The official hub for Lumerical support is the Ansys Learning Forum (ALF), which replaced the old Lumerical Knowledge Exchange (KX). This forum is the primary place to troubleshoot simulations, discuss photonics design, and interact with Ansys application engineers. Getting Started on the Forum
Account Setup: You must create a dedicated Ansys Learning Forum account to post questions or replies; old KX credentials are not automatically linked.
Primary Category: Most Lumerical discussions are found under the Photonics Category, which includes sub-tags for specific tools like FDTD, MODE, and CHARGE.
Browsing Content: Use the Lumerical Forum search to filter by "Answered Questions" or sort by "Recent Activity" to find existing solutions before posting. Effective Posting Guidelines
No File Attachments: A critical rule of the ALF is that Ansys employees are not permitted to download user attachments.
Use Screenshots: Instead of project files, provide clear screenshots of your simulation settings, geometry, and error messages to get feedback.
Be Specific: When posting a new thread, include the specific Lumerical product version you are using and clearly describe the expected vs. actual results. Key Resources and Tags
Application Gallery: For pre-built examples, check the Lumerical Application Gallery, which is often linked within forum discussions.
Innovation Courses: Many forum answers point to free Ansys Innovation Courses for deeper technical background on simulation theories.
Common Tags: Discussions are frequently organized by tags such as Creating Monitors, Material Database, and Interoperability. lumerical forum
The Lumerical Forum, previously known as the Knowledge Exchange (KX), is the primary hub for photonics researchers and engineers seeking technical support for Lumerical's simulation tools. Since April 2021, the community has migrated to the Ansys Learning Forum (ALF) following Ansys's acquisition of Lumerical. Key Platform Transition
New Home: All Lumerical community support now resides within the Photonics category of the Ansys Learning Forum.
Unified Access: Users must create an ALF account to post, though a Lumerical support registration is no longer strictly required for basic access.
Expert Involvement: Lumerical Application Engineers actively monitor the forum to provide professional guidance alongside community experts. Critical Posting Guidelines
No File Attachments: Due to security policies, Ansys employees cannot download attachments.
Use Screenshots: To get feedback on project settings or error messages, you should provide clear screenshots instead of simulation files.
Tags and Categories: Use tags like FDTD, MODE, or CHARGE to ensure your query reaches the right sub-specialists. Resources Available
Application Gallery: Provides pre-built simulation examples for gratings, waveguides, and metasurfaces.
Innovation Courses: Offers free, self-paced learning modules for beginners and advanced users. The official hub for Lumerical support is the
Knowledge Base: A library of technical documentation and "Watch & Learn" videos for specific simulation workflows.
💡 Pro Tip: Before posting a new question, use the search filter to check for "Answered Questions." Most common scripting errors and convergence issues have already been addressed in detail by the community.
If you are looking for something specific, I can help you find:
Simulation examples for a specific device (e.g., Bragg gratings, solar cells)
Scripting commands for the Lumerical Script File (.lsf) environment
Installation guides for high-performance computing (HPC) setups
If you are new to photonics simulation, the learning curve can feel vertical. The user manual explains what each button does, but it rarely explains why your simulation diverges at specific time steps. Here is why the Lumerical Forum is a game-changer:
Follow this template for a fast, useful answer:
Title: [Product] + brief issue (e.g.,
[FDTD] Large E-field at monitor boundary) Why You Should Join the Lumerical Forum (EvenLumerical/Ansys version: (e.g., 2023 R2)
OS: Windows/LinuxWhat I’m trying to simulate: (1-2 sentences)
What I did: (steps, script snippet, or screenshot of object tree)
What happened vs. expected: (e.g., divergence at 1000 fs vs. steady decay)
Error message (if any): (copy-paste full text)
Attachments: .lsf script, .fsp/.ldev file (zip first, max 10 MB)
Avoid:
| Section | Purpose | |--------|---------| | Lumerical FDTD | FDTD simulations, meshing, boundary conditions, sources, monitors | | Lumerical MODE | Eigenmode expansion, waveguide design, injection/coupling | | Lumerical CHARGE | Semiconductor charge transport, static/dynamic simulations | | Lumerical HEAT | Thermal transport, Joule heating, heat sinks | | Lumerical DGTD | Discontinuous Galerkin time-domain for large EM problems | | Lumerical INTERCONNECT | Photonic integrated circuit (PIC) layout and circuit-level simulation | | Lumerical Scripting & Automation | Lumerical Script Language, MATLAB/Python APIs, automation tips | | Installation & Licensing | License server setup, path issues, version compatibility |
The community frequently shares custom analysis groups, script functions, and material databases. For instance, a user might upload an advanced eigenvalue solver for ring resonators or a custom mesh override setting for plasmonic structures. These resources are pre-vetted by the community, saving you weeks of reinventing the wheel.
The Lumerical Forum is the official community hub hosted by Ansys (which acquired Lumerical Inc. in 2020). It serves as a centralized platform where users of all levels—from PhD students to silicon photonics veterans—ask technical questions, share knowledge, and discuss best practices.
Unlike generic programming forums, the Lumerical Forum is deeply specialized. Every thread revolves around the nuances of the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method, eigenmode expansion (EME), or the scripting language (Lumerical Scripting Language, or LSF). Crucially, the forum is actively monitored by Ansys’s support engineers and application experts, ensuring that high-level queries receive authoritative responses.
You will encounter the infamous “divergence due to high index contrast” error. You might see unexpected reflections from your PML boundaries. The forum is a living library of these failure modes. A quick search for the exact error code almost always yields a thread with a verified solution—often including a line-by-line script fix.
The official forum is located at:
https://forum.ansys.com/
[code] ... [/code] or use triple backticks ```lua.