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Parametric Optical Design Tools - Refractors

Photopia 3.1 expands the Parametric Optical Design Tools to Refractors and Lenses. These tools allow you to create a wide variety of optical shapes, from revolved reflectors to molded or extruded lenses. The geometry is always aiming based, so you're sure to get the light where you need it.

LED Roadway Lens
Symmetric Extruded Lens Revolved Fresnel Extrude along Path

Wide Range of Types

Whether you're working on an extruded indoor lens, or an injection molded LED Roadway lens, the Parametric Optical Design Tools can help you create geometry based on where you want to aim the light.

  • Molded or Extruded Lenses
  • Axially Symmetric
  • Lofted Profiles (soon)
  • Prismatic or Smooth
  • Control on Inside or Outside
    • Parameters

    Real World Construction Parameters

    You can impose your manufacturing constraints on the lens design, so that things like large fillets or thick lenses don't surprise you at the last moment. Whether you're injection molding or extruding, there are appropriate parameters to adjust, like:

    Smooth Properties Extruded Properties Index of Refraction
  • Minimum Thickness
  • Peak and Valley Fillet Radii
  • Pull Direction
  • Draft Angle
  • Index of Refraction
    • Design View
    Smooth Properties Extruded Properties Index of Refraction

    Aiming Based Design

    The Parametric Optical Design Tools allow you to create reflectors and lenses based on how you want to aim the light.

    The Optical Design View provides an interactive place where you can adjust the aiming of each section.

    We make use of weighting factors, so it is simple to adjust how much light is going in each direction. Have a little too much light directly below, just adjust the weighting factor. Want to kick more light at 70 degrees, just add some sections aimed in that direction.