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People & Pointers

Use this space to show off your skills, introduce yourself, or to chat about the latest in the world of optics.

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mojtaba.falahatiZemax Staff

posted in People & Pointers

[Webinar] OpticStudio-OpticsBuilder Interoperability in Design of Optical Spectrometer

This thread is dedicated to the upcoming webinar: OpticStudio-OpticsBuilder Interoperability in Design of Optical Spectrometer. Any questions received during the webinar will be responded to as a reply on this thread. Feel free to post your own questions! The speaker will be notified and will respond as long as the thread is still open.Be sure to subscribe to this thread if you want to see additional discussion regarding this webinar topic. The thread will be open to new replies through Friday, June 17th. [The webinar has concluded] Webinar detailsDate: Thursday, June 9thTime: 6:00 - 7:00 AM PDT | 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM PDTPresenter: Mojtaba Falahati, Senior Application Engineer at Ansys ZemaxAbstract:Join Mojtaba Falahati, Senior Application Engineer, as he explores the optical-optomechanical design cycle for lens-grating-lens spectrometers using commercially available optical elements and describes how Zemax tools enable a joint workflow to turn optical designs into reality.Optical spec

8 months ago

Alissa WilczynskiZemax Staff

posted in People & Pointers

[Webinar] Zemax and Lumerical: Part 1 - From Nano-scale to Macro-scale Optics and Back

This thread will be used to collect questions before the webinar, and to answer any questions we received during the webinar. Feel free to post your questions! Be sure to subscribe to this thread if you want to see additional discussion regarding this topic. The thread will be open to comments until Thursday, May12th. Webinar details:[The webinar has concluded]Date: Thursday, May 5thTime: 6:00am PST & 11:00am PSTPresenters:Hui Chen, Senior Application Engineer Taylor Robertson, Senior Application EngineerAbstract: Complex optical systems require coupling simulation techniques across multiple length scales for accurate design and tolerancing. Extracting the light from nanoscale emissive structures in illumination systems, or propagating light through a mixture of guided and free space components are just a few examples.Ray tracing approximations break down near the dimension of the wavelength, and electromagnetic approaches are too expensive for larger devices. Traditional methods

10 months ago

AllieZemax Staff

posted in People & Pointers

[Webinar] Optotune Liquid Lenses Added to Zemax Stock Components [Q&A]

This thread is dedicated to the webinar: Optotune Liquid Lenses Added to Zemax Stock Components. Any questions received during the webinar will be responded to as a reply on this thread. [The event has concluded] Webinar detailsPresenters: Mark Ventura, Vice President Sales & Marketing at Optotune Mark is electrical engineer and has co-founded Optotune in 2008. As VP Sales & Marketing he has developed the market for liquid lenses with a focus on machine vision. Michael Büeler (@Michael.Bueeler), Head of Optics Engineering & VP Quality at Optotune Michael holds a PhD in Biomedical Engineering and Optics and is responsible for optical design at Optotune. Employing Optotune’s liquid lenses has designed several focusing, zoom and illumination systems for mobile phone cameras, factory automation and med-tech applications. Abstract:In the past 10 years, liquid lenses have evolved to become a well-established solution for fast and reliable focusing. In this webinar we will discus

2 months ago

yuan.chenZemax Staff

posted in People & Pointers

How to avoid the TIR(total internal reflection) during the lens optimization

Sorry that this title is not accurate. The TIR occurs sometimes when we recreate something from a patent or we add extra operands other than the operands generated by the field wizard.I have been asked several times. I got this error message during my current project. So I want to share some thoughts about how to do this:Reduce the field/ numerical aperture to remove the TIR first Apply the RAID/ MXAI/MXRE/MXRI to constrain the incident angle You can optimize the lens shape to reduce the angle Try HYLD in optimization wizard Designing for as-built performance with High-Yield Optimization – Knowledgebase (zemax.com)

11 months ago

Michael ChengZemax Staff

posted in People & Pointers

Optimization tricks. Share your experience!

Optimization is extremely important in a computer-aided design. However, it's never as easy as just a click on a button. We usually need to carefully set up the variable and merit function. While there are no a general rules to follow for all systems, there are still some useful trick to follow for most of common cases. Here I'm sharing some from my experience. If you put yours in reply, I will also update this thread.:) [Michael Cheng] 1. Keep this in mind: Always check and consider whether a variable is really required to be a variable. * If the variable won't changing system performance much, turn off it first. You can turn it on at final stage for a fine tune. A typical case is the thickness of a lens. In many cases, they contribute much less than those AIR thicknesses in the system. * Before careful that, if you have a redundant variable, for example Radius on an isolated STOP, the optimizer may be confused and just cannot work well. * If during optimization, a variable just

1 year ago

Michael ChengZemax Staff

posted in People & Pointers

FAQ of Optically Fabricated Hologram (OFH): how to parameters Holo type and Diffract order

Here is a quick note about two frequently asked questions.How to set up the parameter Holo type and Diffract order for the surface Optically Fabricated Hologram (OFH) How to set up a reflection hologram using OFHBefore read this post, make sure you have read the following KBA. That is the background knowledge to this post:How to model holograms in OpticStudio Difference between OFH and other hologram typeFor other hologram models, we only assume the construction systems are composed by two converging or diverging source. (A collimated source is considered as case the converge/diverge point is at far point.) However, in real world, they are built with same laser with some lenses. And there the source is actually not a point but has some aberrations. Sometimes these aberrations are intentionally introduced to correct the aberrations that come in playback systems. The parameter 'Holo type'For OFH, the rule for Holo type is a little different compared to other hologram models. Normally,

7 months ago

Hui ChenZemax Staff

posted in People & Pointers

Report energy throughput in OpticStudio

To evaluate system throughput, there are 4 tools you can consider in OpticStudio Sequential mode, Footprint diagram, Vignetting Diagram, Geometric Image Analysis (GIA), and Transmission analysis. The Footprint Diagram and Vignetting Diagram deal with vignetting only and does not consider the Fresnel reflection or bulk absorption losses. They show what fraction of the launched rays are being blocked off/vignetted due to surface apertures. The GIA can do the same thing, but it can also consider Fresnel reflection and bulk absorption losses if you check the Use Polarization button. And the Transmission analysis always includes Fresnel reflection loss and bulk absorption loss. For example, in this system below, at the edge of the field 30deg, the Footprint diagram, the Vignetting Diagram, and the GIA (bottom reports “Percent efficiency %”, Use Polarization not checked) all report very similar system throughput. If you check Use Polarization in GIA, then it’ll consider the Fresnel reflectio

8 months ago

SahilVisible

posted in People & Pointers

Calculate the Ray Transfer (ABCD) Matrix for thick Lens using ZOS-API (Python and MATLAB Interactive Extension).

To compute the ABCD matrix, OpticStudio traces rays over a very small region centered upon the reference field position. Usually, this is the center of the field of view. OpticStudio allows selection of which field position to use for reference.By default, OpticStudio sets the corner of the field grid in object space to be at the maximum radial field distance. Because object height is linear with the tangent of the field angle, the full width of the field when angles are used to define the field is given byWhere θr is the maximum radial field angle at the corner of the field.The ray coordinates in image space for the very small field of view are used to determine the ABCD matrix components. The use of an ABCD matrix allows for coordinate rotations. If the image surface is rotated, such that a y object coordinate images to both an x and a y image coordinate, the ABCD matrix will automatically account for the rotation. The grid distortion plot shows the linear grid, and then marks the ac

1 month ago

Sandrine AuriolZemax Staff

posted in People & Pointers

OpticsTalk: Beam steering approaches for automotive & consumer LiDARS

Here's the discussion space for the OpticsTalk:  Beam steering approaches for automotive & consumer LiDARS: Lidar is considered the primary sensor for depth perception for various applications from self-driving cars to the latest Apple iPhone. Beam steering is often the defining component of a lidar system, determining performance, size and reliability. In this talk, we will review the trade-offs that must be considered while developing a lidar-system for both mechanical and solid-state beam steering approaches. Lidar is an application specific sensor necessitating to satisfy vastly different requirements for both automotive and consumer markets. In this context, we will discuss Lumotive’s lidar system which employs a CMOS based liquid crystal metasurface (LCM) to holographically steer light over a wide field of view while maintaining a large aperture. The metasurface consists of nano-scale optical antennas to give sub-wavelength control of the phase, amplitude

2 years ago

David NguyenZemax Staff

posted in People & Pointers

Detector Viewers to different image formats (8-/16-bits) with a user-extension

In this thread, I introduce a user-extension DetectorToTIFF to save Detector Viewers as TIFF images. Presently, the user-extension supports Detector Rectangle, which are saved as monochrome 8-, or 16-bits TIFF images. This user-extension is meant to complement the Output Image File field of the Detector Viewer's settings. Version Current version: 0.7   This extension has been developed and tested on OpticStudio 19.4 SP2. The latest release, v0.8, can be found in my latest reply to this thread. Installation To install the user-extension, download the archive DetectorToTIFF.ZIP and extract it on your computer. This archive contains a local version of this thread and the user-extension DetectorToTIFF.EXE, which you must copy to your \Documents\Zemax\ZOS-API\Extensions folder of OpticStudio. Use To use the user-extension, open a non-sequential file, such as User aperture sample.zmx from the \Documents\Zemax\Samples\Non-sequential\Miscellaneous folder of OpticStudio. Then, run a ray t

1 year ago

Heng.LiZemax Staff

posted in People & Pointers

OpticsTalk: Modelling problems for mobile devices: under screen cameras

In order to realize the full screen display in mobile phone, it is desired to put the front camera under screen. We will discuss the modelling problem for this situation and show how MTF is impacted by the screen.

2 years ago

Angel MoralesZemax Staff

posted in People & Pointers

[Webinar] Modeling a Lidar System in OpticStudio: Characterizing Range for Lidar Systems [Q&A]

This thread is dedicated to the upcoming webinar: Modeling a Lidar System in OpticStudio: Characterizing Range for Lidar Systems. Any questions received during the webinar will be responded to as a reply on this thread. Feel free to post your own questions! The speaker will be notified and will respond as long as the thread is still open.Be sure to subscribe to this thread if you want to see additional discussion regarding this webinar topic. The thread will be open to new replies for a limited time following the event. [The webinar has concluded] Webinar detailsDate: Thursday, October 27thTime: 6:00 - 6:45 AM PDT | 11:00 - 11:45 AM PDTPresenter: Angel Morales, Senior Application EngineerAbstract:Modeling a Lidar in OpticStudio: Characterizing Range for Lidar Systems. For lidar systems, a key specification is the range at which the lidar can detect a positive return signal. This characteristic is determined by several factors, such as the energy contained in the light pulse sent by the

4 months ago

Alissa WilczynskiZemax Staff

posted in People & Pointers

Introducing exceptional students

In Q3 2021, Zemax partnered with the Optica Foundation to identify and support exceptional optics-focused students in emerging economies. I’m very excited to have these individuals join our ranks within the Zemax user community, and I hope that everyone will join me in welcoming and mentoring them.Samuel ( @sizapatav23 ) - Jesus ( @cansecodiaz ) - Naresh ( @Naresh.Kumar ) - Anda-Maria ( @Maria T ) - Adewale ( @adewale ) - Melvin ( @Melvin.James ) For the students, please reply on this thread to tell the community a bit about yourself! I think we’d all like to know…Degree you’re pursuing Your academic institution What are your passions within the field of optics? What do you hope to study or learn with your OpticStudio software? Is there anything you’d like to ask of the community members?

1 year ago

Nicholas HerringerZemax Staff

posted in People & Pointers

Envision 2020 Workshop: Designing for Manufacturability

This forum thread should be used to continue the discussion from the Envision 2020 workshop, Designing for Manufacturability. Presenter: Katsumoto Ikeda Abstract: Careless approaches to optical design can result in designs that are sensitive to manufacturing and alignment errors, resulting in optical products that are difficult to manufacture successfully repeatedly. Methods for desensitizing the optical system, including and High-Yield Optimization, produce designs that meet tight performance specifications, provide a higher manufacturing yield, and lower manufacturing costs through less waste. Join our workshop to discover our best practices in using these methods. You can also find the Envision 2020 LinkedIn group here.

1 year ago

EstebanZemax Staff

posted in People & Pointers

[Webinar] Designing Cell phone Camera Lenses with an Interoperability Workflow – Part 2 [Q&A]

This thread is dedicated to the upcoming webinar: Designing Cell phone Camera Lenses with an Interoperability Workflow – Part 2. Any questions received during the webinar will be responded to as a reply on this thread. Feel free to post your own questions! The speaker will be notified and will respond as long as the thread is still open.Be sure to subscribe to this thread if you want to see additional discussion regarding this webinar topic. The thread will be open to new replies for a limited time following the event. [The event has concluded] Webinar detailsDate: Thursday, September 22ndTime: 6:00 - 6:45 AM PDT | 11:00 - 11:45 AM PDTPresenter: Esteban Carbajal, Senior Product ManagerAbstract:Cellphone camera designs are required to meet evermore stringent performance specifications to compete in the field. Laboratory testing typically occurs late in the manufacturing phase where any previous errors in estimates that are found will cause significant schedule delays and cost increases.

6 months ago

Michael ChengZemax Staff

posted in People & Pointers

David.VegaZemax Staff

posted in People & Pointers

Are you choosing a physical stop?

An interesting problem has surfaced as the Zemax team at Ansys continues to develop toolsets to aid the simulation of small form-factor, wide-angle systems such as cellphone camera lenses. Different ways exist to set up and model a stop with a lens traversing its aperture, but which is the best way? With this post, we share our recommendations and seek your feedback based on your experiences tackling this challenge.Virtual propagation modeling is one of the ways to model these stops. Technically, the portion of the lens that goes through the stop will modify the wavefront before the stop limits the wavefront with its clear aperture. Therefore, we cannot use virtual propagation to model these stops because we will be adding non-real pupil aberrations to our optical systems since we are forcing the entrance pupil to be flat when it is not.Here is an example of a stop with a lens going through it.By definition, “the aperture stop is the aperture in the system that limits the bundle of lig

7 months ago

Kerry.HerbertZemax Staff

posted in People & Pointers

Tech Tip Tuesday: Working with freeform HUD elements

In a previous Tech Tip Tuesday we discussed some of the analyses available in OpticStudio to evaluate systems with freeform surfaces. For this Tech Tip Tuesday – HUD Edition: We will discuss tools available to aid with the import, conversion, and/or fitting of pre-existing freeform elements in OpticStudio. In modern Head-Up Display systems, the optical designer is often required to incorporate some flavor of pre-existing, freeform optical element. The pre-existing element could be an airplane canopy, off-the-shelf combiner element, an automotive windshield, etc. The native data formatting of this freeform element varies by both industry application and by individual design team preference. These surfaces may have natively been created and stored as CAD files, an extended polynomial, or even just a sampled sag table. For any of these cases, OpticStudio has the answer!Import STEP/IGES/SAT/STL files directly OpticStudio is able to directly import STEP, IGES, SAT, and STL file types into N

11 days ago

yuan.chenZemax Staff

posted in People & Pointers

Which MTF result shall I trust if FFT MTF, Geometric MTF and Huygens MTF have different results?

I got three different MTF distributions. Why they are different and how can we eliminate the difference? Which one shall I trust?For example, when I set the entrance pupil diameter to 1 for \Zemax\Samples\Short course\Optical System Design Using OpticStudio\sc_dbga1.zmx I got this:

11 months ago

IanKInfrared

posted in People & Pointers

Hello Zemax Community!

Hello!I want to introduce myself briefly to the Zemax community. My name is Ian Khaw and I am an Optical Engineer at Nanosys. I got my B.S. in Physics and M.S. in Optics. I have some experience in CAD and I am looking to expand my knowledge with Zemax. I am a beginner with Zemax OpticStudio. If anyone knows of any good sites, manuals, or tutorials on learning Zemax, please let me know. Thank you! I look forward to talking with everyone in the forum!

1 year ago

Tom PickeringZemax Staff

posted in People & Pointers

Feature Experiment Feedback: Ray Aiming Wizard

In OpticStudio 22.1, we have improved the performance of our ray aiming algorithm for innovative applications that require a wide field-of-view (such as machine vision, surveillance cameras on drones, autonomous vehicles as well as cell phone lenses). Significant improvements have been made to address issues such as “cannot trace” errors and discontinuities in analyses that can occur when using ray aiming. These improvements are referred to as Enhanced Ray Aiming, and with the 22.1 release, we are first supporting rotationally symmetric wide field-of-view systems.The OpticStudio 22.1 release also features one exciting new Feature Experiment, called the Ray Aiming Wizard. This tool provides the necessary data for you to determine the optimal ray-aiming settings for your system, including the new Enhanced Ray Aiming method. With the new Ray Aiming Wizard, you will know when and how to use ray aiming to get accurate system analysis and modeling. You can find this tool in the Ray Aiming se

5 months ago

mojtaba.falahatiZemax Staff

posted in People & Pointers

[Webinar] OpticStudio-OpticsBuilder-OpticStudio STAR Module Interoperability in Design of High-Power Laser Systems

This thread is dedicated to the webinar: OpticStudio-OpticsBuilder-OpticStudio STAR Module Interoperability in Design of High-Power Laser Systems. Any questions received during the webinar will be responded to as a reply on this thread. Feel free to post your own questions! The speaker will be notified and will respond as long as the thread is still open.Be sure to subscribe to this thread if you want to see additional discussion regarding this webinar topic. The thread will be open to new replies through Friday, July 8th. [The webinar has concluded] Webinar detailsDate: Tuesday, June 28thPresenter: Mojtaba Falahati, Senior Application Engineer at Ansys ZemaxAbstract:Join Mojtaba Falahati, Senior Application Engineer, as he explores the optical-optomechanical design cycle for high-power laser systems using a typical example and describes how Zemax tools enable a joined-up workflow to turn optical designs into reality. High-power laser systems are extensively used for high-precision cut

8 months ago

Thomas MagnacZemax Staff

posted in People & Pointers

OpticsTalk: The Strengths & Applications of Various Freeform Surface Representations

Here's the discussion space for the OpticsTalk: The Strengths & Applications of Various Freeform Surface Representations hosted by Zemax Computational Physicist, Radu Miron. Let's join Radu to learn more and discuss about Freeform surfaces in Zemax Products Stay tuned on this forum thread for updates and discussion after the talk and check out our other OpticsTalks!

4 months ago

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