Has anyone played around with optics software?

[loccdor]

I have some interest in playing around with software that lets you construct/arrange lenses to improve my understanding of the topic. Has anyone here tried that and might have some software to recommend?

 

[Chan Tran]

I don't have any such software.

 

[koraks]

Has anyone here tried that and might have some software to recommend?

OSN: WinLens3D Basic - free lens design software - optical design, zoom, raytrace, lens, prism, mirror, aspherics, tilt & decenter, solid model, autofocus, glass map, gaussian beam

WinLens3D Basic: lens design software. Free version of the WinLens3D optical design package, which provides serious design and analysis tools for optical engineer, student or designer.

www.opticalsoftware.net

I've only looked into it briefly, some time ago, but never really pushed through. Well, not yet in any case.

 

[bernard_L]

For a short project (time limit) this might be worth a look. A student version of a classic package.

Ansys Zemax OpticStudio Student | Free Software Download

Ansys Zemax OpticStudio Student: Free access for students to design and analyze optical systems, gain skills for future careers in optics.

www.ansys.com

More generally, before investing your time in the learning curve of a "free" (as in free beer) package check ahead the limitations:

• number of surfaces
• save a session?
• time limit
• is there an optimizer?

Ansys Zemax OpticStudio Student | Free Software Download

Ansys Zemax OpticStudio Student: Free access for students to design and analyze optical systems, gain skills for future careers in optics.

www.ansys.com

 

[Mr Bill]

I have some interest in playing around with software that lets you construct/arrange lenses to improve my understanding of the topic. Has anyone here tried that and might have some software to recommend?

About 20-some years back I sorta dredged into this sort of thing; we had some "needs" at the outfit where I worked. I kinda discovered that in photographic-type optics it seems to function at two different levels, with little in between. The first level is where photographers might operate - "here is a focal length" and "here is how to calculate lens extension," and that sort of thing. Maybe working with "index of refraction" and that sort of thing.

The second level of these things, in my view, is in actual lens design, where it turns out that everything in the "first level" was an approximation. For example, if you buy a single lens element from an optical house it will probably be spec'd with a focal length and perhaps refractive index, etc. But... it turns out that the "focal length" was only for what they call "paraxial rays," a narrow zone close to the lens axis. And the refractive index is only for one specific "color" of light (for each other color the index varies slightly). So when using lens design software you have to spec out both a "glass type" and radius of spherical surfaces, etc., for each lens element. The given glass type probably comes from a glass makers catalog, where the pertinent characteristics are known, and the lens design software utilizes this info. During the process of modern lens design it's normal to have the software optimize the design, using constraints that you give it. So you need some level of knowledge to be able to direct it.

Looking at some of your (OP) posts, my guess is that the lens design software will be a bit over your head, and not very useful to you. But if you wanna give it a shot I'd concur with Bernard on Zemax. It may well "time out" before you become knowledgeable enough to really use it.

I personally started out with a handful of optical books (not cheap). The one I found most useful, by far, was Warren J Smith's Modern Optical Engineering, which can now be found fairly cheaply. But, different people learn differently, so I'd suggest first having a look at a library copy.