Zemax OpticStudio
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OpticStudio is the pinnacle of optical and illumination design software, an evolution engineered by Zemax. The intuitive user interface combined with a comprehensive array of features and unmatched functionality make OpticStudio the preferred design platform for engineers...
Cost / License
- Paid
- Proprietary
Platforms
- Windows
Features
Zemax OpticStudio News & Activities
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Recent activities
opticsketch added Zemax OpticStudio as alternative to Optic Sketch
Zemax OpticStudio information
Developed by
Zemax, LLC Licensing
Proprietary and Commercial product.Alternatives
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Comments and Reviews
I've been a Zemax "power user" for over a decade. It used to be an excellent platform for physics based optical design. (I also tried LightTools initially, but preferred the Zemax "spreadsheet-like" parameter entry over the LightTools "solidworks-like" design flow). The key advantage of Zemax is that they have the back-door open: they define an interface to write your own DLL code, so that you can define new primitives for the raytrace & graphical interface engines. I have had fair business writing these DLL inserts for clients for many years. Several years ago, the Zemax team (new ownership?) rewrote their core code from a compact and highly efficient WIN32 based platform to a modern bloatware monstrosity using .NET. As a consultant who services application users of Zemax, I found the business dropping rapidly, and all my remaining clients are still using old (WIN32) versions. They only support Windows, and have resisted all requests to support a Linux version. It is an excellent engineering tool, but I remain a solid user of the old WIN32 versions.
(Edit: Aside from LightTools, which I found unsuitable, I have not found any equiv optical design tool. Like many of my colleagues in optical design, I still do much of my work with custom code. )
[Edited by jeff123, January 26]