"Unable to load camera's XML file" with GigE Camera

Updated Jun 15, 2020

Reported In

Software

  • Vision Development Module

Driver

  • NI-IMAQdx
  • NI-IMAQ

Issue Details

I can see my GigE camera in MAX under Networked Devices. However, when I click on it, I get the error message "Unable to load camera's XML file." The camera then appears with a red X next to it. Why is this happening, and how can I fix it?

Solution

Contact the camera's vendor and make sure that the camera is GigE Vision compliant. You should see this logo on the camera's documentation:
 

If the camera is GigE Vision compliant, make sure that you have the latest camera firmware installed.

This error will occur if IMAQdx is unable to parse the XML file at any point while IMAQdx is traversing the camera feature tree from the Root node on down and trying to determine which features are accessible or not. If the XML file uses pImplemented/pAvailable to change the accessibility of nodes dynamically, it can cause XML load issues if those accesses fail.

Additional Information

Many vendors have upgraded their firmware to be GigE Vision compliant, so older versions of firmware will not work correctly. This issue occurs because NI MAX is unable to communicate with the camera using the GigE Vision standard.