The image analysis in Scorpion is performed by a toolbox of user configurable tools. You find a very rich variety of tools in Scorpion. These are image processing tools in addition to mathematical and logical tools. They are grouped in 7 categories:
Basic, Data, Geometry, Reference system, Line, Advanced tools and 3D.

The are smaller part of really powerful tools. The main part of the tools are rather simple, but put together they solve very complicated tasks. Description of Scorpion Tools. Using tool templates the setting of one tool can be same for tool doing the same task. Tools that are attach to a template class are automatically updated when the template is changed.

An image analyzing tool is used to make a calculation. When configuring a vision system, you decide which tools to use and set their parameter values. The parameters define the tool setup and are typically coordinates, search areas (ROI - Region Of Interest), reference points, min/max values, etc.  

When run, a tool generates a result given as one or more values in addition to a set of graphical elements for visualization. The measuring result is used to define the measured objects state or status, which again decides if an action, is to be taken.  The visualisation elements are used to illustrate the Scorpion measurement in the camera image. Each element is given a colour.

Additionally to the image analyses tools, there are other tools used to further process the analyses results. Two tools of importance are the logical and Python tools. The Logic tool classifies results from a set of image analyses tools.

The general elements of a tool is describes here.

The toolbox menu is activated right-clicking the mouse.

The toolbar has the following operations:

- New tool - Ctrl-N
- Configure - change tool - Ctrl-E
- Tool up - Ctrl-U
- Tool down - Ctrl-D
- Delete tool - Del
- Active / deactivate - Ctrl-A
- Set manual execution
- Visualise all tools
   - Visualise only selected tool
   - Visualise tool and it's reference tools
   - No visualisation
- Set Multithreaded
- Execute tool
- Open tool result dialog - Ctrl-R
- Open tool dependencies dialog - Ctrl-B
- Cut tool - Ctrl-X
- Copy tool - Ctrl-C
- Paste selected tool
- Paste new tool - Ctrl-V
- Help - activate this page

The toolbox consists of an ordered sequence of named tools. They are connected to an image and an 
optional reference system.  
 

The Toolbox window

The icon in front of its name indicates the tool’s state after an inspection.

The icon definitions are as follows:

Not run   Ok    Blocked by guard or reference    Error or No result 
Not active    - No license    - Manual Execution - embedded python scripts

A system can use several different images in the identification process. The ‘Image’ column shows which of them the particular tool is operating on. In our example there is only one image.

In the ‘Reference’ column you find the name of a tool used as reference for the selected tool. Under ‘Guard’ you can name a tool that must be successfully run prior to the execution of the selected one.

Select a tool and press the button, and you get a list of other tools using this tool’s results in their calculations. You are e.g. not allowed to delete a tool if other tools base their calculations on it.

You can use the Visualisation select a tool in the list and choose Selection and you see only the results of this tool in the screen image. Choosing Selection plus reference you get the results also from the tools used as reference for the selected one. 

Follow the link to see the most important terms used in the tool descriptions.