Turning your optical designs into reality requires teams of engineers to coordinate their expertise around one common goal. Often the limiting factor is not the talent of your team, but the limitations of the tools available to them.

OpticsBuilder is the solution!  Armed with the ability to convert OpticStudio files into native CAD elements, CAD users can use the exact lens and ray data to analyze and optimize their optomechanical housings—streamlining your design workflow to save expenses and months of trial and error.

In this blog article, we will outline how to perform a Simulation in OpticsBuilder for Creo Parametric demonstrating some of the features available in OpticsBuilder that empower your teams to build exceptional optical products. 

Start your Simulation

In OpticsBuilder, the Simulation feature is offered to give comparable raytraces and offer results for you to analyze system performance. OpticsBuilder utilizes the same nonsequential raytracing engine in the background as OpticStudio uses so you can be sure that your results are accurate.

In Creo, click open and navigate to /Documents/Zemax/Samples/OpticsBuilderCreo/Heliar.

• Open heliar_37mm.asm.

• In the ribbon, click Simulate.

OpticsBuilder will automatically:

1. Ensure all optical components are included in the Simulation

2. Define a black anodized scatter profile to each mechanical part without a scatter profile

3. Perform a baseline ray trace to record the performance of the optical system without mechanical components

4. Perform a second ray trace to record the performance of the optical system with mechanical components

5. Compare the two datasets and calculate the difference in spot size, beam clipping, and image contamination

6. Display Simulation rays in the graphics area

7. Open the results window

Understanding the results

The results window is displayed at the end of a successful Simulation. 

If a performance metric is greater than its allowable delta, it is highlighted in red in the results table. Any performance metric in white may be clicked to display the delta value instead of a green checkmark.

Detectors may be viewed by selecting Show Detectors in the results table. 

For each detector field and configuration, the RMS spot size, number of hits by rays, peak irradiance, and throughput (total power on the detector) are displayed.

Selecting Show Clipped Rays or Show Contaminating Rays in the results table will plot rays that never strike a detector or rays that strike an unintended detector, respectively. Plotting the clipped ray set is useful for determining which mechanical component(s) is blocking rays.

In this case, the clipped ray set (typically purple) indicates that the annulus in the center of the Heliar assembly is clipping rays. Editing the annulus to increase its inner diameter improves image quality and reduces beam clipping. Enter part mode to edit the sketch of the annulus, exit the sketch, and close the part to switch back to assembly mode. After regenerating your assembly, a Simulation may be run again to see how the image performance metrics for the modified system have .

The beam clipping ray set now shows that the pressure ring on the first lens is clipping rays. Further part modification and Simulation may be performed to bring all optical performance metrics below their deltas.

To learn more about performing simulations in OpticsBuilder for Creo Parametric, click here for the full knowledgebase article. 

To try OpticsBuilder capabilities for yourself, request a free trial.