SICK MACHINE VISION NEWSFEED
SICK NOVA AND
SICK STREAM SOFTWARE
LATEST SOFTWARE UPDATES
Stay up to date with information about the latest software releases for SICK Nova and SICK Stream software here.
SICK NOVA
SICK Nova 2.15 - Highlights
SICK Nova version 2.15 is packed with new tools and features that will elevate the SICK Nova experience to a completely new level.
Let us introduce some of the highlights:
The SICK Nova Intelligent Inspection toolset license is for the first time available for 3D devices (2D data only in this release). Combine the power of AI-assisted tools such as AI Anomaly Detection or AI Object Detection with rule-based tools for height-data verification.
Speaking of AI, don't miss out on the AI-powered AI Blob Finder (dStudio) tool. The tool uses instance segmentation technology – to detect, count, and measure objects within a defined region using a trained neural network – and returns precise masks of each object at the pixel level and is ideal in cases where objects may overlap significantly. The release also makes it possible to filter on specific classes and adds class thresholds for width and height.
Check out the latest improvements in the AI OCR Pretrained tool like Date verification functionality, added threshold for number of read characters and support for additional characters. For Nova Ruler3000, a new tool, AI OCR Pretrained (2D) is added, supporting dot print reading.
Discover the brand new tools: For network convenience, we introduce the Network tool, which enables viewing and/or changing the settings of the Ethernet interfaces on the device. Struggling with 3D inspections of curved surfaces? Check out the new Surface Fitter tool. With the new Position Verifier tool, positions of found objects from a Finder or Object Detection tool can be stored as reference and easily compared for verification.
Last but not least, experience the latest update of the Dashboard, it now allows thresholds to be editable directly in Run-mode (with added permission functionality). A lock has also been added to the dashboard to only allow interaction of widget content in already defined widgets.
Enjoy this and much more with SICK Nova 2.15.
Read more below.
AI Blob Finder (dStudio) tool
The AI Blob Finder (dStudio) uses instance segmentation technology to detect, count, and measure objects within a defined region using a trained neural network. It identifies and separates each object in an image, pixel by pixel—even when multiple objects of the same type overlap significantly—providing precise masks rather than bounding boxes.
This capability enables accurate measurement of length, width, and area, making it ideal for quality control tasks such as counting, sorting, positioning, and defect analysis. It can also deliver high-precision size data for cracks or surface flaws and determine material quantities with exceptional accuracy.
- Find and count
- Measure
- Position
→ See video of how it works here!
→ Download SICK Nova here
A tools for 3D devices
SICK Nova version 2.15 enable the Intelligent Inspection toolset license also for 3D devices – bringing powerful AI-powered anomaly detection, object classification, and object detection to SICK Nova supported 3D devices.
Combine the power of AI-assisted tools such as AI Anomaly Detection , AI Blob Finder (dStudio), AI Classification or AI Object Detection with rule-based tools for height-data verification.
- Detect anomalies
- Find and count objects
- Classify object
→ See video of AI Object Detection (dStudio) on Visionary-S here!
→ See video of AI Object Detection (dStudio) on Ruler3000 here!
→ Download SICK Nova here
Surface Fitter tool
The Surface Fitter tool fits a 2nd order polynomial surface given a heightmap and a region of interest. The polynomial surface can be used as a reference for measurements in other tools.
- Currently this tool is compatible with Blob Finder tool but will be extended also to Blob Verifier and Volume tools
→ See video of how it works here!
→ Download SICK Nova here
Position Verifier tool
The Position Verifier tool compares the positions of a set of detected objects
against an internal reference list of expected objects. For each reference
object, the tool outputs if and where a corresponding live object was
found. A parent locator tool can provide a position reference.
→ See video of how it works here!
→ Download SICK Nova here
Dashboard improvements
Experience the latest update of the Dashboard, now allowing thresholds to be editable directly in Run-mode (with added permission functionality). A lock has also been added to the dashboard to only allow interaction of widget content in already defined widgets.
→ See video of how it works here!
→ Download SICK Nova here
AI OCR Pretrained update
The 2.15 version of the AI OCR Pretrained tool enable functionality like Date verification, added threshold for number of read characters and support for additional characters.
The AI OCR Pretrained 2D tool for Nova Ruler3000 finds and reads text in the intensity or scatter image. This tool should be used instead of the 3D tool if the text is printed on the object without being embossed or engraved.
By combining 3D tools, 2D AI tools and the AI OCR Pretrained (2D) in the same job, 3 individual inspections tasks are solved instantly.
→ See video of how it works here!
→ Download SICK Nova here
SICK Nova 2.14 - Highlights
SICK Nova 2.14 comes with lots of new features and improvements that truly makes machine vision easy to use.
With added support for SICK Ranger3, now also our most flexible high-end 3D camera can benefit of all advantages that SICK Nova brings. Got questions? With the new Documentation tab, help and documentation with how-to-do guides, images and video snippets* are embedded directly in the user-interface. And that's not the only thing that has become smarter; discover the clever annotation assistant and parameter tuning function in the AI Object Detection tool.
With the Text Overlay tool it's now super easy to add any wanted text as overlay graphics when saving images. And for those using multiple jobs, the Dashboard now supports job specific dashboards. To keep up with security demands, the 2.14 version of SICK Nova brings HTTPS protocol when using the Inspector 2D vision sensors. While talking about 2D, discover the new tool Feature Locator 2D that uses shape features from other tools to calculate transforms for its child tools.
This and much, much more is now available with SICK Nova 2.14.
Read more below!
Ranger3 support
SICK Nova now supports the standard SICK Ranger3 3D cameras (no “special devices” or color supported) when connected to SIM2x00 or using IPC.
For convenience the Nova Ruler3000 and Nova Ruler3000 IPC SensorApps are used and the pre-defined SIM2500 Nova Ruler3000 QI or the Nova Ruler3000 IPC Bundle License works well together with the Ranger3.
- Ranger3 camera needs to be calibrated first in Stream Setup
- All FoV supported
SICK Nova Documentation
With the Documentation tab, an improved documentation and help system is embedded directly in the user-interface.
Here you'll find help and information of how to quickly get started, working with the user interface, in-depth information about the tools with images and video snippets* examples etc.
- Convenient accessibility of help and documentation: Getting started, User interface, Installation and Upgrade, Tools, System
- Video snippets of tools (more videos will be added in future releases)
* Video playback requires internet connection
Text Overlay tool
The Text Overlay tool displays results of other tools in the image viewer.
The text can be included when saving 2D images with graphics in the Image Collection tool.
→ See video of how it works here!
Annotation assistant - For the AI Object Detection tool
The annotation assistant in the AI Object Detection tool makes the annotation process easier than ever.
When annotating images in the AI Object Detection tool it is now possible to get suggestions for points that are not yet annotated. This significantly speeds up annotation when working with images that have a lot of objects.
→ Download Nova Inspector SensorApp
→ Download Nova pico/midiCam2 SensorApp
Parameter tuning - For the AI Object Detection tool
The new parameter tuning feature enables automatic search for optimal annotation settings in the AI Object Detection tool.
When annotating images in the AI Object Detection tool it is now possible to run a search to find the best settings for the dataset. It can both try to find settings that yield higher accuracy as well as settings that make the tool run faster.
→ Download Nova Inspector SensorApp
→ Download Nova pico/midiCam2 SensorApp
Feature Locator 2D tool – Available for 2D and 3D devices
The added 2D version of the Feature Locator tool uses shape features (points, lines) from other tools to calculate transforms for its child tools.
→ Download Nova Inspector SensorApp
→ Download Nova pico/midiCam2 SensorApp
→ Download Nova Ruler3000 SensorApp
→ Download Nova Ruler3000 IPC SensorApp
→ Download Nova LMS4000 SensorApp
Additional clever features added
Job specific Dashboard
Every job will now have a separate dashboard that can be configured with widgets that match the job. When duplicating a job, the dashboard will be copied as well.
AI OCR Pretrained – Improvements
A number of improvements have been made to the AI OCR Pretrained tools.
It is now possible to disable reading spaces. Found text regions can be filtered based on the character size. Text regions containing single characters can now be found in the search step (previously single characters could only be read if search was disabled). The tools can now find smaller text regions than before.
And last but not least, in 3D you sometimes need to mirror the image when using the AI OCR Pretrained tool to be able to read the text, due to scan direction. Also the OCR region needs to be aligned in a certain direction to read the text robustly. Now the AI OCR Pretrained tool contains region marker indicating how the region should be rotated to be correctly aligned with the text, that makes the usage more simple!
Full-screen viewer page
The URL http://<ip>/#/viewer?hideShell=true&viewerMode=2D can be used to access a full-screen 2D viewer page (viewerMode can be changed to 3D in a 3D product).
For more information about supported query parameters, see the "Nova UI API" section in the Nova API documentation.
SICK Nova 2.13 - Highlights
And that's not even the biggest news, the AI OCR Pretrained tool now also runs on Ruler3000, finally enabling OCR for 3D.
Talking about 3D, why not also check out the brand new 3D tools Volume, Feature Locator and Blob Analyzer.
On the 2D side, SICK Nova 2.13 allows calibrated images also for AI tools - enabling countless new possibilities with millimeter precision.
Another addition in the Image Collection tool is the possibility to save images with overlay graphics!
Enjoy this and much, much more with SICK Nova 2.13.
Read more below!
AI OCR Pretrained - Now with dot print capabilities
With the SICK Nova 2.13 version of the AI OCR Pretrained tool, dot print reading support is added - just as easy as if it was standard characters.
This version also adds:
→ "Tune performance” button to automatically set downsample parameters
→ Support for Multiple Regions (including negative Regions)
Released in SICK Nova 2.12, the AI OCR Pretrained tool enables instant reading without training and is the first AI-tool to be introduced into the Quality Inspection toolset, - which marks a shift for our rule-based portfolio where also rule-based tools can be AI-powered.
AI OCR Pretrained - OCR goes 3D
The AI OCR Pretrained tool available in the Quality Inspection license for the Nova Ruler3000 SensorApp enables 3D OCR. The tool reads engraved or embossed text within the region. The height image within the tool region is processed into an intensity image where details with a height that varies from the surrounding area are clearly visible. In this image, the tool finds and reads the text.
Volume tool - For 3D
The Volume tool measures the volume inside a region of interest, either globally in the image or as a for-each tool as in the video.
Feature Locator tool - For 3D
The Feature Locator tool uses feature matching to align feature sets (lines) in a heightmap.
Use the tool Feature Locator when the position or rotation of an object varies, to move attached tools for inspection correspondingly.
Blob Analyzer tool - For 3D
The Blob Analyzer tool is placed as a child to a Blob Finder tool. Thresholds can be set for different properties of the blobs. The tool is marked as Experimental to indicate that it could be changed or removed in upcoming releases.
Save images with overlay graphics in Image Collection tool
When saving BMP or PNG images in the Image Collection tool it is possible to enable to save images with overlay graphics. Such images are only intended for viewing and should not be used for playback.
SICK Nova 2.12 - Highlights
Experience a boost in visualization and navigation while discovering all the new features like the new AI OCR Pretrained tool, for-each functionality, on-device multi-class object detection, more job templates to choose from, a date and time tool, timestamp in filename, save state expander, possibilities for duplicate of tool regions and much, much more…
Read more below!
AI Object Detection Multi-class
The AI Objection Detection tool available in the SICK Nova Intelligent Inspection license is used to find, count and localize – all at once, using the same tool. This standardized functionality makes it ideal for applications such as completeness checks. It ensures that the objects are in the correct position and are present in the proper amount and without any defects before the production or packaging process continues. Furthermore, it is the go-to solution when the number of objects in an image can vary, or when they may overlap.
The AI Object Detection tool also supports on-device Multi-class object detection, allowing for even more applications to be solved with ease simply by teaching the vision sensor multiple object classes within a few images.
The AI Object Detection (dStudio) tool supports training using the SICK dStudio service and is used to detect (i.e. find) objects in acquired images. The resulting objects are found as bounding boxes which are characterized by their class, size and position.
Next generation OCR - AI OCR Pretrained
With the first version of the new AI OCR Pretrained tool, reading text with SICK Nova has never been easier. This AI-powered tool enables instant reading without training and is the first AI-tool to be introduced into the Quality Inspection toolset, - which marks a shift for our rule-based portfolio where also rule-based tools can be AI-powered.
For-Each functionality
With the For-Each functionality, parent tools such as Blob Finder, Blob Finder Color, AI Object Detection, and AI Object Detection (dStudio) can easily be equipped with child tools, enabling in-depth inspection capabilities for each object within the inspection scene. Child tools will run relative to every found blob/object and produce a list result.
See video of how it works here!
Get started directly with Job templates
When creating a new job, a dialog will be shown where it is possible to select between different templates. When selecting a template, a number of pre-configured tools will be added to the new job. Images matching that job will be used in playback mode.
Since the SICK Nova 2.12 release, Job templates are now also available for the AI Anomaly Detection, AI Classification, and AI Object Detection tools. The OCR template has been updated to use the new AI OCR Pretrained tool.
Additional clever features added
Edge Counter Linear tool for Nova Inspector
The tool Edge Counter Linear locates multiple edges within a rectangular region and calculates the distance between each edge and its neighbor.
→ Download Nova Inspector SensorApp
Edge Counter Linear tool for Nova Inspector
The tool Edge Counter Linear locates multiple edges within a rectangular region and calculates the distance between each edge and its neighbor.
→ Download Nova Inspector SensorApp
Date and Time tool
The tool Date and Time controls the date and time on the device. Use the device date and time to create timestamps for e.g. logged images and output strings. Date and time can be set manually or can be synchronized using a time server (NTP).
Please visit the SICK Support Portal for the full release note.
Please visit SICK.com for more information about SICK Nova.
SICK StREAM SOFTWARE
The Stream Setup configuration software comes included with the Ranger3 and Ruler3000 3D cameras and provides quick and easy configuration, collection, optimization and evaluation with the user-friendly processing tools for e.g., noise reduction and false data removal.
Highlights in Stream Setup version 10.1.0:
- Support for more than 2 cameras when using the alignment tools.
- Single target alignment with 1 to N cameras.
- Alignment can now be done on cameras with reversed motion direction.
- Alignment tools now support Ranger3 cameras in addition to Ruler3000 cameras.
- Encoder resolution calculation wizard to help with encoder setup.
- Usability improvements when working with speed, profile rate, Y resolution, etc.
The Stream Setup configuration software comes included with the Ranger3 and Ruler3000 3D cameras and provides quick and easy configuration, collection, optimization and evaluation with the user-friendly processing tools for e.g., noise reduction and false data removal.
Highlights in Stream Setup version 10.0.0:
- Major UI design update - for a uniform SICK Machine Vision software user experience
- Surface+ configuration support
- The Extract profile tool can now do point measurements
- Parameters can now be set/changed without manually stopping and starting the camera
Stream Setup version 9.3.0, enables side-by-side camera alignment to get a stitched image. In many applications it’s useful to combine data from multiple 3D cameras (a.k.a., stitching), allowing for e.g., increased field-of-view, with retained resolution from each SICK Ruler3000 camera.
To easier understand how the functionality works, please watch the video tutorial that shows how to set up the side-by-side configuration, enabling a single output image from two SICK Ruler3000 3D cameras using the SICK Stream Setup software.
Highlights in Stream Setup version 9.3.0:
- Tool for aligning Ruler3000 cameras mounted side-by-side to get a stitched image
- UI design update
- Support for loading mv3 files
Please visit the SICK Support Portal for the full release note.
Please visit SICK.com for more information about SICK Stream software.
