Software allows more time for automotive lighting design

This can substantially speed optical analyses and the exploration of design solutions. Other enhancements support efficient troubleshooting of signal lighting optical systems and expand the tool set for constructing and optimising automotive light guides.

Leverage powerful LucidShape optical simulations in CATIA V5
LucidShape CAA V5 Based supports fast, accurate simulations of automotive lighting part-level models and product-level assemblies, providing the CATIA-based optical simulations available. The simulation functionality has been enhanced to support the definition of multiple simulation configurations, allowing designers to specify which sources, actors and sensors participate in each simulation.

This makes it easy to analyse different lighting functions, such as low and high beams and signal lighting functions, without having to manually reconfigure the model between simulations.

In addition, the new release includes the ability to run all active simulations that are defined in a model. This enables designers to schedule multiple simulations to run one after the other, without the need for intermediate input, resulting in substantial time savings.

Perform rapid, high accuracy luminance calculations
The Luminance Camera Sensor feature performs rapid, high accuracy luminance calculations and generates luminance images at multiple viewing directions for analysing lit images of light guides, tail lights, reverse lights, stop lights, turn signal lights and retro-reflectors. The Luminance Camera Sensor now includes a ray history sensor feature to restore ray paths that correspond to a specified region on a luminance camera image.

The ray history sensor feature supports efficient troubleshooting of signal lighting optical systems by correlating regions in the luminance image with specific ray paths and optical surfaces. This significantly reduces the number of design iterations needed to achieve lit appearance requirements and regulatory compliance.

Expanded light guide construction and optimisation
The Light Guide Designer, previously released as a beta feature, has been expanded and renamed the Light Guide Design Module. The module helps automate the construction, analysis and optimisation of automotive light guides and their extraction features to improve light output. The following capabilities have been added:

• New shape types that provide more versatile styling opportunities: circle with flat, partial ellipse, square, rectangle, keyhole and user profile
• Support for scaling and rotated profiles
• Option for specifying prisms as oriented inward or outward
• Enhanced exit surface construction
• Dual optimisation mode and optimisation support for tapered light guides
• Die pull direction support.

Extended platform support
LucidShape CAA V5 Based supports CATIA V5 R24 and R25. R25 support is new in this release.

"Automotive illumination systems are important product differentiators, and the LucidShape CAA V5 Based tool offers CATIA users access to powerful LucidShape features to simulate and deliver superior lighting optics," said George Bayz, Vice President of Synopsys' Optical Solutions Group.

"The new capabilities in version 2017.09 give designers greater freedom to develop innovative light guide design concepts and stylings, as well as expanded control over optical analyses to quickly pinpoint and validate design performance changes."