pylon Camera Software Suite
The pylon Camera Software Suite offers a collection of
drivers and tools for operating any Basler camera. Versions of the suite
are available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
As it is based on GenICam technology, the pylon Camera Software Suite
allows you to work with the latest camera models and features.

Configuration Tools
A set of configuration tools allows you to configure the camera's interface:
The pylon Camera Software Suite also includes three software development
kits (SDKs):
- pylon SDK for C++ (Windows, Linux, and macOS)
- pylon SDK for C (Windows and Linux)
- pylon SDK for .NET languages, e.g., C# and VB.NET
(Windows only)
Each SDK includes an application programming interface (API), a set
of sample programs, and documentation:
- You can access all of the camera’s parameters and control the camera’s
full functionality from within your application software by using
the matching pylon API (C++, C, or .NET).
- Sample programs illustrate how to use the pylon API to parameterize
and operate the camera.
- A Programmer's Guide and Reference Documentation is available
for each environment (C++, C, and .NET). The documentation gives an
introduction to the pylon API and provides information about all methods
and objects of the API.
- The pylon USB Camera Driver is fully compliant
with the USB3
Vision standard. It enables Basler USB 3.0 cameras to use the
full speed and bandwidth of USB 3.0 for image transmission, while
reducing resource load and using off-the-shelf hardware components.
- The pylon GigE Filter Driver is a basic GigE
Vision network driver that is compatible with all network adapters.
The advantage of the filter driver is its extensive compatibility.
This driver is available for Windows only.
- The pylon GigE Performance Driver is a hardware-specific
GigE Vision network driver. The performance driver is only compatible
with network adapters that use compatible
chipsets. The advantage of the performance driver is that it significantly
lowers the CPU load needed to service the network traffic between
the computer and the camera(s). It also has a more robust packet resend
mechanism. This driver is available for Windows only.
- The socket driver is not a real driver, but uses
the Socket API of the given operating system, e.g., Windows, Linux,
or macOS, to communicate with cameras instead. The advantage of the
socket driver is that it does not need any installation and is compatible
with all network adapters. When using the socket driver, Basler recommends
adjusting the network adapter settings (e.g. optimize the use of Jumbo
Frames, Receive Descriptors, and Interrupt Moderation Rate) as described
in the Network
Configuration topic.
- The pylon BCON I²C Driver Adapter (Linux only)
can be used to develop software for embedded systems. pylon provides
the driver’s source code as well as a compiled binary file. It can
be used as-is, but you can also write your own adapter by implementing
the BCON Adapter API.
- The pylon Camera Link Configuration Driver (not
available for macOS) gives you access to all camera parameters of
Basler's Camera Link cameras.
- The pylon CXP Interface Driver
(Windows only) allows you to use Basler's CoaXPress cameras.
Installation (Windows)
→ See Software Installation
(Windows)
Documentation
You can access the Basler Product Documentation directly from the suite's
various tools.
In the pylon Viewer, you can get context-sensitive help. If you need
more information about a parameter or want to know more about your camera
model, select the desired item in the Devices or the
Features pane and open the documentation by pressing
F1 or right-clicking and selecting Get Help.
External Links