Breault Research Organization (BRO) has released Apex optical engineering software, the first part of a multi-phase, multi-year plan to create a concurrent engineering software environment. Apex is a stand-alone application that facilitates and optimises an engineer's interaction with optical-engineering software tools by fully integrating them in the industry-standard SolidWorks 3D-modelling environment.
BRO is well known for its Advanced Systems Analysis Program (ASAP), and the ASAP non-sequential ray-tracing engine is at the core of Apex. With the power and sophistication of ASAP and SolidWorks behind Apex, the program enables the design and analysis of even the most complex optical and illumination systems with a simple, easy-to-follow workflow. In APEX, optical designers learn, create, design, and analyse in the same program environment – and that environment is all about ease of use.