Event Video Playback Brings “Instant Replay” to TwinCAT Machine Control Diagnostics
- Todd Jarvey
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
Add-on feature provides an easy-to-use video review of events/alarms as logged events directly from TwinCAT HMI Event Viewer
When production stops, every second counts. Engineers and operators must act quickly to determine what happened and why it happened to restore production and prevent future downtime. Traditional control systems rely on raw data to tell the story, but new capabilities for adding real time video to the equation offer instant clarity.
Adding video capture and playback to a machine used to mean introducing separate vision systems, PCs, network storage, and custom software. All of this increases engineering time, cost, and potential points of failure. Event Video Playback eliminates this overhead by integrating everything directly into the existing TwinCAT control system.
Get a complete picture of your machine and process
When paired with TwinCAT HMI, Event Video Playback provides an easy, fully integrated way to capture and review video recordings after machine events and alarms. It works much like instant replay in televised sports: When an error or warning occurs, the system automatically links a corresponding video clip to the event log in the TwinCAT HMI Event Viewer. Operators can immediately replay the moments before and after the issue to understand exactly what took place on the line or in the cell. Event Video Playback provides an easy, fully integrated way to capture and review video recordings of machine events and alarms. It works like instant replay in televised sports: When an error or warning occurs, the system automatically links a corresponding video to the event log in the TwinCAT HMI Event Viewer. Operators can immediately replay the moments before and after the issue to understand exactly what took place on the line or in the cell.
This integrated functionality helps maintenance and operations teams move beyond guesswork to evidence-based root cause analysis and targeted troubleshooting. Instead of piecing together sensor readings or operator reports, they can visually confirm incidents, make informed decisions, and take corrective action fast. This reduces downtime, provides more consistent production, and offers an overall deeper understanding of process behavior.
Built on PC Control standards
Built entirely within the TwinCAT control platform, Event Video Playback doesn’t require third-party video systems or complex IT integrations. Instead, it leverages the flexibility of Beckhoff’s fully integrated PC-based control ecosystem, where machine control, motion, vision, safety, HMI, and more all run on the same hardware and software environment.
The video functionality is implemented using TwinCAT Vision, the integrated machine vision solution within TwinCAT software. Engineers can connect and manage multiple cameras as part of the same control project, defining how and when videos are recorded and how they link to specific PLC events. Through standard TwinCAT PLC programming based on IEC 61131-3 and Microsoft Visual Studio, machine developers can customize which alarms trigger video creation along with numerous video configuration parameters. TwinCAT HMI provides operators the ability to access the Event Logger page and review the events and videos from local or remote locations.
Because everything runs in the same control platform, communication between the PLC, machine vision system, and HMI layers is instantaneous and deterministic, ensuring reliable video capture and playback exactly when you need it.
Free, flexible, and easy to deploy
Event Video Playback is offered as a free download on GitHub for existing TwinCAT users. Developed by Beckhoff engineers as a demonstration of what’s possible within the PC-based control platform, it provides configurable parameters and clear documentation which allows users to quickly adapt the feature set to their own applications.
A single installer sets up the industrial PC (IPC) environment, including a PLC library, HMI NuGet packages, and documentation. Complete sample project downloads are also available to minimize integration effort. No vision-specific programming is required. For engineers already familiar with the TwinCAT engineering environment, implementation is straightforward, extending machine capabilities without steep learning curves or expensive system add-ons.
This simplicity underscores one of Beckhoff’s core advantages: the ability to build far more than basic PLC functionality within a unified architecture that covers all aspects of automation. From advanced motion control to AI-based vision analytics, the open TwinCAT environment allows engineers to innovate freely and create smarter machines with one intuitive software platform.
The next step in fully integrated automation
Event Video Playback delivers real-world value across entire organizations. Maintenance teams gain visual documentation of what caused an alarm or stoppage for faster diagnostics. Quality assurance teams can review process deviations in real time and verify corrective measures. Process engineers can use the recorded footage to optimize workflows and prevent future issues. At each point, the system empowers efficiency, fast diagnostics, quality, and teams in continuous improvement efforts.
Engineers can design machines with built-in video diagnostics without incurring excessive hardware costs, as the same IPC running TwinCAT for overall machine control can already handle video processing. The ability to use the same software framework also simplifies maintenance and long-term support. For OEMs, this means a more competitive and feature-rich machine with minimal increase to BOM cost and integration effort.
By providing Event Video Playback functionality as a free sample project in TwinCAT, Beckhoff encourages developers to explore what’s possible within an all-purpose automation ecosystem. It shows that even advanced capabilities can be built directly in a standard control system, proving that TwinCAT continues to empower engineers to go far beyond the limits of traditional PLCs.
Ready to get unmatched clarity into your machine's performance with the power of TwinCAT and Event Video Playback? Connect with your local Beckhoff sales engineer today.
Todd Jarvey is the Vision Product Manager
at Beckhoff Automation