Optical Design Exchange Overview

The following page provide you with an overview of the Optical Design Exchange to help you understand how to use it in the context of Speos.

Context

In the design of imaging systems, analyzing stray light and assessing image quality require to consider the lens geometries and the opto-mechanical elements that constrain them.

Ghost analysis is typically performed in Ansys Zemax OpticStudio during the design of the free-floating lenses. Then, the optical design created with Ansys Zemax OpticStudio can be imported into Speosto perform stray light analysis using the Speos capabilities:
  • Using the CAD in which Speos is integrated you can add the opto-mechanical elements or modify the lenses to apply mechanical constraints.
  • You can perform the stray light analysis while considering the opto-mechanical elements.
Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3

Optical design and optimization

Ghost analysis in Ansys Zemax OpticStudio

Optical design import to Speos

(geometries, optical properties and sensors)

Optomechanical design

Stray light analysis of the complete system in a virtual scene

In Speos

Speos provides you with the Optical Design Exchange feature which allows you to import a complete optical lens design created in Ansys Zemax OpticStudio.

The Optical Design Exchange feature imports the following elements from Ansys Zemax OpticStudio:
  • Geometries
  • Optical properties
  • Imager
A new component corresponding to the elements imported using the Optical Design Exchange feature is added to the SpaceClaim Structure tree:
  • One geometry is created per body
  • One origin is created per imager position.

A list of objects and surfaces corresponding to the Optical Properties definition and lens characteristics of each geometry imported is added as children of the Optical Design Exchange feature of the Speos Simulation tree.

Irradiance sensors are created in the Speos Simulation tree to correspond to the imagers of the system.

Characteristics

  • The Optical Design Exchange (ODX) feature can be included:

    • in a Light Box Export

      The Light Box can be black-boxed.

    • directly in a simulation as geometry.
Important: The ODX feature is linked to the generated geometries (lenses, surfaces). However the generated geometries are not linked to the ODX feature. This means that no material properties are defined by default on these geometries.

  • To consider the ODX geometries (with all information from the *.odx file) in a simulation, select the ODX component from the Speos Simulation panel.

    Indeed, when selecting the geometries of the ODX component from the Structure panel or the 3D view, material definition (from the *.odx file) is not included in the simulation.

  • As no material property is defined by default on the generated geometries (listed in the Structure panel), you cannot apply specific features such as a 3D Irradiance sensor or output face of an Irradiance sensor on these geometries.

    If you still want to do so, you need to apply the optical properties equivalent to optical properties contained in the *.odx file, to the ODX geometries.

  • To avoid propagation error, do not select an ODX component and its generated geometries in the same simulation or Speos Light Box Export.

Limitations

  • Speos applies an Optical Polished surface optical property when no surface optical property (coating) is specified on a face in Ansys Zemax OpticStudio. This may lead to unwanted Speos simulation results. Make sure optical properties are applied in Ansys Zemax OpticStudio to avoid such issues.

  • Speos may generate unexpected simulation results if integrated rays are outside of the wavelength range defined. Therefore, when defining sources and sensors in a simulation containing the imported optical design system, make sure to consider the spectral range of the Optical Design Exchange feature.

    This warning can be activated/deactivated.

Generic Workflow

Design Creation Stage

  1. You create the optical design system using Ansys Zemax OpticStudio.

    When creating the system, you must apply surface properties to Annulus surface. We recommend you to use the "ABSORB" material. Otherwise Speos will not be able to read the surface correctly.

    The STOP surface has no optical property and is considered as absorbent.

  2. You export the optical design system in a readable file for Speos (*.odx).

    The *.odx file includes the geometries of the system with their position and orientation, the position and orientation of the imager, the materials and coatings used in the system.

Import and Checking Stage

  1. In Speos, you import and position the optical design system contained in the *.odx file using the Optical Design Exchange feature.

    Ansys Zemax OpticStudio is not needed to import the *.odx file.

  2. You compute the Optical Design Exchange feature.

    A list of elements are created in the Speos Simulation tree and in the SpaceClaim Structure tree.

  3. You must verify that each SpaceClaim geometry (Structure tree) is correctly associated to their Speos Objects and Surfaces (Speos Simulation tree).
  4. You must verify the optical properties of Speos Objects and Surfaces are associated to the correct geometry.

Design Use and Analysis Stage

Once the Optical Design Exchange feature is created and all the elements imported:

  1. According to the goal of the project:

    1. You start designing the opto-mechanical parts, or, import opto-mechanical parts designed in other CAD platforms.

      -and/or-

    2. You modify the lenses geometry of the system to apply mechanical constraints.

    3. If needed, you can add Face Optical Properties (FOP) to the geometries.

      In this case, the default surface properties on the selected faces of the ODX feature geometries will be overridden by the FOP that has been defined on them.

  2. You define a specific Meshing directly on the Optical Design Exchange feature.
  3. You create a Simulation (Interactive, Direct, Inverse):
    1. Add Sources.
    2. Add the Irradiance Sensors imported from *.odx file and other sensors if necessary.

    3. Add the Optical Design Exchange feature to the Geometries list and other geometries if necessary.

      Adding the Optical Design Exchange feature only adds the geometries (modified or not) imported from the *.odx file. If opto-mechanical geometries have to be added, they need to be selected from the SpaceClaim Structure tree.

  4. Once the simulation is defined, you run the simulation.
  5. You analyze the result using the Speos tools and workflow (Light Expert, Stray Light Analysis, Virtual Photometric Lab, Virtual Human Vision Lab).