Dear Fabian,

The short answer is yes, you can optimize both components simultaneously. You’d simply need to define the needed object variables in the non-sequential editor for the non-sequential component, in addition to the surface variables in the sequential editor for the sequential part of your system.
You can also define constrains using dedicated non-sequential merit function operands like NPLT/NPGT (non sequential parameter less/greater than)
You can find detailed information about constraints on Non-sequential Object Data in the help section of OpticStudio :

The Optimize Tab (sequential ui mode) > Automatic Optimization Group > Merit Function Editor (automatic optimization group) > Optimization Operands by Category > Constraints on Non-sequential Object Data

Regarding tips and tricks, there are some valuable considerations and comments in the last section of this article :
How to model a mixed sequential/non-sequential system – Knowledgebase (zemax.com)

I hope this helps,

Christophe

Dear Christophe,

Thank you, that was the information I missed while looking for optimization. It helps a lot.

Best wishes,

Fabian