Embedded Files
By Rafael Chamón Cobos
Created: January 2006
Description
It is a program written in Visual Basic that allows you to setup optical systems in a drawing window and to trace rays through them. With the OBS program you can analyze the behaviour of many optical systems and to show some of their aberrations. You can add or remove lens elements, move them, change the shape and refraction index, etc. Systems may contain lenses of any type, mirrors, stops and screens. From an emitter point you can trace rays into the first element of the system. These rays progress along the whole system according to the Snell's law. Any modification at any lens element or at the emitter inmediately modifies the plotted image accordingly. The system can be saved to a file and retrieved later. The drawing window can be saved to a standard graphic file (bmp format), or printed along with all the system’s data.
Examples
See the following examples, drawn by the Optical Bench Simulator:
Meniscus
Mirror
Galilean telescope
Keplerian telescope
Keplerian telescope
Maksutov telescope
Eyepiece
Exit pupil
Exit pupil
Cassegrain
Coma
Field curvature
Tessar
Hologon
Sphere
Projector
Installation
If you decide to install OBS in your computer, please follow these steps:
Download the file 'OBS.zip' (this is a compressed 'Winzip' file, about 4 MB long) into a specific, new created directory.
Unzip 'OBS.zip' (you need 'Winzip' installed in your computer). To unzip, please make double click on 'OBS.zip' and set the 'Actions': 'Select All' and 'Extract' (You have to select a directory, then 3 files and a folder will be created in it)
Execute 'setup.exe' (OBS program will be installed). During installation you will be asked to replace or not some existing system files by old versions supplied by the OBS packet. Don't replace them and keep both versions in the system.
You can easily uninstall OBS by means of the Windows option for removing programs.
Operation
Important: The program will fill completely your PC screen if this one is configurated at '800x600 small fonts'
The program presents you:
A menu, that groups the basic actions you can perform with the Optical Bench Simulator, for instance, load files, create lens elements, trace rays, print drawings, help, etc.
A drawing window, where lenses and rays are plotted
The lens controls, to modify position, curvatures, height and refractive index of each lens element
The ray emitter controls, to set emitter parameters (position and ray slope), and to trace single rays.
Units used in OBS: Position of emitter and lenses are expressed in mm. Curvatures of lenses are expressed in 1000/mm.
Help
A menu option, in form of a user guide, will help you to get started in the use of OBS.
Download OBS now!
Download the attached file OBS.zip and follow the the steps disclosed in paragraph "Installation".
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