MODAS Next Generation (NG) - Bad Version? Best Version Ever!

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1 MODAS Next Generation (NG) - Bad Version? Best Version Ever! The new vector graphic of MODAS NG allows the user to zoom in/out unlimited. It gives new look of the optical system analysis comparable with the leading optical design packages. Current version is a mix from old and new generation. It is relative bad version, but at same time it is the best version ever I programmed. With the time all routines will be replaced with new. Curious? Try it MODAS Next Generation (short MODAS NG), was first demonstrated three years ago, as beta release, where the user interface and program structure was completely rewritten. This includes new designed interface and workflow, new objectoriented program kernel. The power of this will be appreciably with each new release. By MODAS development always my great problem was the free time and all my time going to complete the ATM Letters Journal. A view months ago I said, some what must be changed and continued with the programming of MODAS NG. At the same time I determined freely to admit MODAS 4.1xx for all interested amateur astronomers and telescope makers. Also now MODAS 4.1xx is now available free for download from my home page: without any surface limitation or password. This release will be no more developed and supported. This issue of ATMLJ includes MODAS NG and all journal s readers can use it. The password for all registered users, and such are all journal subscriber remains unchanged. MODAS NG will be available in three different versions demo, atm and professional. The price of atm version will be about 100, and the professional about 300. All registered users can upgrade to the new atm or professional version, paying the difference between the price of old and new version(about 60 and 260 respectively). Each order will includes one year free update and free support. Parallel to the development I will start in august with two new projects. The first called Principles of Optics with MODAS, i.e. in each issue comes theoretical article about optics and optical design and how this was implemented in MODAS, of course with design example. The second project regards to MODAS home page, where appears (already) MODAS Knowledge Base, where you will find in the feature all about MODAS, installing, features, how to use, design and analysis tips, and many articles that will be written in the next time. I hope that I find the time for all this. MODAS NG was programmed with Borland Delphi 7 compiler, one of the best compiler, that Borland ever released. I have ordered last year Delphi 2007, but MODAS NG will be ported to the new compiler when finished. Here maybe is the place to note, that ZEMAX and OSLO are programmed in C++ and OpTaliX in FORTRAN. Now will introduce you short about all new finished features: User Interface MODAS comes with new designed look. Of course many of these news are not so important, but I think that new look will give the user other sense. This look is not only optical look change, but will allows you to be more productively. At first place I wish describe the new toolbar. The toolbar is no more primitive like in the old version. It is very similar to the modern toolbar, that we know from office, adobe software etc. It is dockable and configurable. It can be docked top, bottom, left or right. The position will be saved and by the next start of MODAS the toolbars will be located at the same place, where was by the last program run. On the next page you can see two screen shots. The first shows the default toolbar of MODAS, with two rows, docked on top. The second screen shot us shows the second row of the toolbar docked on left. Any item of the Toolbar can be hidden and again displayed if needed. You can close a item by dragging with the mouse on the main window and finally by clicking the close symbol of the item or the other way is to go to the menu View Toolbar and check or uncheck wished item. New is the Design Explorer, that is a open design dialog with extended features, for example in different areas are displayed additional design description (of course if exist) and view of the optical layout (just not implemented). So you can list the contents of the design and find fast what you need. The next great change is the new surface editor, that uses the same conventions like ZEMAX, OSLO, CODE V, OpTaliX and other leading optical design packages. This is intelligent spread sheet (grid) with amazing features. You can show or hide columns, show at the same time radii and curvatures, or show the ATM Letters May/June Issue,

2 Software Review ATM Letters May/June Issue,

3 ATM Letters May/June Issue,

4 glass catalog of the used glass. Additional you can print the sheet, to export it different formats (text, html, xls, csv, xml). In the next versions will be possible to save the current view of your surface editor. At right a view screen shots - surface editor of MODAS compared to ZEMAX, OSLO and CODE V. Also many functions can be accessed easy from the side bar, for example add/delete surface, show/hide description etc. Similar to the surface editor are two other spread sheets the gals and lens manager, that will be explained later. Important part from the surface editor is the Surface Settings dialog available by double click on the surface column or from button from the type column, available from each row. The surface settings will be extended through the development. Also many settings has currently no functions. In the coming articles will be explained any settings, how it work and which parameters depend from the settings. This will be valid for other dialogs and settings in program too. Current version can be compared with highway under construction, I know it is not easy and such great packages are often developed by team of programmers year long, every day. I am sure, finally you receive a leading package under lower price. I ask me often, who will order expansive optical design package ( ) to design his telescope? For so many money I can order a good 10 Meade or Celesstron with a good amateur CCD camera, also the price must be realistic and reachable for the ATM s. This is my point of view. Of course it is beautiful to buy a professional version of ZEMAX, OSLO or OpTaliX, but this has sense only if you would make money with the package or you have money enough! Back to the surface settings dialog, shown at right. It consists two tabsheets - Type and Aperture. In the first you can specify the surface type - standard (spherical, flat, conic), even sphere, odd asphere, toroidal and coordinates break. Supported are currently standard and even asphere. The list will be extended and toroidal surfaces and coordinates break will be programmed with tilted and decentred surfaces. I am sure many of you will say, that MODAS has similar o ZEMAX interface and functions. Of course, ZEMAX is my leading optical design packages and I learn a lot of things about optical design from this beautiful software. But I am sure, you will discover that MODAS has a lot of features, that in ZEMAX, OSLO, CODE V and OpTaliX are not supported. More detailed this will be discussed in some of the following articles. In the second tabsheet can be specified the aperture type that can be one from the list - Floating, Spider, Circular, Circular Obscuration, Surfaces editor from MODAS and other leading optical design packages (from top to bottom: ZEMAX, OSLO and CODE V). In the example was open the same optical design an apochromatic doublet. ATM Letters May/June Issue,

5 Rectangular, Rectangular Obscuration, Elliptical, Elliptical Obscuration, User, User Obscuration. The last two apertures type are not programmed. At right are shown two spot diagrams, that shows the effect of spider with three and four arms, with width 5mm. An example how to speed a classical two mirror system with spider will be discussed in some of the followed optical design articles. In the Configuration dialog is possible to apply different colors for the grid s rows, for example color for the object or image, for glasses and mirrors or air. Finally I wish to note that different from previous version (4.1xx) here is no limitation on the number of surfaces. Improved are two other setting dialogs - Fields and Wavelengths. The usage und functions in both dialogs are very similar. Like the surface editor, here you can define unlimited number of fields and wavelengths. Why? I think for some analyses such possibility has sense, but in some analyses is possible to display only the first 12 fields respectively wavelengths. In analyses like Spot Size vs. Wavelength such feature can be very helpful. Inserting or deleting of fields or wavelengths is quite easy. They can be activated or deactivated, auto generate function is available in both dialogs. The colors can be changed easy, interpolated with begin and end color, apply like a rainbow or for the wavelengths can be applied to true color. I made some initial works (weights) that will be used later for the optimization. On the next page top is shown a matrix spot diagrams for 12 different wavelengths. Top: Spot diagram of Cassegrain with spider with three arms. Bottom: the same design with four arms. In MODAS NG new designed are two other features - the glass and lens managers. Based on the same spread sheet, those allows the user to use different sort methods, searching, importing and exporting. Both feature are so programmed that allows to open direct glass and lens catalogs from ZEMAX and OpTaLiX. The same is valid for design files too. For example MODAS has not menu item for importing or exporting of design files from other packages. Simple by open or save change the file extension to *.zmx, *.len, *.otx or *.seq and MODAS will open or save for you to the right design file format. Of course cannot open exotic design files, but with the time I will support more and more commands from the leading design packages. You can open more then one instance of the both managers. The same is valid for the design explorer too, that we discussed above. And finally we will discuss sort four analyses, that comes with new graphical look. These are the through focus spot diagram, matrix spot diagrams, detailed spot diagrams and the combination plot. Both fields and wavelengths can be setup with a view clicks. Above 6 fields and wavelengths defined by using of auto generate function and interpolated colors from blue to red. Of course you can enter your values direct in the spread sheet if you wish. Single fields or wavelengths or groups of them can be deactivated. MODAS will take into account only active fields and wavelengths, i.e. that are checked in the use column. Also you need not to delete a field or wavelength, or this can be very practical if wish to see an analyse without some definition. ATM Letters May/June Issue,

6 new look of the graphic. This allows the designer to change or maximize the analysis window and the graphic will be zoomed and redrawn new. You can made the window thumbnail and the graphic is still discernible. Also you have much more place for opening more different analysis windows at the same time. Additional you can zoom the graphic inside the window. Here are Zoom In/Out menu items and Unzoom too. Some additional improvement of the zooming comes in the next versions. Different from 4.1xx, NG has auto scale feature, i.e. the scale was set to zero, that means autoscale, if wish other scale size change simple this parameter. The scale bar can be shown top left or bottom right. As default drawing now are used the symbols. Of course this are not final changes in the analyses windows, the other analyses will be new programmed too and I will try each month to rewrite up to for analyses. Much difficult will be the optical 2D and 3D plot, that are currently not available. I hope all this was enough as first article, and the work will be continued after the summer holidays. Matrix spot diagrams for 12 different wavelengths. Enjoy! Top: the lens manager; Middle: the glass manager; Bottom: some glass settings. ATM Letters May/June Issue,

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11 MODAS NG - More place, more graphics and more fun! ATM Letters May/June Issue,