Optical design for laser beam delivery

Design your laser beam path. Before you build it.

Choose optics, arrange your beam path, and inspect the modeled focus in your browser.

Create a free account

Currently free to use · No installation · Verify your email to start

Change the lens. Move the image plane. See the result.

Lens-to-image-plane gap 100.00 mm

95 mm 102 mm

Preparing the scene…

Drag to orbit · Select an optic

Lens

Spherical · Bk7

Diameter: 25 mm
Center thickness: 5 mm

Field 1 · X 0°, Y 0° Wavelengths · 1/1

About this example · No account needed

Only the front conic changes: 0 to −6.8. Radius, glass, and thickness stay the same. These are example shapes, not optimized designs.

632.8 nm λ · 20 mm ⌀ flat-top beam · 25 mm ⌀ BK7 lens

Compare the reported RMS spot radius and axis values as you make a change. Plot axes rescale to the result.

01 / Work through the design

From component choice to modeled focus.

For engineers building laser machines, instruments, and laboratory setups. Start with stock optics, arrange the beam path, and inspect the modeled result.

01 / 03

Choose your optics.

Set the source wavelength and profile. Add lenses and mirrors, insert supported Thorlabs singlets, or work from your own prescription.

02 / 03

Arrange the beam path.

Set component spacing and mirror orientation. Inspect the folded layout in 3D and adjust alignment as you explore the design.

03 / 03

Inspect the focus.

Run supported optical analyses, adjust the Image Plane, and save your system. Make an independent copy when you want to explore another direction.

Need a custom lens? Generate and refine an individual lens against a target focal length, with control over its spherical or aspheric surfaces.

02 / Make the result useful

Where should the working plane go?

Try the lens shape and plane-position controls above, then choose another analysis in the result panel. Use the computed result to inform the next change to your design.

Inspect the spot.: See the ray distribution at the Image Plane and examine the reported spot statistics.
Explore the focus position.: Examine spot variation through focus and refocus the Image Plane using a selected criterion.
Look into the prescription.: Use PSF, wavefront error, and chromatic focus shift for supported sources to investigate optical performance.

Annotated Through Focus plot with nine green spot patterns from −2 to +2 mm around the Image Plane, highlighting the smallest maximum spot radius at −1 mm. — Through-focus spots for a lens with spherical aberration. The annotations identify the Image Plane and the smallest maximum spot radius among the sampled positions. Adjust the focus position manually, or select the Image Plane and choose an autofocus method. View full-size image

Create a free account

Currently free to use · No installation · Verify your email to start

03 / A useful starting point

Start with a system. Make it your own.

Choose a starter system close to what you’re building. Inspect the layout, then adapt the source, optics, and spacing to your situation.

Simple lens

A single-element lens. The simplest place to start exploring focus, aberrations and the through-focus curve.

Layout of the three-mirror, three-lens starter system with the ray path through each element.

Three mirrors and three lenses

A mixed reflective and refractive system. Inspect how each mirror and lens contributes to the final image.

Layout of the three element scan lens starter system designed for 10.6 µm.

SL3 at 10.6 µm

An infrared system designed for 10.6 µm. Inspect its components and how it performs at that wavelength.

Inspect a starter’s components and supported analyses, then create an account to save your own copy and develop the design.

Reuse optics you have already defined.

Save lens prescriptions in your personal library and insert independent copies into another system.

Keep your work private.

Save systems to your account and reopen the layout later. New designs are private unless you choose to share them.

Give someone the design to inspect.

Share an unlisted link for others to view the system and run supported analyses. They can save their own copy without changing your original.

Is Lenskit free?

Lenskit is currently free to use. Create an account, verify your email, and choose a username to start designing. Paid features are planned later; their scope and pricing have not been decided.

Do I need to know Zemax?

No prior Zemax workflow is required. You work with a source, lenses, mirrors, spacing, and an Image Plane in a visual workspace. You will still need to define your optical requirements and interpret the modeled results. Lenskit focuses on beam-delivery design and individual-lens tools; it does not cover every specialist optical-design workflow.

Can I start with stock optics?

Yes. Browse Thorlabs lens data and insert supported, spectrum-compatible singlets into your system. You can also enter your own prescription or reuse a lens from your personal library. Check current part specifications with the supplier before ordering.

Are my designs public?

New designs are private. You can keep them private, share an unlisted link, or publish them in the gallery. People with access can inspect the system and run supported analyses. Editing another person’s design requires an independent copy; it does not change the original.

Can I model Gaussian beam propagation?

The editor supports Gaussian source profiles and ray-based optical analysis. A complete Gaussian beam propagation workflow is not currently available.

Can I take a design into Zemax?

The current editor imports and exports Lenskit JSON files. Zemax .zmx export is not currently available.