designed for BitFlow Cyton-CXP boards

WOBURN, MA, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014 -- BitFlow, the world's leading innovator of frame grabbers for machine vision and scientific imaging, today released SDK 5.90, the first production-ready software development kit expressly designed to support its Cyton CXP family of frame grabbers, giving developers more stability and flexibility to customize the end-user experience in next generation CoaXPress vision environments.

BitFlow's SDK 5.90 is the product of extensive beta testing by Cyton frame grabber users. Out of this testing came a key change in the SDK 5.90's camera configurations from BitFlow's proprietary file format to the universal, human-readable XML (*.bfml) format. Among other advantages, this format can contain more than one camera/frame grabber mode. Now when a new mode is selected, both the frame grabber and the camera are automatically programmed for that precise mode settings. For example, if a particular mode is "ROI of 512 x 512" the camera is programmed for "XSize = 512, YSize = 512" along with the frame grabber. This makes switching modes much easier by eliminating the need for manual camera programming as was previously required with Camera Link frame grabbers and cameras.

Other enhancements incorporated into SDK 5.90 include:

*CiView now supports switching camera/frame grabber modes "on the fly" without leaving the application;
*SysReg alerts the user when a board listed requires a firmware upgrade;
*CXPRegTool can be run without parameters to get help;
*CytonStats is a new program added to help debug camera interface problems with the Cyton;
*Packed 10-bit pixels are correctly handled, improving display and file I/O;
*The SDK offers full support for 10-bit/8-tap CL cameras;
*BayView features a new batch mode that batch converts a sequential set of image files from raw to color;
*The SDK's firmware download utility now outputs more detailed information. It also locates the master VFG on any system and downloads using that VFG, regardless of which VFG is opened;
*CXP links can be connected from the camera to the frame grabber in any order with the system automatically sorting out the order and correctly programs the frame grabber for acquisition.
*The BitFlow Image File I/O functions have been extended so they now support JPG and DNG file formats;
*CXP Command I/O has been serialized to protect from multiple threads/processes trying to communicate simultaneously on the same link;
*DispSurf display surface now supports RGB to BGR swapping and 10-bit packed data.

To further support its customers, BitFlow has also introduced Ximilon, a GeniCam consumer for controlling GeniCam enabled cameras, and I-M Flow, a general acquisition and analysis tool compatible with a wide range of image capture operations.

While engineered for the Cyton, SDK 5.90 is compatible with all current BitFlow frame grabbers including the Karbon-CXP family of CoaXPress frame grabbers. Both the SDK and the additional applications are available for free downloading at www.bitflow.com.