As a development platform of optical mechanical integration, Fred can be used in every link of optical design process, including initial concept verification, integration of optical design and mechanical design, comprehensive analysis of virtual prototype, rapid tolerance analysis and optimization of model parameters, and integration of supplier's catalog into software for processing and system debugging. FRED Optical Engineering Software simulates the propagation of light through any optomechanical system by raytracing. Whether your design is imported from CAD, a lens design program, or constructed from within the software, FRED provides engineers with the essential tools for virtual prototyping of optical systems.
Application Area
FRED is not restricted to any one class of problems. With the ability to propagate both coherent and incoherent light and assign realistic surface properties to every component in your system, FRED can be used for a diverse range of applications that include:
Stray light
Laser applications
Imaging systems
Multi-wavelength systems
Illumination and non-imaging optics
Thermal imaging
FRED Key Features
Rapid virtual prototyping
Real-time visualization/editing of complex optical/mechanical systems.
Accurate simulation of virtually any light source, including include lasers, arc lamps, LED’s, ideal emitters, bulbs and user defined ray sets.
Advanced geometry, scatter, optimization, tolerancing, scripting and graphic tools.
No limit on surface definitions: including materials, thin film coatings, scatter models, etc.
Cost effective package: designed specifically for engineering professionals who face real world optical problems.
Which FRED is right for you?
FRED
Feature highlights include:
3D graphical interface for model rendering, construction and verification
Lens import from ZEMAX®, CODE V® and OSLO®
CAD Import / Export (IGES, STEP, OBJ)
Up-to-date vendor catalogs
Non-sequential and sequential raytracing
Coherent beam propagation
Multi-threading on up to 17 CPU threads
64-bit architecture
FRED Optimum
Includes FRED features, plus:
Multi-variable optimization capability
Parameter Sensitivity Analysis
System Configurations Manager
Parameter Pickups
Distributed Computing
Multi-threading on up to 63 CPU threads
FRED MPC
Includes FRED and FRED Optimum features, plus:
Up to 150x faster raytracing
GPU-enabled massively parallel computing
Linear scaling with number of GPUs
Distributed computing with GPU raytracing and analyses
3D scene raytrace rendering
What is FRED MPC?
FRED MPC is a version of Photon Engineering’s FRED Optical Engineering Software package that allows ray generation, ray tracing and analyses to be performed with GPUs and is the result of our continued investment in leveraging cutting-edge technology for fast, radiometrically precise optomechanical raytracing and analysis.
GPU hardware technology, of which NVIDIA is an industry leader, allows for thousands of processing units running in parallel to be contained within a single workstation. GPU hardware (and software) is rapidly advancing, is highly scalable, and has a relatively low entry cost when compared to distributable CPU based networks. By simply adding, or upgrading, the GPU board in a PC, raytracing and analyses with FREDmpc can be performed orders of magnitude faster using GPUs than with conventional multi-threaded CPUs.
FRED MPC is not a standalone product, it is an extension to the existing capabilities of FRED and FRED Optimum. All of FRED’s modeling, raytrace and analyses capabilities can be applied in the usual manner with the addition that raytracing and analyses can optionally be performed on the GPUs upon request.
Is it fast?
Really fast?
How does FREDmpc work?
From a program structure perspective, features in FRED which are supported on the GPUs have two implementations in the source code base; one version written specifically for CPUs and one version written specifically for GPUs. When a request to use the GPUs is made, the FRED model on the CPU is passed through a translator that maps each supported FRED feature into its equivalent GPU version. As Photon Engineering continues to invest in GPU code development, the capabilities of FRED MPC will expand with each new release.
In FRED, performing raytracing and analyses on the GPUs can be accomplished with a single mouse click. The model translation, raytracing and analyses happen transparently to the user with no additional interaction required.
When should I use FRED MPC?
Are you tracing large numbers of rays?
Do you often have to run calculations overnight or over multiple days?
Are your models often made up of thousands of surfaces?
If so then FREDmpc could be beneficial. The question is: how much is your time worth?
Application Cases
FRED Physical Optics
Bessel beam generation
Measurement of Fizeau lens surface
Fourier transform spectroscopy
Maltese Cross phenomenon
Michelson interferometer
Michelson stellar interferometer
Newton ring
Polarizer
FRED Imaging and Stray Light Analysis
Thermal imaging
Apache point stray light analysis
Analysis of mobile stray light of telescope
FRED Illumination Application
Color image analysis
Color mixing tube
Hybrid led collimating lens
LED flashlight
Mobile display
FRED Biomedical Systems
Capillary electrophoresis
Anterior chamber gonioscope
Human tissue scattering
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