Optics test bench simulators - any recommendation for a free program please ?

[Fraser]

Dear All,

I am going to be experimenting with some Germanium lenses for my thermal cameras. I used to use a free online program based optical test bench to simulate the beam behaviour of a lens, or multiple lens set. That software has disappeared Does anyone have recommendations for a simple free optical test bench simulator that I can use in my hobby experiments please ?

I have googled for recommendations but many such simulators are either very expensive or overly complex for hobbyist use. Personal experience is often helpful in finding a nice, well designed hobby level program

I am used to such programs not containing support for Germanium lens elements with their high refractive index and compensate for that in my plots.

Thanks in advance

Fraser

[frogg]

not sure if this one is too simplistic for you, but I like it because it's fast, simple, and free

https://ricktu288.github.io/ray-optics/

[IwuzBornanerd]

There is also opticalraytracer:

    https://arachnoid.com/OpticalRayTracer/

It is java based & cross platform.  I have used this under Linux, but not a whole lot.  It is rather simple to use.

[Fraser]

Thank you for the recommendations chaps. Much appreciated 

I will have a play with them 

Fraser

[Fraser]

IwuzBornanerd,

The recommendation you have provided is the program that I used to use. I thought it was gone as my link to it stopped working and my searches failed to find it. That was a few years ago and I see a comment that it was completely re-written in 2017 so maybe that is why I lost track of it. Thank you for finding it for me again

Fraser

[bap2703]

There's a french program there : http://jeanmarie.biansan.free.fr/optgeo.html
You can switch it to english but the GUI itself remain weird.

[Fraser]

Bap2703,

Thanks  I will take a look at it 

Fraser