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3532 Topics
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

953
chaasjes
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

2814
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.

4959
Georg.Nadorff
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?

170
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

390
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! 

771
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

190
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?  

11163
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. 

922
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? 

690
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!

541
David.Nguyen
Luminary
Randall
RandallSingle Emitter
asked in Got a question?
Wavelength not in range for ignored objects in sequential mode

I am using configurations to combine multiple arms over a wide wavelength range so I can make sure everything lines up exactly.  I am using a black box lens from a vendor.  The glass in that lens does not work with a wavelength I am using in a different arm.  That black box lens is ignored when the system has the wavelength in question, but this still causes the “Not within valid range” error for the glass.  Is there a way to get around this?  Since it is a black box lens, I can’t go into the glass catalog to make the range larger.

271
Randall
Sean Turner
Fully Spectral
Sean TurnerFully Spectral
posted in Got a question?
What doesn't OpticStudio do?

I just noticed this in the user manual in The Setup Tab > Systems Group (the Setup Tab) > System Explorer > Units  It seems the “References on Lens Design” section of the manual used to have this heading. An internet search did not yield any older manuals with a “What doesn’t OpticStudio do?” section, but changing my search to “What doesn’t Zemax do?” resulted in a manual from 2011.  

420
Sean Turner
Fully Spectral
Csilla Timar-Fulep
Zemax Staff
Csilla Timar-FulepZemax Staff
posted in People & Pointers
How to model a birefringent polarization rotator?

In order to properly model the polarization rotation of an object made of birefringent material, we have to set up the ray trace mode of the object in the Non-Sequential Component Editor under Object Properties > Index > Birefringent type > Mode: The Mode control allows selection of which rays are actually traced. The distribution of energy does not change with this setting, and energy assigned to rays that are not traced are placed in the “lost energy (thresholds)” sum. Either ordinary or extraordinary rays, or both, may be traced. Waveplate Mode traces the energy along the path of the ordinary ray, however, the extraordinary electric field is also propagated with the ray, and the total electric field will be phase rotated by the differential index in the ordinary and extraordinary directions. Waveplate mode has to be used to model the polarization rotation of the object. In the attached example file, an extended source (Source Rectangle) launches rays parallel to th

16004
S
yuan.chen
Zemax Staff
yuan.chenZemax Staff
posted in Got a question?
How to save all tolerancing data: MonteCarlo, Sensitivity and Summary in ZOSAPI

The summary is in the text file. The way to save text files from the API is to use the “Output to File” entry that lives in the Classic tab of the Tolerancing tool in the OS GUI. This will save the tolerancing output by the name specified in the same folder that the system is in (be sure to include .TXT to the end). The corresponding API code for this is below:tol.OutputFile = "OutputName.TXT"To store the MonteCarlo and sensitivity data, we need to use the tolerance data viewer to open the saved ztd file and then store the dataset.In order to save the .ZTD files from the ZOS-API, you will need to use the SaveTolDataFile property, and you may set the filename via TolDataFile under ZOSAPI.Tools.Tolerancing.ITolerancing Interface Reference:tol.SaveTolDataFile = Truetol.TolDataFile = "myFile.ztd"Then, once the tolerancing is done, from the Tolerance Data Viewer, you may read the created .ZTD files, by defining the file name and then running the tool. The corresponding python code is as fol

3653
MichaelH
Ansys Staff
I
Indy.MagnusMonochrome
asked in Got a question?
Physical Optics Propagation sensitivity tolerancing: long computational time

Dear all,I am performing a tolerance analysis in combination with Physical Optics Propagation, and I am noticing a computational time that is a lot longer than expected.More specifically, I am doing a sensitivity analysis using the merit function as the criterion, and with a thickness compensator (COMP) using 5 optimization cycles. The merit function is the fiber coupling efficiency calculated using POP.  The system itself is quite simple, with a single lens to perform the fiber coupling. The file is found in attachment.To investigate the very long computational time, I compared the sensitivity analysis of a single operand both when done manually, and when done using the tolerance tool.Manually, I changed the value of the operand and then ran the optimizer, taking around 2 minutes:Using the tolerance tool, I added the compensator and single operand in the tolerance data editor, and ran the tolerancing tool, which took around 12 minutes on a multi-core processor. This is more than doubl

361
I
O
OliverInfrared
asked in Got a question?
Quantifying Back Reflections in Zemax for Optical Fiber Endoscope

Hi,This is Oliver. I’m currently working on an optical fiber endoscope project, where minimizing back reflections is critical for our application in optical coherence tomography (OCT).In particular, I’m looking to quantify the back reflections from specific lens surfaces—such as the ball lens-air interface highlighted in the attached figure. The system involves a single-mode fiber launching light through a segment of coreless fiber and a ball lens. The majority of the back reflections appear to originate from the ball lens-air interface.My goal is to use Zemax to estimate the amount of power reflected back into the single-mode fiber. For example, if the input power is 10 mW, is it possible to calculate the power reflected back toward the source in Zemax?Ultimately, I plan to optimize the material and geometry of the ball lens to minimize these reflections. I’ve attached the Zemax file for your reference, and I would appreciate any guidance or suggestions on how best to approach this an

1341
Rishab
Bharat
BharatSingle Emitter
asked in People & Pointers
Converting phase from a DOE to a refractive lens

  

370
Bharat
S
sathyaInfrared
asked in Got a question?
How to design optical fiber in Zemax student version?

I am using zemax student version. Can anyone tell me how to design optical fiber?

601
C
Fully Spectral
Z
ZurMonochrome
asked in Got a question?
NSQ lens edge thickness

Is there an operand for lens edge thickness in non seq mode? (for standard lens object)

591
David.Nguyen
Luminary
nalewis
nalewisSingle Emitter
asked in Got a question?
PSF with Gaussian input

Hi, I am new to using Zemax I am trying to use the PSF functionality to simulate how the PSF/focused beam size changes with input beam size.Since the imaging is diffraction-limited, I assume I can only use PSF functionality to determine the output beam size. How do I change the input beam size/will this change the PSF result?  Can I set the input beam to be Gaussian? This is what we have in our real system.

691
Rishab
S
simon.schroeder_01Infrared
asked in Got a question?
EFLY/EFLX operands considering Zernike coefficients

Hello, so far I was under the impression that the EFLY/EFLX operands ignore all Zernike coefficients (e.g. of Biconic Zernike surface) and purely consider the radii of curvature . Now I discovered that the coefficient “Zernike 4” and its effect on the curvature is considered for EFL calculation. Although the Zernike 4 polynomial is proportional to r² and thus directly changes the effective radius of curvature, it is by far the not the only Zernike polynomial effecting the EFL in X- and Y-direction (e.g. Zernikes 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, ...).  Is this change in EFL calculation a bug or intented? What was the OpticStudio release this change in ELFY/EFLX was introduced with? I could not find any mentions in the release notes.  Best regards, Simon

941
Jeff.Wilde
Luminary
Rishab
RishabSingle Emitter
asked in Got a question?
Surface Deformation plot not analogous to the wavefront error

Hi,I am trying to see the wavefront error due to surface deformations and also extract the zernike values with the help of STAR nodule in Zemax.The FEA data from NX is imported to STAR which I am fitting onto a flat mirror surface. After data fitting there is a difference in the wavefront map profile and the actual deformed surface profile.I am unable to understand what the cause may be. Any help is appreciated.Regards,Rishab

340
Rishab
mlunin
mluninMonochrome
asked in Got a question?
GRIN Lens Design Tolerancing

I have an optical design with GRIN lenses and want to tolerance it. How does tolerancing work with GRIN systems - is there anything that changes at all?For example - In which direction does doing a thickness tolerance remove/add GRIN material from? For example, if the part is 0.1 mm thicker, does it add GRIN based on the definition of n(x,y,z) and the gradient? What about when the part is toleranced to be thinner? Which section of GRIN material is removed? How does tolerancing index work? Does it apply a random offset to each part? Constant offset? Similarly, does the GRIN profile also get tilted when doing a tilt tolerance? Note - this is using a custom GRIN user defined *.dll. 

210
mlunin
T
Tali.mutatInfrared
asked in Got a question?
"Y only" / "X only" Type in Geomerical Encireled Energy calculation

Zemax Team Hi,Please explain how Zemax calculates the amount of Geometrical Energy for “Y - only” / “X - only”  Type  and what does it mean?Is it a fraction from the “Encircled Geometrical Energy” ?Thanks in Advance,Tali M.

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