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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.

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Sandrine AuriolLuminary

posted in Code Exchange

New to the Code Exchange? Read this!

The Code Exchange is a moderated community where Zemax users can find or share programming solutions to extend OpticStudio’s capabilities. It can be a macro to read the sag of a surface or a DLL to define a phase surface. Browse through our space to find out what we have or share your own!Just a few things before getting started:These solutions are mostly written by optical engineers and not developers. Use them as a starting point and feel free to improve them. Comment on the post if you make an improvement or find something interesting that could be useful to other users! Do you have a solution to share? Create a topic in the Code Exchange category using the tag Code Exchange. Be sure to include a ReadMe doc. An example template is attached. Once posted, our team will verify it and comment if needed.

6340

3 years ago

XiangleiMonochrome

posted in ZOS-API

API_Layout_plot_Python

API support for the Cross-Section, 3D Layout, and Shaded Models is added to the OpticStudio API. The support allow users to change the settings via the API and retrieve a static image. Layouts in both sequential and non-sequential mode are supported. Some toolbar buttons, such as automatically setting camera viewpoints, will also be accessible via the API. Please download the following Python Standalone codes, including:PythonStandaloneApplication_SEQ_layout.py (sequential mode and export 2D cross-section) TheSystem.Tools.OpenCrossSectionExport() # the core command PythonStandaloneApplication_SEQ_3DViewer.py (sequential mode and export 3D viewer) TheSystem.Tools.Open3DViewerExport() PythonStandaloneApplication_SEQ_ShadedModel.py (sequential mode and export shaded model) TheSystem.Tools.OpenShadedModelExport() PythonStandaloneApplication_NSC_3D.py (non-sequential mode and export 3D layout) TheSystem.Tools.OpenNSC3DLayoutExport() PythonStandaloneApplication_NS

84022

3 hours ago

Erik.HebestreitInfrared

posted in ZOS-API

Run a Macro from ZOSAPI

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

84921

3 years ago

KrisInfrared

asked in ZPL

Variable type conversion in ZPL

Good day everyone,since ZPL is based on BASIC, I thought some of it generic functions could be used for converting variable types such as VAL(), INT() etc. Only $STR works, the other conversions are not recognized by ZPL.In particular, I want to define a single variable in my script (a particular detector number) and use it for both console output (with PRINT), non-sequential raytrace (with NSTR) and changing Detector Viewer settings (with MODIFYSETTINGS).I could define either a numerical variable and change it to string, but doing so outputs a floating point number (such as 5.000 for instance). Unfortunately, NSTR is having trouble with "h5.000” filter string. Then I thought I can define a string variable "5” and change it to numerical but no commands that I know seem to work. Is there a solution to my issue that would allow me to stay within ZPL script, not switching to ZOS-API?

17319

1 month ago

Jose Antonio.AltabasInfrared

asked in ZOS-API

Run python code from macro and get output variables to OS macro

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

77118

3 years ago

KrisInfrared

posted in Code Exchange

Matlab script to group rays from ZRD file to separate paths

This Matlab function imports a raw Zemax ray database stored in ZRD file, groups the rays into distinct paths based on i) the exact same sequence of objects hit AND ii) ray events (such as reflection, splitting etc.), and outputs this information in a form of graphs, human-readable variables and, most importantly, a summary table storing each path in descending total power, object sequence, total ray events and so on, which can be further processed either using Matlab's native capabilities, or exported and processed using Excel or a simple text editor.It DOES NOT need Zemax to be installed onto your system and does not use any API to connect to it. It is a completely standalone function.The need for this custom function came clear during one project at work as the native Zemax ray paths tool was insufficient. As per official documentation, it now groups it based on the sequence of FACES the rays hit.In contrast, this function retains a full low-level list of objects and events. It also

52017

2 months ago

Christoph.BodendorfUltraviolet

asked in ZPL

Calculate the "field Type" "Angle" from the "field Type" "Real Image Height" with a ZPL

Is it possible to calculate the 'field Type' 'Angle' (Code 0) from the 'field Type' 'Real Image Height' (Code 3) with a ZPL script? It is basically what the Zemax 'Field data editor' offers with the 'Convert to' option. However, I do not need to *convert* the field type, but just have to determine the value. With 'Single Ray Trace' as well as with the operand 'RAID', I only get one angle. But I need the two angles as defined for the 'field Type' 'Angle' Thank you and best regards, Christof.

217917

4 years ago

Michael ChengZemax Staff

posted in DLLs

Simulate 2D diffraction grating using customized diffractive DLL

In OpticStudio, currently we only support one dimensional grating. However, it's not difficult to simulate 2D grating. Here we will show an example using diffractive DLL.You may compile it with the instructions or use the DLL file attached to this article. Before we start, here are some articles for required background knowledge that we will not repeat in this forum post. How diffractive surfaces are modeled in OpticStudio (KBA) How diffraction ray-tracing is calculated | Zemax Community(forum post) Custom DLLs in OpticStudio: An overview of user-defined surfaces, objects, and other DLL types (KBA) How to compile a User-Defined DLL (KBA) Let's simply open the attached cpp file and observe how it works in non-sequential mode.This example is mainly modified from the built-in sample \Documents\Zemax\DLL\Diffractive\diff_samp_1.c To compile the program as C++ code. We package the functions with extern 'C'. In this example, we only want to return diffraction ray direction and its rel

325517

7 months ago

Hans-Jürgen FeigeVisible

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

89417

6 days ago

PhGeekUltraviolet

asked in DLLs

SkewRaysGaussian: need DLL supporting general astigmatism

I was pleased to see the new NSC Source DLL 'SkewRaysCircular.dll' added in the May 19 release (OpticStudio 20.2).  We have immediate use for it in modeling our systems. It was inspired by the similar (sequential) User Defined Surface DLLs discussed in Paul Colbourne's webinar and KnowledgeBase Article KA-01772, which allows optimization of generally astigmatic Gaussian beams in Sequential mode. But I was disappointed to see that the new Non-Sequential Source DLL only models CIRCULAR Gaussian beams with no astigmatism, unlike the Sequential capabilities that were supplied by Dr. Colbourne, which accommodate general astigmatism! I suggest updating and replacing SkewRaysCircular.dll with a new, more general, Source DLL, renamed appropriately, e.g., SkewRaysGaussianXY.dll , that DOES support general astigmatism.  This would seem simple enough to implement starting from the existing SkewRaysCircular.dll:  add new pairs of parameters for WaistX, WaistY, (and/or SIzeX, Siz

75916

3 years ago

Michael ChengZemax Staff

published in Code Exchange

Python Reading Writing Binary Files (ZRD, ZBF, DAT, SDF)

The download contains 3 Python scripts:a script to read / parse a ZRD (Zemax Ray Database) file a script to read / parse a Binary ZBF (Zemax Beam File) file a script to read / parse a Binary DAT / SDF Source File Click here to download Date Version OpticStudio Version Comment 2022/01/01 1.0 - Creation

233716

6 months ago

AllieZemax Staff

asked in ZOS-API

Methods for extracting detector data through the API

How can I extract detector data using the API? And how can I be sure I'm using the correct settings?

334116

3 months ago

chrisInfrared

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.

47115

1 year ago

Sandrine AuriolLuminary

posted in Code Exchange

DLL (Source): Non-sequential Astigmatic Gaussian

This Source DLL models an Astigmatic Gaussian Source. It is based on rays but the statistical distribution of rays gives a picture of a diffracting Gaussian beam. It is valid for small angles (paraxial approximation) and when propagating in free space. So clipping at apertures and aberrations will give incorrect results.w0x, w0y are the real beam waist radii (defined at the 1/e2 intensity point) in the XZ and YZ planes. They includes M^2. z0x, z0y are the positions of the beam waist in the XZ and YZ planes. z0<0: in propagation direction if the waist is located before source. M^2x, M^2y are the quality factors in the XZ and YZ planes.For more information, see "Representation of a Gaussian beam by rays" by P. P. Crooker, W. B. Colson, and J. Blau - Physics Department, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California 93943Authors:Steffen Erhard and @Dirk Broemme Click here to download Date Version OpticStudio Version Comment 2020/05/06 1.0 21.1.2 Creation 2023/0

287715

8 months ago

Anonymous

posted in ZOS-API

Physical Optics Propagation (POP) - API settings

Hi, In the ZOSAPI, the settings for the Physical Optics Propagation analysis feature are now fully implemented:   So as an example, we may set the settings in the 'General' and 'Beam Definition' tabs using the ZOSAPI in MATLAB: TheSystem = TheApplication.PrimarySystem; TheAnalyses = TheSystem.Analyses; newPOP = TheAnalyses.New_Analysis(ZOSAPI.Analysis.AnalysisIDM.PhysicalOpticsPropagation); newPOP.HasAnalysisSpecificSettings; newPOP_Settings = newPOP.Settings(); newPOP_Settings.Wavelength.SetWavelengthNumber(1); newPOP_Settings.Field.SetFieldNumber(1); newPOP_Settings.StartSurface.SetSurfaceNumber(1); newPOP_Settings.EndSurface.SetSurfaceNumber(4); newPOP_Settings.SurfaceToBeam = 0.0; newPOP_Settings.UsePolarization = true; newPOP_Settings.SeparateXY = false; newPOP_Settings.UseDiskStorage = false;   newPOP_Settings.BeamType = ZOSAPI.Analysis.PhysicalOptics.POPBeamTypes.GaussianWaist; newPOP_Settings.XSampling = ZOSAPI.Analysis.SampleSizes.S_128x128; newPOP

170514

1 year ago

AllieZemax Staff

asked in ZOS-API

How can I pull Peak Irradiance or Total Hits from the Detector Viewer analysis in the API?

Within the API, we are able to quickly pull Peak Irradiance, Total Power, and Total Hits by using the property GetDetectorData as described in the forum post 'Methods for extracting detector data through the API.' However, this property will not take into account an applied ZRD file. We can apply a ZRD file to a Detector Viewer window, so is there a way to extract the same information from there?

155113

10 months ago

liz_strongInfrared

asked in ZOS-API

zos api: change surface for geometric image analysis

Hello! Can somebody please help me figure out how to change the surface for geometric image analysis? I’d like it to default to the image surface. gia_run = TheSystem.Analyses.New_Analysis_SettingsFirst( ZOSAPI.Analysis.AnalysisIDM.GeometricImageAnalysis ) # make new analysis, but don't run itgia_settings = gia_run.GetSettings() # I was hoping for something like the following (this doesn't work though)gia_settings.Surface = ZOSAPI.Analysis.Settings.Surface.IAS_Surface.UseImageSurfaceThanks!Liz

29313

1 year ago

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

192213

2 months ago

Erik.HebestreitInfrared

asked in ZOS-API

ZOSAPI_NetHelper cannot be added

Hi. I am using the ZOS-API for Python and try to switch to the new recommended method of using PythonNET instead of the COM interface. To do so, I created a new Python template using 'Programming>Python>Interactive Extension' (same problem occurs with 'Standalone Application'). Running this template fails when trying to add the NetHelper DLL: import clr, os, winreg from itertools import islice # determine the Zemax working directory 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) # add the NetHelper DLL for locating the OpticStudio install folder clr.AddReference(NetHelper) import ZOSAPI_NetHelper --------------------------------------------------------------------------- FileNotFoundException Traceback (most recent call

103013

4 years ago

Susan.LindecrantzInfrared

asked in ZOS-API

How to save detector image as 24 bit, uint8, rbg format when running ZEMAX via MATLAB

Hi, I am running some simulations in ZEMAX via MATLAB for image analysis after changing some parameters. I am running in non-sequential mode and detector type rectangle below.  My issue is getting the wrong image format via MATLAB. The detector image I save manually in detector viewer in ZEMAX has format is a 800x800x8 uint8 with 24 bit image. This is what I want to use for further analysis in MATLAB, but its cumbersum to manually save each image for each simulation when you do many. I just want to run this in the background and save time. Thus, I want to save the detector image (suppress frame) after each ray trace after changing some parameters with a for loop.  I found a way to run the simulation in MATLAB, but extracting the same image has been difficult.  I extract the detector image from ZEMAX via the code;  % Get detector data     data = NET.createArray('System.Double', TheNCE.GetDetectorSize(30)); &nb

61413

4 years ago

Cheng-Mu TsaiStudent

asked in ZOS-API

How to speed up the optimization of Zemax NSC through Python programs

Hello,I have a question about NSC by Python program optimization.The program must iteratively run the local optimization defined by Zemax.However, after running some local optimizations, the optimization becomes very slow.How to speed up the optimization of Zemax NSC through Python programs?

16312

1 year ago

AllieZemax Staff

posted in Code Exchange

ZPL Operand: Extract FWHM from non-sequential detector

Description: This macro will calculate the approximate FWHM of a near-Normal distribution of data. This macro assumes symmetry about the maximum value and assumes a minimal amount of noise between 0 and the maximum. The macro will update the Detector Viewer settings to a cross-section view. Then, the data will be extracted and evaluated. When using the ZPL10 version of the macro, the approximate FWHM will be reported when Data = 0 for the X-direction, and Data = 1 for the Y-Direction. Use the Hx entry to specify the detector of interest. Language:ZPLUpdates:10/22/2021 - Stability and calculation updates. The calculation is now more robust. The code for finding the CFG file has been updated. See the ReadMe for more information. Download: Click here to download Date Version OpticStudio Version Comment 2019/10/15 1.0 19.4SP2 Creation 2020/10/14 2.0 20.3 Updated macro with the following - CFG file is programmatically calculated - FWHM index location calcul

116012

2 years ago

Jeff.WildeLuminary

posted in Code Exchange

Ideal Lens DLL (user-defined sequential surface satisfying the Abbe sine law)

NOTE (added 2/5/2024): A new version of the DLL is now available, so I have deleted the older one supplied with the posting below. Please see this link for latest version:Ray-tracing model of a perfect lens compliant with Fermat’s principle: the Cardinal Lens ***********************Attached is a user-defined surface DLL that functions as an ideal thin lens obeying the Abbe sine condition. It is distinctly different than a paraxial lens surface and is particularly well-suited for simulation of high-NA objectives. The Ideal Lens surface requires two user-supplied parameters, namely the effective focal length and the paraxial magnification at which the lens yields optimal performance. It supports arbitrary conjugates (i.e., finite conjugate, or infinite conjugate in either object or image space) and is designed to work in both standard space and mirror space. A detailed description is provided in the included summary document, along with a discussion of several examples. The source

extract distortion percentage or ref height with ZPL

Hi, I have a question of how to extract the reference height or distortion in percentage with ZPL? I was using RAYY to get the real height but I’d like to extract the other two col data as well. Thanks!

59511

2 years ago

Axel.HeinriciInfrared

asked in ZOS-API

ZOSPy run FFT MTF

Hello,A comment on ZOSPy. I did already spent countless hours on my own python wrapper and I am very happy to see a team of skilled programmers working on that. Just getting rid of tons of boilerplate code is worth the effort!Getting connected to Zemax from my jupyter-lab to zemax as “Interactive Extension” works with ZOSPy or with the pasting several lines of boilerplate and directly acessing ZOS-API via pythonnet 3.x.Via ZOSPy I can add lenses, changes become visible in zemax. So I assume there is no general problem with library loading, connecting, etc..However, I cannot figure how to run a FFT MTF using ZOSPy. With the bare pythonnet this looks like this (Boilerplat-part from example 04 skipped)# Create analysisTheAnalyses = TheSystem.AnalysesnewWin = TheAnalyses.New_FftMtf()# SettingsnewWin_Settings = newWin.GetSettings()newWin_Settings.MaximumFrequency = 50newWin_Settings.SampleSize = ZOSAPI.Analysis.SampleSizes.S_256x256FFT MFT Window appears.And afterwards# Run AnalysisnewWin.

34711

1 year ago

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