If you're designing an optical system - be it a single light-bulb or a petawatt laser - there is a software package that can help. But how do you choose the right one for your needs? Michael Hatcher looks at six of the most popular packages used by the optics industry. g Oj5c
 
sKuTG93sr@  
As the processing power of PCs has rocketed over the past decade, so optical design software has evolved. Once a highly specialized tool that had to be operated on mainframes and UNIX workstations, now such software is accessible on the desktop of any average optical engineer. 5>@uEebkv]  
I:_*8el&d  
Whether you are designing cameras or radiotelescopes, a wide choice of packages is available to help you. We have taken a look at six of the most widely-used design programs to help you decide which is the most appropriate for your application. p<zXuocQ  
j~E +6f\  
Optical design software falls into two broad categories: "classical" lens-design software, and illumination packages. Lens-design software is used to optimize image-forming optical systems. First, you must provide a starting design that includes data such as the shape, size and position of lenses and other optical elements in the system, the system's aperture and field of view, and the wavelengths being used. The program then traces the paths of light-rays entering the system, optimizing the optics using a mathematical algorithm until your target criteria are met. ,?`1ve_K<  
pu:D/2R2;k  
Illumination packages are used for more detailed analysis of an optical system - to predict the effect of sunlight on a telescope, for example. Output from lens-design software will often provide the input for an illumination package, enabling you to produce a more detailed analysis of system performance. Illumination packages are also used when designers want to analyse complex light distribution - for instance, that produced by car headlights. u0Erz0*G4  
:ky<`Jfr`  
Lens-design packages Crhi+D  
h3lDDyu  
Three of the major packages are ZEMAX, OSLO and CODE V. OSLO and CODE V are older programs, dating back to the 1960s. ZEMAX is a much newer program - the first commercial version appeared in 1990. V0 F30rK  
KYu(H[a  
For an independent viewpoint, Opto & Laser Europe contacted Scott Lerner, an optical engineer at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, US. Lerner uses all three lens-design packages to design a wide range of systems. n2{{
S(N  
N &[,nUd  
Broadly speaking, says Lerner, ZEMAX is an entry-level package suited to less experienced designers, whereas CODE V is a high-end solution suited to more demanding tasks. OSLO fills the middle ground. M&ij[%i  
6)U&XWH0
 
"Given a specific problem, you could use any of the three codes to generate a solution. But I guess my rule of thumb is that if it's not too complex I'll do it in ZEMAX," Lerner told Opto & Laser Europe. "ZEMAX is accepted to have the lowest learning curve, and it is also the least expensive of the packages. So typically, if you have a relatively simple system to design that doesn't require extensive analysis then ZEMAX is the program of choice - it is cheaper and your customers are more likely to have access to it." ~8m>DSs)D  
J4}\V$ysN  
ZEMAX is not best suited to every situation, though. Lerner continued: "However, if you're doing extensive analysis of a system, or if you are developing 10 systems that are fairly similar and analysing all of them, then the macro language used by CODE V becomes extremely valuable. OSLO is kind of the middle ground." rH9}nL  
hcgc =$^  
Your preferred style of working may come into the equation too. "There's a knack to using each package and in the end, it can simply boil down to personal preference. CODE V tends to be faster, but that's not always what you want," said Lerner. ww($0A`ek  
Uo}&-$ 汝城县| 昆明市| 泸州市| 蒲城县| 定西市| 阳信县| 清镇市| 贵阳市| 高雄市| 葫芦岛市| 庄河市| 东至县| 安顺市| 哈巴河县| 蒙城县| 襄垣县| 岳阳县| 忻城县| 巩留县| 咸宁市| 大姚县| 泗洪县| 白银市| 都昌县| 龙井市| 青冈县| 长治市| 延寿县| 东乌珠穆沁旗| 西青区| 三亚市| 墨玉县| 金沙县| 策勒县| 巩义市| 北宁市| 绥宁县| 禄劝| 武山县| 清水县| 浙江省|