CODE V 2026.03: Optical Design & Engineering Software

CODE V 2026.03 is the latest version of Keysight Technologies' professional optical design software for imaging systems, telescopes, microscopes, and illumination optics. It is part of the Keysight Optical Solutions portfolio (following transition from Synopsys in October 2025), delivering AI-assisted design generation, accelerated tolerancing, and advanced physical optics simulation .

Key New Features in Version 2026.03

AI-Assisted Design

• AI Start Expert: On-premise generative AI generates usable starting lens designs from minimal inputs (field of view, focal length, aperture). Supports camera lenses, telephoto systems, microscope objectives, and projectors. Reduces early-stage design time without cloud data exposure

• Glass Expert: Automatically selects optimal glass materials from the library based on design requirements

Accelerated Tolerancing & Manufacturing

• Parallelized Multicolor Tolerancing: Monte Carlo analysis runs significantly faster, enabling multi-step alignment workflows, custom performance metrics, and statistical pass/fail evaluation

• Guided Alignment Setup: Step-by-step wizard defines compensators, alignment steps, and precision settings for complex assembly processes

Expanded Macro Library

• New tools for ghost analysis, wave aberration visualization, and automated PSF grid sizing

• Metalens layout export (OASIS format) and material labeling in lens drawings

System-Level Imaging Integration

• Lens Performance Data (LPD) Export: Seamless integration with ImSym and third-party tools, enabling full imaging system simulation (aberrations, diffraction, stray light, sensor effects) without exposing proprietary lens designs

Physical Optics Simulation (Core Capability)

• Beam Synthesis Propagation (BSP): Beamlet-based method that decomposes the optical field into independent beamlets for propagation through complex systems. Handles GRIN materials, birefringent components, non-sequential surfaces (NSS), polarization, and clipping apertures where ray-based analysis lacks accuracy

• Pre-Analysis Feature: Automatically recommends optimal simulation parameters based on the lens system