SOPHISM models astronomical instrumentation from the entrance of the telescope to data acquisition at the detector, along with software blocks dealing with, for example, demodulation, inversion, and compression. The code performs most analyses done with light in astronomy, such as differential photometry, spectroscopy, and polarimetry. The simulator offers flexibility and implementation of new effects and subsystems, making it user-adaptable for a wide variety of instruments. SOPHISM can be used for all stages of instrument definition, design, operation, and lifetime tracking evaluation.