ZEMAX
Ansys Zemax OpticStudio is a physics-based optical design and simulation platform combining sequential/non-sequential ray tracing, multiphysics analysis, and tolerancing for optical engineers in automotive, medical, aerospace, consumer electronics, and academic research.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1994
- HeadquartersBellevue, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What ZEMAX does
ZEMAX, operating legally as Zemax LLC and commercially branded as Ansys Zemax, develops Ansys Zemax OpticStudio, a physics-based optical design and simulation software platform used by optical engineers to design, validate, and optimize imaging, illumination, laser, and photonic systems. The platform combines sequential and non-sequential ray tracing, Physical Optics Propagation (POP), wave optics, polarization analysis, advanced optimization, and tolerancing in a unified environment. It is offered in three subscription tiers (Pro, Premium, Enterprise) with the Enterprise tier adding STAR Multiphysics tools for Structural-Thermal-Optical Performance (STOP) and SOFT analysis, integration with Ansys Speos and Lumerical FDTD, dynamic links to Creo Parametric and Autodesk Inventor, and ZOS-API automation in Python, MATLAB, and .NET.
The company serves a diverse customer base spanning automotive/autonomous vehicle sensor design, healthcare and medical imaging, research and academia, space and aerospace, consumer electronics, defense, and illumination. Named customers include Optotune (medical imaging), Nordson TEST & INSPECTION, Imperial College London, MIT, University of Arizona, German Institute of Technical Physics, INAOE, University of Jena, and Scanway. Distribution combines enterprise field sales, self-serve 30-day free trials, Ansys Customer Portal access, and a global channel partner network across the US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, India, Japan, South Korea, China, and Taiwan.
ZEMAX was founded in 1994, was acquired by Ansys in 2021, and became part of Synopsys when Synopsys completed its approximately $35 billion acquisition of Ansys in 2025. Revenue is generated through tiered annual subscription licensing; pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Zemax LLC is headquartered in Bellevue, United States, and operates with a 51-100 employee footprint.
ZEMAX firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ZEMAX
- Legal name
- Zemax LLC
- Website
- https://zemax.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1994
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Ansys Zemax OpticStudio is a physics-based optical design and simulation platform combining sequential/non-sequential ray tracing, multiphysics analysis, and tolerancing for optical engineers in automotive, medical, aerospace, consumer electronics, and academic research.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ZEMAX industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Optical Design Software
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Other Specialized Design Services (541490), Industrial Design Services (54142)
- SIC
- Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Optoelectronic Emitters (LED/Laser/VCSEL) (HDAHALAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Optoelectronic Receivers & Transceivers (Photodetectors/Optical Modules) (HDAHALAM), X-ray & Fluoroscopy Systems (HLAHABAA)
Keywords
Where ZEMAX is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bellevue
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices10 records
Markets served
ZEMAX business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Software Licenses (Pro, Premium, Enterprise): Tiered perpetual and subscription licensing model for OpticStudio software with escalating feature sets across Pro, Premium, and Enterprise tiers. Enterprise tier required for multiphysics analysis capabilities.
- Subscription-based Licensing: Subscription-based licensing models reduce upfront costs and enable real-time collaboration among distributed engineering teams, reflecting industry trend toward recurring revenue.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | OpticStudio Pro - Core sequential and non-sequential ray tracing with essential analysis tools |
| Subscription | Annual | OpticStudio Premium - Adds advanced imaging capabilities and Lumerical metalens simulation |
| Subscription | Annual | OpticStudio Enterprise - Full multiphysics analysis with STAR tools and advanced integrations |
Go-to-market motion4 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
ZEMAX product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ZEMAX (operating as Ansys Zemax) develops and sells Ansys Zemax OpticStudio, an optical design and analysis software platform used by engineers to design, simulate, and validate advanced optical systems. The software combines physics-based sequential and non-sequential ray tracing, physical optics propagation, optimization, and tolerancing in a unified environment, with deep multiphysics coupling to Ansys structural, thermal, and fluids solvers, and integrations to CAD tools and automation APIs. Customers span imaging, illumination, laser systems, AR/VR, LiDAR, medical devices, and photonics applications.
Product overview
ZEMAX (now Ansys Zemax) offers a unified optical design software portfolio built around Ansys Zemax OpticStudio, a comprehensive optical design and analysis platform. The product architecture consists of three tiers: OpticStudio Pro (entry level), OpticStudio Premium (adds CAD integration and advanced non-sequential features), and OpticStudio Enterprise (adds STAR Multiphysics for structural-thermal-optical analysis). The core platform combines sequential and non-sequential ray tracing, physical optics propagation, optimization, and tolerancing in a unified environment. Integration with other Ansys products (Speos, Lumerical FDTD) and external tools (Creo Parametric, Autodesk Inventor, Python/MATLAB/.NET via ZOS-API) extends the platform's multiphysics and automation capabilities. ZEMAX transitioned from Zemax.com to Ansys.com to provide a unified platform for all Ansys products and services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- OpticStudio Pro: Entry-level optical design software with sequential ray tracing, non-sequential Monte Carlo ray tracing, and multiple configuration system modeling.
- OpticStudio Premium
- OpticStudio Enterprise
Products and services
- Ansys Zemax OpticStudio Next-generation optical design software that enables engineers to design, simulate, and validate advanced optical systems using physics-based modeling including sequential and non-sequential ray tracing, physical optics propagation, optimization, tolerancing, and multiphysics coupling. Used by optical engineers and designers in industries such as autonomous vehicles, medical devices, aerospace, consumer electronics, and academic research.
Quantifiable outcome
- Saved a week of simulation time for Nordson TEST & INSPECTION, with additional week savings expected for each new sensor developed
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use ZEMAX
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
ZEMAX technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration9 records
Feature11 records
ZEMAX partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- Ansys SpeoscoreDeep product integration enabling seamless export of optical designs to Ansys Speos for system-level optical validation. ODX enhancements allow accurate transfer of real designs including prisms and Table Glasses without losing accuracy. Former Code V users benefit from faster transitions to OpticStudio.
- Ansys LumericalcoreDynamic and static exchange capabilities with Lumerical FDTD for sub-wavelength modeling. Lumerical plugin for metalens simulation (Static Data Exchange) available in Premium and Enterprise tiers. Enables accurate nano-structure level response generation for metalens design.
- Creo ParametricmajorDynamic link to Creo Parametric for bidirectional data exchange with CAD models, available in Premium and Enterprise tiers.
- Autodesk InventormajorDynamic link to Autodesk Inventor for CAD integration, available in Premium and Enterprise tiers.
- Python/MATLAB/.NET (via ZOS-API)majorAPI automation and scripting integration enabling programmatic optical design and analysis. Connects optical models to external engineering workflows and enables batch simulations and parametric studies.
- Partner Ecosystem (Technology Partners)coreTechnology Partners provide integrations and interoperability with complementary solutions. Part of broader Ansys Partner Ecosystem including Channel Partners, Services Partners, Strategic Partners, and Academic Partners.
- Academic PartnerscoreAcademic Partners program provides free student software, learning resources, and educational tools. Institutions like Imperial College London, MIT, University of Arizona, and University of Jena use Zemax for research and education.
- Channel PartnersmajorChannel Partners resell and distribute Zemax products alongside other Ansys simulation solutions globally.
- Services PartnersmajorServices Partners provide consulting and implementation services for Zemax deployments, helping customers optimize their optical design workflows.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
ZEMAX competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Synopsys (Code V): Synopsys now owns both ZEMAX (via Ansys) and Code V, the two longest-standing optical design software products in the market. Code V directly competes with OpticStudio for lens and imaging system design at aerospace, semiconductor, and research customers, and the recent ODX migration tooling signals active consolidation between the two product lines.
- Ansys Speos: Ansys Speos is a sibling optical simulation product under the same corporate parent, focused on system-level optical performance and human vision perception. ZEMAX's ODX-to-Speos export pathway makes the two products complementary but also competitive depending on customer workflow, especially for lighting and stray light analysis.
- Photon Engineering (FRED): FRED by Photon Engineering is a well-established optical engineering software for stray light, illumination, and laser system analysis. It competes directly with OpticStudio in non-sequential ray tracing and is used across aerospace, defense, and illumination design applications where ZEMAX is also positioned.
- LightTrans (VirtualLab Fusion): VirtualLab Fusion is a physical-optics-based optical design platform competing with OpticStudio in diffraction, micro-optics, and laser system modeling. It serves similar academic and research customer segments and represents a focused competitor for wave-optics-centric design workflows.
- Lambda Research (TracePro): TracePro is a non-sequential ray tracing and illumination design tool used for stray light, LED, and lighting system design. It directly overlaps with OpticStudio's non-sequential and illumination capabilities and serves many of the same consumer electronics and lighting customers.
- Breault Research Organization (ASAP / APEX): Breault's ASAP and APEX products are long-standing optical analysis and design tools used widely in defense, aerospace, and illumination applications. They overlap with OpticStudio in stray light analysis and illumination design and compete for the same enterprise optical engineering buyers.
Broad incumbents
- COMSOL: COMSOL is a leading multiphysics simulation platform that overlaps with OpticStudio Enterprise's STAR multiphysics capabilities. While not optics-specialized, COMSOL is used by academic and research customers for coupled optical-thermal-structural analyses, competing for the same engineering budget and license seat.
Emerging players
- Ansys Lumerical: Lumerical (now part of Ansys) provides FDTD-based photonic simulation that integrates with OpticStudio via the Lumerical Plugin. While complementary for metalens and sub-wavelength design, Lumerical also competes for simulation budget in emerging silicon photonics and metasurface workflows where OpticStudio is less specialized.
- OptiWave (OptiFDTD / OptiSystem): OptiWave offers photonic device and system simulation tools (OptiFDTD, OptiSystem) that overlap with ZEMAX in fiber optics, laser diode, and photonic integrated circuit design. It represents an emerging alternative for telecom and datacom-focused customers, including those designing fiber connections for data centers.
- Synopsys RSoft: RSoft is a Synopsys-owned photonic device design suite for passive and active optical component simulation. It overlaps with ZEMAX in silicon photonics and laser design workflows and is another sibling product within the new Synopsys optics portfolio, similar to Code V.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
ZEMAX social profiles
Digital presenceZEMAX financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ZEMAX leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
ZEMAX funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ZEMAX M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ZEMAX
What does ZEMAX do?
ZEMAX (operating as Ansys Zemax) develops and sells Ansys Zemax OpticStudio, an optical design and analysis software platform used by engineers to design, simulate, and validate advanced optical systems. The software combines physics-based sequential and non-sequential ray tracing, physical optics propagation, optimization, and tolerancing in a unified environment, with deep multiphysics coupling to Ansys structural, thermal, and fluids solvers, and integrations to CAD tools and automation APIs. Customers span imaging, illumination, laser systems, AR/VR, LiDAR, medical devices, and photonics applications.
Is ZEMAX a public or private company?
ZEMAX is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was ZEMAX founded?
ZEMAX was founded in 1994. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is ZEMAX based?
ZEMAX is headquartered in Bellevue, United States, in the North America region.
How does ZEMAX make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Software Licenses (Pro, Premium, Enterprise) is the primary driver. The others are subscription-based Licensing.
Who are ZEMAX's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Synopsys (Code V), Ansys Speos, Photon Engineering (FRED), LightTrans (VirtualLab Fusion), Lambda Research (TracePro) and Breault Research Organization (ASAP / APEX). COMSOL is listed as a broad incumbent. Emerging players are Ansys Lumerical, OptiWave (OptiFDTD / OptiSystem) and Synopsys RSoft.
Does ZEMAX have an API?
Yes. ZOS-API enables automation of design, optimization, and analysis tasks programmatically. It integrates with Python, MATLAB, and .NET environments, enabling batch simulations, parametric studies, and connection of optical models to external engineering workflows for enterprise-level development and validation. Developer documentation is at developer.ansys.com/docs.
What industry is ZEMAX in?
ZEMAX's product category is Optical Design Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAHALAL, Optoelectronic Emitters (LED/Laser/VCSEL), with a secondary code of HDAHALAM, Optoelectronic Receivers & Transceivers (Photodetectors/Optical Modules). Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 3827.