OpticsBuilder is a tool to help you generate 3D geometries and magnetic regions from a list of aperture descriptions of an accelerator.
In accelerator physics, the beam-screen is a succession of rectangular, racetrack or ellipse profiles. There is only one coordiante, s defining length along the optimal beam path, and an orientation (theta), describing the tangent vector of the beam. Each element has a length, optionally a bending angle, an offset from the ideal position, etc.
In 3D modeling, followed by Molflow, Synrad but also CAD programs, coordinates are absolute (X,Y,Z). Besides, Synrad only models non-drift regions (dipoles, quadrupoles, wigglers) that produce synchrotron radiation.
The tool allows to automate the repetitive task of calculating global coordinates from accelerator. Although it has four tabs (Sequence file import, manual table input, LHC database extraction and export), only the following functions are finished for the moment:
- Manually define an element list (with or without aperture)
- Import a MADX Twiss file (without aperture, but the aperture data can be imported in a second step)
In both cases, since you only define a sequence of elements, the absolute coordinates are calculated once you define a reference point. For example, you can set the very first element to begin at (0,0,0) and facing the Z axis (theta=0).
Meaning of the buttons and text fields
Loading and saving sessions, templates
Tutorial for Soleil users (2021) including geometry creation by Opticsbuilder