ENVISION Europe 2019, our annual conference, brought together leaders in the optics industry for three days of engaging presentations, learning, and networking opportunities. Here’s a quick recap of 10 top moments from the event.

1. Game changers in optical design
   Zemax CEO Mark Nicholson kicked it off with a talk on the game changers in optical design, highlighting the future of virtual prototyping, the nexus of optimization and tolerancing, and the importance of evolving to stay ahead of the game. 

2. VR and eye-tracking 
   Richard Hainzl of Tobii Tech provided a fascinating talk on the future of VR and eye-tracking―an integral part of human-computer interaction―in consumer devices. The audience walked away with insight into the technological leap Tobii is making by using Zemax software. 

3. Radiation-resistant optical systems, complex laser systems, and HUD systems
   Presentations of interest included radiation-resistant optical systems by Cyprien Muller of CEA DIF, modelling of complex laser systems by Dr. Steffen Erhard of TRUMPF Group, and using OpticStudio to alleviate sunlight reflections in HUD systems by Frank Strauch of ASAP Engineering. 

4. Optimization for as-built performance
   Dr. Kenneth Moore, Zemax Founder and Technical Fellow, rounded off the first day by presenting a new method for designing optical systems, using optimization of ray angles to reduce sensitivity to tolerance defects.

5. Networking dinner at Salons de L’Averyon
   We really enjoyed connecting with customers―from old friends to new faces―and seeing friendships formed between people who had just met. We experienced a taste of France, while being treated to a cocktail reception, three-course dinner with wine, and entertainment. 

6. Key technology trends in photonics 
   Stephen Anderson, Director of Industry Development at the International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE), spoke about how light-based technologies are the economic engine driving more than 13% of today’s global economy, enabling applications ranging from defense to healthcare and from energy generation to advanced manufacturing.

7. Design of the world’s largest optical/infrared telescope and more
   Tibor Agocs of NOVA-ASTRON gave an insider view of the nominal optical design of METIS, the Mid-infrared E-ELT Imager and Spectrograph, which is one of the first light instruments in the world’s largest optical/infrared telescope being constructed in Chile. Thomas Houllier of Sophia Engineering & Lab Hubert Curien shared how existing numerical search algorithms and the OpticStudio optimization tools were used to address optical design problems. Roland Geyl of Safran Reosc led a fascinating session on the benefits of using freeform optics to improve optical system performance. 

8. Accelerating virtual product development, STOP analysis, telescopic light instrument, and ultra-compact Raman spectrometer design 
   Stephanie Kunath of Dynardo GmbH explored how to accelerate virtual product development in OpticStudio and the additional optimization methods that are available. Jaroslav Hopp of Meopta gave real-world examples of how to use STOP analysis for advanced tolerancing techniques. Loupias Magali of Centre de Recherche Astrophysique de Lyon discussed the first light instrument of the Extremely Large Telescope, HARMONI, and the design of its Integral Field Unit. Oleksii Ilchenko of the Technical University of Denmark presented the design of an ultra-compact, high-throughput aberration corrected Raman spectrometer.

9. Next-generation Earth observation instruments 
   James Day of TNO presented several approaches to simulate real-world effects during the alignment and verification phases of the Sentinel 5 UV1 spectrometer.

10. Workshop Day – Tips and Tricks
    Day three offered a whole day of learning and development with our three workshops on Lidar, Hologram, and Zemax Virtual Prototyping. Throughout the day together we developed new ways of thinking, new skills, and collaboration.

Mark concluded the event with a retrospective on the many incredible technical presentations showcased over the previous two days and polled the audience on where they’d like to see ENVISION Europe hosted in 2020. Stay tuned for more!