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Programming OpticStudio

Share your solutions or ask questions about the ZOS-API, ZPL, or DLLs. Code shared in these spaces is not reviewed by Zemax except for the Code Exchange.

687 Topics
Aliaksei.Kobylinskiy
Aliaksei.KobylinskiyInfrared
asked in DLLs
Unable to load UserObjectDefinition function from DLL

Hi, could somebody help me, why I can not use a compiled dll using the code from native cpp-file CoatingSample.cpp? Zemax says “Unable to load "UserObjectDefinition" function from DLL”. I hoped, the code from cpp-files are fully ready to become a dll. (Of course, if I use a native dll called “CoatingSample.DLL” everything works) Thanks!Alexei

1432
Aliaksei.Kobylinskiy
1 year ago
Michael Cheng
Zemax Staff
Michael ChengZemax Staff
posted in DLLs
OpticStudio grating tools beta function update history

This forum post is a place to collect update history of diffractive tools beta functions, which includes all RCWA DLLs (and visualization API), polygon DLL, and Zemax Grating Data (ZGD) DLL. Content:1. Overview2. Resources3. Change history OverviewCurrently in OpticStudio, we are adding some useful DLLs to enhance the ability of fully simualting gratings. They allow OpticStudio to consider the efficiency when rays pass through diffractive optical elements (DOE), such like 1D/2D gratings, binary optics, or volume holograms. These extensions can be found in OpticStudio installations.These tools improve frequently based on users’ feedback. We decide to provide functions with DLL so it can be updaetd fast upon users' request. Between each OpticStudio public releases, there might be several minor updates and bug fixes. This forum post is a place for changes history.Note all tools provided here are only available with OpticStudio Premium Subscription. If users are interested in these functio

16089
Julien Dejonghe
1 year ago
J
JonaszVisible
asked in ZPL
Semi-Diameter larger than Mechanical Semi-Diameter

The semi-diameter of some radially symetric surface is set to “automatic”. From the Zemax help, I understood that the diameter is adjusted so that no rays are clipped.I´m confused by the mechanical semi-diameter, which in some cases takes a smaller value than the semi-diameter. See picture. Shouldn´t the mechanical semi-diameter always be larger than the semi-diameter? Why isn´t it so, when all the values are set to automatic?

3155
J
1 year ago
Aruntv
AruntvMonochrome
asked in ZOS-API
Using Zemax features through python.

Hi Team, I have a python program that finds the shifts in the position of spots (consider it as focused spots). I want to connect my python program with Zemax (Through Interactive Extension script) My question is, how do I connect specific feature (Say- Geometrical I mage analysis or Spot diagram) with python? Also, is there any changes I should be making in my python code, to connect with these Zemax features? Thanks in advance. Regards,Arun

3532
Aruntv
1 year ago
A
Ultraviolet
AmitUltraviolet
asked in ZOS-API
What would be the best way to create results similar to Image simulation tool while using Python

Hello Experts, I want to run image simulations over an entire dataset of images based on the lens design but image simulations take too long. Is there a way I can do that by using the Huygens PSF and an input image using python (maybe convolution)?To give a background, I have created 2000 field points and extracted the corresponding PSF as .txt files. These files represent one quadrant of the image plane and can be mirrored to create the spread of PSFs over the entire image plane. Then divide the inpput image into a grid of 8000 blocks and convolve each block in the grid with the corresponding PSF. This could create the output image.Is there a better way to do it? I ask becuase I am not able to change the settings of the image simulation while using python API and running the simulations automatically.The goal is to create a large database of images that are output of a certain lens model.Any recommendations are welcome. Thanks,Amit

680
A
Ultraviolet
1 year ago
Michael Cheng
Zemax Staff
Michael ChengZemax Staff
posted in Code Exchange
Python fit object face (ex. for CAD)

Attached file shows alternative method to the following code.ZPL Macro：Fit CAD surface as a sequential surface It uses ZOS-API with Python. The benefit is we will generate the fitting system automatically. A document is provided to show a simple example about how to use it.

5332
Julia
Fully Spectral
1 year ago
S
Luminary
Sandrine AuriolLuminary
posted in Code Exchange
Python Converting an image into a Binary BIM Image file

The download contains a Python script a script to write an image (JPG) into a Binary BIM Image file. The PNG, GIF, TIFF, and BMP should also be supported but haven't been tested.  Click here to download Date Version OpticStudio Version Comment 2022/01/01 1.0 - Creation  

6566
K
1 year ago
O
OranVisible
posted in Code Exchange
DLL (Source): Non-sequential Hermite-Gauss

This Source DLL models an Hermite-Gaussian Source using ray generated at position and angles following the intensity of the electric field and the angular spectrum. This Source DLL is inspired by the known DLL (Source): Non-sequential Astigmatic Gaussian DLL (Source): Hermite-Gauss take 4 parameters:w0_x, w0_y are the theoretical beam waist of the fundamental mode n_x, m_y are the mode indices in the corresponding directionsAuthors:Oran Meir - TriEye@Eyal Hollander- TriEye References:1. Goodman, J. W. (1996, January 1). Introduction to Fourier Optics. McGraw-Hill Science, Engineering & Mathematics, Ch 3.102. Carter, W. H. (1980, April 1). Spot size and divergence for Hermite Gaussian beams of any order. Applied Optics, 19(7), 1027. https://doi.org/10.1364/ao.19.0010273. Gaussian beam. (2023, September 3). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaussian_beam4. Fourier transform. (2023, September 27). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourier_transform5. DLL (Source): Non-se

1462
O
1 year ago
Angel Morales
En-Lightened
Angel MoralesEn-Lightened
posted in ZOS-API
Retrieving Surface Parameter Values in Lens Data Editor through ZOS-API

In the ZOS-API, how can I modify values for a surface definition that correlate to 'Par 0, Par 1', etc., such as higher order terms for the Even Asphere?

8312
Alex.Tripsas
1 year ago
Sander
SanderSingle Emitter
asked in ZOS-API
Batch Ray Trace: adapt "toSurface" in loop

Hi all,I am using BatchRayTrace with the ZOSapi in OpticStudio 230724 and python 3.9.Following example 22, I am able to raytrace and extract the results into x_ary and y_ary. Subsequently I calculate the geometric radius using x_ary and y_ary. So far so goodAfterwards  I want to use BatchRayTrace with a different surface and calculate the geometric radius again at the updated surface.Problem: I cannot update the “toSurface”. The first call of raytrace.CreateNormUnpol(max_rays, ZOSAPI.Tools.RayTrace.RaysType.Real, surf_i) seems to define the “toSurface”. It cannot be changed even, if I close the tool and open a new one with the new surface: It always calculates the exact same output as before. Does anyone tried to update “toSurface” of the BatchRayTrace -Tool in a loop before?Is there anything else to do to update the “toSurface” in addition to closing the Tool? Here is my code snipped: # Define batch ray trace constants    hx = 0.0    hy = 0.0    num_fields = TheSystem.SystemData.Field

592
Sander
1 year ago
c​hris
c​hrisInfrared
posted in ZOS-API
Please throw errors instead of failing silently

It is a good practice to fail extremely loudly - if there is some issue, don't leave it up to the caller to detect the problem. Halt execution, and please throw an error. We've been using CAD files, and the server we have been using the ZOS API didn't have Solidworks installed. Because of that, the ZOS API just silently ignores those CAD files - no logging, nothing. As a result, we have months of simulations that have produced bad results. The answer I've gotten before is 'We rely on the user to handle errors'. This is terrible UX. How am I supposed to find problems? I make an exhaustive checklist that is 300 items long that validates each ZAR file the API ingests? How do I make that checklist in the first place? I don't see how I could have noticed this CAD issue. At the very least, please print out potential issues to the console. The best option for UX would be to throw errors.

42715
Brian.Catanzaro
Fully Spectral
1 year ago
Brian.Catanzaro
Fully Spectral
Brian.CatanzaroFully Spectral
asked in ZOS-API
ZOS-API / Polarized Ray Trace / Parameters are not documented

Here’s a snapshot of the API documentationWhen tracing rays, the following parameters are not documented: double exr, double exi, double eyr, double eyi, double ezr, double eziThey are defined here:and here in the DDE documentation and here in the C codeand here by Julia (link)So… what’s missing?Well, Julia provides us with code that works.  I am inferring the Ex and Ey set the amplitude of the electric field.  That along with phaX and phaY set the polarization state. Exr, Exi, Eyr, Eyi, Ezr, Ezi have been used to specify the electric field of a ray in DDE and custom surface DLL code.  They are often outputs, not inputs.  If they are inputs then they seem redundant.So…Do we always set them to ‘0’?  If we give them a value, will it override Ex, Ey, phaX and phaY? Generally Ez is reserved for rays approach off axis, which means if you specify this parameter, you should not also specify Hx, Hy, Px, and Py.This is all quite complex.  What is the best guidance?

720
Brian.Catanzaro
Fully Spectral
1 year ago
Hans-Jürgen Feige
Hans-Jürgen FeigeInfrared
asked in ZOS-API
ZOS-API "GETZERNIKE"

Hello,We are urgently looking for an alternative to ZPL-GETZERNIKE using ZOS-API.The point is that we cannot tell “TheSystem.MFE.GetOperandValue(MeritOperandType_ZERN, “ the maximum term of Zernike.“TheSystem.MFE.GetOperandValue(MeritOperandType_ZERN, “ always develops only up to the given coefficient :-(MAny ThanksHans-Jürgen

68614
jwbeenakker
1 year ago
cameron.vo
cameron.voStudent
asked in ZOS-API
Custom Operands with Python

Hello. I have been learning how to use ZOS-API in Standalone mode with Python for a while now, but it seems that custom operands for optimization are only available using C# or C++. I have started working with C# (despite not knowing the language) and I have managed to get custom operands to work using this. Currently, I am working on connecting C# to Python so I can run my previously written scripts and then optimize the system based on some values calculated in Python. My current pipeline looks something likeUDOC operand runs Python script Python script runs an instance of Zemax in Standalone mode and calculates some value Value is sent back to UDOC operand Zemax retrieves valueThis setup somehow manages to work with just getting the value from Python into Zemax in the Merit Function Editor, but actually using the UDOC operand for optimization doesn’t seem to work and is also incredibly slow. A single cycle in the optimization loop can take over two minutes while retrieving the UDOC

3153
jwbeenakker
1 year ago
Alex.Tripsas
Alex.TripsasVisible
asked in ZOS-API
Python Multithreading with POP

I’m working on running multiple POP simulations and they each take about 30 minutes.  I’m debating trying out the python package “threading” to try and run multiple runs at the same time in order to save some computing time.  Are there going to be any limitations on the Zemax side of this equation?

1471
chaasjes
1 year ago
G
Georg.AchaziInfrared
asked in ZOS-API
Tryind to get Started with ZOSPy

Hi is have a few Beginner Questions about ZOSPy.Sofar the few times I needed to do combine Zemax with Python I used PyZDDE.PyZDDE doesn’t seem to work any more with the Ansys Version of Zemax, so that I now have to switch.I just started to look into ZOS-API and try to wrap my head around how it works.For the start I have a few simple questions about ZOSPy:How do I control to which Zemax File ZOSPy connects? Does is it just connect to what ever Zemax File is open? What happens if several Zemax files are open? Do need to put the Phython Skipt/Jupyter Notebook in the same directory as the Zemax File? Do I need to switch Zemax into Interactive Extension mode before Running the Python script?  

50310
chaasjes
1 year ago
Michael Baus
Michael BausSingle Emitter
asked in ZOS-API
ZOS-API Mimic Auto Update for Optimization Tools

I want to start and optimization over the ZOS-API and output some status values (more than the merrit function itself) during the run. It seams that the variable variables are not updated during the optimization but only when the optimizsation ends or is canceled. It seams there is no API interface like in the GUI (“Auto Update”) for the optimizers and even in the GUI this button seams to be more gui related than belonging to a file (at least it is not saved within the file).Amnybody has an Idea how to solve this ? Any chances for a feature update in Zemax ?

1319
Michael Baus
1 year ago
jwbeenakker
jwbeenakkerVisible
posted in ZOS-API
ZOSPy v1.0.0 is out!

We recently released ZOSPy 1.0.0, our open source library for easy communication between Python and OpticStudio. It uses the ZOS-API, but takes care of most of the programming, such as establishing the communication with OpticStudio and running and parsing analyses.The main new features included in this version are:Support for Python.NET 3.0 A uniform and pythonic interface to analyses:from zp.analyses.mtf import fft_through_focus_mtf mtf = fft_through_focus_mtf(oss, sampling='64x64', deltafocus=0.1) Autocomplete for the complete ZOS-APIAnd much more, see the release notes Check out the new version on GitHub. 

5014
Mark.Nicholson
Luminary
1 year ago
Michael.Young
Michael.YoungVisible
asked in ZPL
Record GUI interaction as ZPL commands?

I was helping a colleague with ZPL the other day. He wanted to know how to set a field as a variable and then constrain it. Additionally, he wanted to do this through a ZPL.The first part is easy enough. My approach was to expose the field as a variable through the multi-configuration editor using “YFIE”, declaring the solve as “Variable” and then constraining it in the merit function editor with “MCOL”, “MCOG”, or “MCOV”.For the ZPL portion, I wrote a small script for him demonstrating how to assign a variable in the MCE with ZPL.CLOSEWINDOW ! INSERTMCO, 1 # insert a row into the mce.SETMCOPERAND 1, 0, "YFIE", 0 # changes the operand to "YFIE"SETMCOPERAND 1, 0, 1, 1 # assigns YFIE to field no. 1 SETMCOPERAND 1, 1, 15, 0 # changes the value of row 1 config 1 to 15SETMCOPERAND 1, 1, 1, 3 # changes the solve type to "V"BEEP This made me think that it would be useful if there were a way to record GUI interactions as lines in a ZPL. For example, I could turn on the propose

862
Michael.Young
1 year ago
ArmandP
ArmandPMonochrome
asked in ZOS-API
Help with POP Python

Hello,I am having some difficulty finding answers on this elsewhere online and have not found any helpful forum posts on this either so here I am. I am trying to communicate with the POP with the python ZOSAPI with the program in interactive mode. Currently I have tried this little code snippit to set the surface desired to 2 and pull the irradiance with not much luck. Python more or less yells at me with an error saying “IAS_ object has no attribute ‘EndSurface’ I am not having the best of luck finding a solution to this problem in the help document. Please Help! :)FYI: See code snippit below # initialize analysis toolsTheAnalyses = TheSystem.AnalysesPOP = TheAnalyses.New_Analysis(ZOSAPI.Analysis.AnalysisIDM.PhysicalOpticsPropagation)POP_set = POP.GetSettings()POP_set.DataType = ZOSAPI.Analysis.PhysicalOptics.POPDataTypes.IrradiancePOP_set.EndSurface.SetSurfaceNumber(2)POP.ApplyAndWaitForCompletion()POP_result = POP.GetResults()Irr = float(POP_result.DataGrids(1).Values) Cheers,Armand

2276
MichaelH
Luminary
1 year ago
liz_strong
liz_strongInfrared
posted in ZPL
Geometric image analysis ZPL API incomplete

Hello! A feature request -- could you please complete the ZPL API for geometric image analysis? It would be handy to be able to modify parameters available in the GUI that aren’t included in the API yet like the “use polarization” check box & the reference dropdown menu. Thanks!Liz 

1404
liz_strong
1 year ago
KBL
KBLSingle Emitter
asked in ZOS-API
ZOS-API, Python Image simulation. No output

Hey, I’m very naïve to Zemax and ZOS-API. I just tried to find the setting and run the code, but I couldn’t see the results from the image simulation.I used the standalone application and here is my code.     # load local variables    ZOSAPI = zos.ZOSAPI    TheApplication = zos.TheApplication    TheSystem = zos.TheSystem        # Insert Code Here    file = "C:/2021/Zemax_Image_Simulation/test.zmx"    cfg = "C:/2021/Zemax_Image_Simulation/test.CFG"    TheSystem.LoadFile(file, False)    TheImageSimulation = TheSystem.Analyses.New_ImageSimulation()    analysisSettings = TheImageSimulation.GetSettings()        analysisSettings.ModifySettings(cfg, 'ISM_INPUTFILE', "Text_100p_3x3_2_g1196x1279_dist.png")    analysisSettings.ModifySettings(cfg, 'ISM_FIELDHEIGHT', '15')    analysisSettings.ModifySettings(cfg, 'ISM_FLIPIMAGE', '3')    analysisSettings.ModifySettings(cfg, 'ISM_OUTPUTFILE', 'Test1.png')        analysisSettings.LoadFrom(cfg)    a = TheImageSimulation.ApplyAndWaitForCompletion()   

850
KBL
1 year ago
R
Renaud.LigotInfrared
asked in ZPL
saving txt files in a loop with incremental file name

HiI would like to save a txt file at each step of a loop. So I need to change the name of the saved file to not overwrite the previous one. Does someone have an example to share?Thank you.

1052
R
1 year ago
ChrisP
ChrisPSingle Emitter
asked in ZOS-API
Very Slow Parameter Setting in ZOS-API

I am writing a program where I need to make several changes to values in the Lens Data Editor (e.g. parameters of a coordinate break surface) and evaluate merit function operands after each set of changes.  The problem is this is extremely slow, to the point that setting the parameters dominates runtime far beyond the time spent raytracing.  For example, this function averages about 1 second per call:def set_offset(oss, surface_number, x, y, about_x, about_y): oss.LDE.GetSurfaceAt(surface_number).SurfaceData.Decenter_X = x oss.LDE.GetSurfaceAt(surface_number).SurfaceData.Decenter_Y = y oss.LDE.GetSurfaceAt(surface_number).SurfaceData.TiltAbout_X = about_x oss.LDE.GetSurfaceAt(surface_number).SurfaceData.TiltAbout_Y = about_y I’m sure there are some minor optimizations I can make, but at its core, setting a single variable in memory shouldn’t take anywhere near 0.25 seconds.Am I doing something wildly wrong, or is there a far more efficient way to modify LDE entries? Is ther

1372
jwbeenakker
1 year ago
amir
amirSingle Emitter
asked in DLLs
looking for "us_gskew.dll" from skew rays to model Gaussian beam propagation webinar

Hi,I’m looking for “us_gskew.dll” shown to be used in “Using skew rays to model Gaussian beam propagation in OpticStudio” webinar.I download the attached zip files which contained *.c file. I wonder where can I find the complied file. is there a reasone why I couldn’t used an allready complied filed? (and instead have to complie it myself)Thank you,Amir

1383
amir
1 year ago

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