1. A computer-implemented method, the method comprising: in a computer, creating a block diagram, wherein the block diagram implements a model of a system, wherein the block diagram comprises a plurality of interconnected nodes that visually represent functionality of the model; generating a hardware description based on the block diagram, wherein the hardware description describes a hardware implementation of the block diagram; configuring a programmable hardware element utilizing the hardware description to produce a configured programmable hardware element, wherein the configured programmable hardware element implements a hardware implementation of the model; and displaying one or more panels on a display for displaying output from the model in response to execution of the configured programmable hardware element.