Synopsys extends optical design software; adds freeform design
Enhancements to the CODE V optical design software by Synopsys extends optical engineering with new features for CAD modelling, freeform optics design and project management. CODE V software is an optical engineering and design solution that supports the optimization, analysis, and tolerancing of image-forming optical systems and free-space photonic devices.
Version 11.3 introduces capabilities to create, simulate, and visualise optomechanical systems faster and more efficiently than ever, says Synopsys.
There is expanded CAD model support which has been augmented with flexible options to load CAD surfaces for ray tracing and 3D visualisation. Ray-traceable CAD surfaces allow designers to evaluate the impact of mechanical structures on optical performance. These surfaces can be defined both sequentially and non-sequentially to provide design flexibility and fast simulations. CODE V also allows designers to import CAD surfaces into the lens model for mechanical visualisation only. Visualisation CAD surfaces are automatically excluded from ray trace simulations, without the need for designers to specify custom surface attributes. CODE V’s combination of ray-traceable CAD and visualisation CAD surfaces saves time in sequential and non-sequential design work.
The enhanced CAD modelling capabilities help users visualise volume constraints, define complex aperture shapes for blocking and obstructing rays and create complex prism geometries. These capabilities can also be useful for designing and visualising unusual surface shapes, such as those used in aerospace and automotive applications, including heads-up displays (HUDs).
CODE V version 11.3 also offers two new freeform surface shapes: Q2D Freeform Asphere and Extended Fringe Zernike. Both of these surface types can include X and Y offsets of the aspheric departure from the surface co-ordinate system and can redefine the Z axis of the surface co-ordinate system relative to the Z axis of the base conic. The new freeform surfaces provide correction in systems with significant tilts and decentres, which can be useful for designing lightweight and compact optical systems, such as those in augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR) systems. There is also a new 2D co-efficient grid window which makes it easy to preserve desired symmetries in the optical system using freeform surfaces.
The SpecBuilder feature helps designers easily track and communicate how well their optical system designs meet project specifications and goals. Version 11.3 expands the library of pre-built project specifications based on Synopsys’ optical engineering expertise. New specs include chief ray and point spread function centroid-based lateral colour, element and system weight, and differential expansion of cemented components.
The CAD visualisation feature is useful for viewing multiple subsystems simultaneously, as well as comparing the current optical layout to that of a previous revision and allows developers to visualise the system throughout the design process before exporting the final optical model to CAD software.
