Calendar

LIGHTFAIR 2010
May 12-14
Las Vegas, CA
More details

IODC
June 14-16
Jackson Hole, WY
More details

SPIE Optics + Photonics
August 1-5
San Diego, CA
More details

Introduction to Illumination Design Using LightTools
October 11-14
Pasadena, California
More details

COM Macro Programming in LightTools
October 15
Pasadena, California
More details

Introduction to LightTools
November 2010
Munich, Germany
More details

Selected Advanced Topics in LightTools
November 2010
Munich, Germany
More details

For a complete list of LightTools events worldwide: visit our website

Quick Tip – Using Ray Paths and the Ray Path Analyzer in LightTools

Ray paths and ray path filtering can be powerful diagnostic tools for any system.  For example, if you are getting less light on your receiver than expected, ray paths may help you understand where the light is going. Ray paths can also be valuable when trying to analyze stray light or undesirable illumination patterns.  Ray path filters (receiver filters that utilize the path information) can help you troubleshoot systems with multiple ray paths by isolating the light from just one path.  For example, you may want to know where the light is going from just one path of the red, green, and blue channels of a projector or you may want to know the individual contribution from each of the facets in a segmented reflector.

When you enable the Ray Path feature, LightTools creates a list of paths (an ordered list of the surfaces with which a ray interacts as it propagates) and the power transmitted along each path during a simulation.  When you couple the Ray Path feature with a ray path filter, you can view, on a receiver-by-receiver basis, the distribution of light that propagates along any combination of paths.

Because a complex system can have thousands of paths along which light travels, LightTools also includes a utility to help you isolate the desired paths.  The Ray Path Analyzer utility, located in the Utility Library (Tools menu), allows you to filter specific paths or sub-paths, which may include multiple surfaces or a single surface. 

A video tutorial featuring ray paths and the Ray Path Analyzer utility is available on ORA’s Customer Support web site, www.oraservice.com, under LightTools Support > Training & Demo Videos. This 15-minute video shows how the Ray Path feature, receiver filters, and the Ray Path Analyzer utility can be used to determine what surfaces cause stray light in a helmet-mounted display.

Have you taken the LightTools User Survey?

Let us know what you think of LightTools. If you haven't already taken our survey, there is still time. The survey should take about 15 minutes to complete. We will be asking questions about your satisfaction with the software, technical support, and documentation.  Also included are some questions about what we can do to improve LightTools.

As a token of our appreciation for your time, all respondents to the survey will get their choice of a gift from ORA that has been customized with the LightTools logo. You can choose one of the following items: keychain toolkit; mug/tumbler; or desktop clock.

Take the LightTools User Survey now 

Please remember: If you are unable to complete the survey after you have started, you can return to the survey at another time using the same link.  The survey will remember the responses you've already entered up to that point, and you can pick up where you left off.  Please complete the survey before May 17th.

We look forward to seeing your responses and getting your feedback.  Thank you in advance for taking the survey.