I want to check my understanding of the “uncategorized” entry in my paths analysis results below.  The way I read this, the output is limited to 10k paths and 8.6% of the flux is associated with path numbers beyond 10k. 8.6% is greater than the total relative flux associated with the first 10k paths. So, what I think this is telling me is that there are a lot of paths, each carrying a very small amount of flux and they really add up.  Since I’ve sorted the paths by total ending flux, the relative flux associated with each path listed is still valid, correct?  I just want to confirm that all flux associated with the listed paths is accounted for.Going into the settings for this output window and adjusting the “relative minimum flux” doesn’t seem to make any difference, even if I increase it all the way to 1.   So, that doesn’t seem to be working.  Is that because I didn’t save the zrd file? Flux In      :       1.40000E-01     (watts)Flux Out     :       1.30764E-02     (watts)Rays    

I would like to trace rays into this object and let them TIR around the inside.The attached gives an idea but is not correct.  I have used the swept object to generate the annulus.It has in outside radius of 4mm and an inside radius radius of 2mm, concentric surfaces, Germanium.I don’t know how to get rays in or out.I would like the source rays to be collimated, or converging, or diverging, or astigmatic.Can anybody help!I know that I don’t know how to do the entrance or exit surfaces properly.Harvey Spencerglasair470@gmail.com

Hey, im trying to interact with OpticStudio via Matlab/Python while a global Optimization is running. All examples I have seen the optimization is limited by time. I would like to build another way to end the optimization than time. Like: end the optimization when Operand xy reached a value higher than whatever. Unfortunately the only possible way is to read values from operands before and after the optimization. Is time the only exit criteria? Thanks for help, Lukas

I am trying to simulate an already existing illumination system in zemax.In order to replicate the exact system, I need to placemultimode Optical fiber end (which is considered as source ellipse in the simulation) & Standard lens inside a focusing tube (Which is considered as cylinder pipe in the simulation). While I have placed both of the in the simulation and tried ray trace it. It is giving me an error as shown in the image below. Also, while plotting the universal plot It is giving me an error such that some of the operands cannot be computed.Please provide me suggestions to solve these errors.Kindly find the attached zemax file.Thanks in advanceBest Regards,Suguna

Hello,i have nsc parts in my zemax simulation and i wanted to export it as a CAD STL file but it fails to export the nsc objects. 

Hi, I am wondering about the inner workings of the Image Simulation feature of OpticStudio. Having read this discussion and the built-in help accessed from the info button in the Image Simulation settings, it seems that this function computes the PSFs at several points as specified by the user, and then interpolates between these computed PSFs to approximate a PSF for every point on the object. Then, each point on the object is convolved with the appropriate PSF to produce the simulated image (I skipped over additional processing like scaling/rotation that is mentioned, that’s not what I’m interested in here). My question is: how exactly is the interpolation between these PSFs performed? Does Zemax do principal component analysis of some sort, and interpolate those components? This does not seem to be described anywhere.Particularly in my optical system, the PSF at the edge of the field of view may be crescent-shaped, and the system is rotationally symmetrical so at any constant radius

In the creation of “annual aspheric lens”, it mentions that : The aspheric rear face is offset from the front by a thickness measured at a specified radial aperture, which may be zero.  The offset means the thickness.  in the parameter setting, there is a parameter named “ Thickness aperture”.   I am puzzled at the setting of this  thickness. Is it a thickness along  z axis?   how to calculate the thickness?   what does the “ Thickness aperture” mean here?  How can I relate this “thickness aperture” to the specific geometric figure?  Some times, when changes the value of  “thickness aperture” , the geometric figure does not change at all.  could someone describe this?  Thank you very much.

 Hi all,I want use zemax to design stereoscope like the below picture. I got left optical path done, the third doublet offset realized with coordinate break. Now I want add right optical path to the design file, which is identical to the left optical path, just have a offset. How I can use coordinate break to do this? Also, this means it has two image planes. Any suggestion are appreciated.Thanks,Xiaolei 

Hi!I have found a strange bug in Zemax 18.7.When I try to insert any detector in the NSC Component Editor it might not get recognized in Zemax. It’ still a Null Object: After adding a second detector the editor seems to recognize the first one, but there’s still an exclamation mark and a red box.Picking “Detector Rectangle” again in the drop-down menu brings us to this seemingly correct situation: Zemax may crash then after a few more actions, and saving files results in a crash most of the time.The crashes started after I inserted a EXCEL-Style (=3,2*3, =2,3*3) formula in the X / Y Pixels column. That’s not possible in the first place, so I’m glad that I could replicate that in the file with which I was working with during the first crash:In fact, I can add any string for a pixel number:Adding strings is possible for only a number of saved files (which are copies with a few differences), but not in other files, or in new files.I can still perform a ray-trace with corrupted files, but

Hello everyone,While hovering on the distortion tools I have noticed the difference between “Field Curvature/Distortion” tool and “Grid Distortion” Tool. Any comment on this difference?

I was wondering if Opticstudio has in-built models of Schott filter glasses such as NG1..11 etc., (absorptive neutral density filters).

Hello,  I am trying to place a lens after the prism in  a system containing a tilted mirror at an angle, followed by a non-sequential component(prism), but as the value of radius is inserted there is a sphere of that certain radius, irrespective of the semi aperture diameter. and there is also a star marked on clear- semi diameter.I am attaching a screenshot for your reference. If any more information is required to understand the problem , please let me know. Please guide me on how to resolve this issue, with an explanation on why such a problem arises. 

Hello,I’m trying to design beam homogenizer and checking several concepts: rectangular rod and fly’s eye lens.In  my case the source is quite large, 10.4x7.5mm.I looked at Zemax sample file: Digital_projector_flys_eye_homogenizer.zmx.The source size is 0.25x0.25mm. Up to about 1x1mm the design works good. Increasing source size decrease the beam parallelism hitting the fly’s eye which reduce dramatically performance.Do you know if this concept can work with larger source as in my case: 10.4x7.5mm.s quite large, 10.4x7.5mm.I looked at Zemax sample file: Digital_projector_flys_eye_homogenizer.zmx.The source size is 0.25x0.25mm. Up to about 1x1mm the design works good. Increasing source size decrease the beam parallelism hitting the fly’s eye which reduce dramatically performance.Do you know if this concept can work with larger source as in my case: 10.4x7.5mm.

Hi, Will it be possible to simulate evanescence from wave guide using zemax

hi Community I am trying to set the grid(1000mmX1000mm) to a designed size, say 400mm X50mmhow can I make it? It seems that it always shows as square.  Thanks  

Hello Community,I am trying to write a macro to change the aperture type of surfaces. In the macro as i am trying to give the user a hint on the code (0-10) for the surface types, my INPUT statement is getting too long ( third line on the attached file). How can i write this INPUT statement in multiple lines. Is there any other way to do it ?I have attched the .txt file and would appreciate your help. Thanks in advance.

HelloI am having problems running a tolerance analysis that only uses the TEZI operand. I get the error message that says “TOFF requires surface 0 to have a physical sag” which makes no sense. You can see the screen shot in the image attached. I think this is a bug in  the software.Any ideas?RegardsDiego

Hello, I’m trying to merge multiple sources into a single source by raytracing all the sources onto a detector and save its data as a source file.I encounter few problems when doing so:The output rays doesn’t match the expectation, in the image below you can see the blue and cyan rays are the rays I’m trying to copy,  and the khaki rays are the source file that was created. the differences are: The beam output starts at some distance Z away from the detector The diameter and angular distribution looks different from the input rays Side view of the input rays and output rays  The energy distribution doesn’t match, such that its giving more energy to the first defined sources in the NSCE, see below Source file raytraced with 1.8E4 analysis rays I’m adding my files below and would appreciate help. Thanks,Oran

How to design TE and TM polarization laser source diodes in non sequential mode?

Everyt ime i try to use the oprimization wizard and define a function; when i press the buttons: ‘ok’  and  ’apply’ i get this error message: “Can’t open File C:\Users\user1\Documents\Zemax\MeritFunction\favorite.mf!”. And i don’t understand why,. It seems that it is not saving the function that i am defining. With this i can’t use the optimizer because it says that there are no variables defined, it seems it is not saving correctly the merit functions that idefine?What can i do to fix the problem? Am i doing something wrong? do i have to re-install OpticStudio?Thanks in advance for the help

Hello,I modulate sapphire dome in non-sequential mode, but when I'm traying to add birefringent i got errorCant find glass “SAPPHIRE_E” in catalog. pleas advice how can i modulate birefringent to sapphire.thanks

Simulating diffraction efficiency of surface-relief grating using the RCWA method - From the OnlyTheseOrders description in the Knowledgebase, if we have the below 2 case,Case A Start Order: 2, Stop Order: 2, Max Order: 10, Only These Orders: 0Case B Start Order: 2, Stop Order: 2, Max Order: 10, Only These Orders: 63Is it correct to say that when Stochastic mode is off, the results are not the same (A is -2~+2 orders, B is -1~+1 orders)?In the case of Stochastic mode on, what are the results of A and B?Also, I would like to know the best order setting when using Stochastic mode.

Hi all, Has anyone optimized a NURBS freeform suface for imaging? According to an article published in 2016, the major optical design programs including Zemax were not capable of optimizing NURBS grid-type surfaces in imaging systems: https://www.spiedigitallibrary.org/journals/optical-engineering/volume-55/issue-07/071208/Imaging-freeform-optical-systems-designed-with-NURBS-surfaces/10.1117/1.OE.55.7.071208.full?SSO=1 I’d like to know if that capability has been updated in newer versions of OpticStudio, and if there is any criteria for defining the weights on each term. I tried to optimize an imaging system using the Radial NURBS surface, but the program crashes each time I run the local optimization.Thanks, José  

Hi all,I want use zemax to design stereoscope like the below picture. I got left optical path done, the third doublet offset realized with coordinate break. Now I want add right optical path to the design file, which is identical to the left optical path, just have a offset. How I can use coordinate break to do this? Also, this means it has two image planes. Any suggestion are appreciated.Thanks,Xiaolei[Mod note: moved to more appropriate forum for OS-related discussions.] 

Hi, I have a question with regards to how Zemax handles cylindrical/biconic systems. If I have a lens system where the say I have a pair of cylindrical lenses with two different focal lengths rotated 90 degrees about the light propagation axis, i.e. the system would have two different EFL, NA in the x, y axis, how does Zemax calculate parameters such as imaging NA, EFL, Seidel sums etc.? I noticed for example, for Seidel sums, Zemax does not break up the calculation of Seidel sums into two separate transverse axis but just gives one set of numbers. Zemax also gives the imaging NA, EFL data in the system data as one number instead of say two in two different axis. Is there a way to be able to get data for x and y separately? Thanks!