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OpTaliX Version History

Obsolete Versions 5.xx


Versions 7.xx
Version 5.98
(16-March-2005)
  • Coating target editor is now resizable.
  • Selection of optical spectra in the configuration editor has been improved. This avoids zero weights at the spectrum limits.
  • Marker sizes in spot diagrams can now be adjusted via the preferences option (select "Misc" tab). See also the SPMS command.
  • Various improvements to the coating section:
    - "OTC" extensions are now automatically appended if not specified,
    - the working directory for coatings is now memorized,
    - layer variables are now shifted on inserting/deleting layers,
    - material and thickness pickups have been added to coatings.
  • The OSP command (optical spectrum) now works again. A small glitch was erroneously re-introduced in earlier versions.
  • An update problem with the surface editor has been resolved. Previously, moving the mouse from an external window or a dialog to a cell in the surface editor and directly entering a new value did not update system data. This is now corrected.
  • Various minor corrections.
Version 5.97
(20-Feb-2005)
  • Importing lens data from Code V, Zemax or Oslo now creates a log-file of unrecognized commands. The location of the log file is hard wired at $i\temp\import.log.
  • In Code V import, field colours defined by "CLS FLD" are now recognized and correctly imported/exported.
  • In zoomed systems, conic constants (K) and higher order aspheric coefficients (A, B, C, D, ...) were not correctly identified as optimization variables. Now fixed.
  • Improved scrolling speed with large grids such as in surface editor or coating editor.
  • Cells in editor windows are now updated in real-time when scrolled by dragging the scrollbar. Previously editor windows were only updated after release of mouse button.
  • Menu columns in editor windows now have a less cluttered appearance.
  • Resizable dialogs now automatically display a resize grip in the bottom right corner. This provides a useful cue to the user that a dialog is resizeable.
  • Multiple cells can now be selected in editor windows. Drag the mouse pointer or use Shift in combination with the arrow keys or other navigation keys.
  • The font size can now be changed immediately. It is no longer necessary to restart the program.
  • Path names up to 256 characters are now supported. Previously path lengths were limited to 128 characters.
  • In user-defined graphics (UGR), some functions/commands were not correctly parsed. Now corrected.
Version 5.94
(3-Feb-2005)
  • MTF was not correctly updated on change of number of wavelengths.
  • MTF-plots now use Akima interpolation for drawing MTF-curves. This avoids overshooting and spurious negative plot values.
  • Interpolation of optical spectra (see OSP command) now also uses the Akima interpolation method, thus, giving a more natural approximation of the spectral distribution. As with MTF plots indicated above, this avoids overshooting effects.
  • The definition of colours in field and coating plots has been greatly improved and is now also accessible from the command line. See CLS FLD command for fields and CLS COA for coating plots.
  • Minor improvements to the PSF XY plot. In particular, PSF-data can now saved to a predefined file (\optalix\temp\psfxy.txt)
  • Wavefront analysis (WAV) erroneously included aperture weighting (WTA) which should only take effect in optimization. Now corrected.
Version 5.91
(14-Jan-2005) 		Maintenance update:
  • In temperature analyses, the index of air was sometimes not correctly updated with temperature change. This effect was very small and was normally not noticeable.
  • Changing zoomed parameters from the command line was partially not reflected in surface editor and zoom editor.
  • In some plots, scaling of axes disappeared. This bug was erroneously re-introduced. Now corrected.
Version 5.90
(4-Jan-2005) 		New Features:
  • A series of design tips has started, which provide additional information and tricks on designing optical systems using special or advanced techniques available in OpTaliX.
  • Zoom positions can now be inserted, deleted and copied from the command line. See the commands "INS zi..j", "DEL zi..j" and "COP zi..j".
  • It is now posible to change zoomed parameters for each position individually from the command line. Previously, the whole zoom command (for all positions) had to be entered or the zoom editor must be invoked.
  • In coating transmission/reflection plots, optimization (refinement) targets can now be plotted.
  • Hole aperture elements are now supported on sequential and non-sequential surfaces. Rays are unaffected if hitting a surface within a hole aperture. See APE command and options.
  • Import/export from/to Code V now supports global coordinate references.
  • Illumination data are now saved with the lens prescription data.
  • Coating materials can now be conveniently edited, created or deleted in a spreadheet like editor. See EDI CMAT command.
  • Arbitrary aperture shapes can now be defined by intensity filters loaded from bitmap files (BMP, PCX or PNG). This option is accessible via the INT option.

Bugs fixed:
  • Inserting/deleting surfaces could corrupt optimization constraints if composed of functions or variables.
  • SPS/UDS coefficients were not updated in the corresponding editor window after an optimization run.
  • ZDE variable was not recognized in the optimization variables editor. This could result in a loss of this variable.
  • The optical pathlength on hologram surfaces was incorrectly computed if the hologram was attached to a non-sequential surface.
Version 5.85
(25-Nov-2004)
  • Inserting a new position in the zoom editor now fills the new position with the contents of the adjacent position. This avoids inappropriate parameters for that position which may lead to spurious error messages.
  • A new command "ECHO Y|N" has been added. It enables/disables echoing of commands in the text window.
  • Coating designs from the TFCalc thin-film package can now be imported.
  • Added arrow icons to Quadrant analysis (QUA) window for easier browsing through zoom positions.
  • The surface type is now reflected in the labels of other tabs (aspheres, decenter, etc) in the surface editor. This supports easier identification of surfaces.
  • Spherical aberration in the FIE plot was plotted with wrong sign.
  • Minor corrections to FIE plot.
  • Corrected DXF export.
  • The crash of the surface editor on inserting surfaces (as reported in the previous release) has now been corrected.
  • Drawing of object surface in lens draw is now suppressed if the object is at infinity.
  • Minor improvements on transmission analysis with "default" (MgF2) coatings.
  • In optimization, user defined functions were not correctly identified if used as targets to be minimized. Now fixed.
Version 5.82
(14-Nov-2004)
  • Photorealistic rendering of ghost effects is now possible. Creates a RGB-image of all possible surface combinations which may contribute to ghost images, including coatings, absorption, vignetting, etc. This option allows you to get meaningful and the most precise results in a few minutes! For more details click here or see the ''GHO RGB'' command in the manual.
  • In beam propagation (BPR) analysis, the field of pre-defined fibers was not correctly calculated. Now corrected.
  • The single ray plot option now also works in the ghost analysis mode (GHV command).
  • The mode field of single-mode and multi-mode fibers can now be visualized and reused in other calculations. See ''MMF'' command.
  • New option FIE added which provides a combined plot of astigmatism, distortion and (optionally) longitudinal spherical aberration. This has been implemented on request of many users.
  • The ATY command now accepts arbitrary order of parameters.
  • The number of aberrations in LM-optimization is now unlimited. Previously, a maximum of 10000 aberrations was supported.
Bugs fixed:
  • Grating parameters are now correctly imported/exported from/to Code V.
  • In beam propagation (BPR) analysis, the field of pre-defined fibers was not correctly calculated. Now corrected.
  • Longitudinal aberration plots were partly incorrect. Now fixed.
  • LAX, LAY commands returned incorrect results. Now fixed.
  • Function constraints containing greater than (>) or less than (<) assignments were not properly recognized. Now corrected.
  • User settings of optimization default constraints (MXT,MNT,MNE) were not accepted. Now corrected.
  • RED solve was incorrect if the image space was not in air. Now corrected.
  • Transmission analysis was incorrect in some mirror or catadioptric systems. Now fixed.
  • Copying surfaces from an external file corrupted the system in use. Now fixed.
Known bugs:
  • Inserting surfaces causes the surface editor to crash if the surface editor has been previously resized. As a work around, close the surface editor and open it again prior to inserting surfaces. We expect to have this problem resolved in the next release.

Version 5.76
(26-Sept-2004)
  • The macro capability has been significantly enhanced. User-defined variables and functions as well as looping constructs are now supported. See additions in the macro examples.
  • In extended image and PSF calculations, it is now possible to browse through zoom positions. Plus more input parameters to allow finer tweaks of extended image plots.
  • The sign of Ray fan aberrations were dependent on the sign of the object distance. This is now fixed.
  • Hologram coefficients and SPS coefficients were lost on inverting a range of surfaces. Now fixed.
Version 5.75
(11-Sept-2004) 		Maintenance Update:
  • Ray grid in optimization after restoring a system was not updated. Now corrected.
  • In multi-mode fiber coupling, fractional enargy was output only for the last mode calculated instead for all modes. Now corrected.
  • CEF could not be used in autofocus. Now corrected.
  • Positioning of resizable dialogs improved.
Version 5.73
(6-Sept-2004)
  • MTF vs. defocus is now correctly updated on changing zoom positions. In addition, toolbar icons were added to allow quick browsing through zoom positions.
  • Aspheric surfaces were incorrectly drawn in lens layout plot.
  • RIRR (relative irradiance) is now correctly normalized to the first field defined, which is consistent to the description in the manual
    • .
  • Surface editor was not updated on change of asphere type from the command line. Now corrected.
  • Incorrect labelling of colours in lateral colour (LAC) plot is now fixed.
  • Improved drawing of array surfaces.
  • Option added to hide dummy surfaces in lens layout plot.
Version 5.70
(22-Aug-2004)
  • Most of the previously fixed-size editor dialogs are now resizeable. This concerns the surface editor, coating editor, glass catalogue viewer, tolerance editor, zernike editor, user-defined surfaces editor and coating thickness variation editor. Simply click on the border of one of these dialogs and drag it to the desired size.
  • A new command SD added which calculates the required (maximum) diameter on a surface for all given fields and zoom positions.
  • New glass LUMICERA added. This is a transparent ceramics from Murata.
  • The surface editor crashed if inappropriate data was entered. Now repaired.
  • Repeated entry of "CAM Y" destroyed zoom parameters. Corrected.
  • Ray trace on tilted array surfaces was incorrect due to wrong order of tilt sequence. Corrected.
Version 5.68
(17-Aug-2004)
  • Paraxial data now include the power term (Z4) on Zernike surfaces.
  • Geometric MTF calculation added (also available in OpTaliX-LT).
  • The SET FAN command now accepts a XY parameter to show ray fans in lens layout plots in both sections (X/Z and Y/Z) simultaneously.
  • An index was added to the compiled HTML (*.chm) help.
  • GRIN ray trace did not converge if the material thickness was less than the step length. This is now corrected.
  • Accuracy of ray trace on Zernike deformation surfaces improved. Previously this could lead to small discrepancies between wavefront and geometric aberrations, particularly in long focal-length systems.
  • In CAM calculations, fields are now correctly updated when stepping through the cam.
Version 5.66
(27-July-2004)
  • Field coordinates now also accept REAL image coordinates (see XRI, YRI commands). Object heights are continuously adjusted as the lens changes. Ensures that the real chief rays hit the image surface at the specified image heights.
  • The RED command has been converted to a system solve, that is, magnification is permanently adjusted to satisfy a given reduction ratio.
Version 5.65
(21-July-2004)
  • Improved ray aiming for decentered and tilted systems. In order to support this, a new command RAIS has been introduced. It allows control of the search step and, thus, affects iteration speed during ray finding. Previously, the correct start rays could not be found on extremely decentered systems because the maximum number of iteration cycles has been exceeded.
  • In the surface editor, variable flag for object distance could not be set. This is now corrected.
  • Corrected CEF calculation when WDX/WDY was used in combination with fiber tilts FRA/FRB.
  • In fiber coupling (CEF) dialog, MFR is now updated on divergence change.
  • HTML-Help files could not be accessed from context sensitive help buttions. This was due to a bug only recently reintroduced and has now been corrected.
Version 5.64
(6-July-2004)
  • Corrected parsing of multiple component functions such as logn(x,y).
  • Corrected field legends in MTF plots.
  • Representation of numbers in the zoom editor window has been improved. In some cases long numbers were truncated by the cell width and therefore were only partly displayed.
  • Improved ray aiming in case of largely decentered stop surface.
  • Extended user editing of GRIN coefficients.
  • Paraxial (first order) data are now separately listed at infinite and at used conjugates.
  • Additional checks on sloppy field definition in UGR.
Version 5.63
(22-June-2004)
  • Added commands on image distance (IMD) and image clearance (IMC).
  • Blank command lines may be mirrored in the text output window. This behaviour is user selectable in the preferences option.
  • Schott glass catalogue updated.
  • Absorbing layers in multilayer coatings could produce incorrect transmittance and reflectance results in rare circumstances. Now corrected.
  • In the coating editor, inserting or deleting layers could fail in successive insert/delete operations. Now corrected.
Version 5.61
(5-June-2004)
  • Added commands WDX, WDY to describe wedge angle (cleavage angle) in calculating fiber coupling efficiency. Even though this effect can similarlily modelled by tilting the image surface, WDX and WDY provide an easier method of specifying input.
  • CAM data may now also exported to an Excel file.
  • Variable glasses in optimization may now easily converted to nearest catalogue glasses using the REG command. This avoids manual search in glass catalogs on the basis of optimized DNO and DVO offsets.
  • Lens catalog from "Archer OpTx" added.
  • New glasses from "Archer OpTx" added.
  • The LIS command now also reports dn/dT data of selected glasses for all wavelengths defined in the system configuration and a user specified temperature. See the LIS DNDT command.
Version 5.59
(23-May-2004)
  • Corrected CEF calculation when input beam angle on fiber had a X-component.
  • The PIM field in the surface editor is disabled in zoom zystems if, and only if, PIM is already defined as a zoom parameter. This should avoid confusion as zoom parameters always take precendence over fixed-focus settings.
Version 5.58
(18-May-2004)
  • CAM calculation added. It provides a table of parameters for constructing a precise relationship between movable parts (lenses or groups of lenses), for example in constructing the cam for a mechanically compensated zoom lens.
  • In optimization, enabling of default constraints could overwrite constraints values in rare circumstances. Now corrected.
  • Pupil distortion is now taken into account.
  • Fixed inaccurate interpolation of private glasses if the number of wavelength/index pairs was less than 6.
  • Corrected footprint plot when telecentric ray aiming was enabled.
Version 5.56
(28-April-2004)
  • EVA command now reports input specification.
  • Tweaks on NA and NAO settings.
  • Database items XSC, YSC, ZSC added.
  • RDX variable was lost after invocation of the variables/target editor. Now fixed.
  • Configuration editor now checks for invalid NA and NAO settings.
  • Arithmetic expressions such as 2e-1 were incorrectly parsed. Now fixed.
  • Minor tweaks.
Version 5.52
(18-April-2004)
  • Specific gravity values of OHARA glasses corrected.
  • Improvements on Illumination plots (rectangular image area allowed)
  • Now supports weighted constraints in optimization (see WTC command).
  • Astigmatic objects, such as in laser diodes, added. See ASF and ASO commands.
  • Hysteresis removed in temperature analysis (TEM).
  • Paraxial data now include diffraction order of symmetrical holograms.
Version 5.50
(2-April-2004)
  • Significantly reduced memory requirements, in particular when larger ray grids (NRD > 32) are used.
  • Encircled energy analysis now also reports data numerically (see ECE NUM command).
  • New commands/operands on longitudinal ray aberrations: LAX, LAY, which report longitudinal aberration for discrete rays.
  • New commands/operands on optical path difference (OPD, OPDW) along single rays.
  • New commands reporting first order properties: FIR, FIO.
  • The number of plot rays in lens draw is now virtually unlimited. Previously, it was limited to 500 rays for all fields.
  • Improved diagnostics in optimization and additional output available (for example "cost" on inequality constraints).
  • Ray iteration is now selectable between two options, a 'normal' mode and and extended mode (more versatile but slower). See RAIO command.
  • The VIGP (vignetting) command has been replaced by the more general RIRR command for calculating relative irradiance including transmission effects. VIGP is now obsolete.
  • Weight calculations now take obscurations and polygon apertures into account.
  • Transmission and polarization analysis now uses a default coating (quarter-wave MgF2 layer) on uncoated surfaces (see ATT DEF command).
  • Wavefront analysis now also allows subtraction of user-defined Zernike terms (WAVZ command).
  • Illumination analysis now supports extended sources. This eliminates the need to simulate extended sources by multiple discrete field points. Also the graphical output has been extended (X/Y slices and contour plot added).
  • Minor improvements on plot layouts.
Version 5.47
(29-Feb-2004)
  • Fields may now assigned colours in lens layout plots.
  • Added options to browse zoom positions via arrow buttons in spot, astigmatism and MTF graphics windows. Previously the zoom position must be selected manually prior to analyzing spot, astigmatism or MTF at a given zoom position.
  • Default optimization constraints added. Useful for automatic control of lens thicknesses, edge thicknesses, air spaces, etc.
  • The numbering of Zernike coefficients has been shifted by 1. This allows a more general treatment of surface and wavefront deformations and also provides better compatibility with Code V. Older files, i.e. prior to version 5.47, will be appropriately corrected.
  • On wavefront fitting using Zernike coefficients, the fit error is also reported. This allows a judgement as to whether more coefficients are required in the fit.
  • The UDS/SPS coefficients editor is now modeless, that is it can always stay opened. Also note that changes take effect immediately.
  • Illumination plots have been reworked.
  • Multilayer analysis (MAN) now also reports absorption.
  • Scale markers (box, cross, airy disc, etc) are now drawn 'above' the spots. Previously, those markers (especially the airy disc circle) could be totally obscured in case of larger aberrations.
  • Improved memory handling on extended image calculations. Previously, allocated memory was not released after computation.
  • Minor improvements on handling surface qualifiers.
Version 5.45
(15-Feb-2004) 		New Features:
  • Material absorption is now also supported in melt glasses.
  • Transmission plot vs. surface now shows absorption and reflection losses. In earlier versions only the combined effect on each surface was shown.
  • Athermal glass map added. This is a useful tool for finding optical systems corrected for both chromatic aberrations and focus shift over temperature.
Bugs Fixed:
  • Glass names including a dash (e.g. S-LAL18) no longer causes a command line parser error. Previously the dash was erroneously interpreted as a minus operator in an arithmetic expression.
  • On program exit, still unsaved macro definitions in the macro editor are now correctly saved. Previously the saved file only contained blank characters.
  • The #include instruction in macros works again.
Version 5.44
(7-Feb-2004) 		New Features:
  • New function "weight on aperture" (WTA) controls balance between contrast and resolution in optimization.
  • New function "encircled energy geometric" (ECG) returns fraction of energy enclosed within a given image area (based on geometric analysis).
  • New IR-materials added to catalogues: IRTRAN1, IRTRAN2, MGO, MGO_IR, BaTiO3, AMTIR1.
  • Low Tg glasses from Ohara added.
Bugs Fixed:
  • PSF XY-section was always plotted in polychromatic mode irrespective of mono/polychromatic setting.
  • The Zernike editor could crash the program on selecting a surface from the menu.
  • Transmission data in the OHARA catalog were plotted in reverse order.
Version 5.42
(25-Jan-2004)
  • Improved reporting on infeasible problem definitions in optimization. The program then indicates the conflicting constraints by pointing to line number and constraint definition.
  • Surface qualifiers now accept full arithmetic expressions such as s3+4/2 or so+1..i-2*3+1. Albeit rather exotic, even mathematical functions such as s3+sqrt(4) are allowed in specifying surface qualifiers.
  • Inconsistent weight calculation corrected when EDG apertures are specified.
  • Minor GUI improvements.
Version 5.41
(12-Jan-2004)
  • The number of private glasses per program session has been increased to 200.
  • Optimization constraints can now be included from an external file by the #include directive.
  • Support of Corning "Quantum Focus" GRIN lenses in the GUI.
  • Test plates of Primex (OPTIX Group) added.
  • Apertures in the surface editor were incorrectly updated when entered in the command line with the EDG option. Now corrected.
  • Minor fixes.
Version 5.40
(1-Jan-2004)
  • User-defined gradient added. The user may define his own GRIN profile in a separate subroutine (usergrin.dll) which is linked to the program at runtime.
  • Names for optimization variables are now checked for valid syntax.
  • The syntax for adding or deleting optimization variables changed. The previous form "VAR sk +CUY", for adding a curvature variable, is now written as "VAR sk CUY" (without + or - sign). Deleting variables is accomplished by "DEL VAR sk CUY".
  • Renewal of the Upgrade license and corresponding programming of the hardware key is now possible directly within OpTaliX. Previously a separate update program (HLUPD) was required.
  • In lens layout plots, corrected edges drawing when the aperture semi-diameter exceeded the radius of curvature on a surface.
  • A new operand "VIG" has been added to allow calculation of vignetting at discrete fields and zoom positions and to be used as a target in optimization. The corresponding command to plot vignetting over fields has been renamed to "VIGP".
  • The "extended image" option now also reads INT files as objects (in addition to the PNG, BMP and PCX formats). Furthermore, the computed image can also be exported to INT files or "raw" files.
  • Querying field data (e.g. YAN, YIM, YOB, etc) now returns the corresponding paraxial values if the requested field type does not match with the field specification data. Previously only the field specification values were returned.
  • Commands on setting apertures (e.g. CIR, REX, REY, etc) now accept an EDG option, which allows separate definition of lens edge diameters. To be used in lens layout plot and weight calculation.
  • Improved support of windows and dialogs closed by ESC-key.
Version 5.37
(17-Dec-2003)
  • OHARA glass catalogue updated.
  • File name extensions are now automatically added if not provided by user.
  • Updated lookup table for converting glasses names on import/export of Code V sequential files.
  • In optimization, all hologram coefficients can now be made variable. Previously only the first 9 coefficients could be used as variable.
  • Surface editor is now correctly updated on entering SPS parameters in the command line.
  • The zoom editor window is now correctly resized on adding new zoom parameters from the command line. This concerned only "inside root" windows.
Version 5.36
(8-Dec-2003)
  • New variable type "GLA" created. Simultaneously makes DNO and DVO variable.
  • The Strehl command now accepts a zoom position qualifier.
  • EFL can now be calculated/queried for several wavelengths.
  • Third order formalism added in reference manual.
  • Object surface is now always listed. Previously it was omitted for objects at infinity.
  • An inconsistency in the command line parser has been eliminated. Previously blanks were allowed in arithmetic expressions which conflicted with commands requiring multiple numeric input. Blanks are now exclusively used as separator and therefore arithmetic expressions no longer accept blanks, except where enclosed in () brackets.
Version 5.34
(30-Nov-2003)
  • Minor GUI improvements.
  • Third order aberrations corrected for field definitions YIM,YOB.
  • Pressing ESC on the upper command line does not close it.
  • Windows which are minimized are now restored to their original position. Previously only the icon in the task bar was activated.
  • EIMD window is no longer drawn twice.
  • Spot aberrations can now exported to a file.
Version 5.31
(19-Nov-2003)
  • A new optimization algorithm has been implemented. It allows exact constraint handling and fulfills all conditions for finding the true local optimum. It is a DLS (damped least squares) optimizer by using Lagrange multipliers for constraints handling and a so-called 'active-set' strategy according to the Karush-Kuhn-Tucker optimality conditions.
  • Glass map boundaries, used in optimization, are now conveniently editable in a dialog box.
  • Keyboard accelerators for menu items are now available.
  • In zoom/multiconfiguration systems, the user may now select whether to plot ray aberration fans for each position individually or overlay all positions in one plot. Previously, all positions were overlayed.
  • Analytical setup of Lurie-Houghton telescope caused the program to crash. Corrected.
  • Chinese and Hikari glass catalogues are now selectable in the glass manager.
  • Wrong surface number in aspherization plot corrected.
  • Paraxial quantities now include the quadratic term (C3) of SPS ODD polynomial aspheres.
  • Zernike coefficients are now normalized to the physical coordinates on a surface instead of being normalized to 1. This avoids rescaling of the coefficients in case of aperture changes.
Version 5.21
(31-Oct-2003)
  • The UPGRADE scheme has been changed to one which is managed on your dongle, rather than on our Web-server. That means that the protection of OpTaliX-Pro and its updates is handled by your dongle.
  • Tapered light pipes with larger exit diameter than entrance diameter caused the program to hang.
  • Tolerances on Abbe number (V-number) were not correctly transferred from tolerance spreadsheet to ISO drawing.
  • Tolerance data was not properly shifted on inserting/deleting surfaces.
  • Text size on ISO 10110 manufacturing drawing is now dynamically adjusted to avoid cluttered plots. Plus minor tweaks to improve the appearance of the ISO plot layout.
  • Each ISO drawing can now have its own plot scaling, which accounts for largely differing sizes of lens elements.
Version 5.18
(12-Oct-2003)
  • The installation is now language specific. Supported languages are English, German, Japanese, French, Portugese, Czech, Italian, Polish, Russian and Swedish. More languages will follow.
  • SPS ODD and SPS XYP surfaces are now imported and exported from/to Code V.
  • Adding new zoom parameters in the command line now resizes the zoom editor (if opened) such that the new parameter is immediately visible. In prior versions the zoom editor had to be scrolled to make the added parameter visible.
  • Applying a zoom command (e.g. "zoo thi s2 1 2 3") to a non-zoomed system and without prior conversion using the "ZOO npos" command no longer causes the program to crash. This condition is now recognized and the optical system is automatically converted to a zoom system without requiring any further user interaction.
  • Optimization constraints containing "si-1" qualifiers are now correctly parsed.
  • Import of Code V sequential files no longer adds a dummy surface to the system.
  • Private spectra are now longer overwritten by the update installation.
Version 5.15
(24-Sept-2003)
  • The definition of array surfaces has been expanded by AMX, AMY parameters which set the limits of the array grid in X- and Y-directions and also decouples apertures of array cells from ordinary lens apertures.
Version 5.14
(12-Sept-2003) 		Maintenance Update:
  • A bug has been erroneously re-introduced to the raytrace engine. This could lead to unexpected ray failures even for traceable cases. Users of version 5.12 are strongly advised to update to version 5.14.
  • Repeated entries of identical zoom parameters in the command line produced duplicate zoom parameter sets. Zoom entries are now correctly handled.
Version 5.12
(30-Aug-2003) 		New Features:
  • The complete lens catalogue from SIGMA KOKI (Japan) has been added.
  • User-defined surfaces. Although this feature has always been an integral part of the OpTaliX structure, it has now been made accessible to users. Users may write their own surface description in a DLL and link it to OpTaliX. Sample source code is provided for FORTRAN and C programming languages as well as for various compilers.
  • Mixed power polynomial asphere up to 30th order added.
  • XY polynomial surface up to 10th order added.
  • About 10-15% faster execution due to an improved compiler.
  • Pickup of aspheric coefficients is now independent of curvature pickup.
  • Improved error handling of inappropriate macro statements.
  • The ACCOS import filter has been improved and now understands the various dialects used in ACCOS lens library files.
  • Improved import of Code V private glasses.
Bug Fixes:
  • Rays on decentered/tilted array surfaces were not correctly drawn in the lens layout plot. This is now corrected.
  • Calculation of MTF for which only two wavelengths were defined produced incorrect results. Only the MTF at the larger wavelength was returned thereby ignoring the MTF contribution at the shorter wavelength. This affected only systems with exactly two wavelengths defined, monochromatic MTF and polychromatic MTF for >= 3 wavelengths have always been correct.
  • Single character keywords (like A, B, C, ... K, etc) were not correctly interpreted by the macro preprocessor which could lead to incorrect results.
  • In optimization constraints containing lens database items or macro expressions, weights were sometimes confused with targets. Now corrected.
Version 5.11
(20-July-2003) 		Bugs repaired:
  • Inverse paraxial trace in GRIN media corrected. Previously, paraxial values (EFL, MAG) were not correctly computed if the system contained GRIN lenses following a mirror surface.
  • In PSF X/Y cross section calculations, plot of the PSF curves was incorrectly normalized.
  • The dialog for editing optimization targets could crash if no targets were defined.
Version 5.10
(13-July-2003) 		New features:
  • A download page in Japanese language is now available.
  • The window style is now selectable between either floating windows or ''inside root'' windows. Floating windows can move anywhere on the screen, whereas ''inside root'' windows are restricted to the area of the main (root) window.
  • To support ''inside root'' windows, a window menu has been added, which lists all currently open windows and brings the selected window to the foreground.
  • Two menu items were added to insert and delete mirrors.
  • A list of all test plates from a selected manufacturer can now be printed.
Bugs repaired:
  • ISO element drawings were improved. Thickness and diameter tolerance items are now correctly drawn.
  • The program crashed on zoomed surface types.
  • The surface editor is now correctly updated on changes in the zoom editor. Previously the contents of the surface editor had to be refreshed manually.
  • Interferogram simulations are now correctly plotted for NRD > 128. Previously, only one quarter of the whole pupil was plotted.
  • In fiber coupling efficiency calculations, tilt of fibers was not correctly simulated.
Version 5.07
(10.June 2003) 		New features:
  • An option to automatically adjust surface apertures has been added to the preferences section.
  • Arithmetic operations on surface qualifiers, such as si-1, ss+2, including surface ranges s4..i-1, are now possible.
  • Improved speed of the macro interpreter.
  • An integrated macro editor is now available. Up to 20 macro files may be simultaneously edited and immediately executed from the editor.
  • The surface editor can now automatically opened on program start. This eliminates the need to manually start the surface spreadsheet editor from the menu. This can be enabled/disabled in the preferences section.
  • On spot diagrams, the representation of the plot scale is now selectable as box, cross, circle or as Airy disc.
  • A new function SSR has been added. It computes the rms-value of the secondary spectrum (focus variation as a function of wavelength) and may be used to control paraxial colour.
  • A "Delete all Variables" button has been added to the optimization dialog.
  • Optimization can now interrupted by pressing the ESC key.
  • Import of MODAS files now supports the new file format in MODAS version 4.
  • Test plate list from SwissOptic has been added.
Bugs repaired:
  • The program run into an infinite loop when zooming temperature and finally crashed. This has been corrected.
  • Import of some Kidger-Sigma2000 files with zoomed components could cause the program to crash. This has been corrected.
Version 5.04
(6.May 2003)
  • Version 5.04 is mainly a maintenance update, which corrects for minor GUI glitches.
  • Beam propagation now accepts predefined fibers as source.
Version 5.02
(23.April 2003)
  • In fiber coupling calculations, all modes supported in a multi-mode fiber are now taken into account. Previously, only the fundamental mode was used. See the animated images to the right, calculated by OpTaliX.
  • The surface editor has been substantially revised such that pickups, optimization variables and solves are easier to edit. In addition it gives a better overview of the corresponding settings, thus reducing the need to define settings in separate dialogs.
  • Definition of aspheric surfaces now supports odd power terms in the polynomial expansion.
  • Some graphics were updated twice. This behaviour has been corrected.
  • Some lenses from vendor catalogues were incompletely imported. This is now corrected.
Version 5.01
(30.March. 2003)
  • Chief ray solves (UCY,HCY) added.
  • New surface type "no-raytrace" added. Allows coordinate transformations without tracing rays to these surfaces.
  • New plastic materials ZEONEX 330R, E48R and 480R added.
  • More telescope examples added to the \examples\mirror section. Only in Pro/Edu versions.
  • Easier definition of non-sequential surfaces.
  • Improved output during optimization. Also allows reports for each iteration cycle.
  • Improved convergence of QP-optimization.
Versions 8.xx to 9.xx Summarizes history of obsolete versions 8.xx to 9.xx
Versions 7.xx Summarizes history of obsolete versions 7.xx
Versions 6.xx Summarizes history of obsolete versions 6.xx
Versions 5.xx Summarizes the history of obsolete versions 5.xx
Versions 4.xx Summarizes the history of obsolete versions 4.xx