1. FRED A software tool for modern optical engineering
Focusing on Illumination

2. FRED A software tool for modern optical engineering
Overview: What is FRED?
Comprehensive opto-mechanical systems design analysis tool
Both sequential and non-sequential raytracing modes
Can propagate both coherent and incoherent sources
Stray light analysis (scatter and ghosting)
Coherent beam propagation
Illumination design
Biomedical applications
Imaging system design and photo-realistic rendering
Virtual prototyping
Opto-mechanical systems debugging (Forensic Optics)
Thermal self-emission analysis
Tolerancing, fabrication and testing
Multi-variable optimization capability 2

3. FRED A software tool for modern optical engineering
Overview: What is FRED?
FRED can be used in virtually every step of the design process.
Initial proof of concept
Integration of optical and CAD designs
Full analysis of a virtual prototype including scatter, coatings, dispersion, absorption, volume scatter, diffraction, thermal emission, source characteristics…
Quickly manipulate model parameters for tolerance analyses
Integration with vendor catalogs for manufacturing 1
Concept
FRED
Design 2
Analysis 3
Tolerancing 4
Manufacture 5 3

4. FRED A software tool for modern optical engineering
Focusing on Illumination: Sources
Accurate Illumination modeling requires an accurate source definition.
FRED offers more flexibility for defining the source than any other optical engineering software package.
Capability to import manufacturer ray files and CAD
Complete control over ray positions, directions, apodization, power, polarization and wavelength 4

5. FRED A software tool for modern optical engineering
Focusing on Illumination: Sources
Importing manufacturer data: 2
Many LED manufacturers provide ray files online:
E.g. OSRAM, Cree, Philips Lumileds.
FRED reads most ray file formats:
E.g. RAY, DAT, DIS, TXT
Creating a model with ray data is a simple process:
Download file from manufacturer website
Import CAD geometry
Import ray file data into source
Assign spectrum 3 5

6. FRED A software tool for modern optical engineering
Focusing on Illumination: Sources
Profiles can be imported into FRED even if numerical data is not available.
Images of spectral plots from datasheets can be loaded into FRED and digitized using FRED’s Digitizer.
The Digitizer can be used for:
Spectral plots
Angular distribution plots
2D mechanical drawings 6

7. FRED A software tool for modern optical engineering
Focusing on Illumination: Sources
Creating a custom source:
The user has the freedom to create custom sources and has complete control over the following parameters:
Ray Positions
Spectral Range
Ray Directions
Spectral Weighting
Angular Power Apodization
Coherence
Positional Power Apodization
Polarization
Source Power Units
Digitizer can be used to obtain information from data sheets
Source power can be radiometric or photometric units
Wavelengths can be specified using a sampled list or continuous spectral function 7

8. FRED A software tool for modern optical engineering
Focusing on Illumination: Geometry
3D CAD Interface with object tree hierarchy for logical system organization.
19 “Element Primitive” solids with boolean operation capability
Over 30 types of surfaces and curves
CAD Import / Export capability (IGES/STEP)
Library of vendor catalogs (lenses, mirrors, prisms)
Scripted geometries for added flexibility
Objects can be referenced to ANY coordinate system
Arbitrary surface trimming operations using surfaces and curves 8

9. FRED A software tool for modern optical engineering
Focusing on Illumination: Photometric Analysis
Wavelength spectrum can be sampled or functionally defined
Illuminance calculations
LUX, Phots, Foot Candles, Lumens
Standard photopic or user-defined detector response
Luminous Intensity on a Polar Grid (Candela) 9

10. FRED A software tool for modern optical engineering
Focusing on Illumination: Color Image
Color image calculations using both radiometric and photometric source definitions
Provides data for colorimetric calculations (RGB values, XYZ chromaticity coordinates.
Provides visual and contextual plots of the color image distribution. 10

11. FRED A software tool for modern optical engineering
Focusing on Illumination: Photorealistic Rendering
FRED has the capability to render a scene photo-realistically
FRED’s Importance Sampling functionality allow for raytrace efficiency 11

12. FRED A software tool for modern optical engineering
Focusing on Illumination: Optimization
FRED Optimum has a built-in optimization engine
Multiple optimization algorithms:
Local
Pseudo-global
Optimization variables can be any parameter of the model - many default selections, complete access with user-script
Many default merit functions such as:
Maximize power on surface
Illumination variance
RMS direction spread
Spot size
Color value
Example uses:
Designing Free-form optics
Optimize geometry for best performance
Optimize source properties for desired color
Optimize model to match desired profile 12

13. FRED A software tool for modern optical engineering
Focusing on Illumination: Optimization
Example:
Optimizing a lens for a desired output
Lens geometry is modified using NURB control points
Left picture:
Original lens shape showing wide, non-uniform output profile.
Middle picture:
Optimized lens for uniform field profile
Right picture:
Optimized lens for maximum power 13

14. FRED A software tool for modern optical engineering
Focusing on Illumination: Optimization
Example:
Optimizing a light pipe for target distribution
Lens geometry is modified using NURB control points
Target distribution
Before Optimization
After Optimization 14

15. FRED A software tool for modern optical engineering
Summary
FRED provides engineers with a flexible and powerful illumination toolbox, used in all stages of the design process.
Accurate construction of virtually any source type
FRED has native geometry, imports and exports CAD files and catalog parts
Wide range of radiometric and photometric calculations
Optimization capability
Virtually prototyping in software can save both development time and money 15