System Requirements

MERLIC is available for Windows and Linux systems. On Windows, all components of MERLIC can be used. For Linux systems, currently only the runtime environment of MERLIC, MERLIC RTE, is available.

For all systems applies that MERLIC actively makes use of multi-core platforms and AVX (Advanced Vector Extensions) for highest performance.

The following sections give more detailed information on the system requirements for the supported platforms.

Windows

To use MERLIC 5.6.2 on Windows systems, the following system requirements must be fulfilled:

Component

Property

Operating system

Windows 10 (64-bit, version 1903) or newer

Processor

x64 quad-core (2.50 GHz)

Memory

at least 4 GB

Disk space

6 GB (Default installation; during the installation process more space is needed)

If smaller MERLIC packages are installed, for example, only the package for the MERLIC Frontend, less disk space is required.

Graphics

1920x1080, 32-bit color

In addition, one of the following graphics API must be provided on the system:

  • Direct3D 11.1 or Direct3D 12
  • Metal 1.2 or higher
  • OpenGL 3.0 or higher (OpenGL 3.3 or higher is strongly recommended)
  • OpenGL ES 2.0 or higher (OpenGL ES 3.0 or higher is strongly recommended)
  • Vulkan 1.0 or higher

Linux

To use MERLIC RTE on Linux systems, the following system requirements must be fulfilled:

Component

PC-based systems

Arm-based platforms

Operating system

Linux 5.0

Linux 5.0

Processor

Intel 64 or AMD 64

Armv8-A-64bit compliant with support for NEON instruction set

Libraries

glibc 2.27 (or higher)

libX11

libxkbcommon

libXext

libGL

libEGL

libfontconfig

libfreetype

glibc 2.27 (or higher)

libX11

libxkbcommon

libXext

libGL

libEGL

libfontconfig

libfreetype

Graphics

1920x1080, 32-bit color

In addition, one of the following graphics API must be provided on the system:

  • Direct3D 11.1 or Direct3D 12
  • Metal 1.2 or higher
  • OpenGL 3.0 or higher (OpenGL 3.3 or higher is strongly recommended)
  • OpenGL ES 2.0 or higher (OpenGL ES 3.0 or higher is strongly recommended)
  • Vulkan 1.0 or higher

1920x1080, 32-bit color

In addition, one of the following graphics API must be provided on the system:

  • Direct3D 11.1 or Direct3D 12
  • Metal 1.2 or higher
  • OpenGL 3.0 or higher (OpenGL 3.3 or higher is strongly recommended)
  • OpenGL ES 2.0 or higher (OpenGL ES 3.0 or higher is strongly recommended)
  • Vulkan 1.0 or higher

For more information about using MERLIC RTE on Linux systems, see the PDF file "MERLIC RTE Test Version for Linux" provided on the MVTec website.

Further Requirements for Installation and License Activation

For specific tasks, some further requirements are necessary:

  • Administrator privileges are required during the installation of MERLIC and for the installation of USB3 Vision camera drivers
  • For the activation of the MERLIC license, a connection to the internet is required.

Deep-Learning-Based Applications

To benefit from the provided Artificial Intelligence Acceleration Interfaces (AI²) when using MERLIC tools with deep learning technology, make sure to install the respective AI accelerator hardware with the appropriate drivers. For more information on the supported AI² interfaces, see the topic AI² Interfaces for Tools with Deep Learning.

Image Acquisition Interfaces

MERLIC offers hardware independence by supporting image acquisition interfaces of the latest industry standards GigE Vision, GenICam GenTL, and USB3 Vision. For more information about the respective system requirements, see the topic Supported Image Acquisition Interfaces.

Additional Tips on OpenGL

If the requirement for OpenGL is not met, software-only OpenGL is automatically used as fallback. The fallback technology will be slower and/or the display might not always work correctly. If needed, the autodetection of OpenGL can be disabled by explicitly setting one of the following environment variables before launching MERLIC:

  • QT_OPENGL=desktop (uses OpenGL)
  • QT_OPENGL=software (uses software-only OpenGL)