Optics and fluid dynamics simulation software

AI Thread Summary
Recommendations for software to simulate gas flow and optics include OpenFOAM for fluid dynamics, which is free and powerful, and OSLO for optics, which offers a free educational version. Inkscape is suggested for creating vector graphics, while Blender is noted for its artistic applications in fluid dynamics but may not be suitable for scientific evaluations. For simple optics designs, RayLab on iPad is mentioned as a low-cost educational tool, though it lacks the capabilities of more advanced software like Zemax. The discussion highlights the balance between budget constraints and the need for effective simulation tools in Schlieren imaging and optics visualization.
Goodver
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I am doing "Schlieren imaging" visualization of a gas flow from the nozzle.

could anyone please recommend a software to simulate a gas flow from the nozzle.

in addition please recommend a software to simulate optics, like the propagation of a light beam through the optics and image formation.

also tools to create such images: http://www.aor.com/images/ad61.gif

thank you.
 
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Goodver said:
I am doing "Schlieren imaging" visualization of a gas flow from the nozzle.

could anyone please recommend a software to simulate a gas flow from the nozzle.
CFD software can be fairly expensive, so what's your budget? Are you a student at a college/university perhaps?

I don't know of any good free alternatives. Maybe have a look around on Google.

Goodver said:
in addition please recommend a software to simulate optics, like the propagation of a light beam through the optics and image formation.
I used OSLO once (ignore the hideous webpage) and it served me well enough for my small application. They have a free version for educational purposes.

Goodver said:
also tools to create such images: http://www.aor.com/images/ad61.gif
Try Inkscape. It's a great software package for creating vector graphics and it's free and open source.
 
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Look at OpenFOAM for the fluids which is free and very powerful - it's the internal solver of some high priced commercial software.

For optics, maybe a raytracer is what you're after? Eg POVRay.
 
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Thank you!

2tioker, yes I just found out about OpenFOAM, looks very promising. Also, "Blender" software for fluid dynamics, looks very fascinating, however as far as I understood it is more for Art purposes rather than for scientific evaluations.
 
For simple optics designs you can try RayLab on the iPad. It is very simple and does not have all the capability of applications like Zemax, OSLO, and Code 5. But then again it only costs a few dollars. It is intended for learning about optics... Disclaimer-I am actually the developer for RayLab.
 
Yea I'm not sure if the arty raytracers are accurate enough. Blender is primarily a modelling program, though it might have ray-tracing capabilities too.

kghandi - Interesting to see simulation apps on mobile now.
 

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