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Zemax

Optical design software

Zemax OpticStudio, also known simply as Zemax, is a software program used for designing and simulating optical systems. It runs under Microsoft Windows. It can be used in the fields of optics and photonics to design and analyze lenses, cameras, telescopes, microscopes, and other optical systems.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

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Zemax OpticStudio, also known simply as Zemax, is a software program used for designing and simulating optical systems. It runs under Microsoft Windows. It can be used in the fields of optics and photonics to design and analyze lenses, cameras, telescopes, microscopes, and other optical systems. It is used for the design and analysis of both imaging and illumination systems. Since 2021, it has been owned and developed by Ansys.2

The story

The software was originally written by Ken Moore. It was the first optical design program specifically written for Microsoft Windows. It became commercially available in 1990. The first version was called Max, named after Ken Moore's dog. The name was later changed to Zemax due to a trademark conflict. The program was originally sold by Focus Software, which later became Zemax Development Corp.

In 2011, Evergreen Pacific Partners merged Zemax Development Corp with Radiant Imaging to form Radiant Zemax.

In 2014 Radiant sold Zemax to Arlington Capital Partners, which named the company Zemax, LLC. Arlington Capital Partners sold Zemax to EQT AB in 2018.

In 2021, Ansys acquired Zemax, LLC.

From Wikipedia’s article on Zemax, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Sources

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