Partner Feature: Unleashing a world of smart possibilities with iWave, Crank Software & the NXP i.MX8 series.

Thanks to Lavanya Markandachari at Crank Partner, iWave Systems, for this guest post.

Crank Software and iWave Systems partnered up to support rich graphics on the powerful NXP i.MX 8 series system on modules and SBC boards. 

Powered by NXP i.MX8 application processors, the SOM and SBC are optimized for sophisticated real-time computing in embedded applications, and Crank Software’s UI development software, Storyboard, complements the high-performing modules with an out-of-the-box GUI experience. 

An overview of iWave’s broad portfolio of i.MX8 products:

• i.MX8 Quad Max and Quad Plus SMARC SOM
• i.MX8 Quad Max and Quad Plus SMARC SBC
• i.MX8M Quad/Dual/Quad lite SMARC SOM
• i.MX8M Mini Quad/Dual/Solo SODIMM SOM

Native to the i.MX 8QuadMax/QuadPlus SOM is an integrated high-performance Dual Vivante GC7000SXVX GPU and 4K H.265 capable VPU that Crank Software’s Storyboard applications leverage, to offer pixel-perfect 3D graphical acceleration,  up to 4x HD or one 4K display.

Storyboard is compatible to i.MX platforms with its key features including: 

• Accessible directly within NXP MCUXpresso SDK
• Wide support from FreeRTOS to QNX to Linux to Android OS
• Specifically built to leverage board features that drive performance
• Consistent performance and reliability with both high- and low-power processors
• Media-rich user interface development - graphics, audio, connectivity
• Ability to import and re-upload files from Photoshop and other design platforms
• Integrated animation timeline tool
• Testing and validation tools
• Adaptable to technology stack changes (hardware & software & OS)
  
  

"The iWave i.MX 8 series SOM offers the ability to advance performance in integrated eCockpits, multi-camera, and multi-domain systems across industrial medical, automotive, and IoT verticals. To enable advanced applications in customer products, collaboration with trusted partners like Crank Software were integral to our go-to-market strategy."
- Abdullah Khan, President, iWave Systems Technologies, India 

The iWave Systems and Crank Software partnership will facilitate efficiency in design cycles, cost, and time-to-market for many customers who want to use the NXP i.MX8 series processors. This collaboration will enable diverse graphical performance in various i.MX SOM/SBC products and iWave solutions.

“We’re very excited to be working with hardware partners, NXP and iWave Systems. Together, we’re providing the resources needed for product teams to create touch screen experiences that exceed consumer expectations.”
- Jason Clarke, Crank Software Co-Founder & VP of Sales and Marketing

Check out the Multi-App Demo Image on the i.MX 8QM/QP development platform to see what’s possible when it comes to strong GUI performance.

New embedded innovations enabled by the winning combination of Crank Software and iWave Systems

Automotive:

The world is heading towards increasingly autonomous and connected mobility. If you think about what a modern vehicle means today, one would marvel at the incredible transformation that technology and digitalization have enabled, providing an amphitheatre-like experience – within the boundaries of a machine. Infotainment, navigation, instrument clusters, heads up displays (HUD), and other boundless innovations are enriching user experiences to new dimensions. Under the hood, iWave platforms and rich Crank Storyboard GUIs ensure dynamic performance, and deliver rich functionality throughout the vehicle's lifetime.

Medical:

Health care systems are evolving to newer standards of diagnosis and patient care. Continuous monitoring using connected technology allows patients to conveniently interact with their health providers on 24/7 basis, accelerating early diagnosis and improved recordings of health data. Emerging technologies are enabling advanced use cases to the point where performing medical operations remotely on patients can occur. Such innovative concepts require efficient and sophisticated computing platforms such as the NXP i.MX8 and rich embedded GUIs that facilitate seamless interaction, real-time intelligence, and flexibility in critical medical applications.

IoT automation:

Whether a production factory or your home, imagine the possibilities of having complete control over your assets - even when you’re away from them. Remote monitoring via automation systems ensures maximum throughput interoperability, in addition to cost and energy savings. The iWave SOM platform and Crank's GUI software, Storyboard, work in tandem to offer an interactive platform that assists in building out apps that monitor these assets and improve resource efficiency.

QNX RTOS in iWave's i.MX8QM SMARC development board 

(Above: i.MX 8QuadMax/QuadPlus SMARC Development platform)

Key features:

• i.MX8 QM/QP/DM SoC
• Up to 8GB LPDDR4 RAM and 128GB eMMC storage 
• Built in 802.11ac Wi-Fi module 
• Dual Gigabit Ethernet support 
• Multiple display options including 4K HDMI, video input, CAN ports 
• Multiple PCIe devices, SATA, USB3.0, Serial interfaces and Audio
  
  

Snapshots of a Storyboard-built GUI application running on the QNX RTOS in iWave’s i.MX 8QM SMARC development board:

GUI development on iWave SOMs and SBCs

Crank Software enables a “no programming” UI framework in Storyboard that allows designers to easily generate graphical images and animations by directly importing the UI designs from tools including: Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and Sketch.

The GUI design can be created and undergo iterations in parallel to the back-end applications. Storyboard’s runtime allows for the GUI to be deployed and ran on the embedded hardware platform quickly and easily, without the need to compile any code. Because of this, the embedded GUI can be in use on the SOM platform in minutes.

Advantages of using iWave platforms:                            

• 10+ years long term product longevity 
• Technical support
• Pre-integrated libraries to run Storyboard-built applications 
• Expertise in wide-range of OS and RTOS 
• Turnkey hardware, software services, and manufacturing support
• NXP Gold Partner, working with all i.MX platforms

iWave extends services in customizing BSP for developing Storyboard GUIs and contributes to bringing the applications to life quickly and affordably onto target boards including: i.MX8 family such as the i.MX8, i.MX8M, i.MX8X and i.MX8M Mini/Nano.

Want to try it for yourself? Download your free full-featured trial here.