OpticStudio is no different from any other software in using floating-point representation for storing numbers other than integers. Although the accuracy is very high, sometimes a number like 0.7 can be stored internally as a very close approximation, like 0.700000000001712 or 0.6999999999998394 for example. For calculations these differences are usually acceptable. The differences are generally confined to the digits near the limits of double precision storage anyway. Be very careful, however, using numbers like these in a comparative, like checking if a variable is less than another. In Zemax Programming Language (ZPL), OS operands, and some types of displays (bar charts), particularly with discrete data divisions, you might see unexpected results. For instance, in the following code, there is a big difference between A being 7.1 and A being 7.099999999981728. IF A >= 7.1 PRINT 'Success' ELSE PRINT 'Fail' For similar reasons, the use of non-integers as indices in a FOR-loop is discou

I have some data (such as the text output from a Surface Sag or Surface Phase window). I would like to save this data, but with a different representation of the significant digits. Is there any way to accomplish this?

Hi I want to create zpl macro that print TFR (throogh focus MTF) data to text file. In order to get relevant information I need to change the settings. I tried to do this by 'MODIFYSETTINGS' but then I got error massage that said 'cannot open setting file'. I did not find any explanation in Zemax manual where this setting file located and I can create it such that it can be open. I would like if you can give me some information about this file type and how I can access into it. Thanks! image of ZPL file:

Operands may be used as dependent variables in Universal Plots. However, there are some cases where I use a ZPLM and the plot shows a straight line of constant value, instead of the curve I expect to see.

There are times when we run an old ZPL Macro and it may not work in the newest version of OpticStudio. This happens because FUNCTIONS and KEYWORDS are obsolete, even though Zemax/OpticStudio have not made any KEYWORDS obsolete since before 2006, and only 1 function obsolete in the past 5 years. The table below is for mapping the FUNCTIONS/KEYWORDS. If you have a macro that doesn't work and are forced to use Zemax 13 or earlier, perhaps you can check the table below and lookup what the old code is to manually map it and make it work in the newest version of OpticStudio. Feel free to add any we've missed in the comments section, and I'll update the main post. Type Old New Comment Function FVAN(x) FTAN(x) Function STDD(surf, 0) SPRO(surf, 60) Function STDD(surf, 1) SPRO(surf, 61) Function STDD(surf, 2) SPRO(surf, 62) Function STDD(surf, 3) SPRO(surf, 63) Function STDD(surf, 4) SPRO(surf, 64) Function STDD(surf, 5) SPRO(surf, 65) Function STDD(surf, 6) SPRO(surf, 66) Function STDD(surf, 7)

Saving Image Simulation images in a ZPL macro To output an image file from the Image Simulation tool in a macro, one needs to create a configuration file. This has to be done once manually by pressing Save from the settings menu of the analysis window (Fig. 1). Figure 1 - Creation of a configuration file (*.CFG) from the settings menu of the Image Simulation window. If an Output File is specified, the next time Image Simulation is called from a macro, a file will be saved in the image folder of OpticStudio, typically: User.Name\Documents\Zemax\IMAFiles\, with the corresponding name. The Image Simulation analysis can be called in a macro with the command line: OPENANALYSISWINDOW "Sim" If the Output File is to be specified in the macro, it can be done with this command line: MODIFYSETTINGS name_of_cfg_file$, ISM_OUTPUTFILE, output_name$ Where the string variables name_of_cfg_file$ and output_name$ correspond to the configuration file full path, and the output file name, such as MyOutputI