At Fastway Engineering, we work with product development teams to demystify the complex world of engineering simulation. As a certified Ansys Channel Partner, we see firsthand how software updates can quietly - but significantly - improve the way engineers work. The 2025 R1 release of Ansys Optics doesn’t bring sweeping transformations, but rather a series of thoughtful enhancements that reduce friction, improve accuracy, and support better decision-making across optical and photonics workflows.
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In a field where small adjustments can lead to meaningful performance improvements, this release stands out for its attention to detail. From improving the day-to-day user experience to enabling more precise modeling of stress effects and mechanical pivots, 2025 R1 reflects Ansys’s ongoing efforts to make simulation tools more intuitive and powerful.
In this blog post, we break down what’s new, why it matters, and how engineering teams can make the most of the Optics 2025 R1 release.
One of the first updates users will notice is the addition of Dark Mode. While this may seem cosmetic, its impact is functional. Engineers who spend long hours working in low-light environments often experience eye fatigue and distraction from overly bright screens. Dark Mode provides a softer visual experience that helps reduce strain and supports sustained focus. As Ansys product manager Tom Pickering put it, “It’s a simple yet effective way to improve the overall user experience, giving you better control over your workspace and reducing fatigue during those marathon design sessions.”
With Dark Mode, Ansys 2025 R1 offers a more comfortable interface for long hours of optical design work.
Beyond visual comfort, this release addresses long-standing challenges such as stress birefringence - a phenomenon where internal stress in optical materials alters light polarization, potentially distorting system performance. This is particularly relevant in areas like automotive displays and augmented reality optics, where mechanical stress during use or manufacturing is nearly unavoidable. With improved simulation tools in 2025 R1, engineers can now more accurately model how stress affects polarization, enabling earlier detection of performance risks and more resilient product designs.
Ansys 2025 R1 adds new capabilities for simulating the effects of stress on light behavior in optical systems.
Another noteworthy addition is the Mechanical Pivot Point (MPVT) operand. Often, optical assemblies simulate the motion of mechanical joints or elements interacting with light paths. In the past, these setups required time-consuming workarounds or lacked precision. With the MPVT operand, engineers can now define these pivot points directly in the simulation, making the model both more realistic and easier to interpret. This enhancement not only improves design fidelity but also helps teams communicate mechanical intent more clearly during the review process.
Accurate rendering of visual appearance continues to be a critical factor in many optical applications. Whether designing automotive lighting or consumer electronics, engineers increasingly need simulation results that reflect how products will look - not just how they will perform. The addition of AxF file support in Ansys Speos streamlines the process of applying real-world texture and material properties. Combined with X-Rite measurement tools, engineers can now capture and simulate the surface characteristics of materials earlier in the development process. Etienne Lesage, Ansys Speos product manager, notes, “This update really takes simulation closer to reality, improving the photometric rendering and overall realism of designs.”
Ansys 2025 R1 enables the use of AxF files to simulate real-world material appearances.
For automotive teams, the tension between design intent and optical performance often slows down development. The updated workflow in 2025 R1 simplifies this by integrating geometric trimming and lens tuning for Total Internal Reflection (TIR) lenses. This makes it easier to maintain optical performance while meeting styling goals - without the need for additional workaround models or extra design loops.
Workflow automation is another area where 2025 R1 expands. PySpeos, a Python-based scripting interface, allows engineers to automate repetitive tasks or customize simulations beyond what’s possible in the graphical UI. Available on GitHub, it also opens doors for community-driven contributions - allowing users to share scripts, improve processes, and learn from one another.
With PySpeos, engineers can streamline simulation tasks through Python-based automation.
Photonics engineers, meanwhile, benefit from a series of performance improvements designed to handle increasing model complexity. The new version introduces multi-GPU support via NVlink, cuts GPU memory usage in half, and reduces meshing time by 20%. These backend improvements enable larger and faster simulations without compromising accuracy - an essential need for teams working on intricate systems like integrated photonics.
Multi-GPU performance in Ansys 2025 R1 boosts simulation speed through NVlink-enabled NVIDIA GPUs.
The photonics section also introduces a new workflow for co-packaged optics (CPO), where optical and electrical systems are designed side by side. By combining Ansys Lumerical, RaptorX, and Cadence Virtuoso in a unified co-simulation environment, teams can now model both signal integrity and optical behavior in 3D-ICs. Charly Meyer, product manager for Ansys Lumerical, describes this as a way to evaluate the full performance of CPO systems in a single simulation workflow.
Ansys 2025 R1 introduces a co-packaged optics workflow to simulate RF impacts on optical signals in 3D integrated circuits.
To support these deeper capabilities, Ansys Lumerical FDTD now features a modernized interface, with organized tabbed menus and high-DPI support, offering a cleaner, more responsive environment for simulation setup and analysis. This update helps teams spend less time searching for features and more time refining designs.
The new interface in Ansys Lumerical FDTD 2025 R1 improves usability with organized toolstrip menus for each solver.
At Fastway Engineering, we help organizations navigate these changes by offering implementation support, workflow training, and simulation consulting. Whether you're new to optical simulation or looking to integrate new features into an existing workflow, we're here to support your team.
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