WaveDudeNext is a 2D wave optics simulator for Windows that lets users place light sources and optical components on a canvas to observe wave propagation, refraction, diffraction, and interference. The tool displays both the wave field (positive/negative oscillations) and intensity (averaged energy) in real time. Users can add probes to record field or intensity values along points or lines, with graphing options including linear or logarithmic axes. The timeline supports scrubbing, variable playback speed, looping, and brightness adjustments. Custom color schemes are available, and the interface supports English, German, French, and Dutch in dark or light themes.
Scenes are pixel-based, with wavelength and frequency displayed for each source. Sources can be single emitters or arrays forming beams and directional pulses, emitting continuously or in bursts, with random offsets for incoherence. Optical parts include spherical lenses, mirrors, polygons, rectangles, ellipses, triangles, freeform shapes, fibers with core/cladding, Bragg reflectors, gradient-index lenses, zone plates, and logic gates (XOR, AND, OR). Components can have anti-reflection coatings and absorption. Images from paint programs can be imported, using red for refractive index, green for emitters, and blue for absorption.
Editing is fully interactive: objects are moved and reshaped via handles or typed values, with real-time rendering. Undo/redo is unlimited, and objects can be copied between projects. All controls are keyboard-accessible. Video export supports MP4, MPEG-1, AVI, and QuickTime; frames can be saved as PNG or JPEG sequences or singles. Open EXR files preserve raw values for NumPy, MATLAB, Octave, or EXR viewers. Probe data can be exported as CSV. The simulation runs on GPU or CPU, with adaptive preview quality. Full HD exports of 1500 frames range from 740 MB to 11.6 GB depending on settings.
Example projects are included, from basic source-mirror setups to complex fibers, ball lenses, and logic gates. WaveDudeNext is the successor to WaveDude 2D by Jeroen Vleggaar (Huygens Optics), opening legacy projects with identical numerics. New features include built-in optical parts, side-by-side field/intensity timelines, live editing, and enhanced export options.
Source: Hacker News · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing