Mixed Mode
Mixed mode is a combination of sequential and non-sequential mode, and utilizes sequential ray tracing with NSC objects. NSC objects can be added to a sequential system by inserting a Non-sequential Component surface into the Lens Data Editor. See "NSC ray tracing in mixed mode" for more information.
Discussion
For all sequential analyses to work for a Mixed Mode system, all the rays that pass through
the entrance port must also pass through the exit port. Analyses that only use rays may
work even if the condition is not satisfied, such as Spot Diagrams. Another set of analyses
may work so long as the "reference rays" trace correctly, such as the Huygen's PSF. (The
reference rays are the rays located at 0, +/-Y and +/-X of the stop). But for all
sequential analyses to work reliably, all rays must encounter both the entrance and exit
ports. For systems that "lose" rays in the nonsequential region, because they don't
encounter the nonsequential object, there are possible workarounds:
- Users could define a UDA in sequential mode before the mixed-mode entrance port that filters out rays that won't hit the nonsequential objects.
- Users may be able to define optics inside the nonsequential region that redirect the lost rays to the exit port, and then block those rays at a surface after the exit port."