Dedicated Minicomputers In Optical Design
Abstract
Advancing computer technology led to the introduction of powerful minicomputer tools for optical design in 1975. Continuing hardware advances have opened up further options for the optical designer while expectations of program performance and scope have risen. Various hardware/software optical design products have appeared and will continue to be developed, giving the optical designer a wide range of choices. The development of an effective system for optical design involves consideration of many goals and tradeoffs relating to both hard-ware and software. These include: scope of program - decentered, multimode, no bilateral symmetry requirement, "large machine" capability; ease of use - the human interface; speed of computation and peripherals - benchmark results; memory size limitations; efficiency of memory use by the program; cost of hardware needed to embody the chosen scope of program; reliability and service; means of software updating; and future growth potential. These tradeoffs will be reviewed in the context of the CODE VTM hardware system.
- Publication:
-
Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) Conference Series
- Pub Date:
- September 1980
- DOI:
- 10.1117/12.959064
- Bibcode:
- 1980SPIE..237...42G