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Foucault Data Reduction Software

After you take Foucault Test Measurements, you need to process, or reduce, the data, to understand the shape of your mirror surface. When this is determined, you can decide which zones to work on, or declare the mirror done.

FigureXP Screen Capture
FigureXP's Surface Error Analysis screen, showing the surface profile of the mirror being analyzed. The actual data points are the five yellow tick marks on the surface at the center of each zone, the profile is a smooth curve drawn through these points.
FigureXP's Surface Error Analysis

Before computers were common, the data reduction was done manually. Many of the mirror making books listed in our bibliography will describe the steps to do this. [Texerau84] has the most through description, a nice work-sheet to use, and is by far the most popular.

Today, however, most people use a software package running on a personal computer to do this work. These packages will accept a set of Foucault Test Data and produce textural and graphic output that describes your mirror.

Surface profiles and transverse error plots will help you decided what your next figuring step should be. Mirror quality metrics, such as wave ratings and Strehl ratios, will help you decide when the mirror meets your completion criteria.

The table below lists some of the currently available software:

Program
Authors(s)
Platform Web Site Comments
Figure XP
Dave Rowe
James Lerch
Windows:
XP thru 10
32/64-bit
Download FigureXP.zip
(from Stellafane.org)
See How To Install in Zip package
Version with Star Test Simulator
Foucault 2
Etienne de Foras
Windows http://edeforas.free.fr/?cat=4 Includes built-in log book which stores your comments and the graphical results of each test.
Couder
Ricardo Dunna
Windows http://www.atmsite.org/contrib/
Dunna/foucault/index.html
Can track
figuring progress
Tex
Mike Linder
Windows
Mac
Linux
Download Tex.zip
(from Stellafane.org)
Classic Texereau analysis automated
Foucault Test Analysis
Andreas Reifke
Windows:
XP thru 10
32/64-bit
Download Fouc20a.exe
(from Stellfane.org)
Also has Shadowgram Simulator.
Foucault Test
Image Analyzer

Dejan Vucinic
Any Java
Platform
http://foucault.sourceforge.net/ Multi-platform
Foucault Analyzer
Jiri Merth
Any Java
Platform
https://sourceforge.net/projects/
foucault-analyzer/
Multi-platform;
Improved version of
Dejan Vucnic's program.
ZoneTest
Thomas J. Ehrensperger
Windows http://www.wxsim.com/
zonepage.html
Nice Spot Diagram
Parab
Tom Stokes
Windows http://mirrorgrindingmachine.com/
Parab/index.htm
'Parabolas' view is great!
*DOS program run under Windows in DOS mode.

A frequent question we get is asking about software available for Macs. We are sorry to report aside from Tex, we are not aware of any others at this time (if you know of something, please let us know so we can include it in this list).

Gary Barrett of Conifer, CO wrote to let us know that he was successful in running FigureXP on his Mac using a free program called Wineskin. It might work for other windows programs also.