Render with Real-World Lenses
Lens Sim is a Blender addon created to simulate camera lenses based on real-world optical data. By extending the standard blender camera you can easily choose and render dozens of lenses in Cycles. By simulating the physical characteristics of glass and the aperture opening we get common lens effects such as chromatic aberration, vignetting, distortion, lens softness, focus breathing and natural bokeh shapes. These effects contribute to the organic, imperfect look of physical photography. The standard camera provides an idealized, perfect clean render that misses out on these unique characteristics, making images feel sterile or too “perfect,” which can detract from a “film-like” look. This addon inspires to improve that.
Anamorphic lens in action, notice the lens breathing and oval bokeh shape.

Closeup showing the chromatic aberration.
Choose between an extensive selection of lenses, each carefully modeled with real-world data to provide a broad range of simulation possibilities. From wide-angle to telephoto.

Each lens has a unique bokeh shape and distortion profile.
Dive into the world of macro photography with specialized lenses that excel at capturing tiny objects. Perfect for showcasing delicate subjects, such as flowers or small objects.
Model by abdoubouam

Experience the magic of tilt-shift photography, by shifting and tilting the lens, you can manipulate perspective, giving your images an intriguing and surreal quality.
Scene by Piotr Krynski
Soft lenses offer a creative way to introduce a gentle aesthetic into your work. These lenses create an inviting and dreamy atmosphere, enhancing the mood and emotional depth.
Scene by Gleb Alexandrov

Key Features
Full Blender Integration Lens Sim is seamlessly integrated with Blender’s native camera and Cycles rendering engine. With multi-camera support, you can maintain your standard workflow when designing shots. Whether you are starting from scratch or adapting current scenes, the process of creating and converting cameras is simple and intuitive.
With a single click, you can extend your Blender camera into a Lens Sim camera.

By tracing a single ray from the focus object to the lens, we can determine the ideal sensor position for that distance, removing the necessity of manual lens focusing.
Real-World Accuracy Built on actual lens patent data, Lens Sim replicates the optical characteristics of real-world lenses, from intricate distortions to natural bokeh. Experience professional-grade optical effects like chromatic aberration, lens distortion, focus breathing, and precise depth of field. You get true-to-life results without needing complicated geometry setups.
Custom Lens Design You can easily create your own unique lenses, adjust their specifications to suit your needs, save your designs for future use, and share them with friends and fellow enthusiasts. Unleash your creativity and take your optical projects to the next level!
Each lens is implemented through a built-in data table.

By guiding rays towards the aperture opening we get little to no loss of rays at higher f-stops
Render Farm Compatibility Lens Sim works native within Blender, without relying on the addon itself during rendering. This means once your scene is set up, Lens Sim’s features are fully integrated into Blender’s system, allowing it to run seamlessly on any render farm that supports Blender.
Editing Tools Tailor lenses to specific scenes by adjusting parameters like custom chromatic aberration ramp, tilt shift, add extra lens distortion, use a custom aperture image, emulate anamorphic effects, add swirliness to your bokeh, extend the field of view beyond the original lens design and add lens dirt.