Once you have sufficient LabVIEW expertise to be able to write Data Acquisiition routines using simple DAQ devices (such as the multi-function NI-USB-6xxx devices), you can "graduate" to LabVIEW Real-Time (LabVIEW RT) systems where the PC runs the User Interaction, and a separate PXI or something like a Compact-DAQ, with a separate processor running a separate (non-Windows) OS, does the Data Acquisition and Control functions using rigorously-controlled timing. Once you have mastered that, you are ready to add a third processing layer, the FPGA that can be a component of a Compact DAQ or RIO system.
The skills you learned coding LabVIEW can transfer to LabVIEW RT systems, but programming the FPGA has a whole set of different rules. If you can't understand the examples that ship with LabVIEW, you might not be ready to tackle the triple juggling of three independent systems, the Host LabVIEW system running on a PC, a LabVIEW RT routine running on a Pharlap or Linux-RT system, and FPGA code running on an FPGA sub-system within the LabVIEW-RT device.
Bob Schor
