I am designing a basic device to determine the BRDF from an arbitrary surface. I have created the attached ZEMAX file. I need to vary certain parameters, ray-trace, and download the detector data (10 detectors in total), which I believe is a fairly standard test procedure. The image below tries to describe the parameter variations for this test. I tried doing this by hand but at some point realized there are just too many parameter combinations. I consider using the MATLAB or Python API but could not find much documentation regarding detector commands, and how to save their data to txt files for post-processing. Could anyone direct me in the right direction?

I've been using the Zemax ellipsoidal variable line spaced grating.  I'd just like to confirm that the grating figure parameters a,b, c are the ellipsoid semi-axes.  1/a and 1/b seem to be the semi-minor axes, and c seems to be the semi-major axis, but the documention does not say this explicitly.  Can someone confirm this, or correct me if it is wrong?

Hi, Is it possible to simulate the illuminance of a complex surface by detecting the point values? I know that the values per pixel can be extrapolated from the detector viewer, but I need a render where I can control the representation of the values with a colorimetric scale. Has anyone already faced and solved this problem? Thanks a lot.

When importing a solidworks part file into an analysis, an error message pops up for each dimension that is too long, asking permission to truncate the dimension. For complex parts, this can create a significant burden by clicking through many error messages to simply import the part. A method to allow OS to automatically truncate dimensions without asking would greatly speed up the import process.

I am Fredy John Porathur. I am an M.Sc. Photonics student at Friedrich Schiller University Jena. I have a Zemax student license.     [ Product: Premium Subscription SUL 1 YR      License Expiration: Wednesday, November 3, 2021 ] I had formatted my Laptop(HP2000, Windows 8.1, year 2013) two weeks back as it was hanging frequently. Unfortunately, afterwards the formatting I am not able to reactivate the Zemax account in my Laptop with the License activation code I possess. When I tried to 'Open a Case', I found it denying me the access. Please help me to solve this problem.

Hello, I'm doing a thermal analysis to an optical system. The goal is to test different lens holders and housing materials, like aluminum, titanium, etc, and check the behavior of these holders on temperature variation.   Is is it possible, inside Zemax, to simulate metal materials (and do this thermal analysis) without using any external CAD file?   Feel free to ask in case you need more details of if I wasn´t clear enough. Thank you.   Narciso

Hi, When I sign off from the Zemax site I get the error shown below. Any idea why? Andrew Herbert  

I am non-sequential ray tracing a system with a lenslet array to simulate a SH-wavefront sensor and when I get the detector irradiance image it has two copies of the irradiance distribution.  One that is the one expected and a second that is reflected about the center of the detector.  This second one is not correct.  The 3D layout image has the correct single set of rays in it.  Is there some assumed symmetry operation for the detector view that I need to turn off?

The lens data for this is not available in the files. Is it possible to know more about how to edit the information in the files to modify it for our own purposes?  https://support.zemax.com/hc/en-us/articles/1500005575082-OpticStudio-models-of-the-human-eye 

The surfaces and rays are not generating for the example data and I went through the article. Not sure what to fix.    Please advise 

In the Manual and Help File, the Extended Polynomial function is given, but it would be helpful to have the table of which order corresponds to the value needed to fill all terms of a given radial order (similar to the table for the Zernikes). This would provide a quick reference for the Maximum Term Number to enter.

I'm a student from Institut d'Optique, and have a academic license. But this day I opened my Zemax OS, no license is detected. If I re-input the license I got from you by e-mail, it told me that the license have already been registered. My computer is just normal as usual. Would you please tell me how to fix this problem? I'm in urgent need for your software. Please contact me if you find out what happened. Or is it OK for you to renew the license? Since it's originally a free academic one. Here is my original license :  License Number: L114295 Product: Premium Subscription SUL 1 YR License Expiration: Friday, October 15, 2021'

Hey peeps, I've just added a new video in my YouTube channel. This latest one is on optimizing the Landscape Basic Shape, and it's the first in a series that will cover optimizing all the Basic Shapes of Imaging Sytsems. The new video is here:  Optimizing the Landscape Basic Shape If you find it useful, please like it and subscribe to the channel as this helps make the channel more visible to other people who might find it useful. Thanks! - Mark

Anyone else getting this error message when trying to restore a file from archive (*.ZAR)?  'One or more errors occurred.'  I've attached a ZAR file that I'm having issues with (this isn't the only one) that was created from the Zemax sample doublet.  I submitted a help request a couple of weeks ago but haven't heard back yet. Thanks. Pat..

During my using OpticStudio, sometimes the exact same imaging system gets different plots in sequential and non-sequential mode. What's the difference between the 'image surface' of sequential and the 'detector' of non-sequential?  And how can I get information about the imaging quality?(In sequential mode there are all kinds of tools such as Rays ＆ Spots, PSF in the image quality group. But in non-sequential mode there are only Trace Rays and Detector ＆ Analysis group. ) For example, how can I get the PSF information using detector? 

In sequential mode, the object to be imaged is an ideal point object(infinitely small point) on the 'OBJECT surface' , and we know that we could use point object to analyze the imaging quality of the imaging system we build with some analyzing tools. But now I need an object with a cross-section of Gaussian beam but not idea point objects. To illustrate my aim and the reason why I need an object with a cross-section of Gaussian beam, the virtual procedure is as follow: First I focus a collimated laser beam with a laser focusing lens on the sample(i.e. OBJECT surface), so there is a non-ideal spot with a Gaussian distribution. Then I need to image the non-ideal spot through a infinity-corrected imaging system on the CCD(i.e. IMAGE surface) and calculate the size of the magnified spot on the CCD. this picture could explain the procedure: I know this procedure can be simulated directly in the non-sequential mode, but I'm not very good at the non-sequential mode.

When I install ZOS20.3.1_2020-10-12.exe, the design templates in the library were not installed. Could someone tell me how do I include this in the isntallation? Thanks!

The OpticsTalk will be held on 8am Pacific Time, Dec.1. If you'd like to join, please contact heng.li@zemax.com   Here's a list of useful resources:   Jessica Nelson’s SPIE Course: “Optical materials, fabrication, and testing for the optical engineer” https://spie.org/education/courses/coursedetail/SC1086?f=Online   Zemax.com “On demand webinars” https://www.zemax.com/resources/webinars Pushing the design envelope of Freeforms: Find out what’s possible today from a manufacturer (Jessica Nelson) Aspheres: designed to be made - advice from a manufacturer (Brandon Light) Technologies and Techniques for Optical Fabrication (Jessica Nelson) 12 tips to reduce costs and speed turnaround of your optics (Jennifer Michels)   Optimax Webpages: Manufacturing Tolerances Chart: www.optimaxsi.com/optical-manufacturing-tolerance-chart Manufacturing Limits for spheres, cylinders, aspheres, etc. www.optimaxsi.com/capabilities Manufac

In the glass catalog, what do the values labelled by FR and SR represent?

Hi everyone, Can you guys help me. Firstly, my plan is to make two optical system. The first system used gaussian as the beam source and I put wavefront aberration surface to disturb the beam condition. As the result, we can see the changed of the beam center of gravity, beam diameter and others at the image. So, my plan is to take the image result of beam diameter and others beam conditions into the second optical system, which means I want to use the beam condition that I received at the image of the first optical system as the initial beam at the second optical system. Can someone show the step on how to do it?     Maybe there is something that I did not realized or maybe I don’t have the right knowledge about it. I would love to know and learn. Thank you.

Hello there, When you design the optical layout, you arrive at the last stage where you make sure that all wavelengths are fully accommodated on the detector. Now, some important parameters of the detector include: number of pixels, pixel size (pitch), and detector's dimensions. At the IMAGE surface, How would you insert all of these parameters so that you are confident about the system's outcomes? My basic understanding is that the number of pixels & pixe pitch (size) are simulated indirectly (still figuering out how). But, how would you simulate the detector's dimensions so that you make sure your spectral range falls within the detector area? My suggestion for the Zemax developers is that they enable an interface where these detector paramerters are inserted and accounted for.   I would appreacite some insigts about the detector's parameters in Zemax. Cheers, Naif

When I click any surface in Lens data edition or click any line in MTF, Opticstudio open the option automatically. It is really inconvinent. Is there any method to remove this function?   

Hi, I am new to this community, had been using Zemax for some years but not considered as an expert. Would like to know how are experience designers out there managing complex design? All suggestions are welcome! I am primarily using non sequential mode and often ends up my having hundreds of lines in my editor. Surely I suppose for complex projects, certain modules are separately designed standalone and that is where integration work happens and these modules are being brought together to assess the overall design. I often use single source ray to identify the exact paths my rays will travel for simplicity and not to clutter up the display. I will create the limits e.g each field point each field angles and this will amount up to >20 lines in the editor. A simple OAP converted to NSC from Seq will create 5 lines. To 'declutter' and to prevent me from unknowingly change my 'modules' (e.g overlooked some lines and changed it to global reference etc, I wo

Hi Team Zemax,   I am trying to simulate a sensor inside a room of a defined size. Now I am not sure about it's walls. How should I configure the parameters of the scattering model/function of the wall objects, in order to get an estimate of the received light with accuracy?  Nor do I have a reference for it.   Thanks in advance! Avijit

Dear all, I am a beginner of zpl and I want to make names of files with the 'for' loop. For example,    file1.txt    file2.txt    file3.txt    ...    fileN.txt Can I add a number to a string? What shall I do to make "filename" + number(integer)  + ".txt" ? Is there any smart method to do this?   Thanks in advance