Extract text from RAY files
To convert your RAY file to another format, you need Synopsys LightTools or other Cad software.
To convert other file formats to the "Optical Analysis Data" file type, you need software like Synopsys LightTools or a similar tool.
A .ray file is predominantly associated with Optical Simulation Data, generated by high-end engineering software like Synopsys LightTools or Lambda Research TracePro. These files store the trajectory, intensity, and wavelength data of millions of light rays used to model illumination systems, such as LED headlamps, backlit displays, and solar collectors.
The key problem for .ray files is their intense proprietary lock-in. They are often binary containers designed exclusively for the simulation engine that created them. Viewing a .ray file usually requires a specialized, expensive license (often dongle-protected), making it nearly impossible to share raw results with clients or manufacturers who don't own the specific optical suite. Furthermore, these files can become massive (often gigabytes in size) when storing high-fidelity ray traces, making them unwieldy for email or standard storage.
Occasionally, a .ray file may be a legacy ASCII scene description for older ray tracers like Rayshade or SBT-raytracer. These are plain text files but are mathematically abstract and not viewable as images until rendered.
To make this data usable outside the optical lab, users typically need to convert .ray data into:
Convert.Guru analyzes your RAY file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted REY, RAR, JPG, ART and FS files.
If you want to convert RAY file to OBJ, FBX, DAE, 3DS, MAX, BLEND, MA, MB, C4D, STL, PLY or WRL, you can use Synopsys LightTools or similar software from the "Optical Simulation Ray Data" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert DWG, DAE, X3D, IGES, WRL, JT, SKP, 3DS, 3DM, OBJ, STEP or FBX files to RAY, try Synopsys LightTools or another comparable tool in the "Optical Simulation Ray Data" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our RAY converter.