The latest release of Zemax' ray-tracing optical-design framework gives optical system engineers access to over 4,000 lenses from Edmund Optics' stock lens catalogue, allowing simulation of actual system performance. By using a ray-tracing algorithm to test system performance computationally, the Zemax software allows engineers to iteratively optimise both lens selection and physical system layout.
Being able to choose from Edmund Optics' vast array of optical components such as Techspec laser-line coated plano-convex (PCX) lenses, IR achromatic lenses, aspheric optical elements, assures designers the best chance of finding the right stock components for any application.
In the event that a custom component is needed, Zemax helps the designer develop the necessary specifications addressable by Edmund Optics' global manufacturing capabilities. The software's new surface curvature and surface curvature cross-section plots provide new insight into the behaviour of aspheric surfaces and a new SCUR operand provides control of surface curvature during optimisation.
The new Zemax software release provides expanded multiprocessor support to take advantage of cloud computing and conventional supercomputers. The 64-bit version supports parallel processing with up to 64 CPUs. This allows Monte Carlo simulations with up to 64 rays simultaneously, vastly reducing simulation runtime. Faster simulations make the design optimisation process run faster and more efficiently, while also speeding up tolerance-sensitivity analysis, which is needed to assure product manufacturability.