LightTools Capabilities Matrix
Click on a capability below to display a list of related features. For additional information, call ORA or send mail to ora_support@synopsys.com.
| Optical System ▼ | click to expand |
| Number of optical elements allowed | Unlimited |
| Number of wavelengths allowed | Unlimited |
| Linear dimension options | Inches, nm, mm, cm, meters |
| Macro language | Yes (model creation, manipulation, analysis) |
| Number of sources allowed (Illumination only) |
Unlimited |
| Number of receivers allowed (Illumination only) |
Unlimited |
| Number of imaging paths allowed | Unlimited |
| Number of fields (imaging paths only) | Unlimited |
| Pupil specification options (imaging paths only) |
Entrance pupil diameter Numerical aperture at object |
| Field specification options (imaging paths only) |
Field angle (infinite conjugate) Object height (finite conjugate) |
| Reference rays (imaging paths only) | Chief ray plus unlimited reference ray definition (number and position) |
| Aperture stop (imaging paths only) | Definable on any optical surface |
| Automatic and user-defined data setting | Pupil specification (EPD or NAO) Vignetting (moves all reference rays) |
| Optical Elements ▼ | click to expand |
Surface shapes |
Plane, Sphere, Conic |
| Radius specifications | Radius or curvature |
| Radius type solves (imaging paths only) | Marginal or chief ray slope |
| Thickness solve types (imaging paths only) | Marginal or chief ray height |
| Number of solves per element | 4 (2 radii and 2 thicknesses, imaging paths only) |
Surface characteristics - refract mode |
Refract (fails on TIR) |
Surface Scattering |
Lambertian, Gaussian, cosn, user-defined, mixed distributions, elliptical Gaussian (BSDF) |
| Volume Scattering | Mie, user-defined, or Henyey Greenstein |
| Importance Sampling | Yes, via aim area and/or aim sphere |
Surface properties |
Transmittance |
| Diffractive surface forms | Linear grating |
Diffraction direction |
Transmission, reflection, both (multiple orders allowed) |
| Glass types | Catalog glass |
| Glass entry method | Info dialog box or via Glass Map |
| Glass catalogs supplied | Schott, Ohara, Hoya, Chance, Corning France, Kodak, Baush & Lomb, Corning, Special or user material |
| Aperture shapes allowed | Circular, Rectangular, Arcuate, Ellipse, or Bitmap |
| Number of apertures per surface | Unlimited |
| Aperture location | Arbitrary location and orientation on surface |
| Optical Element Operations ▼ | click to expand |
| Stretch lens focal point (changes power) | Yes (front or back focal point) |
| Bend lens (maintains power) | Yes |
| Cement/Uncement two elements | Yes (cementing changes 2nd radius as necessary) |
| Immersion | Yes |
| Scale | Yes |
| Move | Yes (absolute or by vector) |
| Copy | Yes (absolute or by vector) |
| Rotate | Yes (absolute or in pane) |
| Array | Yes (rectangular or circular) |
| Fold (maintains 2:1 ratio for old mirrors) | Yes (absolute or in pane) |
| Group/Ungroup elements | Yes |
| Align to user-coordinate system | Yes (along any axis) |
| Delete/Undelete | Yes (unlimited) |
| Non-optical Elements ▼ | click to expand |
| Number of non-optical objects allowed | Unlimited |
| 3D object primitives | Block, Cylinder, Sphere Ellipsoid, Toroid Rotationally swept polyline Linear extrusion |
| 2D object types | Lines, Rectangles, Text |
| Boolean Operations ▼ | click to expand |
| Types of operations | Union (combine multiple objects into one) Subtract (remove one object from others) Intersect (retain overlap of objects) Trim (slice off an edge) |
| Unbool operation | Yes, breaks apart into components |
| Number of Boolean operations allowed | Unlimited |
| Editing | Yes, all Boolean operations can be edited without the need to re-perform the operation |
| Applicable objects | All 3D objects, optical or non-optical (except sources) |
| Non-sequential Ray Tracing ▼ | click to expand |
| Ray tracing modes | Single ray Ray fan (point source, virtual point source, parallel fan) Ray grid (point source, virtual point source, parallel grid) |
| Invoking procedure | Point-and-shoot (select type, starting point, and direction) |
| Automatic update | Yes, upon any optical system change |
| Physical representation | Exact replication of behavior in 3D space, including splitting, TIR, multiple-order diffraction, scattering, etc. |
Visualization |
Color, line width, line style, show/no show all user-selectable |
| Views ▼ | click to expand |
| 3D View | Wireframe, translucent, solid |
| 2D View | Planar, profile representation of 3D model |
| Table view | User-definable tables of components, sources, imaging paths, or non-sequential rays |
| Special purpose views | Non-sequential grid footprints on selected surface |
| Number of open views allowed | Unlimited |
| Updating | Automatic updating of all open views |
| VRML Export | Yes |
| Construction Tools ▼ | click to expand |
| Layers | 32 maximum (user-defined layer names) |
| Grid | Dot or quadrille On/Off selectable Show/No show selectable Variable X,Y spacing Color distinction at regular intervals |
| Grid snap (element positioning) | Snap to grid Snap to X, Y, or Z axis Snap to object Snap to any line Snap to orthogonal direction Enable/disable snap |
| Coordinate system | Global coordinates User-coordinate system (position and orientation user-selectable) |
| Positioning | Cartesian (absolute, relative) Spherical coordinates Polar coordinates Position absolute Position relative |
| Layout Views ▼ | click to expand |
| Windowing | Pan (by mouse, command buttons, scroll bars, or window center) |
| Layout panes (3D Design view) | One or four pane Pane size adjustable |
| Viewpoint default | Front, side, top, isometric (3D Design view) Side (2D Design view, Imaging Path view) |
| Viewpoint modification (3D Design view only) |
Rotate about any axis (mouse or command buttons) Align to front or side of any object Align to any axis of user-coordinate system |
| Visibility | On/Off by layer or entity type |
| Rendering resolution | Selectable by slider |
| Color | Color, saturation, hue, translucence, and shininess
selectable by surface type (refract, reflect, absorb, or mechanical surface) Color, line width, and line style selectable for any object |
| Text Annotation ▼ | click to expand |
| Text features | Edit Normal, Italic Rotate, Position Scale independently in X,Y Proportional or fixed space, Justify |
| Ancillary elements | Lines, arrows (in library), boxes |
| Supplied fonts | 15 |
| Maximum number of fonts allowed | Unlimited |
| Illumination Features (with Illumination Module only) ▼ | click to expand |
| Source properties | Point source |
| Point source angular distribution | Lambertian, Uniform, User-defined |
| Surface emitter angular distribution | Lambertian, Uniform, User-defined |
| Surface emitter spatial distribution | Uniform, user-defined |
| Volume emitter angular distribution | Uniform, user-defined |
| Volume emitter volume distribution | Uniform, cylinder, user-defined |
| Number of sources | Unlimited |
| Receivers | Attached to surface or far-field User-defined "bins" Dynamic re-binning without re-tracing Dynamic re-focusing without re-tracing |
| Number of receivers | Unlimited |
| Ray trace | Fully non-sequential Monte Carlo method (random start point and direction) |
| Number of rays | Unlimited Optional preview on design views |
| Output | 2D line plots - rectangular and polar |
| Analysis | Irradiance/Illuminance on a surface |
| Standard Interfaces ▼ | click to expand |
| Export | CODE V lens data CODE V plot file PostScript LightTools script Tab-delimited spreadsheet IGES and DXF wireframe VRML export |
| Import | CODE V lens data LightTools script |
| Optional Import/Export Interfaces (with Data Exchange Modules) ▼ | click to expand |
| IGES | writes IGES version 5.3 |
| STEP | supports AP 203 CC 6 and AP 214 CC 2 |
| SAT | reads and writes versions 1.5, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0 |
| CATIA | reads and writes CATIA V4 and V5 |
| Imaging Paths (with Imaging Path Module only) ▼ | click to expand |
| Number of imaging paths allowed | Unlimited |
| Ray tracing types allowed | Sequential or non-sequential |
| Imaging path definition | By non-sequential ray By surface selection |
| Imaging path update | By adding objects or surfaces By non-sequential ray |
Imaging Path view |
Represents a single imaging path (includes lens prescription table with traditional sign conventions) |
| Field specification | Graphically via Field Spec window |
| Reference ray specification | Graphically via Pupil Map window |
| Optical performance plots | Ray aberration curves Spot diagrams |
| Exportable to CODE V | Yes |
| Importable from CODE V | Yes |
| Multi-CPU Support ▼ | click to expand |
Multiple CPUs |
Supports up to 8 processors in a single PC |
| Single CPUs | Supports single CPUs with hyperthreading or dual core architecture; up to 8 processors in a single PC |
