As a machine vision algorithm engineer who has been working for many years. Here's my personal review of Opencv, Halcon, VisionPro, and VisionMaster, including their pros and cons and when to use them.
Opencv
Merit:
Open-source free: Opencv is an open-source computer vision library, which is a huge advantage for projects and individual developers on a budget.
Community support: There's a large community of users with plenty of documentation, tutorials, and code examples to help newbies get started and solve problems quickly.
Cross-platform: Multiple operating systems such as Windows, Linux, and MacOS are supported, making it easy to migrate and deploy across different platforms.
Rich functions: It provides a wealth of algorithms and functions, including image processing, feature extraction, object tracking, etc., covering almost all basic fields of computer vision.
Shortcoming:
Performance issues: In some cases, Opencv may not perform as well as professional commercial software, especially when working with large-scale data or real-time applications.
Limitations of Algorithm Libraries: For some advanced visual tasks, Opencv may not have an off-the-shelf solution, requiring users to develop their own or find third-party libraries.
Applicable Scenarios:
OpenCV is ideal for education, research, and prototyping, as well as those where computer vision applications need to be rapidly developed and deployed.
Halcon
Merit:
High performance: Halcon is designed for industrial-grade applications, and its algorithms are very well optimized for processing large amounts of data and real-time applications.
Rich Algorithm Library: Provides a wide range of image processing and analysis functions, including 3D vision, depth Xi, shape matching, etc.
Easy Integration: Halcon provides easy-to-use APIs and interfaces that support multiple programming languages for easy integration into a wide range of industrial automation systems.
Shortcoming:
Cost: Halcon is an expensive business software and may not be suitable for projects with a limited budget.
Xi Curve: For beginners, Halcon has a steep Xi curve and requires more time to invest in mastering its complex features.
Applicable Scenarios:
Halcon is suitable for industrial vision systems with high performance requirements, such as automated inspection, quality control, robot guidance, etc.
VisionPro
Merit:
User-Friendly Interface: VisionPro has an intuitive graphical user interface that allows for quick design of vision applications with drag-and-drop fashion.
Powerful toolset: Provides a range of powerful vision tools such as image enhancement, targeting, defect detection, and more.
Good hardware support: VisionPro supports a wide range of industrial cameras and vision hardware, making system integration relatively easy.
Shortcoming:
Cost: Similar to Halcon, VisionPro is also a commercial software that comes with a hefty price.
Customizability: Although VisionPro is powerful, additional development work may be required for vision applications that require a high degree of customization.
Applicable Scenarios:
VisionPro is ideal for industrial vision inspection systems that require rapid deployment, especially when using Cognex cameras or other supported hardware.
VisionMaster
Merit:
Customizable: VisionMaster provides a flexible software framework and development tools that allow developers to be highly customized according to their needs.
Cost-effective: Compared to other business software, VisionMaster may offer more competitive pricing and is suitable for small and medium-sized businesses.
Technical support: Good technical support services are usually provided to help users solve problems during development and deployment.
Shortcoming:
Visibility and popularity: VisionMaster may not have the same extensive user base and community support as Opencv, Halcon, and VisionPro.
Resources and Documentation: Compared to other mature software, VisionMaster may be a little lacking in terms of resources and documentation.
Applicable Scenarios:
The VisionMaster is suitable for machine vision applications that require a customized solution, especially if the budget is relatively limited.
summary
When choosing machine vision software, decisions need to be made based on the specific needs of the project, budget, and development resources. Opencv is suitable for research and prototyping, while Halcon and VisionPro are more suitable for high-performance industrial applications. VisionMaster offers a level of customization and may be suitable for small and medium-sized businesses on a budget. Each software has its own unique strengths and limitations, and understanding these differences is critical to building a successful machine vision system.