Working space

Workspace of the Application software consists of several sections.

An Optical System that you open or create with Application appears in a 3D Viewer window. It provides the survey of whole system or any system part, and some possibilities for system editing. Viewer's commands are accessible through the Viewer's toolbars, Viewer’s context menu, or 3D Viewer submenu of View menu.

You cannot open more than one Optical System in a time, but you can close current Optical System and open or create new one without restarting of Application.

Application commands are accessible through the Main menu bar and Main toolbar placed at the upper part of the application window. Set of operations accessible via toolbar icons covers the most frequently used commands of Application.

As a default, there are two windows providing representation, management, and editing of parameters of analyzed Optical System that are docked at the left part of working area. Project is a top docked window representing a hierarchical structure of the Optical System as a tree of Optical Elements, their components, parameters, and so on. Properties is a bottom docked window that is used for editing of parameters of selected component of Optical System. Both width of docked windows and their mutual height can be changed with using of pointing device at any time.

At the bottom part of main Application window is occupied with Status bar.

Main Menu

Main Menu provides access to the all available commands, modes, and regimes of Application.

File Menu

File Menu provides file operation.
  • New -- Create new *.isd file and start work with new task - new optical system
  • Open… - Open existing *.isd file from disk
  • Close -- Finish work with current system
  • Save -- Save current state of OS in the *.isd file with the same name
  • Save As... -- Save current state of OS in *.isd file with new name
  • Import – Load finite-element model of optical system saved in *.dxf format or in VOB Lumex previous version *.os format.
  • Export -- Save current state of optical system in *.os format of VOB Lumex previous version or as finite-element model in *.dxf format
  • 1, 2, 3, 4 –- List of recently opened files. Maximum length of the list is fixed and equal to 10.
  • Exit -- Shut down work with VOB Lumex program

Edit Menu

Edit Menu contains commands dealing with editing of Element within your Project.
  • Undo (Redo) –- commands of cancellation and repetition of editing operations. If the action is accessible, the brief description of operation to be cancelled or repeated is given directly in menu bar.
  • Copy Selected –- take all data concerning selected element(s) into Windows system buffer
  • Paste – insert element into system from Windows system buffer and put it into project element tree before selected element
  • Merge Selected –- transform all data concerning several selected elements into new single element of the optical system
  • Delete Selected –- exclude the selected elements from optical system.

View Menu

View Menu provides access to the viewing modes of integrated 3D Viewer and to windows responsible for visualization of analysis results

  • 3D Viewer -- Open pop-up menu to get access to Viewing Options of 3D Viewer.

  • Energy Distribution –- Open/Close the Energy Distribution window containing the map of energy distribution at the analysis plane.
  • Energy Indicatrix -- Open/Close the Energy Indicatrix window containing  the indicatrix of radiation, emitted by the whole system outwards.
  • Spectral Density -- sdv
  • Surfaces Illumination -- sd
  • Analysis of Radiation Surfaces -- sd
  • Workspace -– Being checked, shows Project and Properties Docked windows; otherwise, 3D Viewer area will be maximized.
  • Toolbar -- Being checked, shows Main toolbar.
  • Status Bar -- Being checked, shows Status bar.
  • Full Screen -- Maximize 3D Viewer layout to full size of Windows desktop.

Insert Menu

Insert Menu allows you add Elements into your Project.

  • Element – Opens list of available elements to be inserted into optical system and put into project tree BEFORE currently chosen one.

  • Light Source – insert new light source into optical system
  • Edmund Industrial optics Lens... --
  • New Source --

Tools Menu

Tools Menu contains command dealing with analysis modes and regimes of Application.
  • Start of calculations –- command to start calculations (if calculations are already being executed, the user sees inscription “Stop of calculations”).
  • Thermoanalysis… -
  • Load Results… –- Load the results of previous sessions from the file*.edn
  • Save Results As… –- Save current state of calculated illuminance distribution into new *.edn file.

Report Menu

Report Menu allows you to create report containing information about analysis results using MS Excel format.
  • New – While checked, the new report file will replace previous one. The name of report file coincides with the name of current optical system. Otherwise, the new report will be appended into existing Report file.
  • Parameters Table
  • Layout View
  • Energy distribution
  • Sections of distribution
  • Radiant Flux
  • Energy Indicatrix
  • Surface Radiation Graph
  • Surfaces Radiation Table

– list of components, which can be put into VOB Lumex report. Single user’s selection puts only one component into report.
  • All Data - command to put all accumulated to the moment data into Report file
  • Show Report – Start MS Excel and load current VOB Lumex report file.

Help Menu

Help Menu provides access to Application reference window.
  • Contents -- Open HTML Help File
  • About VOB Lumex... -- Open information window:

Main Toolbar

Main Toolbar provides access to most used commands and regimes of Application.

The icons are combined in several groups according to their functions.

File operation Group.

New -– Create new optical system

Open -- Open existing *.isd file from disk

Import – Load finite-element model of optical system saved as *dxf file from disk

Save - Save current state of optical system in *.isd format with the same name

Edit commands Group:

Undo -– Cancel last editing operation

Redo -– Repeat one latest cancelled edit operation

Analysis commands Group:

Open dialog window to set parameters of analysis plane

Start -- Starts calculation of illiminance distribution. While calculations are under executing, the icon is replaced with “Stop” one.

Stop -- Stops calculations.

Show current state of calculation results of illiminance distribution

The command operating is described in more details below in corresponding sections of the Manual.

Docked windows

Project window

Project docked window represents a hierarchical structure of the Optical System as a tree of Optical Elements, their components and so on. As a default, it is docked at the top left part of working area of Application. Typical view of Project docked window is represented with following illustration:

You can use Project docked window to make any Element current and thus available for editing. Selected Element will be marked with blue color as it shown above.

To select Element place pointer over desired title and press left button of your pointing device.

You can use also context menu to add new Optical Element into Project or remove existing one. To get access to context menu select element of Project tree graph and click right button of your pointing device. Content of context menu depends on selected element of Project tree.

Tables below outlines content of context menu available for different type of element of hierarchical tree graph:

Objects Context Menu:
  • Add Source -- Add new gas source of radiation to the end of list of radiation sources of Project.
  • Add New Element -- Add new Element (from drop-down list) to the end of hierarchical structure of Project.
  • Add Element from File... -- Add preliminary saved Element to the end of hierarchical structure of Project.
Source Context Menu:
  • Add Source -- Add new gas source of radiation to Project (to the end of Sources list).
  • Insert Source from file... -- Insert preliminary saved Source to the Project before currently chosen one.
  • Cut -- Copy chosen Source(s) of radiation into clipboard and delete it from Project.
  • Copy -- Copy currently chosen Source(s) of radiation into Clipboard.
  • Paste -- Paste Source(s) of radiation from Clipboard.
  • Delete -- Delete currently chosen Source(s) of radiation from Project.
  • Group -- Group currently chosen Sources into ingle Element.
  • Ungroup -- Ungroup currently chosen Element containing Sources.
  • Save Source... -- Save currently chosen Source(s) into file.
  • Show Source Indicatrix -- Open new window containing -polar diagram of Source's indicatrix.
Element Context Menu:

  • Insert Element from file.... -- Insert preliminary saved Element into Project

  • Insert New Element -- Insert new Element to Project before currently chosen one.

  • Cut -- Copy chosen Element(s) of radiation into clipboard and delete it from Project.
  • Copy -- Copy currently chosen Element(s) of radiation into Clipboard.
  • Paste -- Paste Element(s) from Clipboard.
  • Delete -- Delete currently chosen Element(s) from Project.
  • Group -- Group currently chosen Elements into single one.
  • Ungroup -- Ungroup currently chosen Element.
  • Save Element... -- Save currently chosen Element(s) into file.

Note that context menu depends on the type of currently selected Element of Optical Scheme and does not depend on current position of pointer. Thus, you should select correct type of Element to be sure you will get desired content of context menu.

Project and Settings elements of Project tree graph have no context menu.

Properties window

The Properties docked window is used for displaying current parameters characterizing properties either Optical System as a whole or any Element of the Optical System, as well as for setting and changing values of these parameters. Properties docked window is docked at the bottom left part of the working area of Application. The Properties docked window contains a table of parameters and their values and the Apply button. A set of parameters displaying in this window depends on the currently chosen item in the hierarchical structure of the Optical System within the Project docked window.

Examples of views of the Properties docked window are represented with the following illustrations:
View of the Properties window for transformation properties of an element. View of the Properties window for optical properties of an element's surface.

To get access to any Property (or group of Properties) of Element, choose corresponding item at the hierarchical structure of Optical System from the Project docked window using your pointing device. All parameters available for editing will be displayed in the Properties docked window. You are able either directly type the desired values of parameters or choose it from drop-down lists in corresponding cells of the table . After new parameters have being set, press the Apply button.