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Ansys Zemax OpticStudio Student - Free Software Download

Ansys Zemax OpticStudio Student offers free access for students to gain hands-on experience in designing and analyzing optical systems, preparing them for future careers in optics. Students will have access to an intuitive interface and powerful tools with extensive materials and optical elements libraries, enabling them to simulate real-world scenarios accurately, aiding their understanding of optics fundamentals, and enhancing their problem-solving skills. Students can explore different design options, optimize for performance and manufacturability, and seamlessly integrate with other programs for efficient workflows. Ansys Zemax OpticStudio Student provides invaluable learning, equipping students with skills and knowledge for success in optical engineering.

Terms of Use: Free student downloads are for educational use only and may only be used for self-learning, student instruction, student projects, and student demonstrations.

(Built-in license valid until 07/31/2025)

Before Installing:

  1. Ensure that your computer meets the technical requirements necessary to run the software. Please see the platform support document for details.
  2. Ensure you have administrator privileges for the computer you are installing this product.
  3. Uninstall any existing Ansys products present on your computer.
  4. The Ansys Zemax OpticStudio Student installation will overwrite any existing installations.
  5. Please visit our Ansys Learning Forum for additional assistance.

Installation steps for the Ansys Zemax OpticStudio Student:

  1. Extract (unzip) the downloaded installation files.
  2. Right-click setup.exe and select Run as Administrator (this will run setup.exe from the extracted files).
  3. Read and accept the clickwrap to continue.
  4. Click the right arrow button to accept the default values throughout the installation.
  5. Click the exit button to close the installer.
  6. The Ansys Zemax OpticStudio Student software is now installed.

Reboot your machine and next run the Ansys Zemax OpticStudio using the 'Run As Administrator' option from the Ansys Zemax OpticStudio folder in your Start menu.

Supported Platforms and Operating Systems:

  • Microsoft Windows 10 or higher, 64-bit
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2016 or higher

Minimum Hardware Requirements:

  • Intel or AMD processor. Multiple core processors recommended for optimal performance
  • 2GB system memory and 2GB per processor core recommended for optimal performance
  • Graphics card that supports DirectX 11.0 and 512MB Video RAM
  • Disk drive with 2.2GB space free for the initial download and installation. 100GB free recommended for working and temporary files
  • Minimum display resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels (Full HD 1920 x 1080 recommended)
  • Two-button mouse with the scroll wheel or equivalent trackpad
  • Non-sequential mode is not supported: no support for non-sequential ray tracing or any non-sequential features
  • Programming functionality (ZPL, ZOS-API, User Defined DLLs) is not supported
  • STAR is not supported
  • Optimization limitations:
    • Contrast Optimization and High-Yield Optimization are not supported
    • Global Optimization is not supported
    • Hammer Optimization is limited to 1 minute of runtime
  • Tolerancing limitations:
    • Tolerancing scripts are not supported
    • Tolerancing using the Merit Function as a criterion is not supported
  • Only 1 instance of Ansys Zemax OpticStudio can be used at a time
  • No more than 4 CPU cores are available for computation
  • Several features related to advanced design and design for manufacture (including Part Designer, Stock Lens Matching, Quick Yield Tolerancing, and Stray Light Analysis tools) are not supported
  • In all cases, features and capabilities that are unsupported will remain in the UI (when appropriate) but be grayed out and unavailable for use

Twelve-month lease.

  • Setup
    • Conventional, difractive, freeform, and idealized surfaces
    • Solves
  • Image Quality
    • Spot Diagram
    • Ray aberration plots, Seidel tables, etc.
    • Grid Distortion
    • Relative Illumination
    • Field Curvature and Distortion
    • Point Spread Function (PSF) and Modulation Transfer Function (MTF)
    • Difraction Encircled Energy
    • Geometric Image Analysis
    • Image Simulation
  • Laser and Fibers
    • Physical Optics Propagation
    • Gaussian Beams
  • Optimization
    • Merit Function
    • Optimization Wizard
    • Local Optimization
    • Hammer Optimization
  • Tolerancing
    • Sensitivity and Inverse Sensitivity
    • Monte Carlo
  • Vendor libraries including Materials Catalog and Stock Lens Catalog

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The Getting Started Guide serves as a good introduction or refresher for new and returning users of OpticStudio. This series of videos covers the working principles behind OpticStudio, including how to input, analyze, and optimize systems. It also provides a brief look ahead at the program's more complex capabilities.

 

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