One of the most important aspects of any optical design program concerns the data needed to describe the system. It is important that the data be organized in a complete, flexible structure that can be easily entered and communicated to the user, as well as accessed efficiently by the computational algorithms.
OSLO is a surface-based program, which means that the objects it deals with are surfaces. If you want to work with a solid model, you must enter data that describe all the surfaces that bound the solid. Some programs are based directly on solid models. The advantage of a surface-based model over a solid model is that it can be more efficient, because surfaces that are not optically functional can be eliminated.
In any case, it is obviously important that the data be correct. Probably more errors in optical design are caused by the program and the designer working with different systems than any other reason.
Sign conventions - centered systems
Entering tilted/decentered surfaces
Lens entry - right-angle prism
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