LightTools 6.1 Delivers Advanced Solutions to Facilitate the Most Demanding Design Tasks
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LightTools 6.1 includes a new Ray Path feature that makes it easy to identify exactly what system elements are contributing to light loss, scatter, unintentional reflections, or ghost images. |
May 2008 -The newest release of LightTools illumination design and analysis software from Optical Research Associates (ORA®) delivers a number of advanced modeling and analysis features that facilitate the design of sophisticated luminaires, LEDs, and displays. For example, LightTools 6.1 includes a new Ray Path feature that makes it easy to identify exactly what system elements are contributing to light loss, scatter, unintentional reflections, or ghost images. This is particularly useful in the design of stray-light sensitive systems, such as microlithography steppers or astronomical instruments. LightTools also now supports accurate modeling of scattering surfaces by allowing users to apply measured BSDF data (both isotropic and anisotropic) to a surface. Additionally, the software comes with a library of BSDF data of reflective materials most commonly used in luminaire construction, including those available from companies such as Alanod and Almeco. Support for gradient index (GRIN) lenses has also been added, including radial, axial, spherical, and user-defined gradients.
Accurate modeling of LEDs with LightTools has been further extended with new ways to specify the properties of phosphors. In particular, the mean free path (the average distance that a ray will travel in a material before striking a phosphor particle) can now be described as a constant, as a wavelength-dependent quantity, or by using Mie scattering theory.
Finally, LightTools’ ease of use has been enhanced with expanded foreign language support. Specifically, program menus and dialog boxes are now available in French, German, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Korean, in addition to Japanese, which has long been included in the software.
LightTools 6.1 will begin shipping in May 2008. For more information, please send an email to info@opticalres.com.
