The 2011,soltrace is completely rewritten to improve performance, uses parallel processing techniques, updates the user interface, and provides a framework for future use of other modeling tools. This upgrade greatly expands the modeling capabilities of analyzing large optical systems and demonstrating complex batch simulations using the built-in scripting language. The new version is written in C + + and uses the QT User graphics interface tool, which can be run on Windows and Mac OS x systems. The previous version, in the Delphi programming environment, was only able to run under windows and had compatibility issues under cross-version Windows. Process speed tests on 2-core Windows PCs using the latest code and previous Delphi versions. Depending on the geometry chosen, the speed can be increased by 5 to 30 times times. The comparison of these two versions is included below.
Figure 1 Previous version of Soltrace (Delphi) shows the Sun definition page
Figure 2 New version soltrace (C++/QT) shows the same Sun input parameter options
import an earlier project
Importing items in the early-use (*.STP) file format is not possible at this time. Instead, the user must manually import *.sun,*.opt and *.geo files that contain a complete system geometry. We have provided an example script called impogeo.lk (click on the Script tab to hit, click on the open icon at the top of the script window to start this script). Running this script will read a multi-background *.geo file and import the background and element data, overwriting any existing system geometry. It is expected that this script will run correctly in most cases, but may not fully import all background properties (Virtual, trace through, multi-hit, etc.). Importing *.sun and *.opt files will not be designed as this script, so the user must provide the appropriate new version of the section. The Sunshape file (*.sun) can be imported into soltrace. The optical file (*.opt) must be refactored and the data must be entered in a new file format to be stored. The user must be very careful to check all inputs when using the importgeo.lk script. However, few users still use the Delphi version of Soltrace, so the issue is of limited importance.
Soltrace Tutorial (2) Old version Project import new version