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Fusion App for Optical Simulations and Ray Tracing
RayTracer is an Autodesk Fusion 360 tool that you can purchase on the Autodesk App store and use natively in Fusion 360. This tool applies Snell's Law to each curved or flat surface that a ray encounters, propogating through an entire lens system automatically. The Fusion 360 tool allows users to select multiple rays, multiple optical lens surfaces, as well as mirrors, to perform sequential ray tracing. This tool can then show the engineer where an image plane would be formed, where light rays would converge, or predict other optical outcomes when light passes through a system. This is a tool that is used solely within the Fusion workspace, and is as simple as clicking a button.
RayTracer can take the place of other optical simulation tools when users are looking for optomechanical design options that don't require advanced features. Many conventional optomechanical systems have relatively simple optical elements and can be modeled directly in the CAD workspace, but this process is labor and time intensive. RayTracer takes the difficulty out of this by providing a simple interface used directly in Autodesk Fusion. At the time of writing, RayTracer is the only optical simulation tool that can be used directly with Autodesk Fusion. It provides a clean, fast sequential ray tracing solution for direct integration into your 3D designs.
RayTracer creates tiny differential flat lines along whatever arc you create, so as to calculate Snell's law with the angle of incidence from your (construction line) ray. This process is repeated with each surface that the propogated ray encounters. The process repeats until each refractive index has been applied.
RayTracer is an economic solution when compared to dedicated optical simulation softwares such as Zemax. No coding is required, and it is an entirely visual UI directly within Fusion 360, so you can fully integrate your optical simulation with your mechanical designs. RayTracer also follows the general CAD and Fusion 360 logic, making it a great choice if you don't want to learn a new program.
General Usage Instructions
1. Create a 2D sketch of a lens / mirror system using lines and arcs.
2. Draw rays (construction lines) at the desired incidence angle with the lens system.
3. Open RayTracer and fill out the desired refractive indicies for the full system.
4. Select the rays, mirror surfaces, and lens surfaces.
5. Press OK, and wait for the result.
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