LightTools version 2023.03 helps you achieve high-performance illumination designs with smart features for geometry import and creation, improved 3D viewing for fast explorations of model details, and many other usability updates to facilitate more efficient design workflows.

Enhanced Geometry Import Features

LightTools supports industry-standard CAD formats. Imported CAD data can be used in models for placement and simulations, but the surfaces lose their parameters. With the capabilities in this release, you can now convert imported surfaces to lens surfaces, which restores shape parameters and enables imported CAD data to be used with LightTools’ powerful optimization and tolerancing features.

With this new surface conversion capability, most surfaces are converted to parameterized freeform lens surfaces, which can then be changed to other polynomial types, such as polynomial aspheres, Zernike surfaces and Q-type surfaces. In addition, surfaces that were split during CAD export can be combined