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Optical and Photonic Solutions Blog
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Q&A with Jannick Rolland, Distinguished Optics Professor and Industry Innovator
What inspired Dr. Jannick Rolland's career in optics? Read Dr. Rolland's thoughts on women in science, what makes her career satisfying, and her advice for those interested in this field of optics.
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An Inside Look at NASA’s Surveyor, SOFIA, Cassini, and WISE Projects
Our engineering services team has contributed to many NASA projects, including the Mastcam-Z zoom camera on the latest Mars rover. Find out what other space projects our engineering team has been involved with.
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The Pitfalls of Choosing Electrical Circuit Languages to Model Photonics in PICs
Here’s a look at why electrical circuit languages are not robust enough for electro-optics co-design.
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What Wikipedia Doesn't Tell You About NASA’s Great Observatories and CODE V
Learn how our optical design software and engineering services have contributed to the NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and the Great Observatories.
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You Could Win a Cash Award by Entering Your Paper in the Synopsys Student Optical Design Competition – Entering is Easy!
Learn how you could enter our student optical design competition with these tips.
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Synopsys Delivers Optical Design IP Protection in Latest CODE V Release
The latest version of CODE V brings a new Hidden Lens Module, new optimization options, and faster freeform optics design.
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Employee Spotlight: Meet Dr. Eric Schiesser, Optical Software Developer
Meet one of our new employees, Dr. Eric Schiesser, Optical Software Developer, who recently joined the Synopsys Optical Solutions Group. Learn how he got interested in optics and more.
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Mars Perseverance Rover Features First Zoom Lens in Deep Space
Synopsys optical engineers partnered with others to design the Mastcam-Z zoom lens system on the NASA Mars 2020 Perseverance rover.
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Announcing New Release of LucidShape for Automotive Lighting Design
Version 2020.12 of Synopsys' LucidShape automotive lighting design software introduces the SmartStart Material Library Module.
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The Top 5 Tools for Designing Freeform Surfaces in CODE V
If you are designing freeform optics, check out the top five tools that will support your design optimization and analysis in CODE V.
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Thomas I. Harris, 1930 – 2021: Founder of Optical Research Associates and Co-Inventor of CODE V
In memoriam of Mr. Thomas I. Harris, 1930 – 2021, Founder of Optical Research Associates and co-inventor of CODE V.
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Be More Productive with This Convenient LightTools Feature
Happy 26th Anniversary to LightTools! We are celebrating 26 years. Take a look at a feature that’s beneficial for novice and advanced users alike: the LightTools Example Model Library.
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Synopsys Introduces Improved Illumination Optics Design with New LightTools Version
LightTools version 9.1 brings enhanced design features, increased ray tracing speed, and faster optomechanical modeling with SOLIDWORKS.
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Announcing New Release of LucidShape CAA V5 Based for Automotive Lighting Design and Visualization in CATIA
Develop headlights, tail lights, and signal lights faster and more cost effectively with the new LucidShape SmartStart Material Library Module.
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LucidShape CAA V5 Based Recognized as a Gold-Level Honoree in the Laser Focus World Innovators Award Program
LucidShape CAA V5 Based software has been recognized as a Gold-Level Honoree in the 2020 Laser Focus World Innovators Awards.
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How to Accelerate Biomedical Optics Design for Light-Based Technologies
Learn how LightTools can be used with Synopsys Simpleware software to provide simulation data to develop a new generation of light-based technologies, including advanced biomedical diagnostics and treatments.
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Are You Up for the IODC Challenge?
Optical designers, consider participating in the lens design or illumination design competitions at next year’s International Optical Design Conference (IODC). It is an IODC tradition to post the optical design problems months in advance, and then present the winning solutions at the conference. This is your opportunity to flex your optical design skills and get recognized for solving a complex optical design problem.
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An Interview with Brandon Hellman, Michael Kidger Memorial Scholarship Recipient for 2020
Meet Brandon Hellman from the College of Optical Sciences, University of Arizona, the 2020 recipient of the Michael Kidger Memorial Scholarship. We interviewed Brandon to learn how he became interested in optics, his current research projects, and his future goals.
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CODE V Global Synthesis – A Powerful Tool in Expert Optical Design Workflows
Learn how an Edmund Optics senior optical engineer used CODE V’s Global Synthesis optimization, feasibility analysis, tolerancing, and yield analyses to create a high-resolution lens that is ideal for machine vision and factory automation applications.
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Synopsys Announces 2020 Robert S. Hilbert Memorial Optical Design Competition Winners
Announcing the winners of our annual competition, which celebrates exceptional optical design research projects by college students who use Synopsys’ optical software solutions. Meet our five winners!
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Reflections on the 45th Anniversary of CODE V as a Commercial Software Product
Happy 45th anniversary to CODE V! Read reflections from CODE V Product Manager, Dave Hasenauer, and learn the history of this powerful optical design software.
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Design First-Time-Right Automotive Lighting Systems with LucidShape in CATIA
LucidShape CAA V5 Based v2020.06 includes powerful design features and stunning photorealistic rendering capabilities for headlight, tail light, and signal light innovations
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Success Story: Designing the World’s First Fully Digital 3D Digital Surgical Microscope with LightTools
Read this success story on how JMO GmbH used LightTools to develop the ARRI Medical ARRISCOPE.
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Short on Time? Learn New Optical Design Features, Fast!
The Synopsys Optical and Photonic Solutions YouTube channel is now available, featuring brief video tutorials and overviews of Synopsys design tools. If you're short on time, but need to learn new features fast, bookmark this channel to start learning!
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CODE V Feature Close-Up: Beam Synthesis Propagation
CODE V’s Beam Synthesis Propagation (BSP) option simulates the general diffraction propagation of an optical field through an optical system. Learn more about this feature, its methodology, and applications.
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Modeling Specialized Optical Properties Using LightTools UDOPs
Learn about a User Defined Optical Property (UDOP), which can be created in LightTools to model specialized optical surface properties.
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Synopsys Expands Modeling Capabilities for InP-Based PIC Design
A new, production-ready process design kit for Fraunhofer HHI’s Indium Phosphide integrated photonics process is now available for the PIC Design Suite.
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Making the Most Out of Working from Home – Photonic Solutions Webinars Available
Connect with us and make the most of your time working from home. Let us bring the training to you!
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Validate Pixel Headlight Designs with LucidDrive
The LucidDrive tool – part of the LucidShape product family -- provides the ability to perform virtual night-driving simulations that generate realistic lighting scenes in real time.
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AIM Photonics/Analog Photonics SiP Process Design Kit v4.0 Enhances Circuit Simulations
Synopsys and Analog Photonics announce that a new, sign-off ready process design kit (PDK) based on Analog Photonics’ silicon photonics (SiP) design library is now available for the PIC Design Suite.
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Meet Dr. Aaron Bauer, Winner of the Kevin P. Thompson Optical Design Innovator Award
Learn how Dr. Bauer became interested in optics, his current research projects, and his future goals.
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Save Time and Money with LightTools
LightTools version 9.0, now available, introduces valuable new tools to help optical engineers and stray light analysts pinpoint and correct stray light issues early in the product design process, saving time and money.
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Employee Spotlight:
John Rogers
Read how Dr. John Rogers, winner of the SPIE Rudolf and Hilda Kingslake Award, got started in optics.
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How Optics Can Help Prevent Distracted Driving
Heads-up displays (HUDs) can help reduce the safety risks caused by distracted driving.
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How did LightTools come about?
LightTools is celebrating 25 years! Read how LightTools illumination design software came about, and how it developed its defining features. Written by Mike Hayford, former LightTools Architect at Synopsys, now retired.
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