The present invention relates to a method for simulating an image recording by an optical sensor of a coordinate measuring machine for inspecting a measurement object, comprising the following steps: providing a first data set representing a model of the measurement object, a second data set representing a model of an illumination of the measurement object, and a third data set representing a model of an optics of the optical sensor, and rendering an image stack on the basis of the first data set, the second data set and the third data set, wherein the image stack has a plurality of virtual images of at least one partial region of the measurement object, wherein each virtual image is rendered at least with a different second and/or different third data set. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method for optimizing an image recording by a coordinate measuring machine.