How to Design a Lens
- 1). Decide on the effect you want your lens to create. Do you want a specific color to the light coming through the lens? Do you want it to zoom? Do you want different focal points on the lens itself? Write out a list of specific scenarios you will use this lens in and what applications you want your lens to serve.
- 2). Choose the physics of the lens and decide how you will implement them. All lenses have dozens of variables--such as thickness, curvature and how much they refract light--to be considered. Disassemble old lenses and use the lens elements to look at how many parts you will need to achieve your desired effect and see how those elements interact with each other. Use the graphical design software to test the physics of your design, adding and removing elements in the computer.
- 3). Build your lens according to the plans you have drafted. As you build the lens, test the physics of the lens with each step, using the model you have constructed on your computer to make sure that the effects are what you desire. You may have to substitute, redesign or remove elements as you construct the lens to accommodate real-world factors such as air refraction.
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