Measurement Studio
.NET integrated development environments (IDE)
Integrated development environments (IDE)
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What is Measurement Studio
Measurement Studio is a set of .NET developer tools that integrates into Microsoft Visual Studio to help teams build test, measurement, and control applications. It provides UI controls and class libraries for data acquisition, instrument control, analysis, and visualization in Windows desktop applications. The product targets engineers and .NET developers working with hardware, signals, and industrial or lab workflows. It differentiates from general-purpose IDE tooling by bundling domain-specific components and examples oriented to measurement applications rather than providing a standalone IDE.
Visual Studio integration
Measurement Studio installs as an extension to Microsoft Visual Studio and uses familiar .NET project types and workflows. This reduces the need to adopt a separate development environment for teams already standardized on Visual Studio. It also supports typical Windows desktop development patterns used in engineering applications. The approach fits organizations that want measurement-specific libraries without changing their core IDE.
Engineering-focused UI controls
The product includes specialized controls for displaying and interacting with measurement data, such as charts/graphs and instrument-style indicators. These components are designed for high-frequency data visualization and operator-style interfaces common in lab and production test systems. Using packaged controls can reduce custom UI development effort compared with assembling generic UI components. It also helps standardize look-and-feel across internal test applications.
Libraries for data and analysis
Measurement Studio provides .NET class libraries oriented to measurement workflows, including data handling and analysis utilities. This supports building applications that acquire, process, and present signals or test results within a single .NET codebase. It can shorten implementation time for common engineering tasks compared with writing equivalent functionality from scratch. The libraries are typically used alongside hardware drivers and instrument APIs.
Not a standalone IDE
Measurement Studio depends on Microsoft Visual Studio rather than replacing it. Organizations must license, install, and manage Visual Studio separately, including version compatibility considerations. Teams looking for an all-in-one IDE product may find the dependency limiting. This also ties the development workflow to the Windows/Visual Studio ecosystem.
Primarily Windows desktop oriented
The tooling is mainly used for Windows-based .NET desktop applications (for example, WinForms/WPF) typical in test and measurement environments. It is less aligned with cross-platform IDE scenarios or web-first development workflows. If a team’s roadmap emphasizes cross-platform UI or non-Windows deployment, the value of the included UI components may diminish. Additional tooling may be required for broader platform targets.
Domain-specific scope
The included components focus on measurement, visualization, and related engineering use cases rather than general-purpose enterprise application development. Teams outside test, lab, or industrial control contexts may not benefit from the specialized controls and libraries. Some projects may still require third-party UI suites or custom components for advanced application frameworks. This can lead to overlapping toolsets in mixed-use development organizations.
Plan & Pricing
| Plan | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | Contact NI for pricing (subscription or perpetual) | Engineering UI controls for Windows Forms/WPF, supports Microsoft Visual Studio .NET (2015, 2017, 2019), recommended for data acquisition and instrument control. License types: subscription and perpetual. |
| Professional | Contact NI for pricing (subscription or perpetual) | Includes Installer Builder and Professional Analysis class library (array operations, signal generation, windowing, filtering, signal processing). Recommended for signal processing and ASP.NET web applications. |
| Enterprise | Contact NI for pricing (subscription or perpetual) | Enterprise Analysis class library for spectral measurements, linear algebra, statistics, and curve fitting; recommended for advanced data analysis applications. Enterprise edition is indicated on NI site as having a free trial. |
Additional notes: Debug and deployment licenses are available. NI offers subscription and perpetual licensing; subscriptions include NI Software Service, perpetual licenses include one year of service with optional renewal.
Seller details
NI (National Instruments Corporation), a subsidiary of Emerson Electric Co.
Austin, Texas, USA
1976
Subsidiary
https://www.ni.com/
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