6 ms·
This, very much this! I do research in a subfield of optics called nonimaging optics (optics for energy transfer, e.g. solar concentrators or lighting systems)
by hakonjdjohnsen 2y ago
This, very much this!
I do research in a subfield of optics called nonimaging optics (optics for energy transfer, e.g. solar concentrators or lighting systems). We typically use these optical design applications, and your observations are absolutely correct. Make some optical design software that uses GPUs for raytracing, reverse-mode autodiff for optimization, sprinkle in some other modern techniques you may blow these older tools out of the water.
I am hoping to be able to get some projects going in this direction (feel free to reach out if anyone are interested).
PS: I help organize an academic conference my subfield of optics. We run a design competition this year [1,2]. Would be super cool if someone submits a design that they made by drawing inspiration from modern computer graphics tools (maybe using Mitsuba 3, by one of the authors of this book?), instead of using our classical applications in the field.
[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42609892 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42609892
[2] https://nonimaging-conference.org/competition-2025/upload/ https://nonimaging-conference.org/competition-2025/upload/
- bradrn 2y ago> I am hoping to be able to get some projects going in this direction (feel free to reach out if anyone are interested). This does sound interesting! I’ve just finished a Masters degree, also in non-imaging optics (in my case oceanographic lidar systems). I have experience in raytracing for optical simulation, though not quite in the same sense as optical design software. How should I contact you to learn more?
- hakonjdjohnsen 2y agoInteresting! I added an email address to my profile now
- bradrn 2y agoGreat! I’ll send you an email now.
- accurrent 2y agoSounds a bit like https://github.com/mitsuba-renderer/mitsuba2 https://github.com/mitsuba-renderer/mitsuba2
- hakonjdjohnsen 2y agoYes, exactly. I have not looked at Mitsuba 2, but Mitsuba 3 is absolutely along these lines. It is just starting to be picked up by some of the nonimaging/illumination community, e.g. there was a paper last year from Aurele Adam's group at TU Delft where they used it for optimizing a "magic window" [1]. Some tradeoffs and constraints are a bit different when doing optical design versus doing (inverse) rendering, but it definitely shows what is possible. [1] https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.515422 https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.515422
- accurrent 2y agoI dont know much about Optical engineering, but this sounds super exciting. I think I meant to point to mitsuba 3, not 2.
- roflmaostc 2y agoShameless plug, we use Mitsuba 3/Dr.JIT for image optimization around volumetric 3D printing https://github.com/rgl-epfl/drtvam https://github.com/rgl-epfl/drtvam
- hakonjdjohnsen 2y agoLooks really cool! I look forward to reading your paper. Do you know if a recording of the talk is/will be posted somewhere?
- roflmaostc 2y agoWe presented this work at SIGGRAPH ASIA 2024. But I think they do not record it? Maybe in some time we also do an online workshop about it.
- 2y ago