The method was improved by Draine, Flatau, and Goodman, who applied the fast Fourier transform to solve fast convolution problems arising in the discrete dipole approximation (DDA). This allowed for the calculation of scattering by large targets. They distributed an open-source code DDSCAT.
There are now several DDA implementations, extensions to periodic targets, and particles placed on or near a plane substrate. Comparisons with exact techniques have also been published.
Other aspects, such as the validity criteria of the discrete dipole approximation, were published. The DDA was also extended to employ rectangular or cuboid dipoles, which are more efficient for highly oblate or prolate particles.