Components
The following tables allow to define the optical system itself. They enable the selection of components (lenses, mirrors, gratings, prisms and windows) one by one, specify their position and their possible orientation (for the mirrors, gratings, prisms and windows) in tables that are displayed inside the related component block as the progress of the entry.

By default, only tables enabling to start the entering of the first component are displayed.

It is possible to add a component by clicking on the add component button located after the block related to the last component. Tables enabling to start the entering of the new component are then displayed by default.

Note that a system can be loaded (load button at the top right of the page) only if all the entered components are in the “READY FOR LOADING” state. A component is in the “READY FOR LOADING” state only if all the related tables have been validated by clicking their apply button.

Note also that when possible, the components apertures are centered on the chief ray, thus insuring a transmission of the chief ray through the entire system. It is very practical for off-axis mirrors or components following a prism or a grating. A . This outstanding features avoids wasting time with side and sometime tedious calculations. In certain cases where the input parameters prevent the chief ray to be transmitted, some of them can automatically be modified. In any case, they can be changed in the standard interface once the system is loaded.