64-bit Configuration Still Under Testing
ScanImage 4.0 has primarily been developed using the 32-bit configuration described below. Support for the 64-bit configuration was added recently and has just begun to be used in the developer's laboratory. Some technical/hardware issues have been identified with 64-bit configuration, which remain to be fully resolved.
Prospective buyers of new systems are likely best advised to wait till 64-bit configuration has been further validated by the developers. The 64-bit configuration remains the planned platform for future development. Ideally, users might begin with the 32-bit configuration and migrate later to the 64-bit configuration; however, the cost of switching the digitizer board may be considerable, so this may not be practical.
ScanImage 4.0 is a new version of ScanImage which supports resonant scanning and volume imaging. Resonant scanning allows an order-of-magnitude increase in line scan rate (up to 16kHz supported) compared to scanning with the galvanometer based scanning supported by ScanImage 3.x. Video-rate imaging, e.g. 30Hz for 512x512 pixels, is then readily supported. Resonant scanning may be combined with piezo-sweeps in the axial dimension to achieve volume imaging. For example, it is possible to image from 4 or 8 image planes with an aggregate frame rate of ~8 or 4 Hz, respectively.
The primary hardware requirement to use ScanImage 4.0 is the Thorlabs MPM-SCAN or MPM-2PKIT Multiphoton Essentials Kit. ScanImage 4.0 supports optional Pockels, motor, and shutter components, similar to ScanImage 3.x. For optional volume imaging, the E-665 controller from Physik Instrumente is supported, which can be used with a variety of suitable piezo actuators (e.g. the P-725 PIFOC). Support for additional controller models could be provided in the future, if demand/need is demonstrated.
ScanImage 4.0 supports two deployment configurations, called the 32-bit and 64-bit configurations:
Future versions of ScanImage are expected to support galvanometer scanning as well, including targeted non-raster scan trajectories, to provide a single comprehensive laser-scanning application. At the moment, however, ScanImage 4 is exclusively for resonant scanning, and ScanImage 3 support for galvanometer scanning is maintained.
Under the hood, ScanImage 4.0 is written with an entirely object-oriented architecture. A ScanImage object is available at the command line – all ScanImage functionality can be accessed via the object's properties and methods. Functionality could therefore be entirely scripted, if needed. The graphical user-interface provided with ScanImage 4.0 is implemented as a wholly separate object, which serves to control the ScanImage application. The architecture is a form of model-view separation.