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Complex Prism Creation

  • November 13, 2022
  • 3 replies
  • 426 views

Michaelkm8
Ultraviolet

Hello,

           I am curious what the best way to create a multi faceted prism is in Zemax.  I have tried using multiple surfaces (freeform, various rectangle volumes, triangles, etc...), but I do not have the freedom that I need to make it customized.  I want to make a prism with 4 or more faces and design it similar to the freeform surface where I define it one point (face) at a time.  It would be great if there was a surface defined by angles and distances.  Can someone point me to the right surface for this?  I can figure out the rest once I know where I need to start.  Thanks.

Best answer by David

It’s a bit cumbersome compared to CAD programs, but OpticStudio allows complex polygon objects to be created by means of a text file. See Creating Polygon Objects in OpticStudio.

You could also generate an object in another CAD program and import it.

3 replies

David
Luminary
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  • Luminary
  • Answer
  • November 14, 2022

It’s a bit cumbersome compared to CAD programs, but OpticStudio allows complex polygon objects to be created by means of a text file. See Creating Polygon Objects in OpticStudio.

You could also generate an object in another CAD program and import it.


Michaelkm8
Ultraviolet
  • Author
  • Ultraviolet
  • November 14, 2022

Thanks for the help David.  With respect to TIR, absorption, and dispersion if I imported a CAD file and told Zemax it was a volume of BK7 would there be any issues that may arise since it is not a standard Zemax surface/object?

Thanks again.


David
Luminary
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  • Luminary
  • November 14, 2022

The only issue I know of is that imported cad parts can be slower to ray trace than native parts. I avoid them when I can in favor of Boolean combinations of native components. But there have been improvements in these areas so my experience may be dated.