QUADOA® Learning Center

Step-by-step articles for everything you can do in QUADOA® Optical CAD, from your first lens to complete design examples. Every topic has a video tutorial and a step-by-step article. Pick a topic to go straight to it, or open a category for a short summary of each topic.

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Getting started

Your first lens, your first ray trace and the user interface: the basics to start working with QUADOA® within a few hours.

Lens construction
Video 2:18 min · Article Ray tracing basics
Video 3:08 min · Article Optical Design Editor filters
Video 2:12 min · Article 3D-View Editor
Video 5:44 min · Article Computing and GUI performance
Video 4:15 min · Article Video recording
Video 3:03 min · Article

View all 6 articles in Getting started

Building optical systems

Surfaces, materials, lens edges, assemblies and parameters: how optical systems are modeled in QUADOA®’s object-based architecture.

Freeform and stack definition
Video 3:37 min · Article Convert Surface Form Wizard
Video 3:00 min · Article Measurement and simulation data on surfaces
Video 2:04 min · Article GRIN material property
Video 4:52 min · Article Lens catalog
Video 1:47 min · Article Floating apertures and lens edges
Video 5:04 min · Article Chamfers and flanges
Video 5:27 min · Article Assemblies
Video 2:22 min · Article Global and local coordinate systems
Video 1:30 min · Article Absolute and relative positions
Video 2:23 min · Article Convert positions and dependencies
Video 3:03 min · Article Pivot points
Video 3:26 min · Article Multiconfig lookup table and parameters
Video 3:25 min · Article Slider interface and parameters
Video 3:29 min · Article

View all 14 articles in Building optical systems

Ray tracing and analysis

Sequential and multi-sequential ray tracing, polarization, ghost reflexes, mechanics checks and analysis plots.

Auto sequence
Video 2:19 min · Article Ray tracing and sequence settings
Video 3:01 min · Article User sequence
Video 3:14 min · Article Polarized light source
Video 2:45 min · Article Polarization elements
Video 3:09 min · Article Polarization capabilities of QUADOA®
Video 25:39 min · Article Analysis plot settings
Video 1:46 min · Article Ghost reflex analysis
Video 4:31 min · Article Import mechanics and intersection analysis
Video 2:53 min · Article

View all 9 articles in Ray tracing and analysis

Optimization and tolerancing

Merit functions, material substitution, CGH and thermal optimization, and realistic tolerance analysis with compensators.

Spot radius optimization
Video 4:35 min · Article Multiple merit functions
Video 5:28 min · Article Math expressions in optimization
Video 2:08 min · Article CGH optimization
Video 7:01 min · Article Thermal analysis
Video 14:09 min · Article Material substitution
Video 2:29 min · Article Material and substitute catalog
Video 2:55 min · Article Define tolerances
Video 3:46 min · Article Sensitivity analysis and Monte Carlo simulation
Video 2:37 min · Article Compensators for the alignment process
Video 8:43 min · Article

View all 10 articles in Optimization and tolerancing

Scripting

Automate QUADOA® from your own scripts with the Python, MATLAB® and C++ interfaces.

Python interface
Video 2:57 min · Article

View all 1 article in Scripting

Design examples

Complete designs from an empty file to the finished system: a Cooke triplet, an off-axis mirror telescope and an automotive head-up display.

Cooke triplet lens design
Video 8:55 min · Article Parametric off-axis mirror telescope
Video 13:37 min · Article Head-up display (HUD) design
Video 20:58 min · Article

View all 3 articles in Design examples