ProSource Software for Light Source Modelling

Improved ray tracing with ProSource and Radiant Source Models

Radiant Imaging’s ProSource software provides the interface necessary to export ray sets from Radiant Source Model data files into third-party optical design and illumination modelling programmes. A Radiant Source Model (RSM) is an industry-standard representation of the near-field luminance output of a light source and comprises thousands of detailed images of the device under test. RSMs are generated by measuring a light source on Radiant Imaging's Source Imaging Goniometric systems SIG-300 and SIG-400) as well as the PM-NFMS near-field goniophotometer.

ProSource allows full data analysis and ray generation from any RSM data file. In addition, a ProSource software licence allows any RSM to be viewed and analysed in compatible optical design and illumination programmes. ProSource enables the optical designer to interact with source data in a variety of useful ways. For example, the user can determine source colour and luminance characteristics from any point or subregion within the source. The source can be viewed from any angle, and animated videos can be created to help intuitively understand the spatial output characteristics of the light source. The designer can also use ProSource to determine the origin of the global coordinate system in relationship to specific physical features of a light source, as well as to determine the relationship between source features and how they relate to ray sets. ProSource can be used to generate ray sets that may be imported into ray trace software with full control over the number of rays, angular range of rays, and total luminous flux of the ray set.

ProSource allows the export of ray sets from Radiant Source models to optical design programmes that include ASAP, FRED, LightTools, LucidShape, Opticad, OSLO, SimuLux, SPEOS, TracePro and Zemax. ProSource can also export in a general binary format, a general unix binary format and an ASCII format. 

Using ProSource confers numerous benefits. Chief amoungst these is the enhanced understanding of the light source characteristics which in turn improves the predictive accuracy of the computer simulation and helps bring products to market more quickly and with reduced development costs.

Standard Photometric Data for Luminaires

ProSource is used together with our PM-NFMS near-field goniophotometers to generate standard photometric data in industry-standard IESNA (.ies) and EULUMDAT (.ldt) formats. So-called photometric data defines how much light a luminaire emits and into what directions; lighting designers then use this standardised data format with a variety of commercially-available lighting design programmes to determine the number and positioning of luminaires in order to create the desired illuminance (lux level). ProSource takes the Radiant Source Model file generated by the NFMS goniophotometer, scales this to a far-field luminous intensity distribution and can then be used to output the desired photometric data file.

ProSource 8.0

ProSource 8.0 delivers an improved user interface and expanded functionality for RSM analysis and ray generation. ProSource 8.0 provides simpler, more intuitive programme navigation, enhanced graphics and improved ray generation from RSM data files, including full colour ray set generation. ProSource 8.0 provides an intuitive interface to allow the user to view, manipulate, and process RSM data files more simply and more quickly than in previous versions. A new user interface and improved graphics allow users to more rapidly access and analyse RSM information, resulting in both time savings and deeper understanding of light source performance. In addition, window docking and tabbing enable much easier organisation of the different data representations and operations that result during a typical ProSource session.  
 
Free upgrades to ProSource 8.0 are available to users that purchased ProSource after 1st January 2008, and discounted upgrades are available from certain previous releases. Please contact Pro-Lite for further information on upgrading.

New features of ProSource 8.0 include:

1. Expanded data format compatibility: ProSource 8.0 can directly open and generate rays for any RSM, PSD, MDB, RS7, or RS8 Radiant Source Model.
2. New bitmap plotting tool: the bitmap display of source images has been enhanced with a simplified toolbar and more display options.
3. New cross-section tool: this new plot can be used to display any quantity derived from the data, such as source luminous intensity or colour coordinates.
4. Improved histogram tool: all measured and calculated quantities can also be displayed as histograms, with a variety of plotting options.
5. New 2-D and 3-D iso plots: this option enables false colour plots of source parameters with numerous options.
6. CIE colour charts: source colour information can be plotted with customisable gamuts, and a colour list chart gives the scatter plot of all average colour values on the CIE colour chart.
7. Ray generation: both photopic and colour ray sets (RGB) are now supported, and the number of rays that can be generated is limited only by disk space.