For both radiometric analysis (for example determining the power incident on a detector) and optimization, the best choice for a source is almost always a pseudo-random source such as a Source Ellipse, with enough analysis rays to provide for smooth statistics. Frequently, this means tens of thousands to millions of rays. For visualization, OpticStudio provides the capability to designate a lesser number of Layout Rays to appear in layout plots. These layout rays are still randomly distributed. If only a few rays are used, they generally do not well represent the design. If enough rays are used to visualize the extent of the volume occupied by rays, then the plot can become crowded.As a solution to this problem, the accompanying DLL files provide the ability to generate, in non-sequential mode, uniform fans and rings of rays similar to those which can be displayed in sequential mode layouts. They are compiled for a Windows 64-bit platform.YFAN.DLL is a source dll which, when installed

 This is a User Defined Object DLL, which allows users defining a polygon plate with 8 x and y points data and thickness. The polygon is linked in order of the points defined in parameters. If a point is set with (0,0), it’s ignored. To consider a point at (0,0), users need to use a smaller but non-zero number, like 1e-8 to replace the 0. All the value of x, y will be multiplied by the parameter “Scale”. If “Scale” is zero, then it’s converted to 1.0 internally. If the parameter “Z Center mode” is 0, then the local origin (0,0,0) is located on Face 1. If “Z Center mode” = 1, the local origin is shifted in z direction by -Thickness/2 so it’s centered between Face 1 and Face 2. If “Z Center mode” = 2, the shift is -Thickness so the local coordinate origin is at face 2. If “Diffract back Face” is non-zero, the grating is on Face 2 instead of Face 1.Language: Cpp   Click here to download Date Version OpticStudio Version Comment 2020/12/04 1.0 20.3.2 Creation 2021/01/13

This is the User Extension and the Python API Standalone script for the STAR Performance Analysis Add-on. Allowing the user to extend the capabilities of the native Performance Analysis to any Merit Function operand and the Merit Function value itself.Short description – The script launches an interface in which the user can choose some pre-defined metric or define their own metric. All metrics are based on a given Merit Function Operand and all parameters which do apply to the chosen operand type must be set accordingly to get a valuable result:Disclaimer: There only has been limited testing on both script and extension. Please do check the results thoroughly. For the API script, Python 1.12 and 1.13 have been tested. See here the Help File Page of the native Performance AnalysisSee attachment for download Date Version OpticStudio Version Comment 2026/01/19 1.0 - Creation

This Zemax user analysis performs a path-analysis on an input ZRD file. The specified ZRD file will be read, and the ray paths sorted by total power in each path. This ray path analysis includes the hit-face data, meaning a ray which ghosts within a single object will be differentiated with the ray path which doesn’t ghost. This makes the analysis more robust than the native Path Analysis feature, but produces a more complex data output. As it is also slower than the native Path Analysis feature, it is recommended for use only when this level of detail is required in path analysis data. Some options are included to limit the depth of analysis to improve speed.Author: @Zach Derocher   Click here to download Date Version OpticStudio Version Comment 2020/01/01 1.0 19.4 Creation

Sharing an automation tool for import/generation of .zmx file from a generalized excel table format (import from xlsx).In some cases, a .zmx file needs to be generated from a general-format tabular data. A common example is importing/generating a .zmx lens file from a patent (pdf table). This tool helps to automate the process by allowing direct .zmx file generation from excel, by using a standardized excel table format.In the example of importing a patent, the user could employ an LLM as an intermediate step to format from the pdf table into text, or into the described excel table format. (Ideally the LLM could generate a .zmx directly from i.e. pdf, but this approach still seems problematic with current capabilities.)The tool can be accessed from the repo linked below. The python-based ZOSAPI tool, along with documentation (pptx) and example files are included. ZachDerocher/zemax-xlsx-import: Automated data import to Zemax (sequential) of lens data from xlsx

This DLL models a Vortex Phase Plate. It is useful in laser applications to convert a Gaussian laser beam into a donut-shaped energy ring. For more information, check the following links:https://www.holoor.co.il/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/vortex_zemax_tutorial.pdfhttps://www.holoor.co.il/application/optical-vortex-phase-plate-application-notes/https://www.holoor.co.il/optical-calculator/vortex-lenses/ The Vortex phase plate is a phase surface:   Click here to download Date Version OpticStudio Version Comment 2021/03/20 1.0 - Creation  

This MATLAB standalone code imports data from the Interogram analysis feature, plots the Interferogram data as a MATLAB figure and saves it as a png file. This code was written by Michael Humphreys.Language: Matlab  Click here to download Date Version OpticStudio Version Comment 2020/01/14 1.0 19.8 Creation

This DLL provides a user defined surface that has planar substrate and a phase profile integrating both radial polynomial and extended polynomial. It can be considered as a combination of surface Binary 1 and Binary 2, but with only planar substrate. This is useful for metalens design.    Click here to download Date Version OpticStudio Version Comment 2020/08/07 1.0 20.2 Creation 2021/01/01 1.1 20.3.2 Fix bug by dividing phase by approaching refractive index

This Zemax User Analysis calculates a longitudinal PSF, a PSF through focus.Author: @Michael.Humphreys   Click here to download Date Version OpticStudio Version Comment 2022/03/09 1.0 - Creation  

This Matlab function imports a raw Zemax ray database stored in ZRD file, groups the rays into distinct paths based on i) the exact same sequence of objects hit AND ii) ray events (such as reflection, splitting etc.), and outputs this information in a form of graphs, human-readable variables and, most importantly, a summary table storing each path in descending total power, object sequence, total ray events and so on, which can be further processed either using Matlab's native capabilities, or exported and processed using Excel or a simple text editor.It DOES NOT need Zemax to be installed onto your system and does not use any API to connect to it. It is a completely standalone function.The need for this custom function came clear during one project at work as the native Zemax ray paths tool was insufficient. As per official documentation, it now groups it based on the sequence of FACES the rays hit.In contrast, this function retains a full low-level list of objects and events. It also

This python ZOS-API interactive extension creates a ray file based on batch ray tracing in a sequential system. This allows import of image-space ray data from a sequential model into NS mode and/or Speos, including black-boxed lens systems. For a user selected field coordinate, rays are randomly selected in the pupil and traced to the image plane. The image space ray data (intercept at a specified dummy surface) are saved as a ray file in both Zemax and Speos formats into the ...\Zemax\Objects\Sources\Source Files\ directory. Note that is merely intended as an example. The implementation this tool should be adapted and validated based on individual cases. Click here to Download 

The Python code converts the Excel data into ZBF text format. The sample Excel is provided as ZBF_Example.xlsx.  Click here to download Date Version OpticStudio Version Comment 2025/01/26 1.0 - Creation  

Here is my most-used chunk of API code, which reads and displays the basic information in the Lens Data Editor (LDE).  I’ve highlighted the parts of this that are API code, which can easily be translated into other languages. (See the linked article below.)  Everything not highlighted is specific to Mathematica, so one would need to find the equivalent functions, etc., in Python, Matlab, etc.   

The download contains 3 Python scripts:a script to read / parse a ZRD (Zemax Ray Database) file a script to read / parse a Binary ZBF (Zemax Beam File) file a script to read / parse a Binary DAT / SDF Source File  Click here to download Date Version OpticStudio Version Comment 2022/01/01 1.0 - Creation

The attached ZPL will calculate the air space gaps between all elements and then will place the annotation text on the Windows clipboard.  After you run the script, simply open the Edit Annotation window, paste the text and click the Use Annotations checkbox: For the Double Gauss 28 degree field.zmx, the 3D Layout will look like:and for the Cooke 40 degree field.zmx: Limitations:You have to use the 3D Layout and not the 2d Layout.  The 3D Layout uses global coordinates for annotations while the Layout uses “window” units, meaning the values for LINE and TEXT would change based on the current zoom position. For complete control, you should use LINE3D and TEXT3D (this would allow you to place things like Comment, Radius, or Material on the plot as well.  For this simple example of air spaces, we will use MEASURE3D which is slightly easier to implement. Since we're only looking at air spaces, you need to consider when you “enter” a cemented element (doublet, triplet, etc) and when you “ex

This User-Defined Surface DLL provides a realistic model of relief-type diffractive lenses based on zone-decomposition. Using zone-decomposition, diffraction into multiple orders can be accurately considered at once, and this method inherently accounts for wavelength dispersion and diffraction efficiency by modelling the actual shape of the diffractive element.Application examples include the creation of advanced intraocular lens models, where the different orders are designed to provide sharp vision for multiple viewing distances, thereby substituting accommodation of the natural crystalline lens.This application is discussed in detail in the following knowledgebase article:Realistic modeling of relief-type diffractive intraocular lenses using User-Defined Surface DLLs – Knowledgebase (zemax.com)  Click here to download Date Version OpticStudio Version Comment 2022/07/15 1.0 - Creation  

This Source DLL models an Astigmatic Gaussian Source.  It is based on rays but the statistical distribution of rays gives a picture of a diffracting Gaussian beam. It is valid for small angles (paraxial approximation) and when propagating in free space. So clipping at apertures and aberrations will give incorrect results.w0x, w0y are the real beam waist radii (defined at the 1/e2 intensity point) in the XZ and YZ planes. They includes M^2. z0x, z0y are the positions of the beam waist in the XZ and YZ planes. z0<0: in propagation direction if the waist is located before source. M^2x, M^2y are the quality factors in the XZ and YZ planes.For more information, see "Representation of a Gaussian beam by rays" by P. P. Crooker, W. B. Colson, and J. Blau - Physics Department, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California 93943Authors:Steffen Erhard and @Dirk Broemme    Click here to download Date Version OpticStudio Version Comment 2020/05/06 1.0 21.1.2 Creation 2023/0

This DLL creates a surface identical to the Extended Polynomial surface, but it allows the user to specify if symmetry should be enforced upon the surface, specifically in the x direction, y direction, x & y direction, or no symmetry (identical to the typical Extended Polynomial surface).The source code is not shared.Author: Dominique ‘Nikki’ GalvezDownload SymExtPoly.DLL Here Date Version OpticStudio version 2024/08/15 1.0 24.2  Comparison of Symmetric Extended Polynomial (x & y symmetry active) vs standard Extended Polynomial  

NOTE (added 2/5/2024): A new version of the DLL is now available, so I have deleted the older one supplied with the posting below.  Please see this link for latest version:Ray-tracing model of a perfect lens compliant with Fermat’s principle: the Cardinal Lens ***********************Attached is a user-defined surface DLL that functions as an ideal thin lens obeying the Abbe sine condition.  It is distinctly different than a paraxial lens surface and is particularly well-suited for simulation of high-NA objectives.  The Ideal Lens surface requires two user-supplied parameters, namely the effective focal length and the paraxial magnification at which the lens yields optimal performance.  It supports arbitrary conjugates (i.e., finite conjugate, or infinite conjugate in either object or image space) and is designed to work in both standard space and mirror space.  A detailed description is provided in the included summary document, along with a discussion of several examples.  The source

For anyone that finds it useful:Below is a simple function to read .bim files into matlabThe inputs are the .bim file name and image widthThis was written to consume the output from ‘Geometric Image Analysis’.Values are consistent with units displayed in zemax as long as the Total Watts = 1function [im] = imReadBIM(fileName,image_width)% read Zemax .bim file format% John Hygelund, May 28, 2024% example use: imagesc(imReadBIM('spot.bim',.003)), axis image, colorbar, colormap jetfid = fopen(fileName, 'r');size = fread(fid, 1:2, 'int32');im = fread(fid, inf, 'float64');fclose(fid);im = reshape(im,[size(1) size(2)]);im = im';im = flip(im);im = im ./ sum(im(:)); % normalize to total weight of raysim = im ./ (image_width./size(1)).^2; % normalize to area of pixel 

 Hello Forum,I got a volume detector with 100 x/y-planes in the z direction (#z-pixels). See screenshot below.When running NSC ray tracing I want to save all of them to individual text files 1;2;3;4;5…. 100automatically if possible.Any suggestions of using a macro would be appreciated. Thank you Klaus 

That example is a Python script to convert source file between Zemax and SPEOS. To learn more about that converter, check our article: https://support.zemax.com/hc/en-us/articles/4416068530579-SPEOS-and-Zemax-Source-file-converterDownloadFor more information about Ansys optical_automation, click here. TroubleshootingIt’s possible that we get an error message:Non binary files not supported.This happens when the file is not stored in form of ones and zeros, or in some other binary (two-state) sequence.Zemax source fileFor Zemax source file, the extension SDF is recommended, and DAT is supported only for backward compatibility. The file format may be either text or binary. This is mentioned in The Setup Tab > Editors Group (Setup Tab) > Non-sequential Component Editor > Non-sequential Sources > Source File. You can put a detector close to this source file and save the ray tracing data as new source file to convert the non-binary source to a binary one.Speos source fileAs for S

This Surface Scatter DLL models a Lambertian scattering and contains a depolarization fraction parameter to depolarize part of the scattered rays. That DLL is a good example to demonstrate how to control the electric field and how to implement importance sampling. The code is based on "{Zemax}\DLL\SurfaceScatter\Lambertian.DLL".  Click here to download Date Version OpticStudio Version Comment 2019-01-13 1.0 - Creation  

Hi all, I’m not going to create a repository for this, but if you quickly need a modulo operator in your Merit Function, there you have it. Hx and Hy are the operand numbers (integer) that will be used as the numerator and denominator respectively.The relevant part of the code is self-explanatory (hopefully):int numerator = (int)TheApplication.OperandArgument1;int denominator = (int)TheApplication.OperandArgument2;...double numerator_value = TheSystem.MFE.GetOperandAt(numerator).Value;double denominator_value = TheSystem.MFE.GetOperandAt(denominator).Value;operandResults[0] = numerator_value % denominator_value;To install, download the ZIP file, extract it, and move UDOC12.exe to yourDocuments/Zemax/ZOS-API/Operandsfolder. Then, in the MFE you can do:The rest of the division of 5.00 by 2.00 is 1.00.In case you are wondering why I made this. I needed to have a linear polarization without caring about the orientation. I noticed that using CODA with data=110 (phase difference), some linea