In the optimization process, we usually have to set a suitable space between two lenses to avoid overlapping lenses. However, the current merit function operands don’t support the lenses with coordinate break. A possible solution is to use ZPLM to get the minimum distance between two surfaces with coordinate break.How to use it:The parameter Hx: the surface number of surface  ①.The parameter Hy: the surface number of surface ②.Data=0: Get the minimum distance between two surfaces along the surface ① local z axis.Data=1: Get the maximum distance between two surfaces along the surface ① local z axis. Limitation of this ZPLM:The minimum distance between two s

This ZPL operand (ZPL30) computes the top and bottom edge thickness of a Doublet at the Semi-Diameter. It also computes the difference. By default, OpticStudio measures the edge thickness at the lens semi-diameter or mechanical semi-diameter.Language: ZPL  Click here to download Date Version OpticStudio Version Comment 2019/01/01 1.0 - Creation  

Hi guys I have a very simple POB object which is just a wedge, and I’m trying to see how the angle between the internal and external reflective surfaces change with tilt angle rotation around x. I can do this fine in OpticsStudio, by altering the TiltAroundX in the non-sequential component editor. Screenshot of simple designI then made a C# standalone app, so that I could control what I wanted programmatically.  I open up the file, no problems: IOpticalSystem TheSystem = TheApplication.PrimarySystem;            // Add your custom code here...            ///open relevant file            bool SuccessfulFileOpen = TheSystem.LoadFile(FQP,                saveIfNeeded: false            );            Console.WriteLine("File succesfully opened: " + SuccessfulFil

All,What is the ZPL command to execute the ‘Convert to NSC Group’ function available via the GUI? I want to convert and save many (Monte Carlo) files in a loop.

This Matlab code shows the possibility to export optical components by using ZOS-API. In this example Matlab code exporting optical components from Layout of sample file Double Gauss 28 degree field.zmx. The final results exported as 3D figure in Matlab .Limitations: Unable to fetch the rays from the Layout and shaded Model.You will need modify the Line 32 Path : TheSystem.LoadFile('FilePath\OpticStudioFile', false);Language : Matlab   Click here to download Date Version OpticStudio Version Comment

Hi,  I would like to run a python script from a macro (could be a python executable), then get some of the outputed values in the macro. Then I would like to write this values in a merit function from the macro. Is there a simple way to do it or some starting code? Thanks, Jose

Some time ago, one of our engineers used the ZPL to create a ZPLM for analyzing TMA systems. A ReadMe doc and example file are attached below. Here is a summary of how the ZPLM works:The ZPL actually checks that a surface does not vignette a ray in sequential mode. In sequential mode, a ray only knows about the next (n+1) surface that it's travelling to...the ray doesn't know about previous surfaces or surfaces beyond the next surface. Therefore, you can have surfaces other than n+1 which can clip the ray in real life but SEQ won't detect that.  The macro traces a specific marginal ray (±x or ±y) and targets the Mechanical Semi-Diameter of a specific surface. The ZPLM then forces a minimum clearance distance between between the edge of the mirror and the specified marginal ray.

 Hi, What is the correct way to save the whole .txt file in the POP Analysis?I am using and UDOC running a Csharp UserOperandApplication containing the following code:...POPDef.ApplyAndWaitForCompletion();                                  POPDef.ToFile("C:/Users/file.txt");…some calculations... It works for a single call from OpticStudio, but it gives problems when doing tolerancing. Somehow the file saving command is not synchronous and cannot keep up.Is there other command for saving the whole .txt file?-or maybe a way to make the rest of code wait for POPDef.ToFile?Regards,Jose

I am gaining a lot of functionality from using direct NSC raytraces via the ZOSAPI from python. However, this method appears to be limited to only the 12 available system wavelengths.The limiting interface seems to be ZOSAPI.Tools.RayTrace.IRayTraceNSCData, which takes a wavelength index (referring to a system wavelength) as an input. I can in principle define 12 system wavelengths, do a trace, clear the wavelengths, assing 12 new ones, do a trace, aso -- and append the results to a complete result for higher spectral sampling. However, this appears mightly clumsy.Knowing that NSC source traces can cover non-system wavelengths (if the source is setup respectively): is there a way to do the equivalent in direct raytraces (i.e. detached from NSC source objects)? Or if not, could this capability be added? It would give a lot more freedom to custom spectral raytraces via the ZOSAPI.--S

Does anyone share the Zos-api code for export Zemax file to STEP file?

This Matlab code shows the possibility of simulating a pulsed laser by using ZOS-API. In this example, amplitude of the pulsed laser varied over time, and the irradiance in the detector being recorded. The final results being exported as a video.  Language: Matlab  Click here to download Date Version OpticStudio Version Comment 2021/07/23 1.0 - Creation 2021/08/13     Added a Python script

We can use the below code to close the current analysis result and analyze the new filed. The setting file must be created by clicking the Save button.Stngs$="C:\Users\yuan.chen\Documents\Zemax\Configs\TFM.CFG"CLOSEWINDOW WINL()MODIFYSETTINGS Stngs$,TFM_FIELD,3,"TFM"Openanalysiswindow "tfm",Stngs$ 

For data that require only one parameter, we can use SYPR(). To extract field data, the solution is to use the numeric functions and a loop to extract data. Here are related numeric functions.To read the number of fields or the maximum value, you can use the below funcions to read them:

 This is a User Defined Object DLL, which allows users defining a polygon plate with 8 x and y points data and thickness. The polygon is linked in order of the points defined in parameters. If a point is set with (0,0), it’s ignored. To consider a point at (0,0), users need to use a smaller but non-zero number, like 1e-8 to replace the 0. All the value of x, y will be multiplied by the parameter “Scale”. If “Scale” is zero, then it’s converted to 1.0 internally. If the parameter “Z Center mode” is 0, then the local origin (0,0,0) is located on Face 1. If “Z Center mode” = 1, the local origin is shifted in z direction by -Thickness/2 so it’s centered between Face 1 and Face 2. If “Z Center mode” = 2, the shift is -Thickness so the local coordinate origin is at face 2. If “Diffract back Face” is non-zero, the grating is on Face 2 instead of Fac

There is no direct way to run a macro via ZOSAPI. A workaround of this is to create a ZPLM macro and call this from the merit function. You can find more about ZPLM in this article:Optimization using a ZPL Macro: the ZPLM operand https://support.zemax.com/hc/en-us/articles/1500005490881-Optimization-using-a-ZPL-Macro-the-ZPLM-operandTo run this ZPLM, there are four methods:

Hi! Is there a way to run a macro from ZOS-API? I have a macro that does some calculation on the currently opened Zemax model and outputs some data. In a Python script I want to make some modifications to the Zemax model using the ZOS-API and then run my macro. Is that possible? Best, Erik

A user-defined surface DLL will retrieve information from OpticStudio via the FIXED_DATA5 structure defined in the header file. An example of the header file can be found under '\Zemax\DLL\Surfaces\usersurf.h'. To access the surface parameters, the DLL reads the variable param in the FIXED_DATA5 structure: If we need to pass more parameters to the DLL, one way can be to use the datasurf_numvalues and datasurf_values. To use this, a 'Data' surface has to be used. Below I have taken a screenshot when debugging a user-defined surface:

Hi, I was reading Michael Cheng's article 'OpticStudio grating tools beta function update history' and have some questions. This article mentioned 'download link' many times, but I did not see these corresponding links. And I did not see some DLLs mentioned in this article in OpticStudio 21.2.1, for example: 'Polygon grating DLL', 'A new DLL is created for reading pre-calculated efficiency data for 1D/2D gratings'.  I want to know where I can find these DLLs and their usage.  Thanks & Regards,  Dongdong 

Hi,   I am trying to calculate peak to valley value showing on 'analysis-interferogram' window by ZPL, and use it in the merit function editor with ZPLM operand. But I have no idea how to directly get the peak to valley value using any kinds of pre-defind functions or else, so currently what I am doing is to save the text file of interferogram analysis result, then read back in, and extract the peak to valley value, then pass it using OPTRETURN. This process seems require a lot of time to calculate system by system during the optimization, so I want to find a quick method to obtain the peak to valley value, instead of what I am doing now.   Thank you in advance.  And I hope there is a clever way to do this.

I am running a sample file for a Python Standalone Application, 'PythonStandalone_01_new_file_and_quickfocus.py' and the developer environment (Visual Studio Code) flags up 2 problems: Unable to import 'ZOSAPI-NetHelper' Unable to import 'ZOSAPI' The relevant lines of code in the sample file are:         aKey = winreg.OpenKey(winreg.ConnectRegistry(None, winreg.HKEY_CURRENT_USER), r'Software\Zemax', 0, winreg.KEY_READ)         zemaxData = winreg.QueryValueEx(aKey, 'ZemaxRoot')         NetHelper = os.path.join(os.sep, zemaxData[0], r'ZOS-API\Libraries\ZOSAPI_NetHelper.dll')         winreg.CloseKey(aKey)         clr.AddReference(NetHelper)         import ZOSAPI_NetHelper         import ZOSAPI I can see that th

This User Analysis runs the Ghost Focus Generator in Double Bounce and sorts the combination of surfaces that contribute to the worst Pupil and Image Ghosts.Language: CS    Click here to download Date Version OpticStudio Version Comment 2019/11/27 1.0 19.8 Creation 2022/03/30 2.0 22.1.2 Change the iteration of surfaces as some combinations where missed. All combinations are now checked and if pupil ghost or image

 This ZPL macro generates a file under "\Zemax\Miscellaneous\RAYLIST.TXT" to represent the envelope of a Gaussian beam. There are 3 user inputs: the Waist Size w0, Surf 1 to Waist and the M2 Factor. The macro generates a list of 16 rays based on Paul Colbourne's skew rays: Using skew rays to model Gaussian beams. These rays can be displayed in the 3D layout or Shaded Model by selecting under the settings Pattern...List.Language: ZPL    Click here to download Date Version OpticStudio Version Comment

This macro applies incremental changes to a compensator in Monte Carlo files, then reports the updated criterion. It will cycle through Monte Carlo files and apply a discretely-valued compensator to a particular surface. Then, the criterion will be analyzed and reported. (Note, the report could use some formatting updates). This code may be used to represent step-wise compensation tools. For example, a mirror's tilt may be applied as a compensator to a change in the system. However, it may be the case that the mirror's housing makes it so that the mirror is only allowed to tilt in increments of 2 degrees. This macro will cycle through the MC files, apply the incremented compensation up to a particular boundary, and will report the result. The changes to each file are NOT saved.Language: ZPL 

How i can  connect to microsoft excel with zemax?

I'm having trouble to read detector pixels using a ZPL. The syntax should be NSCDetectorData,surface,object,pixel,data However, I get error message and do not know how to solve. Can somebody provide me with a example of a piece of ZPL code to get the job done. Ideally reading the detector into a 2D array But I'm already happy with a single statement reading out say the 6th pixel iof the 5th row Hope somebody can help me Pascal