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The Next Generation of Photopia
is inside Rhinoceros.

photopia | for Rhino is a signficant CAD upgrade from Photopia standalone, giving users a world class CAD system for optical design.

Users of Inventor, Creo Parametric, SolidEdge, Catia or NX, can now easily import and export solid models for optical analysis and design in photopia | for Rhino


 

A fully modern CAD system

Switching to Rhino will be a major upgrade for your CAD modeling. Rhino will allow you to import solid files from Inventor, Creo Parametric and SolidEdge, and allow you to export solid Photopia geometry to you main CAD system.

Watch an overview of the Photopia for Rhino interface.


1.3x - 4x faster

Faster Raytraces
+ Mouse Wheel Zoom... Finally

By working inside Rhino, raytraces for the same projects are typically 1.3x - 4x faster.

Our most requested feature is finally here! It only took us changing over the entire CAD system to do it.


false color rending of pool illuminance

3D Recording objects

Now you can turn any 3D surface into a recorder and view the output, like this pool.

Learn More about Recording Objects


Delta u'v' for a reflector design with RGBW LEDs

New Recorder Display Options

In addition to true color or grascale, you can now view a range of other properties and configure the display of the recorders.

False Color with Scale

Delta u'v'

Set Max/Min/Scale

Remap wavelengths

Learn More about recording planes


Faceted Reflector Design in Rhino using Grasshopper

Access to Grasshopper

Rhino includes Grasshopper, a visual programming language allowing you to create and manipulate geometry.

We've used Grasshopper to quickly perform a number of design tasks:

Add facets to a reflector with easily modified facet curvature

Design gradient etching patterns on a light guide

Learn More about Grasshopper


UVC Fluence in a duct in Rhino

Compute Fluence

Our new raytrace in Rhino now can compute fluence, which is widely used as a metric in irradiation and disinfection, like UVC air duct disinfection.

Upper room disinfection

Duct aiflow disinfection

Water purification

Device sanitizing

Key New Features for Rhino

Better CAD Import/Export

For our Inventor, Creo Parametric, SolidEdge, Catia and NX users, you can now transfer solid geometry between Photopia for Rhino and your CAD system... no more STL conversions.

Modern CAD System

Rhino is a full featured modern CAD system with support for solids and NURBS.

3D Recording objects

View illuminance or irradiance onto any 3D surface in your model.

More Recorder Display Options

Many more display options for true color, grayscale, false color planes with legends, including additional metrics like Delta u'v'.

Fully 64-bit

Our raytrace engine and Rhino's CAD are both 64-bit, allowing you to work with more complicated models than standard Photopia.

Assign Material by Surface/Face

You can assign materials directly to indiidual surfaces in the CAD model, freeing you from having to create layers, move objects to layers and assign by layer.

Keyword search for Lamps and Materials

Find a lamp or material by searching for keywords directly inside of Rhino

Lamp Output per Instance

You can set unique lumen values for each instance of a lamp in your model, making it easier to create files where you may have different up/down drive currents and lumens.

Type A Photometry

Support for Type A Photometry used in Automotive and Aerospace.

Direct photopia|reports in Rhino

View and export high resolution vector graphic reports directly from Rhino.

Arbitrary Photometric Orientation

You no longer have to orient your model, just tell Photopia where photometric nadir and H=0 are and the output will use that coordinate system.

Visualize Photometric System

No more guessing if your model is setup and oriented properly. You'll see a preview of the photometric coordinate system overlaid on your CAD model.

Algorithmic Geometry

Rhino includes Grasshopper, a visual programming language that makes creating complex geometry easy.

FAQ

Let us help answer the most common questions you might have about the Photopia to Rhino transition.

What is happening to my copy of photopia?

Your license of Photopia will continue to work in standalone, but can now also be used in Photopia for Rhino. All new features are only being added to Photopia for Solidworks and Rhino. We will continue to issue critical bug fixes and library updates until May of 2022.

Can I still use my standalone photopia?

Yes. Photopia standalone will continue to work on Windows 8, 8.1, and 10 for the forseeable future. We will not be releasing new features to Photopia standalone. We will issue critical bug fixes and library updates until May of 2022. We will continue to provide license keys or online licensing as long as we are able.

Are there any features currently missing from Photopia for Rhino?

We are working to add these features in our first update:
- Anisotropic materials
- PODT creation of lofted lenses

Can I still use my custom lamps and materials?

Yes, Photopia for Rhino uses the same Library folders as Photopia, so all of your custom lamps and materials will be ready to use. Plus, our new search functions in Rhino will make it easier to find any lamp and material.

Do I need to have a copy of Rhino?

Yes, but if you don't have one you can purchase it with Photopia from us. Photopia for Rhino requires Rhino 6, 7 or 8.

Rhino also offers a 90 day trail license, so you can easily test Photopia before purchasing Rhino.

What if I don't own a seat of Rhino?

We are an authorized Rhino OEM Reseller, which means you can purchase Rhino from us as part of a new Annual Maintence + Rhino package. Please contact us for a quote.

What if I have access to Solidworks?

You also have the option of switching to Photopia for Solidworks if you have access to a seat of Solidworks. Please contact us for a quote.

What happens to all my Photopia .ray files?

Photopia for Rhino can import your .ray files, allowing you to quickly get a project into Rhino and ready to run a raytrace. You can also continue to open your files in standalone Photopia.