Ghent, Belgium, and Delft, Netherlands – January 14, 2026 – PlanOpSim NV (“PlanOpSim”), a leading provider of metaoptics design and simulation software, and Valley Optics, a specialist in advanced optical modeling solutions, today announced a strategic collaboration to bridge the gap between nanostructured component design and system-level optical engineering.
The partnership centers on the release of a dedicated Dynamic Link Library (DLL) driver that enables seamless data transfer between PlanOpSim’s MetaComponent™ software and the Valley Optics software platform. This integration allows optical engineers to import high-fidelity metasurface models directly into Valley Optics’ environment, facilitating the simulation of hybrid optical systems that combine traditional lenses with cutting-edge metalenses.
Streamlining the Metaoptics Workflow
Metasurfaces are revolutionary, flat optical components that manipulate light at the sub-wavelength scale, offering significant reductions in size and weight for devices such as AR/VR headsets, sensors, and automotive displays. However, integrating these complex nanostructures into large-scale optical systems has traditionally been a bottleneck for R&D teams.
The new DLL driver addresses this by:
- Automated Wavefront Export: Enabling the export of the phase profile from PlanOpSim’s MetaComponent module as a standardized format compatible with Valley Optics that handles the generalized refraction by the metasurface. Supporting the unique capabilities of metasurfaces like multiplexing in Valley Optics.
- High-Accuracy Ray Tracing: Utilizing PlanOpSim’s physical models within the Valley Optics platform to accurately calculate how light interacts with metalenses during system-level ray tracing.
- Reduced Design Cycles: Eliminating manual data conversion, allowing for faster iterations between nanostructure optimization and full-system performance analysis.
“Our mission at PlanOpSim has always been to make meta-optics a practical reality for the mass market,” said Lieven Penninck, CEO of PlanOpSim. “By collaborating with Valley Optics, we are providing engineers with a unified workflow that connects nanoscale physics to macroscale system performance, significantly lowering the barrier to entry for metalens technology”.
Availability
The DLL driver and associated integration tools will be available in March 2026 for users of PlanOpSim MetaComponent™ and the Valley Optics platform. Interested parties can contact PlanOpSim or Valley Optics for more information and technical documentation.
About PlanOpSim NV
PlanOpSim (www.planopsim.com) is a Belgian startup specializing in computer-aided design (CAD) tools for metasurfaces and planar optics. Its software enables engineers to move from nanoscale simulations to full system integration, turning laboratory innovations into manufacturable technologies for automotive, consumer electronics, and aerospace applications.
About Valley Optics
Based in Delft, The Netherlands, Valley Optics (www.valleyoptics.com) offers an innovative software platform for the system-level design, modelling, and optimization of complex optical and opto-mechanical systems. The platform enables the implementation of new scientific models, advanced physical effects, and emerging optical technologies. Our model-based workflow also allows engineers to combine performance, physics, and system constraints in a structured and intuitive way. This approach supports high innovation speed, as well as high productivity and ease of use. Valley Optics solutions are applied in high-end industrial and scientific applications including space, defense and lithography.
