2024 R1 Release Notes

January 11th, 2024

1.1 Ansys Zemax OpticsBuilder is retiring

2024 R1 will be the last release of Ansys Zemax OpticsBuilder

The last OpticsBuilder release with new functionality will be 2024 R1. After this release, there will be no further releases or defect corrections. While we appreciate the role that OpticsBuilder served in enabling optomechanical packaging and analysis, we are confident that this role will be provided through new functionality and enhancements to be developed for Ansys Zemax OpticStudio and Ansys Speos. Integrated, streamlined workflows between OpticStudio and Speos enable comprehensive optomechanical design capabilities that ensure customer’s continued ability to bring products to market faster with the use of Ansys Optics tools.

Lease license sales have stopped but paid-up licenses may be purchased up to July 1, 2024. These paid-up licenses will come without development support, but ACE support will still be available. Users with a paid-up license of OpticsBuilder can continue to use this product in perpetuity with any version of Creo that is supported by OpticsBuilder (Creo 4 - 9). Please reach out to your Account Manager for further details.

2.1 Equation-Driven Import

OpticsBuilder now includes additional support for Equation-Driven Import

OpticsBuilder adds Annular Aspheric Lens, Cylinder 2 Volume, and Rectangular Volume to the list of supported Equation-Driven Import component types. Equation-Driven Import allows users to import components with access to exposed surface equations that are parametrically tied to the surfaces.

2.2 .ZOS FILE FORMAT RETIREMENT

ZOS File Format will be retired in January 2025 

OpticStudio will begin a slow retirement of the .ZOS file format to be completed in January 2025. Users can always import ZOS files into OpticsBuilder, however, logic has been modified within OpticsBuilder to convert any ZOS files to ZMX files in the background. If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact your Account Manager.   

• Import ZBD File
  • OpticsBuilder could not import ZBD files after certain drawing inputs were entered in Prepare for OpticsBuilder in Ansys Zemax OpticStudio. 
  • The Boolean Native, Biconic, and Biconic Zernike lenses were displaying different geometry in Creo compared to Ansys Zemax OpticStudio.
• Simulation
  • On some versions of OpticsBuilder, the Simulation was hanging and not completing in the appropriate time frame. 
  • On certain test systems, the Simulation was failing if an optomechanical component was included.
  • For a certain test system, the Simulation Results were not correct when a mechanical component was positioned in the ray path.
  • The Doublet sample file was incorrectly displaying 100% beam clipping.
  • On certain assemblies, the Simulation would fail and show an error message “Item ‘Group Black Anodized.bsdf’ failed to import”
  • Sample files “cube_sat.asm” and “projector_optics.asm” were giving an error when trying to generate a Chief Rays Simulation.