Slave to the Game

The ZEMAX Optical Design Program is a comprehensive software tool for optical design. ZEMAX integrates all the features required to conceptualize, design, optimize, analyze, tolerance, and document virtually any optical system.

All of these powerful features are integrated into an intuitive user interface. ZEMAX offers power, speed, flexibility, ease of use, and value in one comprehensive program.

Two different ZEMAX editions

Two different editions of ZEMAX are available: ZEMAX-SE and ZEMAX-EE. The differences between these two editions is described in the feature summary . Some features described are only available in the EE editions of ZEMAX. Not all features available in ZEMAX are mentioned on this page. If you have a special requirement or need a feature not listed, please call for more information.

ZEMAX can model both sequential and non-sequential imaging and non-imaging systems, as described below.

Sequential ray tracing

Most imaging systems are well described by a sequential list of surfaces; each of which defines the boundary between one media and the next. Rays are traced from the object surface to each surface in a specific sequential order.

Optical systems such as camera lenses, telescopes, and microscopes are well described by this model. Sequential ray tracing offers many advantages for these systems, such as ray tracing speed, generality of surface shapes and properties, and straightforward optimization and tolerancing.

Optical surfaces in ZEMAX may be reflective, refractive, or diffractive. In addition, surface properties such as variable transmission due to thin film coatings may be modeled in detail.

The bulk media between surfaces may be homogeneous, such as common glass or air. Media may also be of an arbitrary gradient index form; where the index is any complex function of position, wavelength, temperature, or other properties. Birefringent materials, where the index is a function of polarization state and ray angle are also supported.

Many surface and media types are predefined and ready to use in ZEMAX. All properties of surfaces, including shape, refraction, reflection, index, gradient index, thermal, polarization, transmission, and diffraction are user definable.

Non-sequential ray tracing

Many important optical systems cannot be well described by the sequential ray trace model, such as complex prisms, light pipes, illumination systems, faceted reflectors, non-imaging systems, or objects of arbitrary shape. Also, scattering and stray light cannot usually be modeled with sequential analysis.

These systems require a non-sequential ray trace, where the ray may strike any object in any order. Non-sequential ray tracing allows more detailed analysis of light propagation, including light that is scattered or partially reflected. ZEMAX splits rays striking any surface into multiple scattered or reflected rays, then propagates all the resulting rays.

When performing non-sequential ray tracing, ZEMAX uses 3D solid models of optical components, and can trace rays through any solid shape. Scattering, diffraction, gradient index, polarization, and thin films are all supported.

ZEMAX performs non-sequential analysis using photometric or radiometric units.

Sequential and non-sequential systems

ZEMAX supports sequential and non-sequential ray tracing in the same system, if desired. Sequential surfaces may be mixed with non-sequential objects of arbitrary shape, orientation, or position. The ability to handle both types of optical systems within a simple, consistent interface makes ZEMAX the ideal tool for virtually any optical design problem.