Optical Research Associates

December 1999 - An article entitled "Designing Advanced Automotive Illumination Systems," which appears in November's Photonics Tech Briefs, discusses how LightTools was used to improve system performance and cut development costs. The article is co-authored by John Van Derlofske of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and David Kuntz of TMS.

CODE V Regional Users' Group Meetings for 2000

December 1999 - Optical Research Associates will present free users' group meetings to help you learn what's new in CODE V, get tips for enhancing your productivity with existing features, and hear lectures and discussions by ORA support and software development staff, as well as CODE V customers. Following is a schedule of these meetings:

CODE V East Coast Regional Users' Group
February 1, 2000
Boston University Photonics Center
8 St. Mary's St.
Boston, MA 02215

CODE V West Coast Regional Users' Group
February 3, 2000
Embassy Suites Hotel
211 East Huntington Drive
Arcadia, CA 91106

CODE V UK Users' Group
May 30 - 31, 2000
The Institute of Physics
76 Portland Place
London, W1N 4AA

New "White Paper" Explains LightTools Polarization, Coatings

September 1999 - To better explain the powerful features and applications of our software, ORA has begun to prepare "white papers" that focus on particular areas of our technology. The first of these applies to LightTools and is entitled "User-defined Coatings and Polarization Ray Tracing," by Thomas Bruegge, Stuart David, and Eric Fest. This well-illustrated four-page paper explains how coatings and polarization ray tracing are implemented in LightTools, and shows a number of examples of their use, especially in illumination applications. The paper aims to define the importance of coatings and polarization ray tracing in real-world applications, and to show capabilities and results from LightTools.

You can download this paper (118 KB) as an Adobe Acrobat (PDF) file. To view it, you will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader application or plug-in for your browser. Download Acrobat Reader here (this link will open a new browser window).

CODE V 8.40 Includes Diffraction-based Beam Propagation

July 1999 - CODE V 8.40 is a major new release of ORA's industry-standard software for optical design and analysis. The most significant development in CODE V 8.40 is a completely new diffraction-based beam propagation feature (BPR). This feature uses several propagation methods to simulate the passage of a coherent beam through an optical system. Diffraction effects due to multiple aperture clipping or small grating-like structures at or near a focus can be accurately simulated (the figure above shows the log-scale intensity pattern resulting from a 101-slit grating placed at the focus of a singlet lens). The intensity, amplitude, and phase of the beam can be displayed in several forms at any surface of the optical system. CODE V 8.40 also includes a new method for modeling afocal systems, a new FFT feature for use in user-written macros, and more. For more details on the features of CODE V 8.40, please see the most recent edition of ORA News. CODE V 8.40 has recently entered beta testing and will ship to all customer sites in early fall.

LightTools 2.1.0 Features Polarization, Coatings

July 1999 - LightTools Version 2.1.0 offers powerful new features including an integrated macro language, polarization ray tracing, thin film coatings (defined by their performance), and substantially faster ray tracing of spline surfaces imported from CAD programs. The LightTools MACRO feature is a programming language that is available within all modules of LightTools. It is an extended version of the widely-used BASIC language and allows users to automate and customize the operation of LightTools. Polarization modeling allows users to specify input polarization states and special polarizing elements using any of several representations. Polarization characteristics are taken into account for coatings, Fresnel loss computations, and scattering, and are particularly useful in illumination calculations in the optional Illumination Module. Thin film coatings are defined in terms of their properties (reflectance or transmittance) as a function of ray trace parameters (wavelength, angle of incidence, polarization). Ray tracing speed has been improved for general spline surfaces imported via Data Exchange Modules. Additional details on this new version of LightTools are available in the latest edition of ORA News. LightTools 2.1.0 recently completed beta testing and will ship to all customer sites later this summer.

Article Highlights ORA's Work on Digital Projector Optics

May 1999 - ORA's work with S-Vision, a maker of digital display components and subsystems, to develop the optics for a digital projector is highlighted in the May issue of Photonics Spectra. Click here to see this article.

ORA Expansion Fuels Staff Growth

March 1999 - Continued strong growth in the company's software and engineering services businesses has prompted Optical Research Associates (ORA^®) to make an internal promotion and to bring aboard two new key people.

Andrew Riser has joined ORA's Midwest Office as the company's newest Illumination Optical Engineer. Riser has extensive experience in the design of illumination systems, and holds numerous patents in that field. Before joining ORA, he held the position of Chief Technology Officer at Remote Source Lighting International. Mary Heidsman has been hired as Controller, and will assume the leadership of ORA's Accounting Group, at ORA's Pasadena headquarters. Most recently, Heidsman served as Corporate Controller for JWT Specialized Communications. Finally, David Hasenauer has been promoted to the position of Senior Optical Technology Engineer in the Marketing and Customer Service Group. Hasenauer, who remains based in Pasadena, was formerly a Senior Systems Engineer within the Engineering Services Group at ORA. In his new role, he will utilize his detailed knowledge of all phases of optical design and engineering, together with his experience using CODE V^® and LightTools^®, to support a wide range of customer service and marketing activities.

ORA Plans Conferences and Seminars for 1999

January 1999 - With major new releases planned later this year for both CODE V and LightTools, and with continued strong interest in ORA engineering services, ORA is planning to "spread the word" to customers and prospective customers at a number of conferences and trade shows in 1999. The list so far includes

We also plan to hold several educational seminars, including CODE V Introductory (March 15-19 and October 18-22) and CODE V Advanced Topics (March 22-26 and October 25-29). Training seminars will also be held for LightTools and LightTools Illumination (April 26-30). CODE V User Group meetings will also be held on the east and west coasts, later in the year. Please contact ORA Customer Service for more information on any of our activities for 1999.

CODE V West Coast Regional User's Group

January 1999 - The CODE V West Coast Regional User's Group Meeting was held in Arcadia, California on Wednesday, January 20, 1999. This free one-day meeting was well attended, and included presentations by several ORA speakers as well as two customer presentations. Iain Neil of Panavision discussed the role of software in complex zoom lens design, including ideas for improvements. Lynne Eigler of Boeing/Rocketdyne spoke on "Optics at Rocketdyne." ORA topics included:

Based on positive feedback from attendees at this meeting and at the September 1998 Boston meeting, ORA plans to hold additional user group meetings in the future, with timing and locations to be announced.

LightTools 2.0.3 is Released

November 1998 - The latest version of LightTools is now available. Version 2.0.3 of ORA's illumination design and analysis software package adds a number of important features aimed at expanding its ability to accurately represent real world light sources and trace rays through complex systems. For example, in the Illumination Module, the actual measured spatial and angular luminance distribution of a source, such as contained in Radiant Imaging source files, can now be used as the input for subsequent ray tracing. Another new feature is the ability to raytrace immersed objects (objects that are not immersed in air or that are partially in optical contact with other materials); this Core Module feature enables more accurate modeling of sources such as packaged LEDs, as well as raytracing of clad optical fibers and fluid flow sensors. Other additions to LightTools Version 2.0.3 are new types of scattering surfaces, as well as functionality aimed at speeding the analysis of complex systems. LightTools 2.0.3 is available on CD-ROM for both the PC and Sun platforms. For complete details on using the new features, please read the LightTools 2.0.3 Release Notes.

CODE V Regional User's Group Meeting in Boston

September 1998 - The first-ever CODE V Regional User's Group Meeting was held in Boston on Thursday, September 17, 1998. CODE V customers who attended this meeting heard presentations on many aspects of CODE V use, including the latest features, background on optimization, and instruction on special techniques for effective use of the program. In addition to presentations by several ORA speakers, two customer presentations were included. Peter Clark of Polaroid Corp. spoke on optical design issues in Polaroid products, and Brian Zellers of SSG, Inc. discussed his experience with CODE V in aerospace applications, especially for satellite imagery. ORA topics included:

The meeting was held at the Boston University Photonics Center, Boston, Massachusetts. ORA is very grateful to the Photonics Center for offering their excellent facilities for this meeting. Based on positive customer comments, we plan to hold additional user group meetings in the future.

Diverse Applications for LightTools Illumination

August 1998 - LightTools and the LightTools Illumination Module are gaining acceptance in a wide range of applications across a number of industries. Since the release of the Illumination features in fall of 1997, the number of LightTools customer sites has grown rapidly, with a substantial majority of all sites also licensing the optional illumination module. The largest numbers of users are in consumer industries, the automotive sector, commercial applications, and semiconductor fabrication. The remainder fall into categories such as government, aerospace, consultants, and instrumentation, in addition to a number of university sites. This diversity of applications demonstrates the general nature of LightTools as an optical modeling and illumination problem-solving tool. It is also indicative of the growing importance of modeling and simulation as a way to reduce the costs and time associated with prototyping of illumination systems of all types.

Applications for LightTools Illumination include light pipe design for vehicle dashboards and controls, safety and emergency lighting, light distribution systems, projectors for consumer and business applications, display illumination, segmented reflector design, semiconductor fabrication and test systems, and many others. The totally interactive approach of LightTools makes it easy to define optical and mechanical parts as well as light sources and receivers for analysis. This can be further augmented through the use of optional data exchange modules to import existing solid geometry from CAD programs in one of three standard formats.

CODE V 8.30 Now Available

August 1998 - The latest version of CODE V is now available. CODE V version 8.30 includes major improvements to the Global Synthesis feature for global optimization, allowing effective global optimization of zoom as well as fixed focal length lenses. Optimization limits have also been expanded to support more complex systems. The VIEW option can now make pictures of systems that use the array feature to simulate repetitive optical structures. Graphical outputs now utilize color schemes based on fields, wavelengths, and zoom positions, making it easier to produce color-coded graphics. On the PC, Version 8.30 runs under Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT as a true 32-bit application, including support for long file names. These are just a few of the many improvements in this latest version of CODE V. For a more complete list of features, please see Volume 98, Issue 2 of ORA News, or read the CODE V 8.30 Release Notes for complete details on using the new features.

ORA Employees Create Top IODC Designs

June 1998 - The latest International Optical Design Conference (IODC 98) was held in Kona, Hawaii, during the week of June 8. There were many excellent technical sessions and papers, several of them by ORA authors or co-authors. There were also exhibits of optical design and analysis software, and ORA was pleased to demonstrate the latest versions of CODE V and LightTools for many members of the optical design community. Several ORA staff members also participated in the traditional Lens Design Problem, submitting designs for an all-cemented objective lens meeting a number of stringent requirements.

We are very pleased to announce that of the 40 designs submitted this year, the two best designs were created by ORA employees, John Isenberg and Darryl Gustafson. John is well known to CODE V users for his excellent technical support, while Darryl served as ORA's Senior Vice President until his recent retirement. Naturally enough, both John and Darryl used CODE V to create their solutions. Darryl made extensive use of Global Synthesis, ORA's proprietary global optimization algorithm. John's solution is shown above. If you would like to learn more about John's use of CODE V on this interesting problem, you can read the problem description and the design notes he submitted to the IODC. You can also get the CODE V prescription for the lens, and the optimization macro that he used. Because secondary color was a major problem in this design, John made use of the GDP (glass dispersion property) feature in CODE V. This allowed him to specify glasses that were variable but which had the dispersion properties of special glass families (KzFS, PSK, FK, LAK), allowing AUTO (the optimization program) to better balance the chromatic aberration of the design.

Free Illumination Seminar for Automotive Industry

June 1998 - Optical Research Associates is presenting a free, half-day seminar for optical engineers and others involved in the design of illumination optics for the automotive industry. This seminar will be held on June 24, 1998 at the Doubletree Hotel Novi, in Novi, Michigan (Detroit area). Morning and afternoon sessions will be offered. Topics will include fiber optic headlamp systems (by Dr. William Cassarly, presented by Michael Hayford, both of ORA), segmented reflector design (Stuart David of ORA), and topics in light pipe design (Dr. John VanDerlofske of Chrysler Corporation). There will also be a demonstration of ORA's LightTools and LightTools Illumination Software, as well as questions and answers. This seminar will give Detroit area engineers a chance to learn about how LightTools can be applied to real problems, to hear about some specific design and analysis issues, and to meet some of ORA's key people for illumination applications. To register for the seminar or to get further information, please call ORA at (626) 795-9101, or send email to service@opticalres.com.

CODE V Update: CODE V 8.20 NT Now Available

April 1998 - The latest version of CODE V is now available in a version for Windows NT. CODE V 8.20 NT runs under Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 95 as a 32-bit Windows application (it does not run under Windows 3.1 or earlier). It also supports long file names, using a new file naming system that is more compatible with other Windows applications while still supporting multiple versions of user files, as in past versions of CODE V. Other changes contribute to better performance and easier installation. User-defined surfaces and other user-defined features can now be programmed in Microsoft Visual C++, perhaps the most widely used software development environment for Windows applications (note that such programming is only required for advanced applications - most use of CODE V requires no programming, and when programmability is desired, the built-in Macro-PLUS language is quick and convenient for most purposes). In its technical features, CODE V 8.20 NT is identical to CODE V 8.20, which remains the current version for customers running on Sun workstations and on PCs with Windows 3.1.

Meanwhile, development and testing are continuing on the next major release of CODE V, version 8.30, which will be available later this year. This release will include major improvements to Global Synthesis® (GS), ORA's proprietary global optimization method. This version of GS is especially effective for zoom lens design, a previously difficult problem in global optimization. Version 8.30 will include improvements in the use of color in graphical output, enhancements to the multilayer coating design feature, support for drawing pictures of lens arrays, and footprint plots that include aperture limits. Other improvements and many bug fixes will also be incorporated, as well as the changes first introduced in 8.20 NT (such as long file names on PCs).

LightTools Update: Illumination Growth, Data Exchange, Version 2.0.2

April 1998 - Customer interest and acceptance of ORA's LightTools product line continue to grow. Since the release of the LightTools Illumination Module in September 1997, the number of installed LightTools seats has grown dramatically, and over 70% of LightTools customers now have the optional Illumination module. Customers in the automotive, aerospace, and medical industries are benefiting from the reduced need for physical prototypes of their lighting systems.

ORA has shipped the latest release of the LightTools Core Module, Version 2.0.2. This coincides with the release of new Data Exchange Modules for import and export of CAD models in three widely supported formats (STEP, SAT, and IGES). The new Data Exchanged Modules (DEM's) are each licensed separately, allowing customers to choose the format that is most convenient for use with their organization's CAD/CAM software. Using the DEMs, customers can easily move three-dimensional CAD models into LightTools for optical evaluation, or move LightTools models to CAD environments for integration with other systems. The new Core Module has several improvements, including the ability to use arithmetic expressions in dialog boxes and command lines, and provision for export of wire-frame IGES and DXF CAD models. There have also been numerous bug fixes in the Core, Illumination, and Image Path Modules. Current customers automatically receive all updates to their licensed modules. For more information, please contact ORA.

ORA Exhibit at SAE '98

January 1998 - Automotive applications of the LightTools Illumination Module were the focus of ORA's exhibit at SAE '98. The Society of Automotive Engineers 1998 Congress and Exposition (February 23-26, Cobo Center, Detroit, Michigan) featured a wide range of products and technologies for automotive applications. ORA demonstrated the features and benefits of LightTools and the LightTools Illumination Module. Applications include design and simulation of automotive interior lighting, light pipes for dashboard lighting, distributed illumination systems, headlamps and other external lighting, and much more.

LightTools Illumination Now Available

	You can use the powerful solid-modeling features of LightTools to easily create complex optical or opto-mechanical parts for illumination analysis. This is a light pipe used as part of an automotive dashboard display.
	Monte Carlo ray tracing is used to evaluate the illuminance properties at user-selected receivers. Here we can see the "hot spots" resulting when the light pipe above is illuminated by a single bulb. Multiple sources are also supported.
	Illumination modeling can be quite detailed when needed. Here we have modeled an arc discharge lamp, complete with electrodes and bulb. Some of the non-sequential rays are trapped in the bulb wall due to TIR.

October 1997 - The LightTools Illumination Module is now available. This revolutionary software product makes it possible to easily model and analyze the illumination properties of optical and opto-mechanical systems. Designed as an add-on module for ORA's LightTools program, the LightTools Illumination Module is completely integrated with the LightTools 2.0 Core Module, applying the same CAD-like interface and strong visualization capabilities to the analysis of illumination systems. Applications include both imaging and non-imaging devices, from projectors to automotive interior lighting and beyond. By allowing customers to include optical elements, mechanical structures, multiple light sources, scattering surfaces, and multiple receivers in a single model, the LightTools Illumination Module provides an unprecedented combination of power and ease of use for illumination applications.

In LightTools 2.0, complex light pipes (such as the automotive dashboard part shown in the above figures) and mechanical objects can be modeled using modern solid modeling techniques. Boolean operations can combine any of the built-in primitive objects, including several new object types. Other special features include:

After several months of customer and in-house beta testing, LightTools 2.0 and the new LightTools Illumination Module shipped in September 1997 to ORA customers world-wide. The software is available on CD-ROM for licensing on PCs running Windows 95 or Windows NT, as well as for Sun SPARCstations running the Solaris 2 operating system. Please contact ORA for complete information.

New Surfaces and More in CODE V 8.20

October 1997 - CODE V Version 8.20 is major update to ORA's industry-leading optical design and analysis software package. It includes a number of powerful new features:

These and many other features are described in detail in the Release Notes. As with all CODE V releases, current Sun and PC customers have automatically received this update, which is now available on CD-ROM for both PC and Sun platforms. Please contact ORA for more information.

Address and Phone Changes for ORA

August 1997 - ORA has made some changes that affect how and where you can reach us. In Pasadena, our area code has been changed from 818 to 626. In the Cleveland area, our Midwest Office is now located in Beachwood, Ohio. And effective August 1, ORA's East Coast Office has moved from Framingham to greatly expanded offices in Westborough, Massachusetts, in the Greater Boston area, a few miles west of Framingham). For complete and current address, phone, and fax information, please see the About ORA page.

LightTools^® Receives Circle of Excellence Award

June 1996 - ORA's LightTools program has received a 1996 Circle of Excellence Award from Photonics Spectra magazine. The award was presented to ORA at the recent CLEO '96 conference in Anaheim, California. The Circle of Excellence Award honors the 25 most technically innovative products of the year as judged by Photonics Spectra's Editorial Advisory board, which is made up of experts in various areas of optics and photonics. LightTools was the only optical software product among this year's 25 award recipients. LightTools, which is described in detail elsewhere in this site, is a three-dimensional solid modeling and analysis program for optical and opto-mechanical systems. Its versatility in conceptual modeling, visualization, stray light analysis, illumination, and optical design support have already led to many practical applications since its release in 1995.

ORA Expands for Illumination

May 1996 - ORA is gearing up for illumination systems in several important ways. Dr. William Cassarly has recently joined ORA's Engineering Group as our first optical engineer dedicated to illumination systems. Bill came from GE Lighting and will head up ORA's new Midwest Office, near Cleveland, Ohio. For more details, please see the spring 1996 issue of ORA News. This article also describes improvements in CODE V's LUM option for illumination analysis, as well as recent work on automotive illumination using LightTools. Additional articles outline the improvements made in the latest release of CODE V, Version 8.10, and in LightTools version 1.0.3.

Paper Highlights LightTools' Use for Plastic Optics Design

January 1996 - A recent paper by one of ORA's optical engineers highlights the value of LightTools in the design, analysis, and fabrication support of plastic optics. The paper, "Computer Modeling of Plastic Optical Systems for Optical Design and Analysis" was written by David M. Hasenauer and presented at SPIE's "Photonics East" conference in Philadelphia last October.

The paper particularly demonstrates the value of a program that can model non-optical portions of an optical system. Molded plastic optics often incorporate mounts and other mechanical parts, and these features can affect stray light and other performance factors. The paper discusses a molded plastic flow sensor (shown in LightTools screen shot, above - click on this figure to see a larger, exploded view) that uses total internal reflection to determine the presence of a liquid flowing through a tube. The entire device (which was designed specifically to illustrate this paper) could be molded as a single part and was modeled as a complete system in LightTools. Copies of this paper are now available from ORA Customer Service.

Optics for Kids Recognized for Educational Value

January 1996 - The Eisenhower National Clearinghouse (ENC) recently recognized ORA's "Optics for Kids!" Web page as one of the best resources on the Internet for science and math education. It listed "Optics for Kids!" in its January 1996 "Digital Dozen" of electronic resources and added it to their archives of Net and other resources. ENC is dedicated to identifying useful resources for mathematics and science education. Optics for Kids! is a brief, non-technical discussion of the basics of light and lenses, intended for elementary school children.

CODE V 8.05 Features New Illumination Analysis

August 1995 - CODE V Version 8.05 includes a major new capability for illumination analysis of imaging or non-imaging optical systems. The new feature, called LUM, predicts irradiance or illuminance distributions resulting from one or more user-defined sources. Both point and extended sources are supported, and both spatial and angular characteristics can be user-defined, allowing the simulation of lamps (such as the arc lamp shown above) and other specific source types. Multiple sources can be placed in (x,y,z) coordinates, allowing complex sources (3D, segmented, etc.) to be defined.

Monte Carlo methods are used to select and trace large numbers of rays (thousands to millions) through the optical system, and the resulting irradiance distribution can be displayed graphically (profile, contour, 3D, and shaded displays are supported). Irradiance data can be also be saved in a file for later display or to allow combinations of multiple runs. Any CODE V optical system model can be analyzed with LUM, including systems for which chief rays and reference rays will not trace, as is required by most other CODE V analysis options. Systems can be traced in either the forward (sources to collector) or reverse (collector to sources) direction. These features provide great flexibility in modeling both imaging and non-imaging systems. A new document, "The CODE V Illumination Handbook," has been created to show how LUM and other CODE V features can be used for illumination analysis (this document will be available when 8.05 ships).

CODE V 8.05 offers a number of other new features. Improvements in the graphical user interface (GUI) include support for Japanese language (kanji) menus, improved copy/paste support, and simplified printing and plotting. Many other technical improvements are also included. See the CODE V 8.05 release notes for a full description. CODE V 8.05 is scheduled to ship in late August.

LightTools Wins Lasers & Optronics Award

LightTools, ORA's latest product for optical modeling and design, has been named one of the top ten new products for 1994 by Lasers & Optronics magazine. The award is based on readers' votes from a list of products nominated by the editors. The award was presented at the recent CLEO '95 Conference in Baltimore, MD, and was accepted by Richard Juergens, ORA's Assistant Director of Marketing and Technical Support. ORA is pleased at this recognition of our work in advancing the state of the art in optical software.

ORA Honored by NASA

ORA was honored recently with a Public Service Award from the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and its Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). The award was made in recognition of ORA's many years of work on the optical systems used in many U.S. space programs, most often in collaboration with JPL. A press release describes ORA's contributions in more detail.

LightTools User Applications Article in Laser Focus World

Be sure to check out the LightTools article in March 1995 issue of Laser Focus World magazine.

Selected News Items from 1995-1999

LightTools Highlighted in Photonics Tech Briefs Article

CODE V Regional Users' Group Meetings for 2000

New "White Paper" Explains LightTools Polarization, Coatings

CODE V 8.40 Includes Diffraction-based Beam Propagation

LightTools 2.1.0 Features Polarization, Coatings

Article Highlights ORA's Work on Digital Projector Optics

ORA Expansion Fuels Staff Growth

ORA Plans Conferences and Seminars for 1999

CODE V West Coast Regional User's Group

LightTools 2.0.3 is Released

CODE V Regional User's Group Meeting in Boston

Diverse Applications for LightTools Illumination

CODE V 8.30 Now Available

ORA Employees Create Top IODC Designs

Free Illumination Seminar for Automotive Industry

CODE V Update: CODE V 8.20 NT Now Available

LightTools Update: Illumination Growth, Data Exchange, Version 2.0.2

ORA Exhibit at SAE '98

LightTools Illumination Now Available

New Surfaces and More in CODE V 8.20

Address and Phone Changes for ORA

LightTools^® Receives Circle of Excellence Award

ORA Expands for Illumination

Paper Highlights LightTools' Use for Plastic Optics Design

Optics for Kids Recognized for Educational Value

CODE V 8.05 Features New Illumination Analysis

LightTools Wins Lasers & Optronics Award

ORA Honored by NASA

LightTools User Applications Article in Laser Focus World