LucidShape software suits automotive lighting simulation

Enhancements since the beta version include new features for constructing and optimising light pipes, analysing near-field illuminance and generating luminance images.

With the LucidShape CAA V5 Based product, designers who are familiar with CATIA can perform optical analyses of automotive headlights, signal lights, tail lights and other lighting products with a minimal learning curve. Key features and benefits include:

• Enables CATIA V5 users to leverage powerful LucidShape features to produce automotive lighting designs that meet performance, styling, visual branding and regulatory requirements
• Allows users to develop designs with CATIA-generated geometry or geometry created in LucidShape software
• Supports fast, accurate simulations of automotive lighting part-level models and product-level assemblies, providing the most comprehensive CATIA-based optical simulations available
• Includes a comprehensive suite of optical analysis tools
• Provides a hierarchical display of project components to facilitate navigation in complex models

Since the initial beta release, the following capabilities have been added:

• The Light Guide Designer, available as a beta feature in the 2017.03 version, helps automate the construction, analysis and optimisation of light pipes and their extraction features to improve light output
• The Planar Lux Sensor provides quantitative analysis of near-field illuminance for lighting components such as light guides
• The Luminance Camera Sensor performs rapid, high-accuracy luminance calculations and generates luminance images at multiple angles and viewing directions; this feature is useful for analysing lit images of light guides, tail lights, reverse lights, stop lights, turn signal lights and retro-reflectors
• A robust example model library, with intuitive features for browsing, searching and filtering content, helps users get a head start on their model creation and analysis tasks
• Optical simulation enhancements provide users with additional flexibility to customise settings and output
• The updated Check Model Integrity feature reports when the optical part of a model is ready for simulation
• The model transfer capability provides easier management of ancillary design files needed for optical simulations and preserves analysis results

"The LucidShape CAA V5 Based tool integrates easily into the workflow of anyone using CATIA to model automotive lighting components," said George Bayz, vice president and general manager of Synopsys' Optical Solutions Group.

"Designers can prep illumination optics for manufacture and quickly verify design compliance with performance requirements and industry regulations, which helps save costs and get products to market faster. The enhancements in LucidShape CAA V5 Based version 2017.03 augment the designer's ability to perform in-depth illumination analyses, resulting in greater accuracy for performance predictions."