What LTI Optics does

LTI Optics is a privately held, independent software company headquartered in Westminster, Colorado that develops and supports Photopia, an optical design and raytracing simulation tool purpose-built for non-imaging and illumination systems rather than general imaging optics. Photopia is delivered as a native add-in for Dassault Systèmes SOLIDWORKS and as a plug-in for Rhinoceros (Rhino), allowing optical engineers to build, analyze, and iterate native CAD geometry inside their existing mechanical design environment. The technical foundation includes a multi-threaded raytrace engine capable of tracing millions of rays in minutes, a Parametric Optical Design Tools (PODT) module that generates reflector and lens geometry from desired light distribution rather than mechanical starting points, and a Material Lab feature for generating measured Bidirectional Scatter Distribution Function (BSDF) data from surface texture models.

The company's most defensible asset is its in-house measured data library: over 1,405 light source models and 1,544 scattering materials, accumulated through the company's own optics lab since the late 1980s and described as the most comprehensive such library for architectural lighting. LTI Optics sells the core Photopia software in two tiers (Standard and Premium) on a perpetual-or-lease basis with annual maintenance, alongside a subscription-priced Photopia | Reports product ($100–$200 per month per tier) that serves as a standalone photometric report viewer. Revenue is also generated through custom report template setup, optical design consulting, custom utilities development, in-house lighting lab measurement services, and engineer training. Customers include LED and architectural lighting manufacturers, with named references such as PMC Lighting and The Light Factory, and the product is positioned for verticals spanning automotive, aerospace, UV disinfection, horticulture, infrared, solar, and laser/stray light applications.

LTI Optics distributes Photopia through direct enterprise sales (online demos followed by two-week trial licenses and quote-based pricing) supplemented by a representative network covering 30+ countries across North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe, and Western Europe, with Hitex International handling the EU territory. The company maintains technology partnerships as a SOLIDWORKS Certified Solution Partner and bundles full Rhino licenses with Photopia when needed. Headcount is reported at 1–10 employees, the company is founder-controlled with no disclosed institutional investment, and there have been no recent funding rounds, acquisitions, or leadership transitions in the source material.

Name

LTI Optics

Legal name

LTI Optics, LLC

Website

https://ltioptics.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

LTI Optics develops Photopia, a non-imaging and illumination optical design and raytracing software delivered as a native add-in for SOLIDWORKS and Rhino. It serves lighting manufacturers and optical engineers across architectural, LED, automotive, aerospace, UV, and horticulture applications via direct sales and a global representative network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Optical Design and Simulation Software

NAICS

Commercial, Industrial, and Institutional Electric Lighting Fixture Manufacturing (335132)

SIC

Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827)

akta.pro primary industry

Machine Vision & Inspection Lighting (Ring lights, bar lights, backlights, strobed illumination) (IMAGAIAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Optoelectronic Components (LEDs, photodiodes, optocouplers, optical sensors) (IMAGAJAF), Optics & Laser/Light Engine Components (Lenses, Galvos, Laser Modules, UV Engines) (IMAAAIAC)

Keywords

• Optical design software
• Illumination simulation software
• Photometric reporting tools
• Non-imaging optics
• Raytracing simulation

Headquarters

HQ city

Westminster

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Software Licenses (Photopia Standard and Premium): Photopia is sold as perpetual license or lease. Two levels available: Standard and Premium. Includes add-ins for SOLIDWORKS and Rhino. Multi-threaded raytrace engine, source library, and material library included.
2. Photopia | Reports Subscription: Standalone photometric report viewer with three tiers: Team ($100/month for 5 users), Company ($200/month for 15 users), and Enterprise (quoted for 15+ users). Includes customization capabilities for plots, tables, and reports.
3. Custom Report Template Setup: One-time setup fee of $1500/€1500 to create a custom report template matching company branding. Includes 1 additional license of photopia | reports for 1 year.
4. Optical Consulting Services: Expert consulting services for optical design projects. Custom utilities development and lighting lab measurement services also available.
5. Training Services: Software training or custom training services for optical engineers.
6. Annual Maintenance Contracts: Current Photopia users receive their first license of photopia | reports included with annual maintenance contract. Additional seats available for purchase.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

LTI Optics develops and sells Photopia, optical design and raytracing simulation software specifically engineered for non-imaging and illumination optical systems. Photopia operates as a native add-in for SOLIDWORKS and a plug-in for Rhinoceros, enabling optical engineers to design reflectors, lenses, and other illumination optics directly inside their CAD environment. The company complements the software with an in-house measured library of over 1405 light sources and 1544 materials, plus optical consulting, training, and lighting lab measurement services.

Product overview

LTI Optics offers Photopia, a suite of optical design software and services. The core product is Photopia, available in Standard and Premium tiers, which provides optical simulation as a SOLIDWORKS add-in and Rhino plug-in. The portfolio includes Photopia Reports (a standalone photometric reporting application), Photopia Queue (batch processing), Parametric Optical Design Tools (PODT) for creating reflector and lens geometry, Material Lab for BSDF data generation, and an extensive in-house library of over 1405 light sources and 1544 materials. Supporting services include optical consulting, custom software development, lighting lab measurement services, and professional training.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Photopia: Optical design software for SOLIDWORKS and Rhino, providing non-imaging and illumination optical system design and analysis capabilities.
• Photopia Reports
• My Photopia

Products and services

• Photopia Optical design software for non-imaging and illumination optical systems, delivered as a SOLIDWORKS add-in and Rhino plug-in. Available in Standard and Premium tiers, it includes a multi-threaded raytrace engine, the Parametric Optical Design Tools (PODT), access to the in-house measured library of 1405+ light sources and 1544+ materials, refractor modeling, fluence rate analysis, Material Lab, industry-specific reports, and standards-compliant photometric output (IES, EULUMDAT, TM-14). Premium adds sharable network licensing and high-resolution/vector export capabilities. Designed for optical engineers, lighting designers, and product development teams in industries such as architectural lighting, automotive lighting, aerospace, LED, UVC disinfection, solar/daylighting, and horticulture.
• Photopia Reports Standalone photometric report viewer and generator for IES and LDT photometric files, enabling creation of customizable, marketing-ready plots, tables, and reports with company branding. Sold as a tiered subscription (Team, Company, Enterprise) with customization capabilities. For optical engineers, lighting manufacturers, and marketing teams needing branded photometric output.
• Optical Consulting Services Expert optical design consulting from the creators of Photopia, covering architectural, automotive, aerospace, LED, daylighting, horticulture, UVC, and other illumination applications. Includes design assistance, problem diagnosis, and design review engagements delivered by senior optical engineers. For companies needing external optical engineering expertise or supplemental capacity.
• Training Services Software training and custom training programs on Photopia and optical design methods, delivered by senior optical engineers. Offered as both standard software training and customized training tailored to a customer's specific projects and needs. For engineering teams adopting or expanding their use of Photopia.
• Custom Software Development Custom utilities development for specific optical and lighting design needs not covered by standard Photopia functionality. Delivered by the same team that develops Photopia. For customers with specialized workflows requiring bespoke tooling.
• Lighting Lab Measurement Services Measurement services for optical characterization and material testing conducted at LTI Optics' own optics lab, which has been measuring materials and sources since the late 1980s. Provides measured BSDF data, lamp characterization, and custom material measurements. For companies needing measured optical data for accurate simulation inputs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Faster design iteration - test and iterate over many more design options in same development time period
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability1 record

Feature10 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and regional.

• Dassault Systèmes SOLIDWORKScoreTechnology or IntegrationSOLIDWORKS Certified Solution Partner. Photopia operates as a fully integrated add-in for SOLIDWORKS, allowing full opto-mechanical analysis directly within the CAD environment. Compatible with SOLIDWORKS 2016-2021.
• Robert McNeel & Associates (Rhino)coreTechnology or IntegrationPhotopia includes a full Rhino license when sold through LTI Optics for customers without existing Rhino. Compatible with Rhino 6, 7, and 8. Allows import of IGES or STEP CAD models from other programs.
• Hitex InternationalregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEU Representative for LTI Optics. Located at 300 Chemin de l'Enclos, 13100 Aix en Provence, France. Handles customer inquiries and relationships in European Union region.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Photon Engineering LLC: Photon Engineering provides FRED optical engineering software and consulting for illumination, laser, and stray light analysis. They overlap with Photopia in illumination customer segments and offer both software and consulting services similar to LTI Optics.
• Radiant Vision Systems (ProMetric / TrueTest): Radiant provides light measurement hardware and analysis software for display, lighting, and automotive applications. While not a raytracing competitor, it shares Photopia's lighting OEM buyer base and standards-compliance workflows.

Direct peers

• Breault Research Organization (APEX): Breault Research has long been a direct competitor in illumination and non-imaging optical design via APEX, targeting similar lighting, LED, and aerospace customers with comparable raytracing and BSDF material modeling features.
• LightTrans International (VirtualLab): VirtualLab by LightTrans provides optical design and simulation software including illumination, laser, and micro-optics. Comparable customer use cases (laser systems, stray light, optical bench design) overlap with Photopia.
• Lambda Research Corporation (TracePro): Lambda Research's TracePro is one of the closest competitors to Photopia in non-imaging and illumination optical design, with overlapping raytracing capabilities for lighting, stray light, and BSDF-based simulation. It sells to similar lighting, aerospace, and UV disinfection customers.
• Synopsys (Zemax OpticStudio / LightTools / LucidShape): Zemax OpticStudio and LightTools/LucidShape are core optical design and illumination simulation tools from Synopsys. They compete head-to-head with Photopia for illumination, automotive, and machine vision lighting design work, though OpticStudio leans more toward imaging optics.

Regional players

• Signify (Calculux / lighting design tools): Signify, a global lighting OEM, has built proprietary lighting design and application tools for its luminaires. It is not a direct Photopia competitor but targets adjacent lighting-industry software workflows that overlap in customer base.

Emerging players

• OptiLayer (thin-film software): OptiLayer focuses on thin-film optical coating design, a more specialized adjacent area. It is broadly comparable as a niche optical design software company serving engineering customers but does not directly compete in illumination raytracing.

Broad incumbents

• Ansys (Ansys Speos): Ansys Speos is an optics module within the broader Ansys CAE suite, competing with Photopia for illumination design while bundling mechanical, thermal, and electronic simulation. Ansys's enterprise reach and multi-physics platform make it a broad incumbent alternative to a standalone tool.
• COMSOL (Optics Module): COMSOL Multiphysics with its Ray Optics Module competes with Photopia for customers who prefer a general-purpose multiphysics platform over a specialized illumination tool. It represents a broader incumbent threat for combined optical-thermal-mechanical workflows.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LTIOptics

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about LTI Optics