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Christophe.DangMonochrome

posted in Got a question?

Display of rays and reflection

Hello, another dummy question. Reminder: I'm a new user, have ZOS 15 and modify an existing model. So I have some reflective surfaces defined by a coating, e.g. MYCOATING defined in the Coating Catalog by: ---------- Coating Name:    MYCOATING (IDEAL) S-Polarization:    T, tr, ti:        0.13210000        0.36345564        0.00000000    R, rr, ri:        0.86790000        0.93161151        0.00000000            A:        0.00000000          TIR:        1.00000000 P-Polarization:    T, tr, ti:        0.13210000        0.36345564        0.00000000    R, rr, ri:        0.86790000&nb

2 years ago

Hu.CangSingle Emitter

posted in Got a question?

How to model a Powell lens?

I am trying to use a Powell lens for line illumination. Does anyone know how to set up a surface model of the Powell lens in Zemax? 

2 years ago

Berta.BernadZemax Staff

posted in Got a question?

How can I model a cone in non-sequential?

This can be done with the Elliptical Volume object, setting either the Front R or Back R to be a really small value (1E-6). Or you can also use Part-Designer; you just need to use one of the pre-defined shapes and save it as a .ZPO object: Once done, you can import this object in the Non-Sequential Component Editor, and apply different properties or coatings to its faces:

2 years ago

Suzie.limSingle Emitter

asked in Licensing and Installation

KalebUltraviolet

posted in People & Pointers

Is there a way to copy rows from an editor in one file and paste to another file through the API?

Yes, you can copy rows from an editor in one file and paste them into the editor of another file through the API. As an example, I will paste the Multi-Configuration Editor operands from one file to a blank Multi-Configuration Editor in another file using the Matlab ZOS-API. Note that this can be done with all types of editors and also in python/C#/C++. The trick here is defining both the PrimarySystem and also the second system TheSystem2. TheSystem = TheApplication.PrimarySystem; TheSystem2 = TheApplication.CreateNewSystem(ZOSAPI.SystemType.Sequential); Next you will need to load up the file you want to copy from and define both Multi-Configuartion Editors. sampleDir = TheApplication.SamplesDir; testFile = System.String.Concat(sampleDir, '\API\Matlab\MCE file 1.zmx'); TheSystem.LoadFile(testFile,false); TheMCE = TheSystem.MCE; TheMCE2 = TheSystem2.MCE; Note that I am opening a file named 'MCE file 1.zmx' that I already have saved in my samples folder under \API\M

1 year ago

Sarah.GrabowskiUltraviolet

asked in Got a question?

Is there a faster way to make a lens radii variable than using the solve drop down menu?

Yes, OpticStudio has a built-in shortcut to toggle a variable on the radius, thickness, or material fields in the Lens Data Editor. Select the field with the value you want to assign as a variable (or highlight a range of them) and press Crtl+Z. A full list of shortcuts can be found under Setup…Project Preferences, selecting the Shortcut Keys tab on the left. Here you can not only see the default shortcuts, you can also customize the keystrokes for any one of them, or modify the active list from a selection of available shortcuts in order to use OpticStudio most efficiently for your needs.

2 years ago

Tiffany.HarteSingle Emitter

asked in Got a question?

Introducing a known wavefront error in sequential mode

I’m currently modelling an imaging system in sequential mode and want to check the effect of a beamsplitter quoted with a lambda/4 surface flatness and lambda wavefront error. As an approximation, is there a simple way to introduce the wavefront error at a dummy surface used to represent the beamsplitter? If I wanted to more accurately account for the surface flatness in reflection, would I need to use non-sequential mode? And how would I incorporate this property into the surface in that case? Thanks!

2 years ago

Julia.SchmidtSingle Emitter

posted in Licensing and Installation

ZPL macro Status: Running line 0

Hi, I am trying to run a Zemax Demo macro. When I execute the macro, the status changes to running line 0 and nothing else happens. Do I need certain settings to run the Demo macro on a LENS file? What can I try to get the macro running? Thank you very much in advance! Best regards, Julia  

2 years ago

Sarah.GrabowskiUltraviolet

posted in Got a question?

Does OpticStudio use the paraxial approximations in its calculations?

The paraxial approximation of Snell’s Law is a first order approximation that reduces the full form of Snell’s Law from n sin(θ) = n’ sin(θ’) to the linear relationship n θ = n’ θ’ (where the primed quantities denote values after refraction), and is valid for very small angles (and thus rays that travel close to the optical axis). OpticStudio uses these paraxial rays in the computation of paraxial data such as the EFL, F/#, and entrance pupil diameter. However, OpticStudio uses the full form of Snell’s Law in most calculations and analyses because not all surfaces can be properly defined by the power of the surface at the vertex, and to account for aberrations, which are deviations from this ideal ray. While the first order approximations might have been crucial to expediting calculations done by hand, the speed of modern computers makes the difference in calculation time inconsequential when compared to the benefits of

2 years ago

KalebUltraviolet

posted in Got a question?

Not enough memory for 3D plate list error

The first thing you can try is to reduce the number of Layout Rays in the system. The Layout Rays are only used for showing rays on the layouts and will not have an effect on the Detector Viewer. Next, if you have CAD object in the system, I would recommending decreasing the ‘Chord Tolerance’ and ‘Surface Tolerance’. Other faceted objects in the system can have the resolution turned down as well by using the ‘Draw’ tab in the Object Properties. This may free up some memory. Finally, in the Non-Sequential tab of the System Explorer, there are settings for the ‘Maximum Segments per Ray’ and ‘Maximum Source File Rays in Memory’. Decreasing the ‘Maximum Segments per Ray’ could free up enough memory to render the system. Increasing the ‘Maximum Source File Rays in Memory’ could also work (A recommended value would be 1,000,000 rays). I would also suggest checking that the ‘Minimum Relative Intensity&

2 years ago

Sarah.GrabowskiUltraviolet

posted in Got a question?

Is there a way to list similar glasses side by side from different suppliers?

Located under the Libraries Tab…Material Tools is the Glass Compare tool.   This tool allows you to choose a reference glass catalog (the primary catalog) and it will select the closest equivalent glass from one or two other catalogs for each entry for materials used in the visible range. The user chooses the tolerance on the refractive index (nd) and the Abbe number (Vd) that defines the maximum allowable deviation from the characteristics of the primary material. Once run, you will see columns for each of the glass catalogs that allows for the quick comparison of what glasses can be easily substituted by one from another catalog. Each entry also includes a flag indicating the status of each glass type (Standard, Preferred, Obsolete, Special, or Melt), which may be particularly helpful if you are trying to find glass substitutes that are more common to reduce costs.  

2 years ago

Ali HVisible

posted in Got a question?

New Help File Section on Batch Ray Tracing in Tracing Larger Number of Rays Section

My colleague and I have written a new section in the Help File on the BatchRayTrace interfaces available in the ZOS-API, so I thought I would mention it on the Forum :) In short, instead of tracing the rays one at a time, an array of all the rays is passed to OpticStudio at a single time, OpticStudio traces all the rays and passes the entire array back to the Programming software. This method is called IBatchRayTrace. It is a bit more complex to program than performing a single ray trace, but it traces numerous rays at the same time through OpticStudio’s multithreading capability. The new section may be found in the Tracing Large Number of Rays section: The Programming Tab > About the ZOS-API > Tracing Large Numbers of Rays (About the ZOS-API) Happy coding! Best, Ali

2 years ago

Michael ChengZemax Staff

posted in Got a question?

How does Relative Illumination considered in Image Simulation? Is gamma correction used?

In this post, we will demo an example to show how relative illumination is used in the tool Image Simulation. One of the frequently asked questions about Image Simulation is how it affect the result when we check the option 'Use Relative Illumination'. Another related question is whether this tool has considered gamma correction, such like the transfer function defined in the sRGB color space. Quick answers to the two questions are: (1) If the relative illumination is considered, for every PSF calculated in the PSF grid, the relative illuminateion is calculated for that field position and the entire PSF for that field position is multiplied by that value. (2) There is no gamma correction done in the Image Simulation result. The gray scale value you find in the result bitmap is linear to the relative illumination we see.   Let's do a quick experiement to see how it works. 1. Open attached test2_50deg.zar. This is a very simple system inlcuding only OBJECT, Paraxial l

2 years ago

Christophe.DangMonochrome

asked in Got a question?

Problem with coordinate references of Source Diode

Hello, There is something I don't understand with the way Source Diode are placed (see image below). I've got two Source Diode placed at the same X Position [0], same Z Position [-51.4], different Y Position. The object 8 is at Y8 = -145.25, object 9 is at Y9 = -62.25. The global Y reference pointing rightwards, I expect the object 9 to be at the right of the object 8 because Y9 > Y8, right? But it seems to be the contrary. Additionally, they seem to be unexpectedly at different Z position. So I suppose I did something wrong with the coordinate references. I checked the Modify Reference Object but both object seem to refere to the Global Reference. Any hint? Best regards

2 years ago

Sarah.GrabowskiUltraviolet

asked in Got a question?

Is there a way to create a custom catalog with existing glasses?

I am working on a project where I am limited to a specific list of glasses. They are mostly Ohara materials, but also include a couple from the Schott catalog. How can I create a new catalog that will group these all together for optimization purposes?

2 years ago

Matthias.WhitneyInfrared

asked in Got a question?

Issue adding new material to catalog

I'm having an issue adding a custom material into the catalog. I have index of refraction data taken at several wavelengths and I'm following the knowledge base article 'Fitting index data in OpticStudio' (https://my.zemax.com/en-US/Knowledge-Base/kb-article/?ka=KA-01525). After using the glass fitting tool under Material Tools in the Libraries ribbon, I upload my index data and I'm presented with the text window that shows my fit Sellmeier or Schott coefficients. I can find my glass under the catalog with the fit coefficients, but there is no value for Nd or Vd. And when I look at the dispersion diagram under Materials Analyses, it's just a flat line at zero. What step am I missing to correctly add this custom material?

2 years ago

Michael.CoutureSingle Emitter

asked in Got a question?

Tolerance data visualization - Histogram and Yield icons grayed out and non-functional

Currently running OpticStudio 20.2 Professional.  Trying to use the Tolerance data visualization functions (Histogram and Yield) for the first time, but they are grayed out and non-functional.  The tolerance data viewer is working and displays the results data set.  I have run a short Monte-Carlo set and saved the files.  How to I engage the Histogram and Yield functions?

4 months ago

Anton.TravinskyMonochrome

posted in Got a question?

MTF50 through-focus

There is a 'Through-focus MTF feature'. Is there a way to extract MTF50 through focus instead of modulation at a certain frequency through focus?

2 years ago

Francis.DeckSingle Emitter

asked in Licensing and Installation

License server issue

2 years ago

Sentayehu Fetene.WondimuSingle Emitter

asked in Got a question?

Feature request: Merit function editor. Slow update with zero-weight operands.

Some operands in the merit function editor need long computation times, which is not the problem here. The problem for me is that the MF update does not get faster even when they are assigned zero weight, e.g. FICL. One could delete the operand and avoid the slowdown. However, the operand could be needed at a latter phase and one would have to enter it and the accompanying fields again. It would be nice if operands with zero-weight have no influence on the computation time of the merit function.

1 year ago

Andrew.DenningtonInfrared

posted in Got a question?

IES TM25 Rayfiles

The IES TM25 standard for ray files has been out for years but we are still waiting for Zemax to allow these files to be imported in to optical models.  Osram only provides ray files bigger than 10M rays for its LEDs in TM25 format so it is definitely needed and its hard to understand why there has been such a delay.  Having read the TM25 standard it would take very little development time to implement. Andrew

2 years ago

Fatima.Abu RabeaMonochrome

posted in Licensing and Installation

running zemax

Hi, I changed my computer and transferd my hard desk to another one, but I'm having a problem with activating zemax, can you please help me? when I open zemax a window about licenses pops up, I tried to activate it again but it won't work because you can use the activation code only once (used on my old computer). I can't find a way to run zemax like before.  and when I open license details it shows me that the key is cloned in a red color (because it's a new computer?) can you please help deactivate Zemax on the old computer online? because the old one does not work. best regard, Fatima.

2 years ago

Haofeng.SunMonochrome

posted in Got a question?

Simulate fiber coupling issues

I am trying to simulate the single mode fiber coupling and would like to see how the beam profile looks like when the incoming beam to the fiber is converging or diverging by changing the shape of the lens. I created a simple system with a lens, and inserted the fiber as a non-sequantial component. Since the core diameter is too small and length of the fiber is too large compared with the lens, I cannot see what's going on inside the fiber from the layout plot. I tried to use the standard spot diagram to see the beam profile, but it only gives me a single point. The receiver efficiency also drops from 99% to around 1% after I inserted the fiber. Does anyone know whether my method is incorrect or Zemax is not capable of performing such systems? Thanks a lot! Haofeng Sun

2 years ago

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