About SurfCalc

SurfCalc is an optomechanical analysis suite that turns structural FEA results into optical surface and wavefront performance data.

By establishing a direct, mathematically robust bridge between structural finite element analysis (FEA) solvers and optical engineering suites like Zemax and CODE V, SurfCalc enables rapid, error-free validation of optomechanical surface designs.

Architectural Principles

  • Direct Binary Safety: Imports nodal displacement databases directly from solvers, avoiding text formatting conversions and manual coordinate translation risks.
  • Wavefront Integrity: Leverages circular Zernike polynomial decompositions and rigid-body motion (RBM) subtractions validated for high-precision optical standards.
  • Active Surface Optimization: Integrates quadratic programming and least-squares solvers for modeling active optics corrections.
  • Observational Heritage: Algorithmic foundations are grounded in wavefront reconstruction methods utilized in ground-based telescope development at the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC).

Version & Metadata

  • Application Version: 1.1.0
  • Release Date: June 2026
  • Target Environment: Windows (x64) Native Desktop

Technical & License Compliance

Third-Party Software & Libraries

SurfCalc utilizes the following open-source libraries for computational mechanics and interactive rendering:

  • Trame & Vuetify 3: Web/Desktop UI Framework (Apache-2.0 / MIT)
  • PyVista & VTK: 3D Visualization Engines (MIT / BSD 3-Clause)
  • pywebview: Native Desktop Window Shell (BSD 3-Clause)
  • NumPy, SciPy, Pandas & Plotly: Core Mathematics, Numerical Solvers, and Analytics Plotting (BSD-compatible / MIT)
  • pyNastran / ansys-mapdl-reader: Direct Binary FEA Importers (BSD-compatible / MIT)
  • Abaqus is a registered trademark of Dassault Systèmes.
  • Ansys is a registered trademark of ANSYS, Inc.
  • Nastran is a registered trademark of NASA / MSC Software / Hexagon.

SurfCalc is an independent wavefront analysis suite and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Dassault Systèmes, ANSYS, Inc., or Hexagon.

Support promise

Paid and trial users can contact support@surfcalc.com.

  • Response target: within two business days for license, install, and product-defect reports (Monday–Friday, excluding public holidays).
  • In scope: installation and activation, documented workflows, reproducible bugs, and clarification of published documentation.
  • Trial keys: issued manually after contact — activate a 30-day full-feature trial key in File > License... (same dialog as paid keys).
  • Out of scope: building or reviewing the customer’s FEA model, optical-system design consulting, guaranteeing that third-party FEA or optical codes agree with each other, or custom feature development under the standard seat license.

This is founder-supported support for a small customer base. It is not a 24/7 enterprise SLA.

Warranty disclaimer and limitation of liability

SurfCalc is engineering analysis software. Like other FEA and optical post-processing tools, it is provided to help engineers interpret data; it does not replace independent engineering judgment, verification, or certification of a design.

AS IS. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, SurfCalc and its documentation are provided “as is” and “as available”, without warranties of any kind, whether express, implied, or statutory — including, without limitation, warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, non-infringement, accuracy, or uninterrupted/error-free operation.

User responsibility for results. The user (and their organization) is solely responsible for:

  • the correctness of input data, units, coordinate systems, and mesh/set selection;
  • independent verification and validation of results before any design, safety, procurement, or manufacturing decision;
  • compliance with applicable codes, standards, and professional engineering obligations.

SurfCalc’s authors and distributors are not liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for lost profits, lost data, or business interruption, arising from use of (or inability to use) the software — even if advised of the possibility of such damages — except to the extent such exclusion is prohibited by law. Where liability cannot be excluded, it is limited to the license fees paid for the seat in the twelve (12) months preceding the claim.

Third-party trademarks (Abaqus, Ansys, Nastran, Zemax, CODE V, and others) remain the property of their owners. SurfCalc is not affiliated with or endorsed by those vendors.

This section is a standard commercial software disclaimer for engineering tools. It is not a substitute for advice from your counsel; have it reviewed if you need a jurisdiction-specific EULA.

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