Machine vision is playing an increasingly important role in the automation of industrial manufacturing processes. For many users, the intuitive usability of machine vision software is crucial, as it allows quick success even with little prior experience in image processing. With MVTec MERLIC, MVTec Software GmbH (www.mvtec.com), one of the world's leading providers of machine vision software, offers the right software for precisely this requirement.
Credit: MVTec
On April 3, 2025, MVTec is launching MERLIC 5.7. “This release marks the next step in the strategic development of MERLIC. After enhancing the connectivity of the software in previous versions, the focus is now on making MERLIC easier to integrate into existing process environment,” explains Ulf Schulmeyer, Product Manager MERLIC at MVTec. The new version 5.7 improves the usability of MERLIC Runtime Environment (RTE) and optimizes the handling of communication interfaces. MVTec MERLIC includes both powerful conventional and state-of-the-art deep learning methods. In addition, its graphical user interface enables users to intuitively create complete machine vision applications.
Simplified Integration of MERLIC into machine control
In MERLIC 5.7, the process of integrating MERLIC into machine control has been further streamlined. Configuring and running communication plug-ins now only requires MERLIC Runtime Environment (RTE), eliminating the need to start and manage an additional process, as was necessary in previous versions. By integrating plug-in management into RTE, the number of required components has been reduced, usability improved, and deployment further simplified. For example, it is now possible to run two MERLIC RTE instances in parallel without manually configuring ports. Additionally, plug-in messages are now logged directly in the MERLIC RTE log file, which significantly simplifies debugging.
MERLIC Frontend now available for Linux
In addition to MERLIC Runtime Environment (RTE), MERLIC Frontend is now also available for Linux. As of MERLIC 5.7, this allows visualization of image processing results directly on Linux systems. The MERLIC Frontend can be run not only locally but also on a dedicated Linux system as a remote frontend. This enables a flexible system architecture, such as separating image processing and visualization to optimize resource usage, operating the frontend on separate terminals, or enabling remote monitoring over a network.
Example Dockerfiles and scripts for containerized deployment
The simple deployment of machine vision applications across different environments is becoming increasingly important. Starting with version 5.7, MERLIC includes example Dockerfiles and scripts for creating custom containers. This simplifies the setup process and enables seamless integration of both MERLIC Frontend and MERLIC RTE into existing containerized workflows. This enhances flexibility in deploying and managing MERLIC.