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Award-winning CAD convenience and optical engineering power in one package
APEX
The Arizona Governor's Celebration of Innovation (GCOI) award committee has named BRO the 2010 Small Business Innovator of the Year for its multiyear development and 2010 release of APEX®.

Fully integrated into the industry-standard SolidWorks® 3D-modeling environment, and based on BRO's ASAP® kernel technology, APEX® has been developed for the design and analysis of optical and illumination systems using an easy-to-follow workflow. APEX is a standalone application that delivers optical software tools in a true CAD interface.
 
 
 
With the full power and sophistication of SolidWorks in APEX, there is no need to translate, bridge or link between two separate programs. In APEX, you learn, create, design, and analyze in the same program environment, and that environment is all about ease of use. APEX seamlessly melds the worlds of computer-aided design and optical engineering, resulting in an "optics aware" design application.

In APEX, no CAD restrictions are placed on your optical components. Rather, APEX combines the power of SolidWorks geometry modeling with the rigor and precision needed for virtual prototyping of optical systems. Optical components created in APEX have optical tolerances and blend seamlessly into larger system models, including electrical, mechanical, and other system components.

APEX is an optical engineering application tailor-made to meet the requirements of today's engineering R&D groups, whether big or small, and is opening up new possibilities for the future of optics.

 
 
Optical and mechanical engineers can finally work side-by-side on the same files. APEX files are SolidWorks files. Experimenting, evaluating, and innovating couldn't be easier. Welcome to APEX.
 
(click image to play movie, running time 05:32)
 
View more APEX demos in the BRO Multimedia Gallery
 
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APEX Features
Use the table below to see detailed features of APEX®.
 
System Setup Features
User-Friendly Environment Work in a user-friendly optical software environment based on SolidWorks 3D-modeling software.
SolidWorks Modeling Model system geometry using the full suite of SolidWorks Parts, Assemblies, and Drawings features.
Workspace Customization Create your own custom workspace in APEX with flexible, drag-and-drop graphical user interface (GUI) elements.
Design Tree Utilize the familiar SolidWorks “Design Tree” view to visualize Feature, Property, Configuration, and Optics Managers.
Geometry Importation Access geometry in native SolidWorks files and interoperate with other CAD programs and file formats.
Smart Dimensions Set key fixed dimensions in system geometry using the SolidWorks “Smart Dimensions” feature.
Geometrical Relationships Set geometrical relationships in system geometry using the SolidWorks “Relations” feature.
Equation-Based Geometry Create parameterized, equation-based geometry using the SolidWorks “Equations” feature.
System Configurations Create, organize, and toggle between system variations using the SolidWorks “Configurations” interface.
BRO Digitizer™ Import data for system setup from images in .bmp, .gif, .jpg, .png, and .wmf format using the BRO Digitizer.
Optical Geometry Manage lenses, media, coatings, and scatter models with the APEX “Optical Geometry” tab.
Lens Library Insert lens models from popular lens catalogs, including CVI, Edmund Optics, and Thor Labs, using the “Lens Manager”.
Custom Lens Models Create and save custom lens models with user-defined dimensions and media in the “Lens Manager”.
Media Library Insert optical media definitions from more than 15 popular catalogs and categories using the “Media Manager”.
Custom Media Models Create and save custom media definitions using formula-defined and tabulated-media wizards in the “Media Manager”.
Optical Parameters Define media with optical parameters including Conrady, Herzberger, Schott, and Sellmeier formulas in the “Media Manager”.
Coating Library Insert absorbing, anti-reflection, color filtering, reflecting, transmitting, and other coating types using the “Coatings Manager”.
Custom Coating Models Create and save custom coating models using simple-coating and prescriptive-coating wizards in the “Coatings Manager”.
Scatter Model Library Insert Alanod, Mold-Tech, Tenibac, Toray, and other scatter models using the “Scatter Manager”.
Custom Scatter Models Create and save custom Harvey, Random Slope Error (RSE), and Lambertian scatter models using the “Scatter Manager”.
Bill of Materials View and export a “Bill of Materials” itemizing parts, lenses, and media found in your system model.
Online Help System Utilize detailed help records organized by the workflow for designing and analyzing optical systems.
Source Definition Features
Source Libraries Use popular arc, CCFL, filament, and LED source models ready to combine with your system model.
Light Source Manager Browse and insert arc, CCFL, filament, and LED sources from source libraries using the “Light Source Manager”.
Multiple Sources Insert multiple copies of the same source simultaneously or add different sources to your system model.
Wavelength Options Create source raysets at one wavelength or multiple wavelengths with user-defined wavelength intervals.
Rayset Options Insert source models with pre-defined or user-defined color temperature, flux, and ray count properties.
Grid Sources Create rectangular and elliptical grid sources with user-defined ray distribution and direction properties.
Measured Source Data Create light source models from measured source data that has been imported into APEX using a variety of formats.
Source Statistics View and export ray, power/flux, position, direction, and/or summary statistics for rays associated with your sources.
Select Rays Select and utilize subsets of rays from system sources using combinations of Boolean (“AND”, “OR”) operators.
Source Irradiance Perform Irradiance calculations and create plots to visualize source power per unit area.
Source Intensity Perform Radiant Intensity calculations and create plots to visualize source power in direction cosine and angle spaces.
Source Radiance Perform Radiance calculations and create plots to visualize source power per unit area per unit solid angle.
Iscocandela Visualization Perform Isolux calculations and create Isocandela plots to visualize source .
Type A, B, and C Radiometry Perform type A, B, and C radiometry calculations and create related plots to visualize sources.
Ray Tracing Features
Trace Rays Perform fast, accurate ray traces with the time-proven ASAP non-sequential ray tracing engine at the core of APEX.
Trace Single Ray Trace a single ray to get a quick idea of how light will propagate through your system model.
Ambient Medium Specify the ambient media for your system using custom or pre-defined catalogs in the “Media Manager”.
Wavelength and Power Units Specify default wavelength value and units such as nanometers, and default power units such as Lumens and Watts.
Fresnel Computations Specify Fresnel computation settings to handle S and P polarization states, normal incidence, and TIR cases.
Ray Termination Specify ray termination characteristics with settings for directions, intersections, flux thresholds, and flux ratios.
Ray Splitting Specify ray splitting characteristics with settings for specular splitting and Monte Carlo splitting.
Ray Scattering Specify ray scattering characteristics with settings for scattering generations and relative flux thresholds.
Ray Trace Display Specify trace display characteristics with settings for displaying nth rays, ray color, and visualization of previous traces.
Ray Trace Accuracy Specify ray trace accuracy using settings normal and enhanced ray tracing modes.
Analysis Features
Analysis Flexibility Run simulations and use comprehensive analysis features to understand optical system performance.
Radiometric Analyses Perform radiometric analyses on complete systems, individual surfaces, or at interim locations in your system.
Irradiance Calculations Calculate Irradiance and create plots (power per unit area) to visualize system performance.
Intensity Calculations Calculate Radiant Intensity and create plots to visualize system performance in direction cosine and angle spaces.
Radiance Calculations Calculate Radiance and create plots (source power per unit area per unit solid angle) to visualize system performance.
Contour Plots Create 2D and 3D Contour plots to visualize light distributions and assess system performance.
Picture Plots Create false-color Picture plots to visualize light distributions and assess system performance.
Isometric Plots Create 3D Isometric plots to visualize light distributions and assess system performance.
Mesh Plots Create Mesh Surface plots to visualize light distributions and assess system performance.
Distribution Sections Create Distribution Section plots to visualize cross sections of light distributions and assess system performance.
Isocandela Plots Perform Isolux calculations and create Isocandela plots to assess system performance.
Type A, B, and C Radiometry Perform type A, B, and C radiometry calculations and create related plots to assess system performance.
Mathematical Processing Post-process simulation results using mathematical operations such as averaging, logarithms, squaring, and others.
Plot Customization Customize youvr plot windows, axes, backgrounds, and styles, and save your plot templates for future use.
Autosave Results Perform multiple system simulations in a single project with autosaving of simulation and analysis results.
Revisit Results Toggle between multiple sets of simulation and analysis results that have been automatically saved and organized.
Project Sharing Share complete system characterization, simulation, and analysis results with the “Optical Pack-and-Go” feature.
 
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