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Help Manual LensMechanix 19.1
Creo Parametric
Getting started
Introduction to LensMechanix LensMechanix is a Creo extension by Zemax that simplifies optomechanical product development. It is used to package, analyze, and validate product packaging for optical system designs directly in Creo. LensMechanix streamlines communication and workflow between optical and mechanical engineers, reducing errors and failed physical prototypes. Mechanical engineers build the mechanical geometry with actual lens dimensions—without STEP, IGES, or STL files—and then run ray traces and analyze output to compare the optical performance of a design to the original OpticStudio output. Using the suite of analysis tools in LensMechanix, mechanical engineers can identify and resolve mechanical design problems that impact the optical systems—before building a physical prototype or sending the complete design to optical engineers to review.
LensMechanix is complementary to, but independent from, OpticStudio. LensMechanix is not for creating optical designs. The following diagram shows the engineering workflow from concept to build using Zemax Virtual Prototyping.
How LensMechanix works
LensMechanix loads optical components, sources, and detectors designed in OpticStudio directly into a Creo assembly as live geometry and preserves the component data. This add-in is powered by the Zemax multi-threaded ray tracing engine used by OpticStudio. After loading OpticStudio design files, mechanical engineers create mechanical geometry in LensMechanix and run a ray trace through the system to analyze the impact of the mechanical geometry on optical performance. Ray-trace results identify problems, including stray light, beam clipping, and image contamination.
A simple chart showing pass/fail results for image quality and stray light metrics helps you quickly assess the performance of your design. Detailed data results are available for troubleshooting and deeper analysis. LensMechanix comes with a catalog of lenses. This is the same lens catalog that is in OpticStudio. You can also add custom lenses, sources, and detectors. LensMechanix does not include optimization tools; therefore, we recommend that optical design and placement be performed in OpticStudio.
For technical support
For technical support, email [email protected] (please allow for one business day for one of our optomechanical engineers to respond). Please also send your feedback and feature requests to help us improve LensMechanix. We value your input!
System requirements • Windows 7 (64 bit) or later
• Creo Parametric 4.0 or later
For a more detailed list of system requirements, click here
https://customers.zemax.com/ZMXLLC/media/Lens-Mechanix/LensMechanix-System-Requirements.pdf
LensMechanix updates When a new version of LensMechanix is available, you will be notified upon launching Creo.
You can check for updates anytime by clicking About LensMechanix in the Ribbon.
We recommend that you always use the latest version of LensMechanix so that you benefit from the
latest features and improvements.
Introduction to the LensMechanix user interface
When you open Creo, you see the LensMechanix workspace shown above. This is the primary location where you interact with your assembly. The workspace includes nine elements:
1. Quick Access Toolbar - The area along the top that contains the most frequently used tool buttons.
2. Ribbon - The primary way to create, edit, and analyze your system. You can access all the functions of LensMechanix in the Ribbon.
3. Optics Manager - This panel on the left side includes the Analysis Manager, Input Tree, and Output Tree. The Optics Manager is the other way (besides the Ribbon) that you create, edit, and analyze your system. The Optics Manager appears when you click the toolbar or the LensMechanix icon (located in the Ribbon immediately above it) or open LensMechanix.
4. Prototype Manager - Appears in the Optics Manager. It shows you which analysis is active in the graphics area. To switch between different analyses, right-click an analysis and click Activate. This automatically loads the settings, the Computational Domain for each analysis, sources, components, detectors, and outputs for that analysis. Activating one analysis automatically deactivates the other analysis.
5. Input Tree - Located in the Optics Manager, the Input Tree shows a summary of the settings for the analysis that you are working on. The inputs include mechanical components, sources, optical components, detectors, image input, and surface power input. Inputs appear in the Input Tree after you add them by using the Prototype Wizard or the Ribbon, or when you add them to the Computational Domain.
6. Output Tree - Appears in Optics Manager, just below the Input Tree. The Output Tree provides a visual summary of the current prototype outputs. Any output that you add to the active prototype appears automatically in your current prototype. Any prototype that you add to the system appears automatically in the Output Tree after you run a ray trace.
7. Status Bar - Located below the Optics Manager and Graphics Area, this toolbar gives you important status information related to your Creo CAD components and offers a menu to filter geometry, making selection processes easier.
8. In-Graphics Toolbar - This pane of icons offers quick access to many functions for Creo. Currently, LensMechanix does not include features in the task pane.
9. Graphics Area -The area where you display and manipulate your assembly and outputs.
Set preferences in LensMechanix
• In the Ribbon click Preferences to select your preferred language, naming conventions for
optical components, and other settings.
The following table explains each setting in the Preferences dialog box.
Setting Description Note
Optical component naming convention
You can choose how the names of the components appear in the Computational Domain.
Short: Displays the row number and part name. Long: Displays the row number, part name, and the subassembly that the name is associated with.
Show object row number in component name
You can show or hide the row number of components in the OpticStudio file that was loaded into LensMechanix. The row number may differ from the original input file if it was converted from sequential to non-sequential, or if you added components.
After closing LensMechanix
You can save ray trace data as a ZRD file. However, these files can be very large. Use the dropdown menu to save or discard the data when Creo closes.
Send debug file with technical support email
If you click E-mail Technical Support in the Ribbon and select this check box, LensMechanix attaches a debug file to the email it generates.
This option works only on Microsoft outlook.
Save mechanical components in OpticStudio output files as
You can save an OpticStudio archive file (ZAR) from LensMechanix. You can save the mechanical components in the ZAR file as either CAD Part: Creo or CAD Part: STEP/IGES/STL.
If the mechanical components are saved as CAD Part: Creo, the OpticStudio user must have both OpticStudio Premium and Creo on their computer to open the files.
About using CAD Part: Creo You can save mechanical components that are created in Creo as either CAD Part: STEP/IGES/SAT or as
CAD Part: Creo. LensMechanix will use the format you choose for the mechanical components in the
OpticStudio output file.
1. Before you run a ray trace, click Preferences on the LensMechanix tab.
2. In the Save mechanical components in OpticStudio output files as dropdown, select the file
format you want.
Notes: If the mechanical components are saved as CAD Part: Creo, the OpticStudio user must have both
OpticStudio Premium and Creo on their computer to open the files.
If you save mechanical components as CAD Part: STEP/IGES/SAT files, the OpticStudio user does
not need to have OpticStudio Premium or Creo on their computer, but changes cannot be made
to the mechanical components in OpticStudio or Creo.
3. Click Save.
4. Proceed to running your ray traces.
Using CAD Part: Creo offers several advantages:
• The LensMechanix and OpticStudio users can work in their preferred design environments
without converting files.
• Changes can be made to mechanical components after the OpticStudio output file has been
validated by the optical engineer and sent back to the LensMechanix user.
• If changes to a design are made in OpticStudio or LensMechanix and then shared, the changes
are reflected in the modified system because the components are in their native format.
Naming convention LensMechanix uses two naming conventions: basic and long. Basic is the default naming convention.
When the basic naming convention is used, the name appears as #|PartXX, where:
• # = the row number of the component in the Non-Sequential Component Editor in OpticStudio
that LensMechanix uses to calculate a ray trace. This number can differ from the input
OpticStudio file because the file may have been converted to non-sequential mode, or you
added other components to the Computational Domain.
• Part = the type of the component.
• XX = a random number that LensMechanix applies to the component when it loads the
OpticStudio file.
If you select the long naming convention, the component name appears as
#|PartXX@OpticStudioFileName. A long name identifies the component as a part in a specific
OpticStudio file. This information is useful when multiple OpticStudio files are loaded into an assembly.
Note: The naming convention that you choose applies to all LensMechanix files.
Packaging
Overview of packaging in LensMechanix
In LensMechanix, packaging refers to the process of adding mechanical components to an optical design. Use the first three buttons in the Ribbon for packaging.
Types of optical components you can use in LensMechanix LensMechanix creates supported components as Creo parts. Unsupported components do not load. To
help us prioritize the list of unsupported components, please contact [email protected].
You can load sequential and non-sequential files into LensMechanix. Since LensMechanix runs non-
sequential ray trace, sequential files are converted to non-sequential files. LensMechanix uses the same
conversion tool as OpticStudio. Some sequential designs do not have a direct conversion to non-
sequential. If this is the case, you may need to have the file converted to non-sequential by the
OpticStudio user.
Optical components LensMechanix converts
Upon loading an OpticStudio file, LensMechanix converts sequential designs to non-sequential designs.
The following sequential optical surfaces have a direct conversion to non-sequential objects.
Sequential surfaces:
• Biconic
• Diffraction Grating
• Even Asphere
• Extended Asphere
• Extended Odd Asphere
• Extended Polynomial
• Fresnel
• Odd Asphere
• Polynomial
• Standard
• Toroidal
Surfaces that do not directly converted to non-sequential objects are converted to a Grid Sag surface
sampled with a 64 x 64 unit grid instead.
Sequential Surfaces supported by Grid Sag:
• Biconic Zernike
• Chebyshev Polynomial
• Cubic Spline
• Extended Cubic Spline
• Extended Toroidal
Grating
• Odd Cosine
• Periodic
• Q-Type Asphere
• Superconic
• Tilted
• Zernike Annular
Standard Sag
• Zernike Fringe Sag
• Zernike Standard Sag
Non-sequential components that load into LensMechanix for Creo
LensMechanix enables you to load non-sequential files into Creo. The following surfaces and objects will
load if they exist in a non-sequential OpticStudio file.
Non-sequential surfaces and objects:
• Annular Aspheric Lens
• Annular Axial Lens
• Annular Volume
• Annulus
• Array
• Faceted Surface
• Fresnel 1
• Fresnel 2
• Hologram Lens
• Hologram Surface
• Rect. Volume Grating
• Reverse Radiance
Target
• Slide
• Sphere
• Aspheric Surface
• Aspheric Surface2
• Axicon Surface
• Biconic Lens
• Biconic Surface
• Biconic Zernike
• Biconic Zernike Surface
• Binary 1
• Binary 2
• Binary 2A
• CAD Part: Creo
Parametric
• CAD Part:
STEP/IGES/SAT
• CAD Part: STL
• Cone
• CPC
• CPC Rectangular
• Cylinder 2 Pipe
• Cylinder 2 Volume
• Cylinder Pipe
• Cylinder Volume
• Diffraction Grating
• Dual BEF Surface
• Ellipse
• Elliptical Volume
• Even Asphere Lens
• Extended Odd Asphere
Lens
• Extended Polynomial
Lens
• Extended Polynomial
Surface
• Extruded
• Jones Matrix
• Lenslet Array 1
• Lenslet Array 2
• MEMS
• Odd Asphere Lens
• Paraxial Lens
• Polygon Object
• Ray Rotator
• Rectangle
• Rectangular Corner
• Rectangular Pipe
• Rectangular Pipe
Grating
• Rectangular Roof
• Rectangular Torus
Surface
• Rectangular Torus
Volume
• Rectangular Volume
• Standard Lens
• Standard Surface
• Tabulated Faceted
Radial
• Tabulated Facted
Toroid
• Tabulated Fresnel
Radial
• Toroidal Hologram
• Toroidal Lens
• Toroidal Surface
• Toroidal Surface Odd
Asphere
• Torus Surface
• Torus Volume
• Triangle
• Triangular Corner
• Wolter Surface
• Zernike Surface
Non-sequential sources:
• Source Diffractive
• Source Diode
• Source DLL
• Source Ellipse
• Source File
• Source Gaussian
• Source Object
• Source Point
• Source Ray
• Source Rectangle
• Source Tube
• Source Two Angle
Non-sequential detectors:
• Detector Rectangle
Unsupported components
The following non-sequential objects are currently not supported in LensMechanix for Creo.
• Array Ring
• Detector Surface
• Detector Volume
• Boolean CAD
• Freeform Z
• Hexagonal Lenslet Array
• Reverse Radiance
Detector
• Source ELUMDAT File
• Source Filament
• Source IESNAFile
• Source Imported
• Source Radial
• Source Volume
Cylindrical
• Source Volume Elliptical
• Source Volume
Rectangular
• Swept
• User Defined Object
Sequential surfaces supported by manual conversion to non-sequential objects
In OpticStudio, sequential surfaces that can be represented by the non-sequential objects above can be
converted manually by the OpticStudio user. After manual conversion, they can be loaded into
LensMechanix. For assistance with manual conversions, please contact [email protected].
About the Grid Sag Surface object LensMechanix converts sequential surfaces to non-sequential objects. Most sequential surfaces have a
direct equivalent to non-sequential objects, such as the standard surfaces converting to a standard lens.
Some sequential surfaces do not convert directly to an equivalent non-sequential object. They will
convert to a 64x64 Grid Sag Surface object. The 64x64 grid is the default size and cannot be modified.
The shape of the Grid Sag is defined by a rectangular array of points. The point by point sag data is in the
GRD file which can be found in C:\<Users> \Documents\Zemax\Objects\Grid Files.
Depending on your application, the non-sequential Grid Sag Surface object may not be an accurate
enough representation of the sequential surface that it was converted from. If there is a large change in
the LensMechanix Baseline spot size in the Optical Performance Summary, it could be that the sampling
of the Grid Sag Surface is not accurate enough. You can confirm that the sampling of the Grid Sag
Surface object is accurate enough for your application with an OpticStudio user by asking them to
convert the system to non-sequential mode inside of OpticStudio.
For more information, please refer to our Knowledge Base article about converting sequential surfaces
to non-sequential objects.
Note: Surfaces that exist as Grid Sag in sequential mode currently do not convert to Grid Sag. The Grid
Sag surface will convert to a Compound Lens object.
When a sequential surface has been converted to a non-sequential Grid Sag Surface object, one of the
Optical Components in the Optics Manager will have GRD file extension. Surface number 5 (surfaces 2-3)
is the Compound Lens object that has the Grid Sag Surface and the Standard Surface as the parent
surfaces. To view details about the Grid Sag Surface, right click the optical component with the GRD
extension and click View Optical Properties. The description of the parameters is below.
Read about the Compound Lens object in the next help topic.
About Compound Lens Object The Compound Lens object is a non-sequential object that supports complex combinations of surfaces
and apertures on the front and back faces of a lens. The Compound Lens object references two parent
surface objects. The supported parent surface objects include: Standard Surface, Aspheric Surface,
Toroidal Surface, Toroidal Odd Asphere, Zernike Surface, Biconic Surface, Biconic Zernike Surface,
Extended Polynomial Surface, and Grid Sag Surface. Additional surfaces can be added upon request.
When a combination of sequential surfaces convert to a Compound Lens object, the lens properties
dialog box lists the object type is a Compound Lens. The optical properties will reference the front and
back surface objects. For example, object number 5 (surfaces 2-3) is the Compound Lens object that has
surfaces 3 and 4 as the parent surface objects.
Load an OpticStudio file Use the Load OpticStudio File dialog box to load OpticStudio designs in LensMechanix. LensMechanix
loads the optical geometry, optical properties, sources, detectors, and other data included in a ZMX and
ZAR file from OpticStudio.
The Load OpticStudio file dialog box includes the following settings:
• Load optical components as read-only objects: The default setting is to load optical component
as read-only. Clear the checkbox if you need to make changes to the optical components. You
can modify lens properties, such as curvatures, clear apertures, and positions through the
LensMechanix user interface. For more details, read the help topic: View or modify optical
component properties.
Note: Some changes to optical components can still be made through the Creo Model Tree. If
you make unwanted changes, you can reload the OpticStudio file.
• Load OpticStudio Baseline: : LensMechanix will perform a baseline ray trace during the loading
process which will add to the overall loading time.
• Locate:
o Fixed in place: The origin of the optical system will be placed at the origin of the Creo
assembly. You cannot modify the position of the optical assembly. Use this setting if you
do not want to move the optical assembly.
o Position with mates: You can position the optical system using mates. Use this setting
to move the optical subassembly and mate it with other parts of your mechanical
model.
About the Load OpticStudio File dialog box When LensMechanix loads OpticStudio files, it checks for three things: if the spot size changes
significantly, if conversion of any sequential surfaces to non-sequential failed, and if all components
from the OpticStudio design were loaded successfully.
• Convert to non-sequential - LensMechanix functions in non-sequential mode, which enables you to account for unintended paths. When LensMechanix loads a file that is designed in sequential mode, it automatically converts it to non-sequential. If an error occurs during this conversion, it means that the change in spot size from sequential to non-sequential exceeds 20%. The spot size calculations are ignored when the sequential file has a spot radius less than 1.0E-2 microns.
The conversion to non-sequential often exposes issues with a sequential design. If the change in spot size is between 20% and 50%, the following message appears:
If this message appears, we recommend that you ask the optical engineer to confirm that the non-sequential performance meets expectations in OpticStudio. You can also run a ray trace in
LensMechanix, save an OpticStudio output file to send to the optical engineer, and ask him or her to check the performance of the converted design.
If the change in spot size exceeds 50%, the following message appears:
A change in spot size of over 50% is likely due to an issue with components converting to non-sequential. We recommend that you ask the optical engineer to convert the file to non-sequential in OpticStudio.
• Load optical components into Creo - All components from the OpticStudio design were loaded
into LensMechanix. If an error occurs, it is likely that LensMechanix does not support one or more of the optical components in your design as a native Creo part. Please contact [email protected] and provide a list of unsupported optical components in your system.
• Complete loading process – A green check mark indicates that the loading process finished successfully. If an error occurs during the process, contact [email protected].
View or modify optical component properties
You can view the optical component properties of each optical component that LensMechanix loads. This includes lenses, sources, and detectors. To make changes to the optical component properties, ensure you clear the Load optical components as read-only check box. You can view the optical properties of a component by right-clicking the component in the Input Tree,
and clicking View Optical Properties. If you loaded the file as editable, the menu will read Edit Optical
Properties. The Edit Lens dialog box will display the object type, material, and other optical properties
defined in OpticStudio.
About sequential vs. non-sequential designs OpticStudio uses sequential and non-sequential ray tracing to model optical systems. In most cases, the sequential model represents the desired (or intended) optical path. Non-sequential ray tracing provides access to unintended ray paths, such as rays that:
• Are partially reflected from optical surfaces.
• Interact with the mechanics of the product, causing unintended optical paths through the system.
• Are from outside the field of view of the lens that scatter into the field of view.
In most cases, these unintended ray paths cause contamination of the sequential (or intended) ray path. LensMechanix makes the transition of optical design to optomechanical design seamless for both sequential and non-sequential designs. LensMechanix runs in non-sequential mode. If you load a sequential file, LensMechanix automatically converts it to a non-sequential design and gives you an OpticStudio baseline. It saves a baseline data file, which is indicated by the green check mark in the OpticStudio Baseline cell of the Optical Performance Summary (OPS). When you load a non-sequential design, LensMechanix does not perform any conversion, nor give you an OpticStudio baseline. As a result, the OpticStudio baseline cell in the OPS is grayed out. You can calculate the baseline performance of your system using the LensMechanix baseline ray trace. If LensMechanix generated the baseline data, green check marks appear in the LensMechanix baseline cell.
About multi-configuration OpticStudio designs You can load multi-configuration OpticStudio files into LensMechanix. LensMechanix converts sequential configurations into non-sequential configurations during the loading process.
When you load a file with multi-configurations, a message displays that identifies the multi-
configurations and provides instructions on how to view them.
To view the configurations in a multi-configuration system, click Family Table. The Family Table dialog
box appears, displaying the configurations in OpticStudio. By default, the first configuration is the file
name, and additional configurations are named Configuration2, Configuration3, and so on. You can edit
the configuration names by double-clicking the name in the Family Table dialog box.
To open a configuration, select the configuration name and click Open. The file that includes the optical
setup you selected opens.
Like in Creo, changes to configurations and setups can only be made in the main file. The other files are
only open for you to view differences and set up ray traces.
When you add a mechanical component to the first setup and define different parameters for that
mechanical component through the Family Table, you can define which instance name the mechanical
component corresponds to.
Run ray traces with multi-configurations
You can run ray traces from any open configuration. If you make changes to the prototype settings in a
single configuration, those changes will only apply to the configuration.
Update an OpticStudio file You use the Update OpticStudio File command to update OpticStudio designs in LensMechanix. This
command removes the existing optical components and replaces them with updated optical
components from a new ZMX or ZAR file. The mechanical components in the assembly will remain the
same.
Note: This command does not automatically repair mates or references in your Creo assembly. You will
need to recreate or fix these mates after the update is completed.
Add a component, source, or detector You can use the Add parts command to add more catalog components, custom components, sources, or detectors to an assembly. Note: LensMechanix does not include optimization features. Therefore, we recommend that any critical optical components are designed in OpticStudio.
Add a catalog component 1. In the Ribbon, click Add Parts > Add Catalog Component. 2. In the Lens Catalog dialog box, select a lens from any vendor. 3. Click Insert.
Note: The selected lens is positioned at the origin.
Add a custom component
1. In the Ribbon, click Add Parts > Add Custom Component.
2. In the Lens data window, select the type of material for the component.
3. Select the type of component to add.
4. Enter the various dimensional information for the component.
5. Enter the positional information for the component.
6. On the Coating Settings tab of the Lens data window, select the type of coating for the
component.
7. Choose specific surfaces and click Apply to Selection.
- Or -
Click Apply to Component to add the coating to all surfaces.
8. Click the green check mark.
Note: Components with no position information are placed at the origin.
Add a source
1. In the Ribbon, click Add Parts > Add Source.
2. In the Light source data window, select the light source type.
3. Enter the various dimensional information for the component.
4. Enter the positional information for the component.
5. Click the green check mark.
Note: Sources with no position information are placed at the origin.
Add a detector
1. In the Ribbon, click Add Parts > Add Detector.
2. In the Detector data window, select the detector material.
3. Select the type of detector to add.
4. Enter the various dimensional information for the component.
5. Enter the positional information for the component.
6. Click the green check mark.
Note: Detectors with no position information are placed at the origin.
About fold mirrors You can add a fold mirror along the beam path of an existing system using the Fold Mirror tool.
LensMechanix preserves the beam path after the fold mirror is added. You must create a prototype and
run a Baseline ray trace before the Add Fold Mirror menu option is available in the Add Parts dropdown
menu. If there is no active prototype, then the feature will appear grayed out. As you set up the fold
mirror position, you can view a preview to help you place the fold mirror correctly.
Important notes
• The fold mirror cannot be removed with the undo feature. We recommend you save your
assembly file before adding the fold mirror.
• There is no limit to the number of fold mirrors that you can add to an assembly.
• Fix fold mirrors in place after you add them to avoid unintentionally moving their positions.
• Fold mirrors move mechanical components mated to moved optical components.
Add a fold mirror In the following example, we add a fold mirror to the initial optical layout below.
We want to ensure that the optical components fit in the enclosed box below.
To add the fold mirror:
1. After you’ve created a prototype, in the Add Parts drop-down menu, click Add Fold Mirror.
2. In the Place the fold mirror between section, select the two components that you want to place
the fold mirror between.
Note: The fold mirror is placed in the middle of the first and second references.
3. In the Distance from First Reference section, increase or decrease the distance between the first
reference and the fold mirror, if needed.
4. In the Target Component section, select the component that will be the last to change position.
Notes: • Although your application may differ, detectors are typically used as the target
component.
• A box is placed around the components you’d like to reposition.
• If you have run a baseline ray trace prior to adding the fold mirror, then components in
the beam path between the second reference and the target component will be
automatically added to the Included Components section.
5. In the Rotated Components section, remove any components that you don’t want to reposition
after the fold mirror is added by right-clicking the component and clicking Ignore.
Note: Components that are placed between the second reference and the target component
display in the Included Components section. Mechanical components that are mated to the
optical components are also included and repositioned after the fold mirror is added. 6. In the Tilt section, define the angle and the axis of tilt for the fold mirror.
Note: This will display a preview in the graphics area.
7. In the Fold Mirror Geometry section, under the Shape drop-down menu, select the shape and
thickness of the fold mirror.
Note: The fold mirror is added as an optical component with a mirror material this enables
the fold mirror to be optimized in OpticStudio. The fold mirror will have a default thickness of
1 mm and the default radius of the fold mirror is automatically calculated using the equation:
𝑅𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑢𝑠 =𝑀𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑚𝑢𝑚 𝑐𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑎𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑥 √2
2
8. Click the green check mark. The fold mirror is added and the included components are
repositioned according to the preview.
9. In the Creo Model tab, right click your fold mirror and select Edit Definition. Constrain the
placement of your fold mirror by selecting Fix.
Note: You can repeat these steps to add additional fold mirrors in your system until the space
constraints are met.
10. Run a full ray trace to see the updated ray path.
Note: The fold mirror appears in the Optical Components list in the Optics Manager.
How LensMechanix labels optical parts OpticStudio parts are labeled in the Comments field of the Lens Data Editor in OpticStudio. If the Comment field is blank, or you are creating an optical component in LensMechanix, the part is assigned a generic prefix, such as surface, annulus, field, source, and color detector, depending on the object type. LensMechanix then automatically numbers the parts sequentially. Examples of part names include surfaces 1, aperture 5, field 4, or source 8.
About construction geometry Construction geometry displays the relevant optical geometry of optical components to use as reference when you construct mechanical components. In LensMechanix, construction geometry refers to apex, center of curvature, optical axis, and clear aperture sketches in the graphics area for all optical components. You can display or hide each type of construction geometry in two locations: in the Ribbon or the Input Tree. You can show or hide all geometry of one type, such as apexes in the Ribbon. Or, you can show or hide geometry for a specific component using the right-click menu in Input Tree. OpticStudio parts are labeled in the Lens Data Editor in OpticStudio. If the Comment section in OpticStudio is blank, LensMechanix gives the part a generic prefix, such as surface, annulus, field, source, and color detector, depending on the object type. LensMechanix then automatically orders the parts sequentially.
About displaying optical tolerancing information You can display information in the graphics area about the tolerances in an optical design. Both sequential and non-sequential tolerance information is loaded from the OpticStudio file. This information is especially useful when you’re designing mechanical components for lens systems that have tight tolerances, because any change in position can affect the system’s performance. There are two categories of tolerances: positional and parameter.
• Positional tolerance information – Refers to possible changes in position that the optical engineer has accounted for during their tolerance analysis. Position changes are likely due to either how the physical prototype was assembled, or how the mechanical components were manufactured.
• Parameter tolerance information – Refers to changes in the optical component, such as the radius of curvature, thickness, or refractive index. These changes commonly stem from imperfections during the manufacturing process of the optical component.
Display optical tolerances in an OpticStudio design 1. In the Ribbon, click Optical Tolerancing 2. In the graphics area, click an optical component.
The positional information appears as a box that extends from a line. The parameter information appears separately in the Tolerance Data window.
Interpreting optical tolerancing information The following table summarizes the color schema of the optical tolerancing information.
Scenario Description Result
1 No components have tolerance information
All optical components are the default color
2 One component has tolerance information
The component is green; the other components are the default color
3 Two components have the same tolerance information
Both components are green; the remaining are the default color
4 Two components have different tolerance information
The optical component with the tightest tolerance is yellow; the other component is green and the remaining lenses are default
5 Six components consist of three pairs. Each pair has a different level of tolerance: 1) Two objects with high tolerance 2) Two objects with nominal tolerance 3) Two objects with no tolerance information
High tolerance: yellow Nominal tolerance: green None: default
Define a mechanical component as an optical component After you create a mechanical component and add it to the Computational Domain, you can define it as
an optical component. This is useful for creating the geometry for nonstandard lens shapes. If you
defined a mechanical component as an optical component, you can always redefine it as a mechanical
component.
1. In the Optics Manager, right-click the mechanical component and click Make Optical
Component.
2. In the Mechanical Component Editor, select Glass Type from the drop-down menu.
Note: LensMechanix includes four materials that are common in optical design. If a material you
want is not available, save an OpticStudio output file, define the material in OpticStudio, and
then optimize the design in OpticStudio.
3. In the Selection section, click the faces of the component that you want to apply the material to.
If you want to apply it to the entire component, leave the Selection section blank.
4. In the Coating Profile section, choose a coating from the dropdown. The coatings available are:
a. No Coating
b. Ideal Splitter
c. Ideal Mirror
d. IR
e. NIR
f. UV
g. Visible
5. Click Apply to Selection if you’ve selected specific faces or click Apply to Component to apply to
the entire component.
6. In the Mechanical Component Editor, click OK.
Glass Types:
• Blank
• Material o Acrylic o Calcium Fluoride o Fused Silica o N-BK7 o Polycarbonate o Pyrex o Water
• Absorb
• Mirror
Note: When you define a mechanical component as an optical component, the Display OPS button
appears grayed out. This is because LensMechanix does not include optical optimization features.
Add a mechanical edge to an optical component You can use the Add Mechanical Edge feature to add a mounting edge to an optical component without
having to load the file as editable. This feature is useful if the original optical component does not have
enough material for mounting.
1. In the Ribbon, right-click the optical component and click Add Mechanical Edge.
- Or -
In the Ribbon, click Add Parts > Add Mechanical Edge.
2. Click one or more lenses that you want to add a mounting edge to.
The component name appears in the Choose Components section of the Add Mechanical Edge
Property Manager.
3. In the Mechanical Edge (mm) column, enter the size for the mounting edge. The changes appear in the Optical Properties for the optical component.
Prototyping
Overview of prototyping in LensMechanix In LensMechanix, prototyping refers to the process of running ray traces through your optomechanical system, setting up a surface power analysis, and setting up the Image Viewer. Use the four buttons highlighted below in the Ribbon to create a prototype of your optomechanical system.
Start a prototype in LensMechanix
After you load a file in LensMechanix and design your mechanical geometry, you are ready to start a prototype. There are three ways to create a prototype in LensMechanix, using the Prototype Wizard, Default Prototype, and Clone Prototype.
Create Prototype Wizard (recommended) - Steps you through all the prototype settings in LensMechanix. This feature gives you the opportunity to establish all prototype settings to meet your requirements.
• In the Ribbon, click Start Prototype > Create Prototype Wizard.
Default Prototype - Begins a prototype using the prototype settings that LensMechanix sets by default. This feature can save you time by avoiding stepping through the Prototype Wizard.
• In the Ribbon, click Start Prototype > Default Prototype.
Clone Prototype - Creates a new prototype using the settings and outputs in the active prototype. This feature can save you significant time by avoiding duplicating work you’ve already done for a previous prototype.
• In the Ribbon, click Start Prototype > Clone Prototype.
Editing prototype settings You can adjust all prototype settings in the Create Prototype Wizard. You can revise existing settings in the Prototype Settings through Ribbon. The following table shows the settings that you can select for an analysis.
Navigator Functionality Default Settings
Create Prototype Prototype name and notes Prototype #
Prototype Settings Adjust overfill settings and enable light scattering and ray splitting
Image quality
Ambient conditions Adjust the temperature and pressure of the optical system
Temperature (C): 20.000 Pressure (ATM): 1.000
Wavelengths
Adjust the wavelengths included in a ray trace
Presets: F, d, C (Visible) System: 0.6562725 (µm) Weight: 1
Surface properties
Add or remove scatter profiles All
Precision settings Adjust mesh settings, number of rays, and scatter profile sample R to optimize for performance or accuracy
Faster analysis Mesh Settings: 1 Number of Rays: 10,000 Scatter Profile sample R: 5 degrees
Allowable Δ Customize settings for allowable spot size(µ), beam clipping (%), and image contamination (%)
Spot size (µ): 1 Beam clipping (%): 1 Image Contamination (%): 1
Computational Domain
Add or remove components from an analysis
All
Add a custom wavelength to your prototype Note: Adding a custom wavelength can affect optical performance. Therefore, it is strongly
recommended that you talk to the optical engineer before you add a custom wavelength.
1. In the Wavelengths dialog box, click the green plus sign to create a new row.
2. Enter the wavelength value that you want to use in the new row.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 to add more wavelengths to the prototypes or click OK.
About the Computational Domain The Computational Domain defines what components in your assembly should be included in the ray trace, and which components can be ignored. This feature is particularly useful when using assemblies that have many components that do not interfere with the optical path, or assemblies with complex components that will not affect the performance. Screws, power supplies, and external housings are some examples of components that you might not need to include in your ray trace. Eliminating them by using the Computational Domain can dramatically reduce the time it takes to run a ray trace.
Set up the Computational Domain 1. In the Ribbon, click Prototype Settings > Computational Domain.
2. In the Computational Domain, in the Included Components selection box, right-click any additional components that should not be included in the ray trace and select Remove From Computational Domain.
3. In the Computational Domain, in the Ignored Components selection box, right-click any additional components that should be included in the ray trace and select Add to Computational Domain.
4. At the bottom of the Computational Domain, click OK.
Note: You can drag and drop components from the Included Components and Ignored Components selection boxes.
About ray splitting
When a ray interacts with a surface, part of the energy is reflected, part of the energy is transmitted, and—depending upon the surface properties—part of the energy may be absorbed. Ray splitting refers to the ability to compute the reflected and transmitted paths of rays, and then trace the trajectories of both types of rays. In the image on the left, LensMechanix traced 10 rays without ray splitting enabled. In the image on the right, LensMechanix traced one ray with ray splitting enabled. The total number of rays traced in the optical system can become extremely large, which requires more computational time. By using ray splitting, you can find unintended paths that will cause performance issues in physical prototypes. LensMechanix includes the following default values to control ray splitting:
Maximum number of ray-object intersections: Describes how many times a ray along any path, from the original source parent ray to the final ray-object intersection, may intersect another object. (Default setting = 100)
Maximum number of ray segments: A ray segment is the portion of a ray path from one intersection to the next. When a ray is launched from a source, it travels to the first object. That is one segment. If the ray then splits into two rays, each of those are new segments (total of three segments). If each of those rays splits again, it results in seven segments. Because the number of ray segments grows far faster than the number of ray-object intersections, we recommend that the optical engineer set a higher value for the maximum number of ray segments. (Default setting = 500)
Minimum relative ray intensity: With each instance of splitting, the energy of the resulting rays is decreased. The relative ray intensity is a lower limit of how much energy a ray can carry and still be traced. This parameter is a fraction, such as 0.001, relative to the starting ray intensity from the source. If a child ray falls below this relative energy, the ray is terminated. (Default setting = 1.0000E-003)
Minimum absolute ray intensity: This parameter is very similar to the minimum relative ray intensity, except it is absolute in system source units rather than relative to the starting intensity. If the minimum absolute ray intensity is zero, LensMechanix ignores the absolute ray intensity threshold. LensMechanix always calculates the initial intensity of each ray by the source intensity, divided by the total number of analysis rays for that source. (Default setting = 0.000E+000)
Notes:
Changes to the default settings must be made in OpticStudio. Ray splitting is disabled by default. You can enable ray splitting in the Source and Scatter dialog box.
Turn on ray splitting Note: Ray splitting is disabled by default.
• In the Source and Scatter dialog box, click Image quality + light scattering + ray splitting, and click OK.
About scatter profiles Scatter profiles are a surface property. They include finishes and textures, such as black paint, black foil, gray plastic, and stainless steel. Using a scatter profile gives you a more accurate ray trace and insight about your design. LensMechanix changes the surfaces of the mechanical parts from perfect reflectors to the scatter profile that you choose. For any mechanical geometry without a scatter profile, LensMechanix assumes it is a perfect reflective surface during a ray trace. LensMechanix includes 11 of the most common surface property profiles. You can select any component in your Computational Domain and assign a scatter profile to the component. You can assign scatter profiles to one or more surfaces or to the entire component. Note: Properties of mechanical components are assembly properties, so scatter profiles that are
assigned to mechanical components do not change from configuration to configuration when you work
with multi-configuration files.
Apply a scatter profile that comes with LensMechanix
You can apply a scatter profile to an entire component, such as the housing. You can also apply a scatter profile to individual surfaces of a component, such as the bezel of a housing.
1. In the Input Tree, under Mechanical Components, right-click a component, and click Edit Surface Properties.
2. To edit an entire component, under Scatter Profile, in the dropdown menu, select the scatter profile you want, and click Apply to Component.
- Or -
To edit specific surfaces, select the surfaces you want to modify in the graphics area. Under Scatter Profile, in the dropdown menu, select the scatter profile you want, and click Apply to Selection.
Note: When you select specific surfaces, you can choose only surfaces of the component that you are modifying.
Tip: If you plan to use a specific scatter profile frequently, add it to your scatter data folder, located at C:/Users/<Username>/Documents/Zemax/ScatterData.
Add your own scatter profile
• In the Surface Properties dialog box, click Browse to find the scatter profile that you want to
apply.
Tip: If you plan to use a specific scatter profile frequently, add it to your scatter data folder, located at C:/Users/<Username>/Documents/Zemax/ScatterData.
Why can’t I get an Image Viewer analysis? The input file must come from the correct type of OpticStudio file: either a sequential file that goes to an image plane, or a non-sequential file that includes the proper components. You cannot use the Image Viewer if the sequential file does not have an image surface as the last object. In a non-sequential file, the Lambertian overfill source, slide object, and a color detector must all be present in the proper locations. To get a proper output from the Image Viewer, you must select Add Input and open Image Input. Once your file type is chosen, you must run a ray trace again to get accurate results before opening Image Output.
Set up a surface power analysis
You can view the power on a surface of any component by selecting the optical or mechanical components and then running a ray trace. You can analyze one or multiple components in a surface power analysis. Always set up a surface power analysis before you run a ray trace.
To set up a surface power analysis:
1. In the Ribbon, click Add Inputs > Surface Power Input.
2. In the graphics area, select the components you want to add to your surface power analysis.
3. In the Surface Power window, under Display, click Flux or Irradiance.
4. Under Choose a color scale, select a color scale option.
5. In the Resolution dropdown, select the resolution for your analysis.
6. In the Surface Power window, click OK.
7. Run a ray trace.
The surface power analysis appears in the graphics area.
Note: To view a different surface power that you created, in the Output Tree, right-click the surface
power analysis you want to see, and click Show.
About ray traces LensMechanix includes two types of ray traces: baseline ray trace and full ray trace. We recommend that you run a baseline ray trace after you load the OpticStudio file to verify that the system performs correctly in LensMechanix.
Baseline Ray Trace - Uses only the optical components and ignores mechanical components. Run a baseline ray trace to isolate design issues. For optical systems coming from a sequential design, a baseline ray trace validates that the underlying optical system still meets the performance requirements. For optical systems coming from non-sequential designs, a baseline ray trace creates the performance baseline so that you can compare it to a full ray trace, which includes both optical and mechanical components. Running a baseline ray trace populates the LensMechanix baseline cell in the Optical Performance Summary (OPS).
Full Ray Trace - Analyzes the entire system using the inputs and settings that you establish. A full ray trace is the most robust ray trace in LensMechanix. Run a full ray trace when your mechanical geometry is ready for a full analysis—in other words, after you run a baseline ray trace. A full ray trace takes the longest to perform of the ray traces because it is the most robust. A full ray trace always results in a LensMechanix output. There is no OpticStudio ray trace in LensMechanix; that data comes with the files when you are loaded into LensMechanix.
Note: You must load sources and light detectors before you can run a ray trace. Get the sources and light detector files from the optical engineer.
Run a ray trace in LensMechanix You can select more than one type of ray trace for one instance. LensMechanix performs all selected ray
traces in the order shown. However, running multiple ray traces increases the overall
ray-trace time.
1. On the LensMechanix tab in the Ribbon, click Ray Trace.
2. In the Ray Trace window, select the type of ray trace you want to run.
3. Click Run.
Note: You can run a ray trace multiple times to evaluate the system as the design matures or changes
are made. Each ray trace overwrites the data in the Optical Performance Summary (OPS). To save
previous ray trace data, create a new analysis.
Troubleshoot a ray-trace failure There are a couple reasons that a ray trace might fail:
• The ray trace tool timed out
• An error occurred while LensMechanix was processing ray-trace results
We recommend that you save your assembly, restart Creo, and run another ray trace. If the issue
persists, please email [email protected].
About an OpticStudio baseline vs. a LensMechanix baseline Baseline files store performance data, and then use the data to compare any subsequent output as you develop the optomechanical design. If you make changes to your design, the baseline tells you if the design is within or outside the performance tolerances. There are two types of baselines in LensMechanix:
OpticStudio baseline - Includes data generated from the sequential OpticStudio design for the three performance criteria in Optical Performance Summary (OPS): spot size, beam clipping, and image contamination. If you load a sequential design from OpticStudio, an OpticStudio baseline is saved in your LensMechanix analysis. This data serves as a performance baseline to compare the optical output of the design for your analysis. If you load a non-sequential design from OpticStudio, you won't need an OpticStudio baseline. Thus, this cell is blank and grayed out in the OPS. LensMechanix baseline - Includes data collected during a ray trace for spot size, beam clipping, and image contamination using only the optical components in your design. This baseline establishes the expected performance of the system; it verifies that the OpticStudio files are loaded successfully. If you load a sequential design from OpticStudio, the LensMechanix baseline shows you the changes in performance after LensMechanix converted the design to non-sequential. If you load a non-
sequential design from OpticStudio, the LensMechanix baseline serves as a performance baseline to compare the optical output of the design for your analysis.
Validating
Overview of validating in LensMechanix In LensMechanix, validating refers to the process of using information that is generated from ray traces
to visualize how light travels through your optomechanical system. The Optical Performance Summary
(OPS) compares the performance of your complete system to the performance of the original
OpticStudio design. The OPS measures spot size, beam clipping, and image contamination to determine
the success or failure of the system after you run a ray trace. You can also generate files to send to the
optical engineer for final review and validation. Use the four buttons highlighted below in the Ribbon to
validate your optomechanical system.
In validating your system, you will:
• Diagnose and resolve issues in the system using the Optical Performance Summary (OPS).
• Demonstrate the impact of mechanical components on optical performance using ray filtering
and surface power analysis.
Add rays to the graphics area
1. Run a Ray Trace.
2. In the Ribbon, click Display Outputs > Rays. - Or - In the Output Tree, right-click Rays > Add Rays.
3. In the Choose Number of Rays text box, enter a number between 1 and 25 to indicate the number of rays you want to see in the graphics area from each source.
4. In the Choose a color dropdown menu, select the color you want to apply to the rays. 5. To isolate the rays you want to see, under Filter rays, select the appropriate options for the
sources, detectors, and components. 6. Click OK.
Note: If you do not add rays to the graphics area before running a ray trace, LensMechanix automatically adds a ray output to the graphics area by using the default settings of 25 rays and the Color by Source option enabled.
About caching a rendered system during a ray trace When you run a full ray trace for the first time, LensMechanix renders and caches the optomechanical
system in memory. When you run a second ray trace, LensMechanix evaluates what components have
changed and updates only changed components in the prototype. Components without any changes are
not recreated, so that the time it takes for LensMechanix to run a subsequent full ray trace is greatly
reduced.
Filter rays The ray filtering engine in LensMechanix helps you analyze and troubleshoot the optomechanical design.
Filtering rays enables you to isolate rays in the graphics area based on certain behavioral criteria, such as the source of the rays, and the components and detectors that the rays interact with or do not interact with.
To filter rays
• Select 1 to 250 rays that meet the criteria you set in the Rays. For example, you can see how 50 rays are impacting a specific component, or you can see 20 rays that are resulting in beam clipping.
Animate rays When a ray trace is completed, you can watch rays travel through the system by animating them. Ray
animation is useful for determining which features of the mechanical components interact with light
first, so that you can make changes to those components first. Stray light issues can be resolved
efficiently if you focus on modifying the first component that light interacts with unintentionally. These
are typically mechanical components.
• In the Ray Animation window, select the settings that you want.
Speed: You can select the length of time it takes to play the animation from start to finish.
• Slow: 15 seconds
• Medium: 10 seconds
• Fast: 5 seconds
Loop Animation: When you select this check box, the animation continues to play.
Play and pause: You can pause the animation at any point to see where rays are interacting.
Step Forward and Step Back: You can step through the animation in very fine increments.
Progress bar: You can move forward or backward in the animation by dragging the icon across the
animation progress bar.
Tools to identify stray light LensMechanix includes several features to help you identify stray light. These tools include Optical Performance Summary (OPS), ray filtering, surface power, and the Image Viewer.
Optical Performance Summary - Compares the performance of your complete system to the performance of the original OpticStudio design. OPS measures spot size, beam clipping, and image contamination to determine the success or failure of the system after you run a ray trace. You can change performance tolerances directly in the OPS; the OPS will then indicate if you are in the allowable range. Red indicates failure; green indicates success. Ray filtering - Isolates rays in the graphics area based on the criteria you choose, including the source of the rays, and the components and detectors that the rays do or do not interact with. Surface power - Graphically displays the intensity of light that falls on a specific mechanical or optical component. Select a component, and then run a ray trace. Image Viewer - Shows your image side by side with the original image input. Image Viewer is an approximation that is intended for qualitative analysis, not quantitative analysis. It is useful for assessing stray light, field of view, or beam clipping. The Image Viewer does not produce measured data, such as resolution or energy. To improve the quality of the output of the Image Viewer, increase your precision settings in the Prototype settings (Ribbon > Start Prototype > Create Prototype Wizard). We recommend that you run at least 1 million rays by selecting setting 3.
About the Optical Performance Summary (OPS)
The Optical Performance Summary (OPS) in LensMechanix compares the optical performance of your design during different stages. The OPS aggregates optical performance metrics into single numeric outputs so you can assess the performance of the system on a pass/fail basis.
The OPS is most relevant for evaluating imaging systems. The performance metrics used in the OPS may not be relevant to non-imaging products, including many non-sequential designs. Additionally, if the design is non-sequential, the OpticStudio baseline is grayed out. We recommend that you use the other analysis and validation tools in LensMechanix to analyze non-imaging designs. LensMechanix uses four types of output measurements: spot size, beam clipping, and image contamination.
Spot size - Refers to the RMS spot radius of any field detector. The number in the LensMechanix cells represents the largest change in root mean square (RMS) spot radius for any source. This number is not the RMS spot size; it is the largest measured change for that field detector.
Beam clipping - Measures the decrease in light that follows the intended path through the system. The intended path is determined by the paths that go from each source to the detectors in the baseline ray trace. If any rays do not follow one of the original paths from a source to the detector, they are considered clipped. The number in both LensMechanix cells represent the decrease in rays that no longer terminate on a detector as a percentage of total initial rays.
Image contamination - Measures the total amount of unintended light that impacts the image plane. LensMechanix determines the unintended light by comparing the baseline performance to the output of a new ray trace. Any light hitting a detector that is not present in the original system is
considered unintended. The numbers in the LensMechanix Baseline cell and the LensMechanix Output cell represent the percentage increase of unintended light on any detector compared to the total power of the system. LensMechanix generates this number by tracing light from all sources and then evaluating the total amount of light that does not follow the intended path but that reaches a detector.
To determine pass or fail, LensMechanix requires four inputs: allowable delta, OpticStudio baseline, LensMechanix baseline, and LensMechanix output.
Allowable delta - Determines how much your measured data can change before the optical performance of your system fails. By default, LensMechanix sets the performance tolerances at 1, regardless of your optical system. We recommend that you change these values in the Allowable delta page based on the optical design requirements. For accurate results, get the performance tolerances from your optical engineer and manually enter them in the three boxes on this page.
OpticStudio Baseline - This data set is generated from the OpticStudio design after conversion to non-sequential mode during the loading process. The OpticStudio Baseline serves as a performance baseline to compare the optical output of the design for your analysis. If you load a non-sequential design from OpticStudio, you do not need an OpticStudio baseline. As a result, this cell is blank and grayed out.
LensMechanix Baseline - This data set is generated from only the optical components in your design for spot size, beam clipping, and image contamination. If you load a non-sequential file from OpticStudio, the LensMechanix baseline serves as a performance baseline to compare the optical output of the design for your analysis.
LensMechanix Output - This data is generated from both the optical and mechanical components in the design for spot size, beam clipping, and image contamination.
The OPS uses a ray trace to establish a baseline performance for the system. LensMechanix then compares the output of the ray trace to the performance of the system during later design stages. The allowable delta determines the maximum change in any one measurement when the measurement is compared to the baseline data. Any change in performance is assumed to be undesirable. So, if a change in performance measurement is larger than the allowable delta for that metric, LensMechanix considers the performance to have failed, and the corresponding cell is filled in red. If the change in performance measurement is less than the allowable delta for that metric, LensMechanix considers the performance to have passed, and the cell is filled in green.
About visualizing data in the Optical Performance Summary LensMechanix compares the results of the OpticStudio baseline, the LensMechanix baseline, and the
LensMechanix output. The OPS provides this comparison for three optical design checkpoints.
Show Diagrams (Spot Size) - Displays the output of the spot detectors in a bitmap. The scale shows the
irradiance on each field point detector relative to the number of rays used. The OpticStudio baseline
typically uses more rays in its calculation, which makes the spot diagram’s scale bar different. To
normalize the scale bars with respect to the maximum of each dataset, select the Equal Color Scales
check box.
Show Ray Paths (Beam clipping) - Displays the order in which rays interact with components as they
propagate through the system. Any path that includes an object number corresponding to a mechanical
component is considered clipped.
Show Ray Paths (Image contamination) - Displays the order in which rays interact with components as
they flow through the complete system.
Resolve common issues using the OPS The three pages in the OPS provide information about spot size, beam clipping, and image contamination in your optomechanical system. Many times, you can use the OPS to detect and resolve issues before you send the complete system to the optical engineer to validate.
Spot size - Deviations from the ideal spot size likely stem from a change in the position of one or more optical components from the loaded OpticStudio file. These deviations may be caused by space constraints or the use of differently sized mechanical components when you investigated tolerancing. In the following two images, the spacing between two lens elements was changed by 0.1 mm. The calculated spot size from the full ray trace is significantly different from the original spot size that LensMechanix calculated during the baseline ray trace.
The change in spot size is apparent when you click Show Diagrams on the Spot Size page:
Beam clipping -When a ray follows an unintended path during a full ray trace, LensMechanix identifies it as beam clipping. We recommend that you investigate the mechanical components as the primary source of beam clipping.
If you click Show Ray Paths on to the Beam clipping page, you can see the specific sources that are affected and how many unintended paths are present. In the following image, all paths except paths 1, 2, and 3 are unintended paths and are considered clipped.
Image contamination - As LensMechanix traces rays, it monitors both the amount of light and the
order in which light interacts with the objects in the optomechanical system. The Image
contamination page displays a change in the amount of stray light that goes through the system and
reaches a detector. If you click Show Ray paths on the Image contamination page, you can see a
path analysis report. This report indicates the total amount of flux through the system. The report
also summarizes the relative flux of each path and the object sequence in the path. You can use this
information to better understand how stray light is behaving in your optomechanical system.
Troubleshoot spot size, beam clipping, or image contamination issues After you run a full ray trace, the results appear in the OPS. You can troubleshoot the measurement for
spot size, beam clipping, or image contamination by clicking the corresponding button on the OPS.
To troubleshoot the spot size measurement:
1. On the Spot size page, click Compare Ray Traces.
2. In the Compare to OpticStudio Baseline dialog box, compare the data that appears in the
LensMechanix Output cell to the original data in the OpticStudio Baseline cell.
In the following example, changes to the overfill source, temperature, and lens position of object 7
appear in the LensMechanix Output cell.
To troubleshoot the beam clipping measurement:
• On the Beam clipping page, click Display Clipped Rays. In the graphics area, you now see rays
from all sources that hit any mechanical components and miss the Detector Color. The ray filter
also displays rays that hit any optical components that are defined as ABSORB, which terminates
the rays.
To troubleshoot the image contamination measurement:
• On the Image contamination page, click Display Contaminating Rays. In the graphics area, you
now see rays from all sources that hit any mechanical components, miss any Detector Rectangle,
and hit the Detector Color.
Note: You can edit the ray filters that appear in the Output Tree for your analysis. For example, the
following screenshot shows five display rays that can all use different ray filters.
Understanding allowable delta
The allowable delta is a performance tolerance for your design. You can manually change the three allowable deltas in the Allowable delta page. These values indicate the success or failure of your design by defining the maximum change in your measured metrics when LensMechanix compares your baseline data to a LensMechanix output. We recommend that you obtain the allowable deltas from the optical engineer.
Why don’t I have an OpticStudio baseline? An OpticStudio baseline can come only from a sequential file from OpticStudio; it cannot be generated in LensMechanix. If you want a baseline, use the LensMechanix baseline instead. You can be confident that the performance in LensMechanix will be the same as it was in non-sequential mode in OpticStudio.
Validate the performance of a design from a sequential or non-sequential file To get the best results when validating the performance of your designs in the OPS, follow the steps in the order below. Correcting one issue can change the results downstream, so attempting to address issues out of order can create problems. At any step, if your design does not meet the specifications, resolve the issue first, before you move to the next step. Note: The order of steps differs, depending on whether the design came from a sequential file or a non-sequential file.
To validate the performance of a design from a sequential file:
1. In the OpticStudio Baseline cell, verify that you have a baseline data set, which is indicated by
green check marks.
2. Obtain the allowable deltas from the OpticStudio user, and then manually enter them in the
Allowable Δ page.
3. In the Ribbon, click Run Ray Trace.
4. In the Run Ray Trace, select Baseline ray trace and click Run.
5. In the LensMechanix Baseline cell, verify that spot size cell is green, which indicates that the
design meets the specification.
6. In the LensMechanix Baseline cell, verify that beam clipping meets the specification.
7. In the LensMechanix Baseline cell, verify that image contamination meets the specification.
8. In the Ribbon, click Run Ray Trace.
9. In the Run Ray Trace, select Full ray trace and click Run.
10. In the OPS, verify that spot size meets the specification.
11. In the OPS, verify that beam clipping meets the specification.
12. In the OPS, verify that image contamination meets the specification.
If your design does not meet specifications in the LensMechanix Baseline cell, contact the OpticStudio user to verify that the as-designed optical system meets the performance requirements after it was converted to non-sequential. Note: If you are using the overfill clear aperture function in the analysis type control, always validate the system without overfilling the clear aperture first. After the base system is validated, you can overfill the clear aperture and reanalyze the system in the OPS. The measurements in the OPS are likely to change when the aperture is overfilled. It is up to you or the OpticStudio user to determine if the changes are acceptable. To validate the performance of a design from a non-sequential file:
1. Obtain the allowable deltas from the OpticStudio user, and then manually enter them in the
Allowable Δ page (Prototype Settings > Allowable Δ).
2. In the Ribbon, click Run Ray Trace.
3. In the Run Ray Trace window, click Baseline ray trace and Full ray trace and click Run.
4. In the OPS, verify that spot size meets the specification.
5. In the OPS, verify that beam clipping meets the specification.
6. In the OPS, verify that image contamination meets the specification.
Generating a report from the Optical Performance Summary To generate a report in LensMechanix:
1. In the Ribbon, click Generate Files > Generate Report.
2. Select the data to include in your report and then save the report.
The report will open in a LensMechanix template. If you cannot open a .docx file, LensMechanix
saves the report as an RTF file, which you can open with WordPad; however, some of the
template formatting may be lost.
About the Image Viewer The Image Viewer is designed to help you assess the image quality of your complete design by showing your image side by side with the original image input. Image Viewer is an approximation that is intended for qualitative analysis, not quantitative analysis. It is useful for assessing stray light, field of view, or beam clipping. The Image Viewer does not produce measured data, such as resolution or energy. Tip: To improve the quality of the output of the Image Viewer, increase your precision settings in the Prototype settings (Ribbon > Prototype Settings > Precision Settings). We recommend that you run at least 1 million rays by selecting setting 3.
About power throughput
Power throughput calculates the amount of power that passes through an optical or optomechanical
system. The amount of power that enters a system (flux in) is defined by the sources in the OpticStudio
design. The amount of power that makes it through the system to the detectors is called flux out.
LensMechanix divides the total power lost into two numbers: power lost to optical components and
power lost to mechanical components. The power that is lost due to optical components is caused by
internal reflections, absorption, and thin film or coating effects of the optical components. The power
that is lost due to mechanical components is caused by reflections and absorption of the mechanical
components.
Review the power throughput in your system To view the power throughput of your system:
1. Run a full ray trace. 2. Click Display Outputs > Power Throughput.
Create an OpticStudio output file LensMechanix can create a Zemax archive file (ZAR), which includes the geometry and settings from the last ray trace. A ZAR file can be opened in OpticStudio using the Load Archive feature in OpticStudio. To have changes reflected in the output file, run another full ray trace before saving your file.
1. In the Ribbon, click Generate Files. 2. Click Save OpticStudio Output. 3. In the Save Output As dialog box, click Browse to find the location where you want to export
the file. Note: If you run a baseline ray trace, none of the mechanical geometry is included in the output file.
Save a multi-configuration output file After you analyze different configurations, you can save an OpticStudio output file with multiple
configurations. This enables you to share all design configurations with your optical engineer in one file.
1. In the LensMechanix tab, in the Generate Files dropdown, click Save Multi-configuration OpticStudio Output.
2. In the Select Prototypes to Save dialog box, select the check boxes for the designs that you want to include in the output file.
3. Click Save As. 4. In the Save OpticStudio Output dialog box, click Browse to find the location where you want to
save the file.
Create manufacturing drawings You can create 2D Creo drawings in LensMechanix for standard and aspheric lenses to communicate how your design should be manufactured. You can then modify them with other views and dimensions.
1. In the Ribbon, click Generate Files > Generate Drawing. 2. In the Drawing window, select the components that you want drawings of, and click the green
check mark.
A drawing is created for each lens selected.
Based on the ISO 10110 specification, the drawing template displays dimensions, coatings, material information, and other information about the lens.
