Analytics & Visualization · PI Vision Custom Symbol

How to Add a Radar to AVEVA PI Vision

Everything you need to get the PIForge Radar symbol running on your AVEVA PI Vision server — installation, license activation, and a tour of every feature with live video.

Installation — 5 steps, about 10 minutes

1. 1

   Download the package

   Purchase the symbol at piforge.app and download the ZIP from your profile. It contains four files: the symbol script (.js), two templates (.html) and an icon (.svg).

2. 2

   Copy the files to the PI Vision server

   Extract all four files into the PI Vision extension folder on the server: %PIHOME%\PIVision\Scripts\app\editor\symbols\ext\ (create the ext folder if it does not exist yet).

3. 3

   Restart the PI Vision application

   Recycle the PI Vision application pool in IIS (or run iisreset), then hard-refresh the browser (Ctrl+F5) so the new symbol script is loaded.

4. 4

   Add the symbol to a display

   Open a display in edit mode. The new symbol appears in the symbol palette on the left. Select it, then drag a tag or AF attribute onto the canvas.

5. 5

   Activate the license

   Open Format Symbol, paste the license key from your purchase email into the License field, and save. The watermark disappears immediately — no restart needed.

What you can do with it

Overview

See the Whole Machine in One Shape

Multi-attribute polar comparison on live PI data

One machine has many vital signs, and reading them one trend at a time hides the shape. Drop every attribute of the asset onto a single radar and the closed polygon becomes the machine's operating fingerprint.

• Each dropped attribute becomes one axis
• Multiple series overlay on the same axes
• Value labels, markers and multistate colouring
• Polygon or circular rings, any start angle and rotation

Operating Fingerprint

Raw Units Are the Trap

Per-axis normalisation makes the shape readable

Flow reads 128, vibration reads 6. On one scale the shape is meaningless - vibration is invisible next to flow. Normalise each axis to its own band and the fingerprint appears.

• Off (raw scale), per-axis limits, or auto band in sigma
• Mixed units compare on one scale
• Outer ring is the limit; a spoke touching it is at limit
• The polygon shape itself becomes the diagnostic

AF Limits

Whose Band? Not One You Typed

Auto-fetch Hi and Lo from your AF model

Limits belong in the asset model, not in a symbol's settings. Auto-limits pulls the Hi and Lo attributes straight from AF, so the ring on the chart is the plant's real limit - and it stays right when the model changes.

• Reads Hi and Lo limit attributes from AF via PI Web API
• Per-axis limit table, filled automatically
• Limit ring colour configurable
• No duplicated numbers to maintain

Normal Envelope

Limits Say Allowed. The Envelope Says Normal.

Learned from the machine's own recent behaviour

The band is computed from this machine's own data over the display window - mean plus or minus k sigma per axis. When a vertex breaks out, the machine is no longer running like itself, even if it is still inside its limits.

• Normal operating envelope with configurable sigma
• Out-of-envelope spokes flagged in red
• Catches drift long before a limit is crossed
• In the demo bearing temperature and vibration have broken out

Wind Rose

The Same Symbol Has a Second Life

Direction and magnitude become a wind rose

Give the symbol a direction tag and a speed tag and it becomes a wind rose - for flare dispersion, cooling tower performance or emissions reporting.

• Configurable sector count
• Average or peak magnitude per sector
• Same styling and multistate options
• One symbol licence covers both modes

Frequently asked questions

Does Radar work with my PI Vision version?

Yes — PI Vision 2019 R2 through 2023+ are supported. The symbol uses the standard PI Vision extensibility model, so regular version upgrades do not break it, and one year of compatibility updates is included.

Do I need to install anything on client PCs?

No. The symbol is installed once on the PI Vision server; every browser client gets it automatically from there.

How is it licensed?

One license covers one PI Vision server, with unlimited displays and unlimited users on that server. The key is delivered instantly by email after purchase.

Can I try it before buying?

Every feature is demonstrated in live video on the product page, and a free symbol (Combo Chart Free Edition) is available on GitHub to validate the install workflow end to end. For evaluation keys, contact [email protected].