In Zemax, Boolean objects are used to create complex shapes by combining or subtracting simpler geometric shapes. Boolean operations involve the use of set operations like union, intersection, and subtraction to combine or modify the geometry of objects. This allows users to create more intricate and customized shapes for optical elements or mechanical components in their designs.
In this video, an optical diaphragm is defined with Boolean object in Zemax Non-sequential mode. The diaphragm is basically modeled as a flange. The component list is shown in the figure below:
Figure 1 Component list of the flange type of optical diaphragm
When we define two volumes, i.e. Object 2 and Object 3, and assign these two object as object A and B in the Object 4 input parameter, the structure is defined by “a-b” of Boolean calculation. Note that the original defined geometry and Boolean calculated volume are separated, as defined x coordinate of 80 and 0 in this case. Figure 2 is the shaded model of the Boolean calculated diaphragm.
Figure 2 Shaded model of the Boolean calculated diaphragm
Figure 3 Detector viewer of the ray tracing with the diaphragm