PlanOpSim

What is PlanOpSim?

PlanOpSim is metaoptics design and simulation software, developed by PlanOpSim NV, which covers in a unified workflow the path the nanostructure to the large-area optical component — metasurfaces, metalenses and holograms.

The architecture is multiscale simulation in two modules: MetaCell solves nanostructure behavior by RCWA, a full solution of Maxwell's equations, and MetaComponent uses approximate methods and propagation optics to model large areas with optimization. The software runs in the cloud, requiring only a browser, or as a local installation. It solves the bottleneck that keeps metaoptics on the bench: pure full wave such as FDTD or FEM does not scale beyond a few micrometers of area, and approximations alone lose accuracy at the unit cell — the two-module flow attacks each scale with the method suited to it.

Key features

The interface is built around the inverse design flow, with built-in parallel processing to shorten each iteration.

• Split Area ASM — an angular spectrum method implementation released in March 2026 that addresses the memory bottleneck in analyzing extensive metaoptics, beyond the reach of LPA and ODA.
• Built-in manufacturer PDKs — real process design kits for designing with confidence of manufacturability, with Moxtek PDKs at 532 nm and 633 nm, 450 nm and 940 nm announced, and an LWIR PDK at 10.6 µm built with Phaseshift.
• SDK API — gives access to all tool capabilities, automates sweeps and repeated calculations by scripting and allows ing the customer's own proprietary algorithm into the design flow.
• Elastic cloud scale — the cloud license grants access to dynamically scalable computing resources on Amazon Web Services, which allows designing larger components without changing workstation.
• Fabrication-ready output — export in GDS, OAS and CSV, formats compatible with the industry's metaoptics manufacturers.
• Ray-tracer interfacing — the API allows coupling PlanOpSim to the ray-tracing package the team already uses, and there is a DLL driver developed with Valley Optics to take the MetaComponent phase profile into system modeling platforms.

Benefits

The gain in designable area comes choosing the method per scale: because RCWA stays confined to the unit cell and MetaComponent takes over propagation, the design leaves the micrometer range and reaches millimeter-scale components. Confidence in fabrication comes the built-in PDKs — the designer works the start with process data a real manufacturer, instead of discovering at fabrication that the structure is not realizable. And incorporation into an existing flow comes the SDK API, which exposes the capabilities as a library: the team keeps its own pipeline and calls PlanOpSim inside it.

Who it is for

PlanOpSim serves metaoptics and photonics R&D teams, optical engineering and applied research groups. Three concrete scenarios: designing a metalens for an AR headset where thickness and weight are product requirements; developing an LWIR diffractive component for a thermal sensor, starting the 10.6 µm PDK; and taking a metasurface design simulation to the fabrication mask in GDS with no manual conversion step.

Differentiators

The first differentiator is specialization: the interface was conceived for metaoptics and inverse design, not adapted a generic electromagnetic solver. The second is the PDK program — the company states it was the first in the metaoptics software market to embed manufacturer process kits in its tools, according to its own CEO. The third is opening the SDK API to the customer's algorithm, which turns the tool into a pipeline component rather than a final destination. And the fourth is support: technical answers come PlanOpSim's own photonics engineers and computational physicists.

System requirements

In cloud mode, PlanOpSim requires only a web browser, and processing happens on scalable resources at Amazon Web Services. In local mode, installation is done on the customer's infrastructure, with a product license key and USB dongle, and the manufacturer provides specific installation support. Simulation time and the maximum computable area depend on the machine's memory and processor configuration, and PlanOpSim maintains a knowledge base with minimum requirements and a local-versus-cloud performance comparison. Projects belong to a single owner and are shared by export and import between accounts.

Modules

PlanOpSim is not split into commercial editions, but into two modules that make up the same design flow.

• MetaCell — optical design of the nanostructures with a full solution of Maxwell's equations by RCWA, chosen by the manufacturer over FDTD or FEM for speed; this is where the unit cell is sized and metacell groups are assembled.
• MetaComponent — design of the metasurface, metalens, component and hologram with optimization methods, including target wavefront import and automated phase profile export.

How much does PlanOpSim cost?

PlanOpSim is licensed per licensed user. According to the manufacturer's official documentation, each licensed user can log in and simulate any computer, but runs one simulation at a time; working with several people in parallel requires several licensed users. The standard term OSB practices is annual, and the software is delivered in the cloud or as a local installation, with a USB dongle in the local case.

There is no list price because the investment depends on sizing: the number of licensed users; cloud or local mode; which modules the team will use; and whether it is a new purchase or a renewal. A counting example: a team of ten researchers in which four people need to simulate at the same time is sized at four licensed users, not ten — because the license follows the user rather than the workstation, and each user runs one simulation at a time. The team composition is illustrative; the one-user-per-license rule is official.

To buy PlanOpSim in Brazil, OSB Software maps this scope with you, sends the commercial proposal, issues the Brazilian invoice and delivers the licenses — request a quote to get the exact figure for your scenario.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to install anything to use PlanOpSim? In cloud mode, no: a web browser is enough. There is also a local mode, installed on the customer's infrastructure with a license key and USB dongle.

Can simulations be automated by script? Yes. The SDK API exposes all tool capabilities, and sweeps or repeated calculations not built into the interface can be automated by scripting.

Can two people work on the same project at the same time? Not simultaneously. Each project has a single owner, and sharing is done by exporting the project one account and importing it into another.

Does PlanOpSim talk to my ray-tracing software? Yes, through the API. There is also a DLL driver developed with Valley Optics to transfer the MetaComponent phase profile into system-level optical modeling platforms.

Why buy PlanOpSim OSB Software?

OSB Software is an official PlanOpSim NV partner in Brazil and supplies 100% genuine PlanOpSim licenses to companies, with Brazilian invoicing, local contracting in Portuguese and full legal compliance — the safe way to buy imported software under a Brazilian corporate entity, with no risk of irregular licensing.

When you buy PlanOpSim OSB Software, you get:

• Consultative, specialist support — specialists who size your licensed-user licensing to your actual operation, avoiding over- or under-buying.
• Fast, secure processes — purchase order to delivery of genuine licenses, traceable at every step.
• Dedicated commercial follow-up — quote to delivery and renewal, with advance notice before your license expires.
• Invoicing that fits your company — Brazilian invoicing and terms adapted to your corporate procurement process.
• Proven track record — thousands of customers served across Brazil.

If you are looking for where to buy PlanOpSim in Brazil with legal certainty and properly licensed imported software, request a quote: OSB Software delivers reliable technology, qualified support and a simple, transparent purchase.