TracePro® Simulation Of Instrument Panels And Display Systems

TracePro simulates all types of display systems, from back light systems to lightpipes. The product is based on Spatial Technology's ACIS® solid modeling engine creating compatibility with 170 other ACIS based programs, like AutoCAD, CADKEY, IronCAD, and Solidworks. Full non-sequential ray tracing is built into the program in a fully C , graphical-user-interface, integrated environment.

Running TracePro is a simple four-step process. First, either enter the 3D system geometry inside TracePro's CAD window or import SAT, IGES or STEP files. Next, create sources by either defining a grid of rays, adding source characteristics to system geometry, or importing measured Radiant Imaging sources. Next, apply material and surface properties to the geometry by opening property dialog boxes and clicking on system geometry. Finally, define ray-tracing characteristics, including wavelengths, thresholds, and propagation characteristics, then click on the source emission icon to start the ray-trace.

Further, TracePro has the capability to create 3D rendered, wireframe, and silhouette views with rays traced to show scatter, absorption, refraction, polarization and reflection interaction within the system geometry. This output continually shows the user how energy is propagated surface by surface and how it was absorbed, reflected, polarized, scattered or absorbed.

TracePro creates models of single or multiple arc lamps, fluorescent lamps, LEDs, incandescent bulbs, and laser diodes as display sources. Source models can be defined as flux, irradiance or blackbody emitters in either photometric or radiometric units.

TracePro's interface excels in finding problems using an advanced ray sorter. The ray sorter tracks down problem areas by showing flux loss by a change in ray color. Figure 2 shows the highest intensity rays in red and the lowest in blue. Additional dialog selections allow the user to step through the system surface by surface or as a percentage of the rays traced.