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Knowledgebase Spotlight

Polarization-sensitive scattering
in OpticStudio

This article describes how to simulate polarization-sensitive bulk scattering and fluorescence using a custom DLL in OpticStudio. The bulk scattering model
defined in MSP.dll (available for download with this article) considers the polarization
of incident non-sequential rays and simulates how the polarization and direction
of propagation change with each scattering event. This DLL can also be used
to simulate fluorescence in combination with Mie scattering. Both fluorescence
and polarization-sensitive scattering are important for modeling biological imaging.
This article summarizes seven experiments that use MSP DLL bulk scatter model.
 

READ ARTICLE

Frequently Asked Questions


LensMechanix simplifies the transition from optical design to mechanical design. It streamlines the communication and workflow between optical and mechanical engineers, reducing errors and failed physical prototypes.

LensMechanix uses the optical component data from OpticStudio to create native CAD parts with actual lens dimensions, eliminating the need for STEP, IGES, or STL files. Mechanical engineers can build mechanical geometry from dimensionally accurate optical components, run ray traces, and perform surface power analysis.This allows you to easily create a virtual prototype and assess the performance of your optomechanical design, including the effects that mechanical components have on stray light contamination, beam clipping, and image focus.
No. LensMechanix is a separate tool. The optical engineer can have OpticStudio on one computer while the mechanical engineer has LensMechanix on a separate computer.
Common problems are caused by importing invalid solids. Invalid solids can be caused by internal faces on a CAD part or by holes in the surface of the CAD volume. Check out this article on the Knowledgebase for some tips and tricks for a successful CAD import to OpticStudio.

The results reported by Physical Optics Propagation (POP) may differ from those reported by ray-based analyses, such as the Spot Diagram, for several reasons. Namely, POP models a different type of propagation from traditional ray propagation in that it is most commonly used to model Gaussian beams. Rays will travel in a straight line. That is, a collimated beam will never change size and a diverging beam will retain the same divergence everywhere. This is not the case for a Gaussian beam, as it will diffract as propagates. Within the beam’s Rayleigh range, the size of a Gaussian beam changes slowly, and far beyond the Rayleigh range, the beam size changes linearly with propagation distance. Near the Rayleigh range, however, the beam size will change nonlinearly with propagation distance. These three factors can all contribute to difference between a POP results and ray-based analysis results.

Check out this webinar for a detailed discussion on how and when (and when not) to use POP to model Gaussian beams in OpticStudio.

The two most common reasons for ray trace errors in Non-Sequential Mode are geometry errors encountered by rays during a ray trace and not enough ray segments or intersections allocated to complete a ray trace. It is important that these errors are not ignored and that they are diagnosed.

Check out the Knowledgebase for instructions on how to locate geometry errors and how to fix the error message" Not Enough Segments Allocated to Trace All Possible Ray Paths ."
Yes. If you’re new to OpticStudio or need a refresher on the basics, take a look at our knowledgebase article, “How to design a singlet lens.” This article will introduce you to the concepts and tools used to model simple systems in Sequential Mode.

When softkey licenses fail to transfer from one computer to another, they often do so for one of two reasons: the Zemax License Manager (ZLM) on one computer is outdated or one or more components of the Zemax License Manager are installed improperly.

The first thing to check which version of the ZLM is installed on both the source and destination computers. You must ensure that the version of the ZLM installed on both computers either predates or postdates August 2016. There was a change made to the transfer process at this time, and softkey licenses cannot be transferred to or from ZLMs which use different transfer methods. The version date for the ZLM can be found at the top of the ZLM window.

If you’re still receiving error messages after ensuring that you’re using compatible ZLM versions, there may be one or more components of the ZLM that are installed improperly. The first step to fixing this error is to repair the ZLM using the instructions outlined here.

If you are still unable to complete your license transfer after doing this, contact support@zemax.com for next steps.

The number of instances you can use with OpticStudio depends on your license type.

Users who have perpetual OpticStudio licenses (sold before April 1, 2019), have access to two instances of the software.

Users with subscription licenses for OpticStudio can run four instances with the Professional Edition and eight instances with the Premium Edition. For more information on OpticStudio subscription licensing, check out the Subscription FAQ!

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