Hello All!Is there an easy way to get the merit function to return the leftmost or rightmost pixel on a detector that has flux data? I don’t want RMS I want to return the most extreme values. For example, if I was looking at the detector below, I would want the merit function to return:X Max = 0.1X min = -0.1 Thanks!

WelcomeWelcome to the May edition of the Zemax’s Community review newsletter!This newsletter provides updates for you, the user, on items you might find interesting or helpful from the last month! Check out each of these items below:Welcome Featured Community Posts: Birefringence Knowledgebase Updates Zemax-er Spotlight: Chris NormanshireIs there something else you’d like to see? Let us know in the comments below! Featured Community Posts: BirefringenceThis month, we have selected forum posts around the birefringence theme. Birefringence materials are commonly used to make waveplates. For more information on waveplates, check out the next section!To model birefringent materials in OpticStudio, the Knowledgebase article How to design birefringent polarizers is a good starting point, but look at those interesting discussions on the forum.  Knowledgebase UpdatesHow to model and design real waveplate in OpticStudio by Takashi Matsumoto (@Takashi Matsumoto) This article shows how to model a

We are a company with various company sites. We have a network license which I want to share with colleagues who work on other company sites. Is this possible? We all share the same company network. Are there any restrictions on the places or continents, on which a network license can be shared? 

I have a merit function 1 non-zero value, 8.6462E-004 and a weight of 1. Assume the figure of merit value is given by: In this case FMT should equal 8.6462E-004 and it does. Now change the weight on another operand to 1 but the operand has zero value. Now FMT = 0.000611, which still obeys the formula above. Change another weight to 1 on a zero operand. Now there are 3 weights (all 1) and 1 non-zero operand (above). The formula yields: FMT = 8.6462E-004/SQRT (1+1+1) = 0.000499…which is still correct. Now change the weight set to (1,2,1) we should get: 8.6462E-004/SQRT(1+2^2+1)=0.000353 but instead get 0.00432.The formula above does not appear to be correct, so what is the correct formula? 

Hi all,I’m trying to simulate an image formed on the sensor of a miniature camera (roughly modelled after an Arducam B0190).  The problem is, the system I’m modelling is fairly large, with multiple sources, and a scattering diffuser as an essential component (i.e., there is some randomness to the ray paths), and the camera aperture is very small and relatively far from the sources. As a result, very few of the rays make it to the detector. Running about a billion rays, I end up with just a couple hundred hits on my detector, and the simulation takes over an hour.Is there a way that I can increase the number of rays hitting the detector without increasing the number of source rays (and thereby making my simulation time even longer)?Thanks!

I was trying to simulate a laser diode using pop with dimensions of 1um and 100um. the divergence angles were 30deg and 8 deg at FWHM respectively. The graph resulted at 1cm does not represent the real output although it was run at the highest sampling rate available at my disposal. Here are attached photos of the setup of the physical optics and the output also the output from ray tracing. physical optics setupphysical optics setup 2 physical optics outputRay tracing output 

By definition, nonsequential rectangular/square detectors have uniform detector area sampling via a Cartesian grid.  However, Detector Surfaces can only be partitioned by angular and radial zones in polar coordinates, which poses great and almost useless difficulty in determining uniformity over the circular detector aperture.  Detector pixels near the origin are much smaller in area than pixels out around the circumference.  Can we have a Detector Surface option that tesselates its pixels to give an approximation to Arthur Cox’s recipolar (termed hexapolar in Zemax) equal-area distribution?  Each detector pixel could have approximately the same surface collecting area, without fractional pixels around the edge.The Detector Surface pixels could be hexagons clipped off around the periphery, but that doesn’t solve the unequal area sampling issue. I suppose in a pinch an absorbing annular aperture can be placed over a rectangular detector to get answers, but again, that doesn’t solve the

Dear All, I would like to simulate beam divergence from the linear fibre bundle, which includes 7 small circular fibres (200um core diameter, NA 0.22).  I have tried the Source Ellipse, with the given core diameter, by changing the values for Gx and Gy I see that the beam charges from collimating to diverging. But there I am not sure how to calculate the values for the Gx and Gy. How to set the NA in Source Ellipse? Which type of source can I choose from NSQ, that I can set the core diameter and NA?  Thanks in advance. Astghik

Hi,Does Zemax have a library of objectives from major vendors?If we want to design a system with the objective from, for instance, Edmunds optics, where can we get detailed prescription information of the objective? Thanks,Ying [Mod edit]: Moved to Got a Question forum as this is a general question not relating to OB specifically.

I would like to make a rectangle 2d array-like DMD.A lot of DMD mirrors are tilted individually with a certain angle at "on state".So I made a rectangle object as 'parent', and an array object to make it the 2D array. Then array object is linked to the rectangle object. The rectangle object is tilted 45 degrees on the z-axis and 12 degrees on the y-axis.But in this situation, copied rectangles are not tilted, but keep the initial state(only the parent object is changed.).I want to change their all angles like their parents.  What should I set? Thanks.Best regards.

This thread will be used to collect questions before the webinar, and to answer any questions we received during the webinar. Feel free to post your questions! Be sure to subscribe to this thread if you want to see additional discussion regarding this topic. The thread will be open to comments through Friday, May 27th. [The event has concluded] Date: Thursday, May 19thTime: 6:00am PST & 11:00am PSTPresenters:Shin-Sung Kim, Manager Application Engineering Csilla Timar-Fulep, Senior Application EngineerAbstract: In this webinar, we will examine how the portfolio of Ansys Optics tools offers a complete workflow for the design of metasurfaces, or metalenses. These revolutionary ultra-thin optical components can be used to manipulate light in the visible and IR range for many applications, including smartphone cameras, AR/MR displays, 3D sensing and face recognition. Because of the sub-wavelength nature of metasurfaces, it is critical to use a combination of electromagnetic field solver

Hello team, I managed to open an educator account and was able to download OpticStudio. I have license number and categorized as end user. However, the application can’t run on my PC until it is activated with license number and activation code. Where do I get the activation code? I tried using the number sent on account activation email it is not working. It gives an error message saying wrong activation code format. What is right format? Thank you.

I am reviewing a zemax model and wondering whether Opticsviewer is free to use.Thanks,Yang

When ACIS is enabled, prisms turn out weird in the exported STEP files. The first surface is fine, but then the prism extends a long way in the wrong direction. 

I was doing a project using non-sequential and we are using a specific lens manufactured by a specific company. But when we contacted them for the Zemax file, They provided a Black body sequential file. Is it possible to make a lens which acts a the same in order to be used in non-sequential (just for analysis purpose).

Hello,I am working in sequential mode with a non-sequential component. In the Single Ray Trace Analysis I can see the coordinates of the Ray at the two NSC Objects (yellow marked in the picture below). Is there a possibility to access this data via REAX/REAY/REAZ in the merit function editor? Since it doesn’t have a surface number assigned I don’t know how to address it.  

Hello everyone, I want to simulate the surface of a lens in Zemax OpticStudio. The data I have are in a notepad with two columns of numbers. The first column represents the positions of one meridian of the lens from -3.5 mm to +3.5 mm and the second column represents the average power of the lens in each of the positions. Then, the data should be extrapolated radially to create the rotationally symmetric surface. I attach an example .txt. Which would be the best option/type of surface to create the surface and how can I do it? This is the first time I have to do something like this and I need help, pleaseThank you very much, kind regardsAlicia

Hello together, I can not import a object I designed in the Part Designer. When I want to add it to the non-sequential component editor the option 'Type: CAD Part: Zemax Part Designer' is not visible. Does anyone have a solution for this?  Thank you very much. Sincerly, Christian Bründl  

This thread is dedicated to today’s webinar: OpticsBuilder for Creo Product Tour. Any questions received during the webinar will be responded to as a reply on this thread. Feel free to post your own questions! The speaker will be notified and will respond as long as the thread is still open.Be sure to subscribe to this thread if you want to see additional discussion regarding this webinar topic. The thread will be open to new replies until Thursday, May 17. Webinar detailsDate: Thursday, May 12thTime: 6:00am & 11:00am PDTPresenter: Lisa Clauson, Senior Product Manager at Ansys ZemaxAbstract: Join Lisa Clauson, Ansys Zemax Senior Product Manager, as she demonstrates how to simulate the impact of mechanical designs on optical performance with Ansys Zemax OpticsBuilder, a certified PTC technology partner. OpticsBuilder enables better communication and eliminates inefficiencies in the optical design process between optical engineers and CAD users. OpticsBuilder addresses all issues ass

Hello everyone,I have a problem when adding new lenses inside my system. I have already worked on a dynamic zoom  before (the third first elements including two adaptative surface and a doublet). Now I added a mirror, and I want to add the first lens of a tube lens of a microscope, before adding the objective. (capture 1)However, I got a big error as you can see on the second capture. I have already tried to moove the stop closer to the mirror with dummy surfaces. However, it doesn’t change anything. The first error I got si in a pop up window (missed surface 21), and then: “cannot compute when chief ray cannot be traced”. (capture 2)The thing is, I already tried to do the same process without adding these lenses, but by adding paraxial lens instead. I was then able to add the whole objective after, as you can see. (capture 3)But I wasn’t able to convert this system in non sequential mode because of the presence of paraxial lens I guess. That is why I am now trying to add “real lenses”

Thermal pickup does not update surface curvature and element thickness variations with temperature for some reason. Sharing a snippet of the difficulty:What are some possible explanations?

Hi! Is there a way in OS to subsitute lenses from the catalogue in optimization process?Thanks.

Hello,I am a new user of Zemax and as a Biomedical Engineer also anything but an expert with optics. I have to design a simple spectrometer setup for a project. The basics are:light source: end of polymer optical fiber, 1mm diameter, NA=0.5 diffraction grating: 500 l/mm Sensor: 1/3” CMOS from USB Webcam, no optics attached (meaning 4,8mm sensor width) Lenses preferably from ThorlabsNow, I have been trying to work along with the “How to build a spectrometer”-Tutorial from the Zemax Website, but I am running into problems. I tried rebuilding the setup with my own specifications. More precisely, I:Set Object Space NA to around 0.1 (will use mechanical aperture in final setup - BTW can I simulate that as well?) Used f =10.2mm achromatic triplet (from Thorlabs) as a collimator, so that the spectrum fits onto my sensor (instead of achromatic doublet with greater focal length in example) Used 2x 50mm best form spherical lenses to focus the beam (similar to example) Used f=-50mm plano-concave

I have an End User of a supported OpticStudio, how to get my activation code?

Hello everyone, is it possible to set the parameters of the merit function in order to respect two configurations simultaneously?For example i want to obtain a lens position in order to respect two different configurations.Thanks Marco