Developing modern Human-Machine Interfaces (HMIs) for industrial panels, embedded devices, or SCADA systems often requires high-quality visual assets (widgets, gauges, buttons, trends). Commercial libraries can be costly and restrictive. This report identifies and evaluates free (open-source or freemium) HMI graphics libraries to reduce development time, improve UI/UX, and maintain cost efficiency. Key findings indicate that Qt’s built-in assets (with open-source license), FOSS SVG icon sets, and specialized SCADA libraries offer viable, production-ready solutions.
Google’s Material Icons aren't industrial, but the community has created "Industrial Material" forks. These are flat, modern, and perfect for touchscreens. free hmi graphics library
| Limitation | Workaround | |------------|-------------| | Limited 3D or isometric views | Use Inkscape to rotate/extrude 2D SVGs | | No built-in touch gestures | Add JavaScript (for web HMIs) to detect swipe or long-press | | Missing modern color schemes | Recolor with CSS filters or theme variables | | No dynamic text localization | Manage labels externally via JSON resources | Key findings indicate that Qt’s built-in assets (with
When selecting a library, evaluate these criteria: FOSS SVG icon sets
| Feature | Why It Matters | |--------|----------------| | Vector format (SVG) | Scales from 2" to 4K without pixelation | | State-based styling | Shows “pump running” (green) vs “alarm” (red) without swapping images | | Touch-friendly sizing | Minimum 40×40px hit area for finger operation | | Tool compatibility | Works with Ignition Maker, Grafana, Node-RED, FUXA, or your custom Web HMI | | No restrictive license | Avoid GPL if building proprietary hardware – prefer MIT, CC0, or Apache 2.0 |
pip install PySide6
# Use Qt SVG module to load free industrial icons
# Use QPropertyAnimation for dynamic HMI behavior
# Style buttons with QSS (e.g., green start, red stop)