All Features

Well, most of the key features.

Raytrace Engine

Interaction Types

Reflection, refraction, TIR, medium attenuation, stacked and nested refractive materials, surface scattering, volumetric (particle) scattering, phosphor particle reactions.

Monte-Carlo

Probalistic raytrace engine replicates the measured properties of materials and light sources to predict real output.

64-bit

Photopia runs as a 64-bit raytrace, allowing you to trace large complex models.

Multi-threaded

The raytrace engine uses all CPU cores on your computer.

Non-sequential

The non-sequential raytrace engine is optimized for all non-imaging optical systems.

FluencePremium

Recording planes can be set to compute fluence rate values for flux density computations onto particles rather than surfaces.

photopia | queuePremium

Utility for exporting and running a large number of raytraces in sequence, whose results can then be re-imported into Solidwork or Rhino after they are complete.

Lumens, PAR, Watts

Raytrace output can be provided in lumens, radiant watts, photon flux or PAR photon flux.

Lamp Array Optimized

Handles large arrays of LEDs easily.

1389 Light Sources

Full optical source models, including LEDs, laser diodes, low pressure mercury, metal halide, high pressure sodium, low pressure sodium, fluorescent, hot cathode, induction, plasma, halogen, incandescent, sun & sky dome, and a range of theoretical sources.

Full Color Source Models

All source models created since 2014 are radiometric, meaning they include full spectral properties.

Color Over Angle

Light sources accurately represent the Color Over Angle variation common in many white LEDs.

Theoretical Light Sources

Simple models of ray-fans, point sources, and Lambertian emitters for simple analyses.

Full Spectral Range

Light sources can include any emission wavelength, from UV through visible and into the far IR.

1541 Materials

Measured BSDF data and directional reflectance & transmittance data.

Refractive MaterialsPremium

Compute refraction and dispersion through thick lens materials.

Custom Items

Users can create custom light sources and materials.

Material LabPremium

Generate full BSDF data for any user defined material surface geometry including laser scans of micro-structures.

Interface

SOLIDWORKS

Photopia runs fully inside of SOLIDWORKS 2021-2024.

Rhino

Photopia runs fully inside of Rhino 6, 7 or 8.

Languages

Photopia's interface is translated into Chinese, Japanese, French, German & Portuguese.

Named User License

One user can use a license on as many computers as they wish.

WAN LicensePremium

Share your licenses among multiple users and multiple offices.

Optical Design ToolsAnnual Maintenance

Optically Relevant

Our tools allow you to specify aiming angles or points based on where you want the light to go, along with weighting factors that control how much light is directed toward each part of the distribution.

Reflectors & Lenses

Design both reflective and refractive features.

Automated Optimization

All Photopia design and simulation features can be automated in Rhino using Python script. This allows you to automatically evaluate design variations over a specified range of design parameter values or optimize designs toward a given performance requirement. Multiparameter design optimization can be performed using the Galapagos genetic optimizer included with Rhino's Grasshopper visual programming language.

Mechanically Valid

You can set mechanical parameters, like draft angle and pull direction, peak and valley fillet radii, and minimum thickness.

Native Geometry

Whether in SOLIDWORKS or Rhino, your PODT geometry is native and fully compatible with the entire CAD system.

Prismatic or Smooth

Lenses can be either prismatic with defined prism counts or smooth/thick.

Smooth Spherical Lenses

You can also add equation driven convex-convex, plano-convex, concave-concave and plano-concave lenses which allow for more accurate raytraces.

TIR Collimator Design

PODT tools to create several types of TIR collimators quickly and easily.

Output

photopia|reportsPremium

A flexible and customizable reporting system for photometric/radiometric output that includes a wide range of tabular data and plots that can be saved to HTML and SVG file formats for direct publishing to customer websites.

IES & LDT files

Standard files used to transfer photometric data in the lighting industry are created with each raytrace. You can set custom angle sets for these files.

Photometry Types

Intensity distributions can be provided as Type A (automotive), B (floodlight) or C (architectural).

Recording Planes

Illuminance/Irradiance viewed as gray scale, true color & false color plots. Data can be collected on both rectangular planes or non-planar non-rectangular surfaces.

Spectral Remapping

Allows irradiance data for wavelengths outside the visible spectrum to be mapped to any range of the visible spectrum so both irradiance magnitude and spectral mixing can be viewed for light sources of any wavelength.

Color Uniformity

Illuminance data on any surface can be displayed as Delta u’v’ from average plots, showing quantitative color variations in the illuminance patterns.

SVG Vector GraphicsPremium

Export vector graphic files from photopia|reports to be used in your marketing material.

Ray View & Filter

3D rays from the raytrace can be shown in the CAD system. They can also be filtered based on object or material interactions, ray reaction number, etc.