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3481 Topics
Allie
Zemax Staff
AllieZemax Staff
posted in People & Pointers
Zemax Consultants List

Hi everyone!Are you looking for a consultant to aid in your design work? Or are you a consultant who wants to get your name out there?This thread will serve as a list of Zemax Consultants. It is a Google-indexed replacement for the Zemax Consultants webpage, which was removed. Thanks to @Donna.Waters for getting this started :).If you're a consultant, please reply with your company information. Include your website and a little blurb about the kind of consulting work you do. Additionally, consider updating your Profile with a signature and some information about your business so other users can see your credentials as you reply to posts.If you are looking for a consultant, please reach out to the consultants via their website or via a private message. Do not reply to this thread requesting services. Please note: the consultants on this list are self-reporting, and are not endorsed by Ansys Zemax. We reserve the right to remove consultants from this list if they fail to meet the standar

9034
LOD
Allie
Zemax Staff
AllieZemax Staff
posted in Licensing and Installation
License and Installation Directory

This forum category is a space for you to find help with any of your licensing or activation questions. It is monitored by our regional licensing specialists. For your convenience, you can find some self-help guides here:  License & Installation In the event you cannot find what you're looking for there, post your question! Our staff or your fellow community members will be able to help.

3610
Allie
Zemax Staff
Allie
Zemax Staff
AllieZemax Staff
published in User News & Alerts
New here?F.A.Q.

Welcome to the Zemax Community! This is a gathering place for all things optics. Within this community, you will be able to find out more about your Zemax products. You will also be able to chat with other industry professionals about the latest trends. Use this space to ask questions, help others, and learn!  Now that you're here, there are a few steps you should take to make the most of your experience!  新人入门？(Chinese Version)はじめてですか？ (Japanese Version) First Steps: 1. Subscribe to User News & AlertsWhen you subscribe, you will be kept up-to-date on news that affects Zemax’s user community, like new release functionalities, opportunities to learn and network, or critical issues. 2. Configure your profileLog into the platform and navigate to your profile settings here. Each of your profile elements (except your last name) will be visible to all community members. We encourage you to be descriptive: tell others about your areas of expertise and professional interests. 3. Introduce

5690
Allie
Zemax Staff
H
Zemax Staff
Heng.LiZemax Staff
posted in People & Pointers
OpticsTalk: Using the Surface Analysis plots effectively

In the design and analysis of freeform surfaces, local surface data including sag, slope curvature, etc. are extremely important. The newly introduced Surface Data plots in OpticStudio can help you obtain this information easily.

501
P
Travis3
Travis3Monochrome
asked in Got a question?
Rotation of two cylinders in non-sequential mode around a common object

Hello, I am currently trying to replicate some of the previous chats that say you can rotate multiple objects around a common object in the NSCE.  Aligned cylinders (see image above) I currently have a small ellipse as my object  I want the two cylinders to rotate around. The first cylinder has one edge right where the ellipse is and it extends 90mm. Then I wish to start a new cylinder that is smaller in diameter from the end of the first cylinder. This new cylinder extends 50mm. I wish to have both rotate around the ellipse that I have. That is when I rotate the ellipse, the two cylinders rotate and stay centrally aligned to one another. Currently when I try to do the pickup method, I get this result (see image below). The second cylinder rotates 5 degrees, but does not stay aligned with the end of the bigger cylinder. I am not sure how to fix this? I have tried doing pickup on several variables and am not getting any luck. Any and all help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks! 

100
Travis3
mocquin
Ultraviolet
mocquinUltraviolet
asked in Got a question?
Through focus MTF for other row

First, can someone confirm that ht Through Focus MTF tool works by modifying the thickness of the second-to-last surface (when the last surface is the image plane) ? If so, would it be possible to specify which surface thickness to vary ?

211
David.Nguyen
Luminary
A_Ke
A_KeSingle Emitter
asked in Got a question?
How to calculate PSF correctly in a paraxial equivalent Zernike design?

Hi there,I found a very helpful description of Mark Nicholson on “How to model a black-box optical system using Zernike coefficients”.When I start calculating Huygens PSF in that paraxial equivalent model, I see some deviations to the real system (especially when I go to large field angles).Why and what should I consider to make Huygens PSF work “correctly” in that case? Any ideas?Kind regards!

210
A_Ke
mocquin
Ultraviolet
mocquinUltraviolet
asked in Got a question?
Updating Optic studio version from 2023R1.02 to 2025R1.01

So far I was using Zemax with version 2023R1.02 Pro, and tried to install 2025R1.01.I downloaded a “OPTICSTUDIO_2025R1.01_WINX64.zip” file from Ansys’ website after logging with my mail adress, and executed “OPTICSTUDIO_2025R1.01_WINX64.exe”. This installed : “Ansys optics Launched 2025 R1”  “Ansys Zemax OpticStudio 2025 R1.01”  At this point when I tried to run the new Ansys Zemax OpticStudio, I get a :  I’m kinda lost in the licensing system and not sure what to do.

822
mocquin
Ultraviolet
Leon
LeonInfrared
asked in Got a question?
Question about Physical Optics Propagation plot

I have a Gaussian to flattop beam shaper, the layout is attached, the website does not alow me to upload Zemax file. The POP irradiance plot shows strange not-rotational-symmetric wide fringes, although the Guassian beam data used in the layout and POP are exactly the same and the system is rotational symmetric. If converting this system is to NSC, there is no such wide fringes. Can someone explain this? Thanks. 

924
Leon
D
Dfbb2012Monochrome
asked in Got a question?
NSC source reverse

When I set up an inverted light source, all the components seemed to be malfunctioning. 

290
D
chaasjes
chaasjesVisible
asked in Got a question?
How does OpticStudio determine the grid over which the FFT PSF is calculated?

Hello,I am currently trying to understand the sampling behavior of the FFT PSF analysis in OpticStudio. The analysis has two sampling parameters:‘Sampling’, hereafter referred to as S, documented as “The size of the ray grid used to sample the pupil”. ‘Display’, hereafter referred to as D, documented as “The display size indicates what portion of the computed data will be drawn when a graphic display is generated. The display grid can be any size from 32 x 32 up to twice the sampling grid size. Smaller display sizes will show less data, but at higher magnification for better visibility”.Based on implementations described in the literature and basic tests with OpticStudio, I assumed the PSF calculation works like this:Sample the wavefront at the pupil with a sampling S; Zero-pad the wavefront to the maximum possible display sampling Dmax; Crop the result to a size D. This last step was inferred from OpticStudio’s output.Based on the properties of the Fourier transform, I assume the foll

723
chaasjes
Sean Turner
Fully Spectral
Sean TurnerFully Spectral
posted in Got a question?
Feature Request: Better Local Axis Indicators

It would be nice if the local axis was drawn in a similar manner to the orientation indicator at the bottom left of the 3D Layout window. When I want to share local coordinate systems with my mechanical team, I usually have to save an image of the 3D layout and add my own arrows at each surface to provide more visibility.Also, the Y-axis indicator gets lost when on a flat surface viewed in the Y-Z orientation.Finally, separating the scaling of local axis arrows and fletch arrows would be great. It was mentioned years ago in this thread. Highly tilted systems with lots of off-axis mirrors would greatly benefit from an update to this feature.  Where is the Y axis? Which surface is the axis located? Much better 

371
Jeff.Wilde
Luminary
Takashi Matsumoto
Fully Spectral
Takashi MatsumotoFully Spectral
posted in User News & Alerts
Sample files for Mechanical pivot point article

Zemax 2025R1.00 includes new tolerance operand MVTP.It gives options the Zemax users options about mechanical pivot points. The below article explains this feature.Optomechanical Tolerancing and Systems Engineering - Mechanical Pivot Points – KnowledgebaseHowever now Zemax doesn't include the sample file.It will include from Zemax 2025R2.00So this post provides the sample file. 

350
Takashi Matsumoto
Fully Spectral
Jeff.Wilde
Luminary
Jeff.WildeLuminary
asked in Got a question?
Power Pupil Map question

I don’t understand some results generated by the Power Pupil Map analysis feature.  Perhaps someone here in the forum can provide insight.For a general lens system, consider the wavefront leaving the exit pupil.  This wavefront is typically not spherical because of aberrations, or perhaps because the lens is a freeform optic.  In either event, the min and max values of the local curvature at any point on the wavefront in the pupil determine the min and max focusing power associated with that pupil location.  Equivalently, we can look at the max and min local focal lengths, which are just the reciprocals of the powers.  The Power Pupil Map is a nice tool to help the user visual this effect.  Several options are available for the form of the data.  Also, a surface must be selected. Consider a simple test case using a plano-convex lens that focuses an on-axis collimated beam.  Spherical aberration causes the exit pupil wavefront to have local curvature that varies over the pupil.  Presuma

2554
Jeff.Wilde
Luminary
Tom Pickering
Zemax Staff
Tom PickeringZemax Staff
posted in User News & Alerts
Share Your Feedback: NSC Sequence Selector Feature Experiment in Ansys Zemax OpticStudio 2025 R1.01

We’re excited to introduce a new feature experiment: NSC Sequence Selector in Ansys Zemax OpticStudio 2025 R1.01! This tool is designed to help you track, filter, and analyze rays following a specific optical path in Non-Sequential mode by generating persistent sequence filters.This tool allows you to:Identify and track unique ray sequences Assign and modify sequence filters Use sequence filters in analyses and save/retrieve them Maintain persistent sequences throughout the systemThis feature can be useful for component-level stray light analysis in applications like cellphone cameras, VR/MR devices, HUDs, and folded optical systems.You can access the Sequence Selector from the Help Tab in Non-Sequential mode:Help > Test Lab > Feature Experiments > Sequence Selector Your input is crucial in shaping this feature for future releases. Try it out and share your experience in this thread. Let us know what works, what doesn’t, and any improvements you’d suggest.

4069
Georg.Nadorff
Alberto.Donazzan
Ultraviolet
Alberto.DonazzanUltraviolet
asked in Got a question?
Suspect Bug: Go To Surface

Maybe it’s just me, but I am no more able of opening the “Go To Surface” popup window from any Editor.The following does not come up (image taken from Help file):I am using opticStudio version 2025 R1.00

250
Alberto.Donazzan
Ultraviolet
D
DusanVisible
asked in Got a question?
OpticStudio 23.2.1 "freezes" while saving file

HelloUsing Interference Example 1- A Simple Interferometer from SAMPLES folder I created a simple setup to test a right-angle prism with pyramidal error. At the end I wanted to save the file but OS just froze and didn’t react any more - even after a longer time. I ended the program in Task Manager and opened it again without problem. The file to-be-saved before seemed to have saved well and it was possible to continue the work. I tried to save again and OS froze again. And so many times… In my last trial I wanted to check Preferences and after some time in Preferences OS froze again.All other sequential and non-sequential files that I have behave normally.What could be the reason. Attached is the screenshot of the file.Thanks, Dusan

37840
D
Alex.Signell
Alex.SignellSingle Emitter
asked in Got a question?
POP ZBF Rayleigh Range

In the manual it says “The Rayleigh distance is ignored on input and is automatically recomputed by OpticStudio” however when it is recomputed by Zemax it does not take into account the BPP of the beam, is there any way to make Zemax use the Rayleigh range from the ZBF file? Would making a DLL fix this or does Zemax also ignore the Rayleigh range in a DLL?

120
Alex.Signell
T
Taeshin.KimMonochrome
asked in Got a question?
Dark field imaging simulation in NSQ mode

Hello everyoneI want to simulate darkfield imaging in zemax nsq mode.In the attached file, I have implemented the reflective target (made by Part designer in Zemax, + shaped) that I want to image, and the coaxial illumination and side illumination.The target is made of two different types of metals that are very thin, and I have actually confirmed that it appears as a darkfield in a microscope or other illumination optical system.(The attached file is a simply configured 4f imaging system.)I want to check whether darkfield illumination is implemented by simply setting the illumination and scattering characteristics of the target in this optical system, so that only the edge of the target is visible as a line.I want to check whether darkfield imaging is implemented by making the side illumination angle closer to the target than in the attached file, and whether any scattering model is used.What parameters should I adjust?       Thank you.    Best Regard

250
T
jesusmunozjmj
jesusmunozjmj
asked in Got a question?
Distortion evaluation

Hi everyone!I'm working with an optical system that operates using a single field (an on-axis collimated beam - object at infinity), and I’d like to estimate its distortion.As I understand it, distortion is typically evaluated by comparing multiple fields, so I would need to add additional ones to get a result. However, I’m wondering if there’s a way to estimate distortion using only one field.I've attached a layout screenshot showing the image space of the system. Is it possible, for example, to infer distortion by analyzing the standard deviation of distances D1, D2, D3, D4, etc.? Presumably, if distortion were zero, these distances would all be equal (I already developed that metric in Non-Sequential raytraces with the API). I realize this is limited to a single axis, but switching to Non-Sequential mode isn't an option in this case, as the system includes a black box component.Any insights would be greatly appreciated.Thank you! 

541
jesusmunozjmj
Julien Dejonghe
Julien DejongheInfrared
asked in Got a question?
Wavefront map units

Hi, using the waveront map analysis, the results are always given in waves. Is there a way to display the results in nanometers? Could be convenient when the specifications are in nanometers, and when you have a lot of different wavelengths and fields, the manual conversion is long…Thanks

140
Julien Dejonghe
J
James.OsmundsenSingle Emitter
posted in Got a question?
Is it possible to import a STEP file model of an optical system into Zemax?

Is it possible to import a STEP file model of an optical system into Zemax?  

10233
David.Nguyen
Luminary
Erkang Wang
Erkang WangInfrared
asked in Got a question?
Non sequential ray tracing on fisheye lenses efficiency

Hi, I am using a non-sequential mode to simulate a fisheye lens imaging quality. I can see the focused image on the sensor if use log10 intensity scale, And I think the efficiency is too small. I know in the sequential mode, for fisheye we have to choose ray aiming turn off to have better efficiency. Do I have to do something similar in the non sequential mode? or Do I just need to add some lens housing to have a better efficiency? Thanks a lot. 

762
Erkang Wang
Leon
LeonInfrared
asked in Got a question?
Zemax plot resolution issue

I create a UDA with 10 dark lines of 0.01mm width and 10 mm length. I place this UDA on Physical Optics Top Hat light source. Some lines are missing in a 2D plotting, increaing sampling does not help. But all lines are show up in Cross X profile. See the 3 graphs below. My question is how to show all the lines in 2D plotting? 

660
Leon
L
Lea.Sauerwein
asked in Got a question?
working with Non-Sequential Component CAD part

Hello,I’m working in sequential mode with a nonsequential component, which is a CAD part (stp). It’s a quite complex part which I exploded into 13 parts. When I change something (like assigning a material or scaling a part) the program freezes and it takes approx.. 2 minutes loading until I can do anything again, although I disabled the auto-update of all windows. When I update the shaded model the whole program freezes and around 10 minutes later it finishes loading. I already deleted all unneccessary parts and neither the working memory nor the cpu are at full capacity. Does anyone have any ideas on what I could do to be able to work smoothly (or even just a little more smoothly) with complex cad files?Thanks in advance for any help!

471
David.Nguyen
Luminary

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