HMI
HMI Design and Programming: Siemens WinCC and FactoryTalk View ME
Learn what makes a good HMI, then build one in Siemens WinCC and in Rockwell FactoryTalk View ME for PanelView Plus.
HMI Design and Programming: Siemens WinCC and FactoryTalk View ME is a free, self-paced online course from EDWartens for engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in automation and control. It has 16 modules and takes about 18.3 hours, with written notes, a practice task per module, a practical project and a final assessment of 15 questions (pass mark 60%). Learning costs nothing and needs only a free account. The optional EDWartens Certificate of Completion, verifiable by code, is a one-off US$23.99 for you; it is not a vendor credential. Updated 1 November 2026.
- Free
- Beginner
- 18.3 hours
- Self-paced
- Certificate optional
- Lab practice in your browser
No card, no trial. The course is free for good. Certificate US$23.99, optional.
- Who it is for
- Engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in automation and control
- Jobs
- Roles that use this skill: SCADA engineer, HMI developer, control room technologist and systems integrator. No course guarantees a job.
- Tools
- TIA Portal with WinCC (21-day trial). FactoryTalk View Studio ME is paid: it runs 7 days without activation, then in two-hour demo sessions. Hardware: none. Both tools simulate the panel.
- Updated
After this course you can
By the end you will be able to:
- Explain what an HMI is and what good HMI design means
- Build a WinCC project with alarms, trends, recipes and users
- Build a FactoryTalk View ME application with displays, alarms and animation
- Set up security, recipes and navigation
- Back up and troubleshoot an HMI project
Who it is for, and what you need first
Who it is for
Engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in automation and control.
Level: Beginner. Beginner to intermediate. PLC basics assumed.
What you need
Software: TIA Portal with WinCC (21-day trial). FactoryTalk View Studio ME is paid: it runs 7 days without activation, then in two-hour demo sessions.
Hardware: None. Both tools simulate the panel.. What to download, and how.
How this course works
Watch the lessons
Short video lessons, one module at a time, at your own pace.
Read the notes
Open the Reading tab for the written notes and diagrams of the module.
Practise in the 3D labOptional
Try the module in the free 3D lab, in your browser.
Check yourself
Answer the questions to see what stuck before you move on.
Final assessment
Pass the final once you have been through the modules.
Certificate, if you want oneOptional
Optional, with a page anyone can use to verify it.
What you learn
16 modules in order, at your own pace. 18.3 hours of video lessons, with written notes and a practice task in each module.
- 1What an HMI Is and How to Choose One, with lab practice: 24m
- 2Siemens WinCC: Project, Templates, Connection, Tags, with lab practice: 37m
- 3Siemens Screens and Animation26m
- 4Siemens Alarms, Trends, Recipes, with lab practice: 24m
- 5Siemens Users, Scripting, Libraries, Languages28m
- 6Siemens Transfer, Media, Cross References, Analog40m
- 7WinCC flexible 2008 Legacy49m
- 8FactoryTalk View: Install, Tour, Activation, First ME Application41m
Show the other 8 modules
- 9FTV ME: Displays, Navigation, Runtime, Communications, with lab practice: 30m
- 10FTV ME: Hello World to Alarms and Animation, with lab practice: 28m
- 11FTV ME: Global Objects, Languages, Remote Access, Trends, Parameters37m
- 12FTV ME: Security and 21 CFR Part 1152m
- 13FTV ME: Recipes, ActiveX and Macros34m
- 14FTV ME: Firmware, Backup, Restore, Conversion, Troubleshooting42m
- 15FactoryTalk View SE and Newer ME Features1h 9m
- 16Final Assessment
Software you need
What to download, where from, what it costs and how to install it. Every link goes to the maker's own site, never a mirror.
Show what to download (2 tools)
Required
- 01Free trial: 21 days
SIMATIC STEP 7 Professional and WinCC (TIA Portal) V21 Trial
Siemens
- Runs on
- Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise 64-bit (24H2), Windows 10 Enterprise 2021 LTSC, or Windows Server 2022/2025. Windows 11 Home is supported only for the Basic editions.
- Account
- A free Siemens account registered for Industry Online Support (SiePortal)
- Size
- about 8.1 GB for the main ISO, plus an optional 3.1 GB DVD 2 with hardware support packages
Siemens lets registered users download the V21 trial of STEP 7 (Basic and Professional), STEP 7 Safety and WinCC and test it for 21 days. The same package is used for the full product; after 21 days you need a purchased licence to keep working.
Steps
- 1.Open the Siemens trial page (entry 109989774) and sign in with your Siemens Industry Online Support account.
- 2.Download TIA_Portal_STEP7_Safety_WinCC_V21.iso (8.1 GB).
- 3.Download S7-PLCSIM_V21.iso (2.5 GB) from the same page: PLCSIM is a separate download.
- 4.Right-click each ISO, choose Mount, and run Start.exe as administrator. Install STEP 7 and WinCC first, then PLCSIM.
- 5.Follow the setup, accept the licence terms and restart the PC when asked.
- 6.Open TIA Portal V21 and create a new project to confirm it runs.
- Install from a local drive with plenty of free space; Siemens lists 20 GB free as the minimum and the ISOs alone are over 10 GB.
- You only need DVD 2 if you want extra hardware support packages.
- If you cannot install locally, Siemens also offers a 21-day TIA Portal Cloud trial in the browser (one-hour sessions, not in every country).
Official download pagesupport.industry.siemens.comAlternatives
- TIA Portal Cloud trial: 21 days free in a cloud virtual machine, no install. Sessions are limited to one hour and it is not available in every country.
- 02Paid only
FactoryTalk View Studio (Machine Edition and Site Edition)
Rockwell Automation
- Runs on
- Windows 10 or 11 Pro or Enterprise 64-bit, or Windows Server 2019/2022/2025
- Account
- A Rockwell Automation account and a product serial number from a purchased licence
FactoryTalk View is paid software with no public trial. If a licensed install cannot find its activation it runs for a 7-day grace period; after that FactoryTalk View ME runs only in a demo mode that allows two hours of use. Rockwell says FactoryTalk View SE should be downloaded with a server or station serial number.
Steps
- 1.If your employer or college has a FactoryTalk View licence, ask for the serial number.
- 2.Sign in to the Product Compatibility and Download Center and search for FactoryTalk View.
- 3.Download FactoryTalk View Machine Edition or Site Edition using your serial number.
- 4.Install it as administrator and activate it with FactoryTalk Activation Manager.
- 5.Open FactoryTalk View Studio and create a new Machine Edition or Site Edition application.
- Demo mode is meant for evaluation only and stops after two hours, so it is not a practical way to follow a full course.
Rockwell Automation product pagerockwellautomation.comLegitimate free routes
- FactoryTalk Optix Studio Standard: Rockwell's free HMI design tool; applications run on the development PC without a runtime licence.
- Connected Components Workbench Standard Edition: Free; Rockwell describes it as one tool to program, simulate, configure and visualize small systems.
- Rockwell Automation training: Instructor-led FactoryTalk View courses, or use an employer licence.
Checked against each maker's own page on 27 September 2026. Trial lengths and editions change; the maker's page is the final word.
Practise in the 3D lab
Practise the design rules behind a good HMI: build an ISA-101 style overview that stays grey until something is wrong, and set alarms that do not flood.
- Read the P&IDProcess lab, about 20 minOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Read the P&ID
- Build an operator screenProcess lab, about 45 minOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Build an operator screen
- Alarm rationalisationProcess lab, about 50 minOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Alarm rationalisation
- Connect the panel to the PLCProcess lab, about 55 minOpen in the lab (opens in a new tab): Connect the panel to the PLC
Optional. Skip it whenever you like: it never blocks your progress or your certificate.
Course project, about 16 hours
110 Ml/d water-treatment plant: redesign of a cluttered 2012 HMI to high-performance rules, with a measured before and after
Redesign the operator interface of a 110 Ml/d (110,000 m3 a day) water-treatment plant. It starts as a 2012 HMI of pipe drawings with 412 alarms. You write a numbered style guide, build a grey Level 1 overview, one Level 2 display and two faceplates, and rationalise forty alarms to ISA-18.2 attributes. You then prove the result with a timed before-and-after test. The sample pack shows what an HMI consultant hands over.
- 8documents in the pack
- 9steps to follow
- Laboptional: in the 3D lab
- 6things to hand in
- 16 hof work, at your pace
- URSUser Requirements: Operator Interface Redesign, Ring Road WTP
- HMI specHMI Philosophy, Style Guide and Screen Specification: Ring Road WTP
- Alarm philosophyAlarm Philosophy: Ring Road Water-Treatment Plant
- Tag listHMI Tag List and Naming Convention: New Displays against the Existing S7-300 Data Blocks
- Alarm listAlarm List, Rationalised: Ring Road WTP (with the 2012 'before' list)
- FATFactory Acceptance Test Record: Redesigned HMI, Ring Road WTP
Do it in the lab: 5 steps.
The project is optional practice. The certificate needs only the modules and the final assessment.
After the course, your next step
Show what you can do, then keep going in the same field.
A certificate you can verify
Finish the modules and pass the final assessment (15 questions, pass mark 60%) and you can add a certificate with a public verification page. One-off, US$23.99 for you. It is not a vendor credential.
Want a free certificate? Do the matching Free internship: 4 weeks, nothing to buy, with a free certificate of completion.
SCADA and HMI
Eight short weeks of tags, screens, alarms and trends: notes, diagrams, a few videos and practice in LADX Mini and free web SCADA tools. Finish weeks 1 to 4 and the final, then claim a free Internship Completion Certificate with your real dates and study hours, and a QR code anyone can scan to verify it. Training, not employment.
See the internshipPart of a learning path
Courses in a planned order, so each one builds on the last.
More free courses
Roles that use this skill
- SCADA engineer
- HMI developer
- Control room technologist
- Systems integrator
These are the kinds of roles where the skill is used. We make no promise of a job or an interview.
Plain notes
- Free: the whole course, the notes, the practice tasks, the final assessment and support from practising engineers.
- Paid, and optional: the course certificate, and the Engineer-verified internship (the Free internship costs nothing).
- No job promise: the course teaches a skill. It does not place you in a job.
- Lessons by: PCC | A GCG Company, TechJourneyHub, Rockwell Automation, RealPars, PCC, PLCGurus.NET, PLC Automation Training, James Cash, IIOT+, Ranjithkumar Karuppiya, Shane Welcher SR. Independent creators; the lessons stream from their own channels. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, practice tasks and assessments.
PCC | A GCG Company · TechJourneyHub · Rockwell Automation · RealPars · PCC · PLCGurus.NET · PLC Automation Training · James Cash · IIOT+ · Ranjithkumar Karuppiya · Shane Welcher SR. If you are one of these creators and want a lesson removed or credited differently, write to info@edwartens.com.
Practise what you learn in the free 3D lab
Technical work is judged on what you can do: wiring, commissioning, finding a fault. Doing a task yourself teaches more than watching it a second time, and a lab lets you try it safely before you meet real equipment. It does not replace working on real hardware.
- Practise safely, so a mistake costs nothing.
- The lab checks your work like a site test, so you know when it is right.
- Free, in your browser, with nothing to install.
Why learn with EDWartens
What you get with this course, and what comes after it.
- Free from the first lesson to the final assessment.
- Practice in a free 3D lab in your browser, with nothing to install.
- Video lessons with written notes and a project.
- An optional certificate that anyone can verify online.
- Free internships to keep practising afterwards.
Common questions
Do I need panels?
No. WinCC runtime simulation and FactoryTalk View's test mode run every exercise on the PC.
Why two vendors in one course?
Because the design principles are the same and many plants run both. Learning both makes the principles visible and doubles your employability.
Which versions?
TIA Portal V16 to V19 with WinCC Comfort/Advanced; FactoryTalk View ME v10 to v13. Older versions are close enough for the material.
Is the HMI Design and Programming course really free?
Yes. Every module, practice task and assessment. You create an account so your progress is saved and the assessments can be marked. The certificate is the only paid item, and only if you want it.
What certificate do I get, and is it a Siemens or Rockwell qualification?
An EDWartens Certificate of Completion, issued when you pass the final assessment, with a verification code anyone can check. It is not a Siemens, Rockwell or any vendor credential and is never described as one.
Who made the video lessons in the HMI Design and Programming course?
The creators named in the Credits block at the foot of this page, on their own YouTube channels. EDWartens did not make the videos and the creators are not affiliated with EDWartens. What EDWartens wrote is the study plan, the notes, the practice tasks and the assessments.
How long does the HMI Design and Programming course take?
Plan on about 18 hours in all, including the video lessons, notes and practice tasks. It is self-paced, so you work through the sixteen modules at your own speed.
Do I have to use the lab?
No. The lab is optional practice. You can skip it whenever you like, and it never blocks your progress, the final assessment or your certificate.
Is the lab free?
Yes. Every lab level for this course opens in your browser, free, with nothing to install.
What topics does the HMI Design and Programming course cover, module by module?
The HMI Design and Programming course has 16 modules. It opens with "What an HMI Is and How to Choose One", goes through "Siemens WinCC: Project, Templates, Connection, Tags", "Siemens Transfer, Media, Cross References, Analog", "FTV ME: Global Objects, Languages, Remote Access, Trends, Parameters" and "FactoryTalk View SE and Newer ME Features" and ends with "Final Assessment". The full list with minutes is under "What you learn" on this page.
What can I do after the HMI Design and Programming course?
After the HMI Design and Programming course: Design a high-performance HMI: grey ground, colour for abnormal, screen hierarchy; Build a WinCC TIA project with templates, connection, tags, screens, animation, text lists, pop-ups; Configure alarms, trends, recipes, users, scripts, libraries and languages in WinCC. These are the practical outcomes the course is written around, and the final assessment of 15 questions checks them.
What software and hardware do I need for the HMI Design and Programming course, and does it cost anything?
For the HMI Design and Programming course, software: TIA Portal with WinCC (21-day trial). FactoryTalk View Studio ME is paid: it runs 7 days without activation, then in two-hour demo sessions. Hardware: none. Both tools simulate the panel. The course itself is free.
Is the HMI Design and Programming course suitable for me, and what level is it?
HMI Design and Programming is rated beginner. Beginner to intermediate. PLC basics assumed. It is written for engineering students, apprentices, technicians and working engineers in automation and control, and takes about 18.3 hours at your own pace.
Which jobs use the skills from the HMI Design and Programming course?
Skills from the HMI Design and Programming course (for example: design a high-performance HMI: grey ground, colour for abnormal, screen hierarchy) are used in roles such as SCADA engineer, HMI developer, control room technologist and systems integrator, and in automation engineer work. The course gives you practical evidence of the skill; it does not promise a job, and employers decide on experience and interview.
Start free today
HMI Design and Programming: Siemens WinCC and FactoryTalk View ME, at your own pace. Add the certificate only if you want one.