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Authors

 Akash Arora
 Dan Hill
 Ken Moore
 Mark Nicholson
 Sanjay Gangadhara

Articles by Category

Installation and Troubleshooting
 How to install ZEMAX for the first time
 How to Install the Network Licensed Version of ZEMAX
 What to do when ZEMAX will not run
 How to Test the Network Key Prior to Purchase
 Running ZEMAX on a Multi-CPU Computer
 How to Run ZEMAX on an Intel-based Macintosh Computer
 Can I Run ZEMAX Under Remote Desktop?
 Docking Station Issues
 How to Address Issues with Shaded Model Layouts and the Object Viewer
Frequently Asked Questions
 How To Submit Vendor Data To Be Distributed With ZEMAX
 What Are The S and P Polarization States?
 How To Determine Which Glass Catalog Is Being Used
 How to Specify Intermediate Field Points
 How to Specify Fields for Non-Rotationally Symmetric Systems
 How to Reverse an Optical System
 Why is the Nominal Criteria Different From the Value Reported Elsewhere?
 What Does the Term 'Apodization' Mean?
 What is Virtual Propagation?
 How is a MIRROR Without a Coating Handled?
 What are the .SES and .CFG Files?
 How Can I See an Overview of Aberrations in my System?
 Why is it called ZEMAX?
 What Does "Not Enough Segments Allocated to Trace All Possible Ray Paths" Mean?
 How To Convert FWHM Measurements to 1/e Squared
 How To Create Apertures and Off-Axis Mirrored Sections in Non-Sequential Mode
 Can I Run ZEMAX Under Remote Desktop?
 Can I Define a Background Material Other Than Air?
 How to Tolerance for Tilts and Decenters of a Double Pass System
 What Computer Should I Buy to Run ZEMAX?
 How Do I Change The Size and Shape of An Optical Component?
 Why Do Rays Trace Behind a Fold Mirror Surface?
 What Are The Ray And Field Coefficients in the Coatings Calculation?
 Why is Polychromatic Wavefront Error Greater than Monochromatic?
 How Do I Create Presentation Quality Graphics and Animations?
 How do I get Interferometer Data into ZEMAX?
 What is "Technical Support"?
 Why is the Optical Performance Sometimes Different at the Image Surface Versus a Co-Located Surface?
 Shouldn't the Maximum Magnitude of the Scatter Vector be 1?
 What is the Zexport.msg file?
 What is this Knowledge Base For?
 How To Convert CodeV Files to ZEMAX Format
Hardware Key
 How To Exchange Your ZEMAX Key
 What If I Lose My Key or It's Stolen?
 How Do I Monitor Usage of the Network Key?
 Is the Hardware Key Writable?
Exploring the ZEMAX Demo
 Introduction to the ZEMAX Demo
 Exploring Sequential Mode in ZEMAX
 Exploring Non-Sequential Mode in ZEMAX
 Exploring Physical Optics Propagation in ZEMAX
First Time Users
 How To Design a Singlet Lens
 How to Use the Quick Adjust Tool and Slider
 How to Create a Simple Non-Sequential System
 How To Model a Mixed Sequential/Non-Sequential System
 How to Perform a Tolerance Analysis
 How to Tilt and Decenter a Sequential Optical Component
 How to Design Afocal Systems
Sequential Ray Tracing
 How To Design a Singlet Lens
 Exploring Sequential Mode in ZEMAX
 How to Design Afocal Systems
Analysis Features
 How to Produce Photo-Realistic Output Images
 Performing Partially Coherent Diffraction Image Analysis
 How to Reverse an Optical System
 How to Use the Center of Curvature Report to Aid System Alignment
 How to Use the Quick Adjust Tool and Slider
 How to Include Detector Resolution in MTF Calculations
 How To Draw Specific Rays in ZEMAX Layouts
3D Geometries
 Demystifying the Off-Axis Parabola Mirror
 How to Tilt and Decenter a Sequential Optical Component
 How To Model a Scanning Mirror
 How to Work in Global Coordinates in a Sequential Optical System
 How To Restore Coordinate Systems using the Coordinate Return
 How to model an Off-Axis Parabolic Mirror
 How Do I Change The Size and Shape of An Optical Component?
 How to Model a Beam Splitter in Sequential ZEMAX
 Why Do Rays Trace Behind a Fold Mirror Surface?
 How to Model an Ellipse Using the Conjugate Surface
Pupil Imaging
 What Does the Term 'Apodization' Mean?
 How to use Ray Aiming
 How to Specify the Pupil Shift Factor when Using Ray-Aiming
System Modeling
 How To Model a 'Black-Box' Optical System Using Zernike Coefficients
 How to Use the Zernike Sag Surface to Model an All-Reflective System
 How To Model Corner-Cube Retroreflectors
 ZEMAX Models of the Human Eye
 How to Model the Human Eye in ZEMAX
 How to Design a Gaussian to Top-Hat Beam Shaper
 How to Design Progressive Lenses
 The Mars Rover Camera Lenses
 How to Use the Find Best Asphere Tool
 How To Use ZEMAX as an Aid in Measuring the Internal Errors of a Molded Plastic Lens
Ray Tracing Theory
 Understanding the MTF Operands
 What is Virtual Propagation?
 What is an "Effective F-Number"?
 What is a ray?
 Understanding Paraxial Ray-Tracing
 What is a Point Spread Function?
Non Sequential Ray Tracing
 Exploring Non-Sequential Mode in ZEMAX
 How to Create a Simple Non-Sequential System
 How To Model a Mixed Sequential/Non-Sequential System
 How to Convert Sequential Surfaces to Non-Sequential Objects
 Optimization in Non-Sequential Ray-Tracing with Pixel Interpolation and NSDD
 How to use the NSDD operand with the Universal Plot
Objects
 How Non-Sequential Objects are Represented in ZEMAX
 How to Import CAD Objects
 How to Create Complex Non-Sequential Objects
 How to Use the Modify Reference Objects Tool
 How to Use the Boolean Object and the Combine Objects Tool
 How to Model a Complex Fresnel Lens
 Creating Polygon Objects in ZEMAX
 How To Create Apertures and Off-Axis Mirrored Sections in Non-Sequential Mode
 How to Measure the Sag of an NSC Object
 Can I Define a Background Material Other Than Air?
Sources, Splitting and Scattering
 How to Create a User-Defined Scattering Function
 How to Model Scattering Efficiently
 Understanding Sobol Sampling
 What is Simple Splitting?
 How to Use Tabular BSDF Data to Define the Surface Scattering Distribution
 BSDF Data Interchange File Format Specification
 Bulk Scattering with the Rayleigh Model
 How to Make Any Object into a Source Object
 Using the Henyey-Greenstein Distribution to Model Bulk Scattering
 How to Write User-Defined Sources and Scatter Functions in Fortran
Thin Film Coatings
 How To Model a Dichroic Beam Splitter
 How to Add Coating and Scattering Functions to Non-Sequential Objects
 How To Model a Partially Reflective and Partially Scattering Surface
 Modeling Frustrated Total Internal Reflection in Non-Sequential Mode
Error Messages
 How To Locate Geometry Errors
 How To Locate Geometry Errors Part II - Design Examples
 What Does "Not Enough Segments Allocated to Trace All Possible Ray Paths" Mean?
Illumination & Stray Light
 Optimizing an Infrared Lamp Heater
 Modeling Laser Cavities using ZEMAX and LASCAD
Digital Projection Optics
 Polarization Conversion Systems for Digital Projectors
 Fly's Eye Arrays for Uniform Illumination in Digital Projector Optics
Stray Light
 How To Perform Stray Light Analysis
 Quantifying Veiling Glare
 How To Model a Partially Reflective and Partially Scattering Surface
LEDs
 How to Model LEDs and Other Complex Sources
 How to Improve the Brightness of an LED Using a Free-Form Mirror
 How to Use Osram LED data with ZEMAX
 How to use Opsira LED Sources
LCD Displays
 How to Model an LCD Backlight
 How To Model Brightness Enhancement Film
Physical Optics
 Exploring Physical Optics Propagation in ZEMAX
 How To Convert FWHM Measurements to 1/e Squared
 What is the size of my POP beam?
 How to Model a High-Magnification Unstable Laser Resonator.
 How to Sum POP Beams Coherently
 How to Model a Slicer Mirror Using a User-Defined Surface
 How to Convert from RSoft Simulations to ZEMAX and Back
 How to Get Real Waveguide Mode Data Into ZEMAX
Polarization and Thin Film Coatings
 What Are The S and P Polarization States?
 How to Use the Jones Matrix Surface
 How To Model Corner-Cube Retroreflectors
 How is a MIRROR Without a Coating Handled?
 How To Design Birefringent Polarizers
 How To Model a Dichroic Beam Splitter
 How to Add Coating and Scattering Functions to Non-Sequential Objects
 How To Model a Partially Reflective and Partially Scattering Surface
 Modeling Frustrated Total Internal Reflection in Non-Sequential Mode
 What Are The Ray And Field Coefficients in the Coatings Calculation?
Optimization
 Understanding the MTF Operands
 What Is the Orthogonal Descent Optimizer?
 How to Choose the Best Glasses for your Optical Design
 Optimizing an Infrared Lamp Heater
 How to Improve the Brightness of an LED Using a Free-Form Mirror
 How To Write Your Own Optimization Operand
 Optimization in Non-Sequential Ray-Tracing with Pixel Interpolation and NSDD
 How To Optimize for As-Built Performance
Tips & Tricks
 How To Modify Field Data in the Merit Function Editor Using the FDMO operand
 How to Constrain the Thickness of Aspheric Components
 How to Optimize at Intermediate Surfaces
 How to Use the Find Best Asphere Tool
Tolerancing
 How to Perform a Tolerance Analysis
 How to Analyze Your Tolerance Results
 How to Tolerance for Tilts and Decenters of a Double Pass System
 How To Optimize for As-Built Performance
Surface Tolerances
 How to use TEZI to Tolerance for Manufacturing-Related Surface Sag Error
 How To Tolerance for Material Inhomogeneity
Tips & Tricks
 How To Use The Tolerancing Cache
 What Is Polynomial Sensitivity Tolerancing?
 How to Specify Fields for Non-Rotationally Symmetric Systems
 Why is the Nominal Criteria Different From the Value Reported Elsewhere?
 How to Open Consecutively-Named Lens Files Using a ZPL Macro
 How to get any Optimization Operand Value in the Tolerance Report
Thermal Analysis
 How to Fit Temperature-Dependent Index Data to the ZEMAX Thermal Model
 How to Model Thermal Effects using ZEMAX
 How does ZEMAX Model the Thermal Expansion of Optical Mounts?
 How to Set the Lens Mount Reference for Thermal Analysis
 Why Can't I Place a Thermal Pickup on the Conic Constant?
CAD Exchange
 How to Import CAD Objects
 How to Add Coating and Scattering Functions to Non-Sequential Objects
 How Accurate is NURBS?
 How to Use the Boolean Object and the Combine Objects Tool
 How to Show Exported Rays in SolidWorks
 What is the Zexport.msg file?
Programming ZEMAX
 How to Create Binary IMA and BIM Files
ZPL
 What is ZPL?
 How to Call a ZPL Macro From Within a ZPL Macro
 How To Modify Field Data in the Merit Function Editor Using the FDMO operand
 How To Use the PLOT keyword in ZPL
 How to Use Programmer's Editors With ZPL
 ZPL Macro for Scaling the Weight of a Range of Optimization Operands
 How to Set Solves from ZPL
 How To Update and Change the Settings of a Graphic Window from ZPL
 How To Debug a ZPL Macro
 How to Open Consecutively-Named Lens Files Using a ZPL Macro
 How to Modify String Variables in ZPL Macros
 How to Create a User-Defined Solve
 How to Work with Strings in ZPL Macros
 How to Automate Keyboard and Mouse Actions with ZPL
 How to manipulate BMP and JPG files using the IMAGEEXTRACT and IMAGECOMBINE keywords
 How To Write Your Own Optimization Operand
 How to Measure the Sag of an NSC Object
 How to Sum POP Beams Coherently
 How To Use the GETT() ZPL Function
Extensions
 How to Talk to ZEMAX from Visual Basic for Applications
 How To Compile An Extension Using Microsoft Visual Studio 2005
 How Do I Write an Extension in C?
 How to Talk to ZEMAX from MatLab
 How to Write User-Defined Sources and Scatter Functions in Fortran
 How To Write ZEMAX Extensions in FORTRAN
User Defined Features
 How to Create a User-Defined Scattering Function
 How To Read a Static Data File into a User-Defined Surface
 How to Compile a User-Defined Surface
 BSDF Data Interchange File Format Specification
 Using the Henyey-Greenstein Distribution to Model Bulk Scattering
 How to Model a Slicer Mirror Using a User-Defined Surface
 How to Write User-Defined Surfaces with Waterloo Maple
Diffractive Optics
 How to Design Diffractive Optics Using the Binary 2 surface
 How Diffractive Surfaces are Modeled in ZEMAX
Glass and Refractive Index
 How to Create a New Glass Catalog
 How To Submit Vendor Data To Be Distributed With ZEMAX
 How To Return the Index of Refraction at a Specific Wavelength
 How To Determine Which Glass Catalog Is Being Used
 Take Care With 'Exact Equivalent' Glasses
 How to Choose the Best Glasses for your Optical Design
 What is the "Reference Temperature"?
 How To Enter Glass Data at Specific Wavelengths
 How to Use the Model Glass
 How ZEMAX Calculates Refractive Index At Arbitrary Temperatures and Pressures
 Fitting Index Data in ZEMAX
Fiber Coupling
 How to Model Coupling Between Single-Mode Fibers
 How to Convert from RSoft Simulations to ZEMAX and Back
 How to Model Coupling Into a Multi-Mode Fiber
 How to Get Real Waveguide Mode Data Into ZEMAX
User Articles
 How to Talk to ZEMAX from Visual Basic for Applications
 ZEMAX Models of the Human Eye
 Quantifying Veiling Glare
 How to Model the Human Eye in ZEMAX
 Take Care With 'Exact Equivalent' Glasses
 How to Use the Center of Curvature Report to Aid System Alignment
 Demystifying the Off-Axis Parabola Mirror
 The Mars Rover Camera Lenses
 Polarization Conversion Systems for Digital Projectors
 Fly's Eye Arrays for Uniform Illumination in Digital Projector Optics
 How to Talk to ZEMAX from MatLab
 Optimizing an Infrared Lamp Heater
 What is an "Effective F-Number"?
 Modeling Frustrated Total Internal Reflection in Non-Sequential Mode
 BSDF Data Interchange File Format Specification
 How to Make Any Object into a Source Object
 How to Model a High-Magnification Unstable Laser Resonator.
 How to Write User-Defined Sources and Scatter Functions in Fortran
 How to Model a Slicer Mirror Using a User-Defined Surface
 How To Use ZEMAX as an Aid in Measuring the Internal Errors of a Molded Plastic Lens
 How To Write ZEMAX Extensions in FORTRAN
 Modeling Laser Cavities using ZEMAX and LASCAD
 How to Write User-Defined Surfaces with Waterloo Maple
ZEMAX Consultants
 How do I find a consultant to assist me in using ZEMAX?