Dynamic Visualization with Industrial Shapes

Displaying only numerical values on SCADA screens may not always make it easy for the operator to quickly understand the process.

Graphically representing field equipment such as motors, pumps, valves, turbines, generators, circuit breakers and similar equipment makes process information easier to understand at a glance.

EOS SCADA provides an industrial shape library containing a large number of ready-to-use industrial shapes for this purpose. Users can add these shapes to SCADA screens through the INDUSTRIAL_LED user control.

INDUSTRIAL_LED is not limited to displaying a static shape. Depending on the state of the SCADA data associated with the control, visual behaviors such as color changes, shape changes and blinking can be created to dynamically display the operating status of the equipment.

Adding the INDUSTRIAL_LED User Control to the Screen

To add industrial shapes to a SCADA screen, the relevant project must first be opened in the EDITOR software.

  1. Open the project in the EDITOR software. Open the SCADA screen where the industrial shape will be added.
  2. Find the INDUSTRIAL_LED control. Locate the INDUSTRIAL_LED user control in the Tools panel within the EDITOR.
  3. Select the INDUSTRIAL_LED control. Double-click the left mouse button on the INDUSTRIAL_LED icon in the Tools panel.
  4. Adding the EOS SCADA INDUSTRIAL_LED user control Place the control on the screen. Double-click again on the INDUSTRIAL_LED insertion cursor that appears on the screen to add the user control to the screen.
  5. Configure the industrial shape settings. Use the properties of the INDUSTRIAL_LED user control added to the screen to configure the displayed shape, data behavior and visual properties.
Adding the EOS SCADA INDUSTRIAL_LED user control

INDUSTRIAL_LED Properties

The behavior of the INDUSTRIAL_LED user control added to the screen can be configured in detail using the parameters available in the properties section.

Property Name Property Description Default Value
AlarmType Determines how the industrial shape behaves according to data states. Colored
BlinkRate Determines the blinking rate. 1000
RotationAngle Determines the rotation angle of the shape. Zerodegrees
XFlip Flips the shape along the X axis. false
YFlip Flips the shape along the Y axis. false
UsePreciseRotation Enables the use of a precise rotation angle. false
PreciseAngle Determines the precise rotation angle. 0
ColorAutoSelect Enables automatic color selection. false
RedComponent Determines the red component of the color. 175
GreenComponent Determines the green component of the color. 175
BlueComponent Determines the blue component of the color. 175
PixelTreshold Determines the pixel threshold. 100
UCBackColor Determines the background color of the user control. Transparent
UCForeColor Determines the foreground/text color of the user control. Black
DefaultImageFileName Determines the name of the external image file to be used by default. -
DefaultLibraryImage Determines the default shape to be used from the library. -
DefaultImage Determines the default image. -
UseFillColor Enables the use of a fill color for the shape. false
FillColor Determines the fill color of the shape. Lime
SHAPEDataStates Defines the state levels to be created according to data values. -

Changing Color or Shape According to Data Value

Industrial shapes can be used with INDUSTRIAL_LED through two basic visualization methods. The AlarmType property determines how this behavior is implemented.

Colored: The color of the industrial shape is changed according to the state levels defined for the data.

Shapechange: The displayed industrial shape is changed according to the state levels defined for the data.

In this way, the same equipment symbol can represent different operating states of the process either by changing only its color or by using different shapes.

Defining Data States with SHAPEDataStates

Different data levels can be created under SHAPEDataStates to determine how the industrial shape behaves according to the data value.

Each data level can have a specific threshold value. When the data value satisfies the condition of the relevant level, the color, shape and blinking properties associated with that level are applied.

Property Name Property Description Default Value
LevelBackColor Determines the background color of the data level. White
LevelForeColor Determines the foreground/text color of the data level. Black
LevelThreshold Determines the threshold value of the data level. 10
BlinkActive Determines whether blinking behavior is enabled for the relevant data level. false
ImageFileName Determines the name of the external image file to be used for the data level. -
LibrarySelectedImage Determines the ID of the library shape to be used for the data level. -

Important: There is no fixed number of data levels. Users can define as many data levels as required according to the needs of the process.

Example of Data States

For example, three different data levels can be created to indicate the operating status of a piece of equipment.

  • 10 – 50: Shape color is yellow.
  • 50 – 100: Shape color is orange.
  • Above 100: Shape color is red and blinking is enabled.
  • Other states: Shape color is green.

With this structure, the operator can quickly determine the operating level of the equipment simply by looking at the color of the shape.

When the same structure is used with the Shapechange option, a different industrial shape can be displayed for each data level instead of changing the color.

Selecting the Sources of Industrial Shapes

The shapes used within INDUSTRIAL_LED can be obtained from two different sources.

  • External image file: The user's own image file can be used. In this case, the ImageFileName parameter is used.
  • Industrial shape library: A shape can be selected from more than 4,000 shapes available in EOS SCADA. In this case, the LibrarySelectedImage parameter is used.

Using the library makes it particularly easy to represent equipment such as pumps, motors, valves, generators and turbines using standardized symbols. Using an external image, on the other hand, allows project-specific graphics or custom graphics that are not available in the library to be used on SCADA screens.

Blinking and Visual Alerts

With INDUSTRIAL_LED, not only color or shape changes but also blinking behavior based on the data state can be created.

To enable this behavior, the BlinkActive property is enabled for the relevant data level. The blinking rate can be determined using the BlinkRate parameter.

This feature provides an effective visual warning mechanism, particularly for alarms, critical operating conditions, or situations where the operator's attention needs to be drawn quickly.

CAUTION: Strong visual warnings such as blinking should be used only for important conditions that require the operator's attention. If too many controls continuously blink, the readability and usability of the operator interface may be negatively affected.

Conclusion

The EOS SCADA INDUSTRIAL_LED user control is an advanced visualization tool that enables industrial shapes to be used on SCADA screens and associated with real-time data.

Users can select from more than 4,000 industrial shapes available in the library or use their own image files.

The Colored option can be used to change the color according to the data value, the Shapechange option can be used to change the shape, and the BlinkActive property can be used to create blinking behavior.

By combining these features with the data levels defined under SHAPEDataStates, SCADA screens can be transformed from interfaces consisting only of static graphics into dynamic operator screens that visually reflect the actual state of the process.

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