[HN Gopher] Inkscape Ray Tracing - an extension for Inkscape to ...
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Inkscape Ray Tracing - an extension for Inkscape to draw optical
diagrams
Author : app4soft
Score : 217 points
Date : 2021-02-05 12:53 UTC (1 days ago)
(HTM) web link (github.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (github.com)
| dekhn wrote:
| Could you use this to rough out a Koehler illumination? I'm
| playing with UC2 (https://github.com/bionanoimaging/UC2-GIT) and
| one of the projects is to build a KI scope
| (https://github.com/bionanoimaging/UC2-GIT/tree/master/TheBOX...)
| leading up to abbe experiment.
|
| I mainly want to be able to plug in different objective lens
| strengths and experiment with the overall system geometry.
| damienbloch wrote:
| I'd like to to add simple tools someday (like ABCD matrices
| along a beam). But at some point it's probably better to switch
| to more evolved softwares, like the ones mentioned in the
| thread
| app4soft wrote:
| JFTR, A simple ray tracing showing the concept of Koehler
| illumination.[0]
|
| [0] https://www.researchgate.net/figure/A-simple-ray-tracing-
| sho...
| app4soft wrote:
| > _Could you use this to rough out a Koehler illumination?_
|
| Please, ask extension dev via issues tracker.[0]
|
| UPD: Dev is here now![1]
|
| [0] https://github.com/damienBloch/inkscape-raytracing/issues
|
| [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=damienbloch
| daniellarusso wrote:
| So, I do not personally have a use for this, but I have always
| wanted to see how to make an Inkscape plugin and this is an
| excellent example.
|
| Thank you!
| Terretta wrote:
| Not adding anything to _this_ conversation, but...
|
| Such a delightful find, thank you for sharing!
| prennert wrote:
| Wow this is very cool.
|
| I am sorry to hijack this thread to ask a related question. Does
| anyone know if libraries or programs exist that can model light
| rays in 3D for objects without circular base, for instance for
| modelling head lamps on cars and such?
| danioli wrote:
| I vaguely remember reading about a job that required Open
| Cascade, to do this (designing optics for automotive
| applications), if that's what you're seeking. Company was
| called DBM Reflex in Laval, QC I'm sure other tools (ie. game
| engines) will also allow you to model all types of optical
| effects.
| app4soft wrote:
| > _Does anyone know if libraries or programs exist that can
| model light rays in 3D for objects without circular base, for
| instance for modelling head lamps on cars and such?_
|
| I guess there are already such addons for _Blender_ app, but I
| 'm not sure what exactly you need, so it would be better to ask
| such question in _Blender Community places_ [0].
|
| Take a look on those two.[1,2]
|
| [0] https://www.blender.org/community/
|
| [1] https://github.com/CodeFHD/OptiCore
|
| [2] https://github.com/TobiasNils/Ray-Optics-Analyzer
| Farfignoggen wrote:
| That's not actually Ray Tracing as that supports only a single
| ray sample that's not used to produce a rasterized realistic
| Image but is instead for creating a diagram of a Ray Path on a 2D
| simulated Optical experiment Table.
|
| It's only tracing a Path in 2D and for visualizing the ray path
| and not really using that for actual AO, Shadow, Ambient
| Occlusion, etc on a 3D Image for realistic image production.
|
| It's a nice tool for the Optical Experimenters out there to
| Produce SVG based Graphical representations for Publishing their
| works in Optics/Related fields but that's not Ray Tracing in the
| way that's used in say Blender 3D's Cycles Rendering(On CPU core
| or GPU Shader Cores) where photo realistic Images are Produced
| Using Simulated Rays in a simulated 3D environment/Scene.
| jazzyjackson wrote:
| Perhaps it is the 3D artists that are using the term
| incorrectly. Or maybe the term can have more than one meaning.
| Keyframe wrote:
| That's exactly ray tracing in original and all-purpose meaning
| and sense what this is about.
| analog31 wrote:
| I do optics design, and use "ray tracing" to analyze optical
| systems -- lenses, mirrors, etc. So imagine my surprise when I
| see a link for "ray tracing," and it's some graphical rendering
| that I can't fathom or use.
|
| It is actually the same thing, but applied to different areas
| of interest. In both cases it uses equations from physics to
| form a simulation of light propagation that is accurate enough
| under certain conditions.
|
| Optical ray tracing predates the computer age, so people
| learned analysis techniques that required tracing a bare
| minimum number of rays. In fact you can learn a lot about a
| simple system by tracing just two rays. For this reason, ray
| diagrams shown in optics designs tend to show relatively few
| rays.
|
| But every optics designer wishes we could have the same cool
| tools as the graphics people, but with the analysis features
| that we need.
| xrd wrote:
| Inkscape traces images and converts them to SVG, right? Can this
| be scripted from the command line? I want to convert a line
| drawing into an SVG.
| LukeShu wrote:
| Inkscape's tracing functionality uses the `potrace` command
| line program.
| mkl wrote:
| There is also autotrace:
| https://github.com/autotrace/autotrace
| azalemeth wrote:
| As an academic, this is _exactly_ the kind of tool that is
| perfect for teaching and making exam questions with the minimum
| of fuss. Thank you for doing it, and thank HN for bringing it to
| my attention!
| app4soft wrote:
| JFTR, Also take a look on _Astree_ [0] & _Foucault2_ [1].
|
| [0] https://github.com/edeforas/Astree
|
| [1] https://github.com/edeforas/Foucault2
| [deleted]
| buildbot wrote:
| Could this be used as a simple lens designer? Or are there better
| programs for than?
| app4soft wrote:
| > _Could this be used as a simple lens designer? Or are there
| better programs for than?_
|
| Take a look on _Etienne de Foras '_[0] _Astree_ [1] (an amateur
| telescope making FLOSS app to help with optical design and
| optimisation) and on _Foucault2_ [2] (an amateur telescope
| making FLOSS app to help with mirror design and polishing).
|
| _Astree_ in most cases is enough alternative to proprietary
| _Zemax_ (+ Astree already support ZMX file format).[3]
|
| [0] http://edeforas.free.fr/?cat=6
|
| [1] https://github.com/edeforas/Astree
|
| [2] https://github.com/edeforas/Foucault2
|
| [3] https://github.com/edeforas/Astree/issues/28
| hutzlibu wrote:
| Speaking about it, has anyone experience using a laser cutter
| to create fresnel lens, out of transparent plastic?
|
| At some point I want to do this, and this plugin might seem
| helpful.
| ginko wrote:
| > Or are there better programs for than?
|
| There's the rayopt[1] Python library. You can find a repo of
| notebooks modelling a bunch of lenses from the original patents
| here[2]. I've played around a bit with that myself, modelling a
| Voigtlander Color-Skopar.
|
| [1] https://github.com/quartiq/rayopt [2]
| https://github.com/quartiq/rayopt-notebooks
| iFreilicht wrote:
| Seems like it, rays seem to be accurately refracted between
| object boundaries, depending on the optical index you set for
| that object. Pretty cool!
| damienbloch wrote:
| Happy to know it can be useful! Just keep in mind that it's still
| fairly bugged for an extensive usage. Because the issue is maybe
| with the way Inkscape handles python extensions, it might take a
| bit before it'll be stable.
| rahimiali wrote:
| I'm very excited about this. But I'm I'm also interested to
| hear why you chose to build this instead of using Zemax's
| sequential mode. I've written two bespoke ray tracers in my
| career and to this day I wonder if I should have written them
| as zemax extensions. Is it just cost?
| pen2l wrote:
| It's almost definitely cost! Zemax is what, a 5-digit price
| for the full pack? Prohibitively expensive for anyone but
| those deep inside the industry who really get their bang for
| the buck.
| damienbloch wrote:
| Zemax would definitely be a more professional option, but I
| never got the opportunity to dive into it. Also this is more
| for quick plots than for complex optics
| app4soft wrote:
| > _Zemax would definitely be a more professional option_
|
| _Astree_ -- a FLOSS alternative to Zemax.[0]
|
| [0] https://github.com/edeforas/Astree
| wizzwizz4 wrote:
| When it is, are there any plans to put it on
| https://inkscape.org/gallery/=extension/?
| damienbloch wrote:
| If people can find a use for it, this might be a good idea.
| But haven't discussed this yet
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(page generated 2021-02-06 23:01 UTC)