Breault Research Organization (BRO) Releases APEX 2012 V1R1 - Now Available as Optical Software Add-In for SolidWorks

APEX 2012 V1R1 Release Highlights:

• SolidWorks Add-In Configuration of APEX 2012 V1R1 - APEX is now an optical engineering application add-in for the industry-standard SolidWorks 3D-modeling environment. This add-in approach enables optical engineering simulations utilizing SolidWorks, APEX, and other add-ins available to SolidWorks users. Key benefits of the APEX 2012 add-in configuration include the ability to: use your own SolidWorks licenses with the APEX add-in; use the APEX add-in with commercial versions of SolidWorks that include more comprehensive CAD features; use the APEX add-in with multiple SolidWorks licenses, moving your hardware key as needed; and the ability to install the APEX add-in along with other third-party SolidWorks add-ins used in your product development workflow.
• Ray Tracing Enhancements in APEX 2012 V1R1 - APEX 2012 includes several enhancements for ray tracing: trace rays with improved speed via complex vs. simple feature recognition, now always on during APEX ray traces; trace rays one step at a time with the Step Trace feature found on the Trace tab; and use the new Move Rays and Focus options during ray trace post-processing to move rays along their propagation direction, and to find the best 3D-focal point of selected ray data.
• Enhanced Analysis in APEX 2012 V1R1 - APEX 2012 includes several new analysis options that can be enabled prior to tracing rays: enable the Ray Path Analysis option found on the Project Settings tab to identify and interrogate unique ray paths after a trace; use the new Ray Fluence and Absorbed Analysis feature found on the Project Settings tab to explore ray data in numerical format; and use the Ray Critical Surface Analysis option found on the Project Settings tab to determine key stray-light paths in your system.
• Interface Enhancements in APEX 2012 V1R1 - APEX 2012 includes a new split-view interface mode for viewing numerical outputs such as ray statistics via the Sources tab and specific ray paths via the Analyze tab. Users can interact with this statistical and ray-path information to visually confirm objects and ray locations in the graphical pane.
• Optical Property and Scatter Modeling Enhancements in APEX 2012 V1R1 - APEX 2012 includes several new features for defining optical properties and scatter models: define Fresnel reflection and transmission coefficients on individual surfaces; define ABg and K-Correlation scatter models to characterize scatter from smooth surfaces; and scatter rays toward importance edges with the new Rectangular Scatter Area and Elliptical Scatter Area features found on the Optical Geometry tab. These features are particularly useful for stray light analysis.
• Photometric Data Interoperability Enhancements in APEX 2012 V1R1 - APEX 2012 includes new import/export options for working with and sharing photometric ray data: import and export distributions in the EULUMDAT and IES LM-63-02 Photometric Data formats; and export rays traced in APEX 2012 using the standard BRO .dis file format.

These and other enhancements make APEX 2012 a productivity enhancing release with design features that advance the state of the art in optical software.

Visit BRO's Web site to learn more about APEX Optical Software and other BRO products and services, including training courses and engineering consulting services:
http://www.breault.com

About Breault Research Organization (BRO):
BRO is an optical engineering firm of global reach and reputation. BRO's optical software products and training courses help engineers turn creative visions into working prototypes, and the company's own engineers work on beyond-state-of-the-art projects for Fortune 500 companies, research institutions, and top government labs. BRO has been recognized by the director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for technology export achievements, received Wells Fargo Copper Cactus Awards for Best Place to Work and Community Service, was named Arizona's 2010 Small Business Innovator of the Year, and has been commended by United States Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano for excellence in technology development. BRO is an ISO 9001:2008 registered company steadfastly committed to quality, innovation, and the success of its clients.