The 2016 OpenVSP Workshop will be held August 23-25 at NASA Ames on Moffett Field California.

Contact Rob McDonald if you would like to contribute to the program.

Please check the workshop website for updates.… Read more

It has been a while since the last release, I’m sure you’ll find that this version has lots of things to make it worth the wait. There are a lot of changes here–and there may be some lingering bugs. Please dig in and report success/failures to the Google Group.

Many of the embedded libraries have been updated, so if you compile yourself, you’ll need to refresh your build.

SnapTo has been added. This feature lets you adjust any parameter until the part snaps to a collision (or offset) with another part.

Leading edge modifications options matching the trailing edge modifications have been added. Likewise, leading edge control surface subsurfaces.

Multiple kinds of edge treatment have been added (not just flat). So, if you ever wanted to make a diamond airfoil with finite-radius LE/TE and an edge wingtip, now you can.

Plenty more features – and too many fixes to detail. The only logical step is to download it and give it a try.

Features:

• SnapTo, drive parameters by component collision/offset
• Thicken airfoil LE like TE
• Trim airfoil LE like TE
• Round, edge, and sharp LE and TE closeout
• Round, edge, and sharp wingtips (incl. v2 import round tips)
• Option for rectangle XSec corner parameters to match
• AnalysisMgr to streamline API additions
• Leading edge control surface subsurfaces for wings
• Write X,Y,Z intersection curves to SRF file for GridTool users

Bug Fixes:

• Make all parameters linkable
• Flip normal vectors for Plot3D as appropriate (thanks Joe Derlaga)
• Many and various build fixes (thanks Carmine, fernape, George, et. al.)
• Fix 0/1 subsurface indexing in DegenGeom for Matlab
• Updates to Python wrapper (thanks Santiago Balestrini-Robinson)
• Fix handful of OpenGL errors
• Fux null pointer dereference (thanks Richard Harrison)
• Fix flaky drag-n-drop in FitModel

Registration for the 2016 OpenVSP Workshop is now open. Go to the workshop website for details.… Read more

One big feature, a handful of enhancements, and a bunch of bug fixes make this version well worth the update.

The big feature is a projected area calculator. Use it to calculate the projected area of a component or a set of components. Project in the X, Y, or Z directions — or along an arbitrary vector — or along a vector normal to the u=0, w=0 point on a given component. You can also bound the projected area by a component or a set.

The resultant area is triangulated and added to the model as a MeshGeom for visualization or export to STL. Although only the final area is reported in the GUI, component areas and the area outline are available in the output file or via the API.

So, whether you want frontal area for a drag estimate, rotor downwash area for a download calculation, or you just want the projected area of a complex wing made of multiple components — you’re in business.

The super ellipse and rounded rectangle cross section types have been enhanced to creation of a bunch more related shapes. Thanks to Frank Zhang for those enhancements.

The bug fixes include some old and some new. All good stuff.

Features:

• Projected area calculator with many use cases
• Enhanced superellipse curve type – Frank Zhang
• Enhanced rounded rectangle curve type – Frank Zhang

Bug Fixes:

• Protect against NULL pointer dereference from API or Custom Components
• Fix crash with airfoils trimmed at barely different spots (thx Jason W.)
• Fix longstanding bug with handling of rounded corners for General XSec
• Fix deactivated sliders not updating
• Set unused capping parameters to value of least surprise

A small bugfix update just in time for AVIATION. This release fixes three problems that have bitten users. Get it now and don’t get bit! See you in DC.

Bug Fixes:

• Projected area direction setting from API. Thanks James Haley
• Crash in 3.6.1 with zero-width cross sections.
• Crash exporting split-surface IGES files with degenerate patches.
… Read more

This version includes two significant new features that have been in the works for some time. These are the estimation of supersonic wave drag by the area rule and a capability to save sets of variable settings in a given model.

The wave drag capability has been much requested and long awaited. Since its demonstration at the 2015 Workshop, a number of slick improvements have been made. Thanks to Michael Waddington for all the work and to Sriram Rallabhandi for the C implementation of the Eminton Lord calculations.

The variable preset capability has a number of use cases; it allows you to save the model state and return to that state quickly and easily. Perhaps you have a model with takeoff, landing, and cruise configurations. Perhaps you adjust the tessellation for VSPAERO, but want different resolution for mass properties, and different again for Cart3D. Or, if you’re doing a design study, you may want to save the baseline model and different optimal solutions (weight optimal, fuel optimal, cost optimal, etc). Thanks to Bryan Schmidt for all the work on this feature.

Features:

• Wave drag estimation by area distribution and Eminton Lord calculation
• Variable presets for saving model state

Versions 3.7.1 and .2 were released in rapid succession today to fix a couple of nasty bugs connected to the new variable presets capability.  Everyone should certainly update to 3.7.2.

Bug Fixes:

• Fix crash caused by reading file without VarPresets field
• Fix crash when deleting empty var presets group
… Read more

Don’t forget to register for the OpenVSP Workshop (Aug 23-25)!

This version is more focused than many of our releases. It is really all about upgrading the VSPAERO integration (and one bugfix).

The VSPAERO GUI has been comprehensively updated. You can now run alpha/beta/Mach sweeps from the GUI. Results are automatically parsed and are ready for review from the GUI. VSPAERO is now available through the Analysis Manager in the API. The results are parsed and are available through the Results Manager in the API.

In addition, a bug fix for files saved since version 3.7 that use super ellipse cross sections.

Features:

• Overhaul of VSPAERO integration
• VSPAERO alpha/beta/Mach sweeps from GUI
• Visualize VSPAERO results in GUI
• VSPAERO available through API
• Changed default wing LE/TE clustering to 0.25
• Build on OSX on Travis-CI
• Improve automated testing

Bug fixes:

• Duplicate parameter name in superellipse cross section

Propellers for all!

This release adds a new propeller component and fixes a pair of unrelated bugs. Though it may seem like a small change, the propeller component constructs its surface differently from other components. It represents a surprisingly large amount of work.

Instead of defining the blade shape (chord, twist) at specified stations, these are instead specified as continuious curves.

The propeller component comes with a bunch of related accessories — the blade activity factor is calculated on-the-fly, there is a one-click option to switch to a counter-rotating prop, propeller folding is built-in — with a user-defined fold axis, there is a blade element export/import capability, and the BEM data is available through the API.

Features:

• New propeller component
• Blade element import/export and API

Bug Fixes:

• Fix DegenGeom crash on Matlab export
• Fix GUI output of mass properties calculation

OpenVSP Version 3.9.0 with VSPAERO Version 3.0

The OpenVSP Workshop is this week. If you can’t be there, you can still stream the presentations online. Details at the workshop website.

Just in time for the Workshop, this release has something for everyone. VSPAERO, Hinges, Group Transform, AutoCAD Export, and bug fixes.

VSPAERO v3.0 is the most significant update to the VSPAERO solver to date. It includes a thick-surface panel method, control surfaces in VLM mode, built-in batch runs, improved speed, and more.

The VSPAERO integration into OpenVSP has been updated to support the new version of VSPAERO. API support also updated.

A one-axis kinematic joint has been added. This is like a blank component, but that can translate or rotate. Its children are forced to be attached to the joint. This component simplifies modeling control surfaces, landing gear, folding wings, and similar common major assemblies.

Group transformation/modification has been added. Select a group of components and you can translate/scale them as a group. You can also change their material or color, or rotate them about their own origins. This is one of the last v2 features that was missing in v3. Thanks much to Alex Gary for getting this going.

Feature lines can now be exported as an AutoCAD DXF file. This traditional drafting file can be imported into just about any Drawing or CAD program as a starting point for a general arrangement or inboard profile drawing. Welcome ESAero intern Justin Gravett to the development team.

Of course a few bug fixes are thrown in too. Mostly some API updates that broke Python or introduced features that never worked correctly.

Features:

• VSPAERO v3.0 – Panel method, batch runs, control surfaces, much more
• Improved VSPAERO integration
• One-Axis Kinematic Joint (Hinge/Slider)
• Group Transformation/Scale — Thanks Alex Gary
• 2D AutoCad Export of feature lines

Bug Fixes:

• Change to Geom type name lookup instead of type ID number
• Fix Python API
• Fix VarPresets API to built-in scripting

This release is all bug fixes. Some of the bugs are longstanding, but most relate to the big VSPAERO and integration update in 3.9.0. Everyone should update.

Bug Fixes:

• Fix bugs with unenforced limits of propeller curves
• Fix feather/collective angle for reversed propeller
• Fix false camber for blunt TE/LE airfoils in VLM VSPAERO analysis
• Fix problem where custom materials got re-written to file on insert
• Fix error writing supersonic VSPAERO results to file
• Fix various errors with VSPAERO integration
… Read more

OpenVSP Version 3.10.0

Just in time for SciTech, this release has been a long time coming. A few things had to be dropped at the last minute and there are a bunch more features pending in the wings… So expect more exciting releases in the near future.

There are no huge features this time, but enough significant changes to warrant the bump to .10. The FLTK graphics library has been updated to 1.3.4-1, the first stable FLTK release in years. The Angelscript scripting language has also been updated to the lastest version.

The clustering function for wings and propellers (LE/TE and root/tip) has been changed to one used widely by structured meshers. It gives more gradual point spacing growth resulting in much higher quality surface meshes.

The minimum clustering parameter is now 0.0001 instead of 0.0. Such a small value will likely be too small. You will need to play with existing models to get satisfactory results.

I’ve done some profiling to identify some slow spots and have made
changes to speed things up. Hopefully it is noticible, but results may
differ by platform.

There is also now an option to omit blunt airfoil TE panels from IGES/STEP surface export — I won’t name names, but users of a particular CFD meshing tool have asked us to add this option to make our surfaces less watertight.

Features

• Improved tessellation clustering function
• Tessellation spacing quality metrics
• Option to omit blunt TE patches from STEP/IGES surface export.
• CFDMesh faster
• FitModel faster
• Propeller, wing, & fuselage components faster
• Move CFDMesh to separate thread to improve console updating

Bug Fixes

• VSPAERO integration fixes
• CloseTE tolerance scales with chord to fix behavior on small models.
• Tighten degenerate curve test in tesselation and surface export.
• Fix PrintAnalysisInputs and PrintResults API functions
• Fix bug editing propeller spline points

This release is one of the most feature-packed updates yet. It includes two long-requested features that will transform how OpenVSP is used. There are another half dozen smaller updates that would justify the version number bump on their own. There is something here for everyone — you are going to want to update.

Blended wings are finally here. OpenVSP v2 had a BWB component that I was never happy with for many reasons. It is one of the things that didn’t make the cut for v3 because I didn’t want to support an ugly hack forever. There have been two significant attempts at blended wings in the v3 era. The first was based on early skinning and was a total disaster. The second brought us slew control in skinning; while improved, it mostly proved that a skinning-based approach wouldn’t work.

Wing blending works by giving the user enhanced control over the leading and/or trailing edges of a wing section. Instead of a straight line, the LE/TE can become a smoothly varying curve. Through suficient application of magic, the rest of the airfoil follows along.

The most simple way to modify a LE/TE is to change its local sweep or dihedral angle. You can also set a LE/TE direction to ‘match’ an adjoining wing section. These options should enable the user to quickly build their design intent into a blended wing with a minimum of parameters. A brief video tutorial on the blended wing component is available to get you started: Blended Wing Tutorial.

Conformal components are an entirely new addition to OpenVSP. Where most OpenVSP components’ shape is independently defined, conformal components derive their shape from their parent — they conform to their parent. This makes them ideal for modeling fuel tanks and payload bays. Users will soon find myriad application including layout and mass properties problems. To create a conformal component, select the desired parent component and ‘Add’ a conformal component. Then adjust the offset and U/W trim as desired.

Other new features include XPatch export of triangle meshes and SVG export for 2D drawings. CompGeom (and related tools) should be faster in one step. CompGeom now calculates and reports the area of subsurfaces.

Lots of little bugs were fixed too — but if you weren’t convinced to update by now, I doubt they’ll do it for you. Just go ahead and update, trust me.

Features

• Blended Wings
• Conformal Components
• XPatch export
• Improved DXF 2D export (outlines)
• SVG 2D export
• SubSurface areas in CompGeom
• CompGeom faster
• IGES/STEP surface splitting along U/W-Const SubSurface lines
• Mesh STL files can write surfaces and/or slices

Bug Fixes

• WaveDrag set choice glitch – thanks Alex Ziebart & Mike Raber
• Set editor conflict
• CFDMesh with Shown set
• Update CFDMesh when meshing fails
• Prop curve indexing problem when enforcing order (possible crash)
• WaveDrag reference area flag Parm in wrong group
• Set VSPAERO analysis method from API
• CFDMesh threading console update
• Highlight Selected Set in Set Editor

We’ve had trouble updating the website, but now have a workaround until we can get a proper fix. Sorry for the trouble.

Just in time for the workshop an update with some features and lots of bug fixes.

This adds a built-in body of revolution — in case the Duct custom components were not enough for your needs. Also includes Spin control for fuselage and stack geoms.

Lots of updates to VSPAERO — ground effect and some viewer updates, but mostly a whole host of bug fixes for issues that people have been running into.

Plenty of good stuff here. Everyone should update.

Features:

• Body of revolution component
• Spin control for fuselage and stack
• VSPAERO Update to 4.1.1
  • Added ground effect model
  • Reflect symmetric half geometry in viewer
  • Show XYZ planes in viewer

Bug Fixes:

• Clean up logic in STEP/IGES export – may help some importers
• VSPAERO GUI now creates half-mesh for panel method with symmetry
• VSPAERO Update to 4.1.1
  • Fix drag integration inconsistency for alpha vs. rotation
  • Fix memory crash w/ periodic wakes (ducts)
  • Fix pressure anomaly w/ periodic wakes (ducts)
  • Fix problem with symmetry calculations
  • Fix high AR Cp near centerline
  • Fix high AR Cp out span
  • Fix slicer on Windows
  • Set minimum Mach to 0.001 — fixes Cp min/max range in viewer

Lots of fixes, a few features, and some tweaks all around. Much of this came up at the workshop — too bad you missed it.

VSPAERO is updated to 4.2 — this version includes a leading edge suction / vortex lift model as well as a bunch of fixes.

I’m also updating the compiler used to build the Windows releases. It may make some things faster, but it may also cause problems on some old machines. Please report any problems.

Features:

• VSPAERO 4.2
  • Vortex lift model / leading edge suction model integrated.
• DegenGeom enhancements
  • LE radius, thickness, and location from curve not mesh
  • Handle prop like wing in DegenGeom
• Change Prop blade duplication to speed updates
• Add invert airfoil for VKT airfoils
• Add UpdateGeom to API to facilitate rel vs. abs positioning in scripts
• Allow control surfaces to be in multiple groups
• ‘AJ’ usability improvments / fixes
  • Edit min/max value of User Parms
  • User Parm adjust screen wider for long names
  • Advanced link screen wider for long names
  • Fix odd _0 appended to user parm group names
  • Sort and divide user parm adjust tab by group
  • Clarify parm linking GUI
  • Sort parm links

Bug Fixes:

• VSPAERO 4.2
  • Ground effect, wakes and CG location
  • Various updates and fixes in viewer
  • Control surface fixes – multiple controls on a single wing
  • Large control surface deflection improvements
  • Changed calculation of CpMin
• BOR diameter was radius
• Make BOR parms linkable
• Initial position of children of hinges
• Parasite drag crashing with blanks
• Cf equation inputs and defaults
• Cf calculation for mixed laminar/turbulent flow

Two servings of OpenVSP Pi on the same day!

It has been far too long since the last release. This started out small, but then had to wait for some things to finish. While waiting, it grew. Then it had to wait on something else — and it grew more. Now that it is finally out the door, it is no longer a small update.

Lots of great features and bug fixes in 3.14.0 for both VSPAERO and OpenVSP. Too many things to highlight just one or two. Download the latest, check out the release notes, and enjoy.

3.14.1 on the other hand is even more exciting and it contains just one thing – the long-awaited structures modeling and meshing capability. OpenVSP v2 had a structures layout capability that only worked for wings. That wasn’t brought forward to v3 because we’d learned enough from that and wanted to do it better.

Shout out to Justin Gravett who did most of the work to make this happen.

All the lessons from v2 wing structures have been applied and this new capability should be an exciting step forward. It supports all component types (including custom geoms). It supports multiple structures per model (and even multiple per geom). It supports many more structure parts – full-depth ribs/spars/bulkheads/frames/floors, zero-depth beam elements, key points, and pressure domes.

If you like structures, dive in.

The structures update is a huge set of changes that touches many parts of OpenVSP (including CFDMesh). Just in case it breaks something that usually works, we’ve separated the 3.14.0 and 3.14.1 releases. We encourage everyone to use 3.14.1 — but if something is broken that you need, you can try 3.14.0 to see if it works there.

This structures capability is a huge set of changes. It has been in the works for a long time and was previewed at the OpenVSP workshop. There are likely issues that we haven’t found. Help us make this the best we can.

OpenVSP 3.14.1 Features:

• OpenVSP Structures Capability

OpenVSP 3.14.0 Features:

• VSPAERO Update to 4.3
• Matrix based preconditioner is now default
• Vortex lift on by default
• Leading edge suction a separate option
• Option to disable 2nd order Mach correction
• Multiple Re support for CDo (not supported yet by OpenVSP GUI)
• Some small changes to calculating the surface pressures on the body.
• OpenVSP updates to support VSPAERO 4.3
• CPSlicer GUI
• VSPAERO Automated Test Script
• SubSurface API Extensions
• Improvements to DegenGeom representation of control surfaces
• Wireframe import of *.hrm files for CompGeom/DegenGeom based analysis
• Measure, point probe in GUI
• Surface query API routines
• U,W Line Sources for CFDMesh
• Some outputs now handled as Parms and can be used in linking.
• Defer Update() in CreateGeom

OpenVSP 3.14.0 Bug Fixes:

• First (instead of last) wake iteration plotted in VSPAEROPlotScreen
• Fix VBO buffer size and increment to prevent crashing on complex models
• Scale rounded rectangle corner radius.
• Scale root section of multi-section wings.
• Remove dangling panel method mesh every time VSPAERO is initiated.
• Fix counter-intuitive behavior pasting components onto hinges.
• Fix hinge GUI name update.
• Misc. other bugs
• VSPAERO 4.3 Bug fixes
• Fixed a bug with forces/moments for propulsive cases – vlm and panel
• Various other bug fixes.

The NASA OpenVSP3Plugin is now available as an open source software as advertised at the 2017 OpenVSP Workshop. It is a JAVA tool that allows users to interface with engineering and analysis environments such as ModelCenter and NASA’s OpenMDAO. The JAR files and source code have been posted on GitHub. A special shout out to Jim Fenbert for all his hard work in making this plugin a reality!

Mostly a bug fix release, but a few treats thrown in for good measure.

This release fixes a bunch of issues that cropped up in 3.14. So far, no problems have been reported that relate to the structures support in .1, so only one release will be made here.

In addition to the fixes, two ‘features’ are included.

First, we’re including pre-built Python bindings! Nothing here that you couldn’t do yourself before, but now that we’re doing the heavy lifting, a bunch more people should be able to Python their OpenVSP to their hearts content. These bindings will only work with the Python they were built against. These were built against Anaconda3.6. (The 32-bit version on Windows.)

Second, there is an update to libIGES that allows naming of the exported surfaces. We use Entity 406 Type 15 names — this allows names to be of arbitrary length. You might want simple names derived from the component names — or you might want something guaranteed unique that identifies all split surfaces with their parent – and symmetrical copies with their master. The IGES export GUI now has a bunch of optinos to allow control of the name fields and delimeter.

The MacOS release has been built with a new compiler on a newer machine, please report any improvements or problems.

The fixes are important too, a couple of nasty ones in there. You’ll want to update.

Features:

• Python bindings now included – Anaconda3.6 based.
• IGES surface names

Bug Fixes:

• Parasite drag SWet showing as zero (thanks Corrado)
• Fix crash when pasting components to top level (thanks Jasper)
• Fix VSPAERO GUI layout problems (thanks Marco)
• Fix problem reading line subsurfaces from file (thanks Nat)
• Scattered other fixes

Happy New Year! And Happy New OpenVSP! One significant new feature and a bunch of fixes and cleanups make this release worthy of a .0 milestone. I hope to see you at SciTech or AHS this year.

The new feature is support for stand-alone calculation of intersection curves (without running CFDMesh). The curves can be visualized and exported to GridTool and Plot3D formats. These changes also afforded an audit of the surface intersection code — resulting in many improvements.

These improvements should significantly improve the quality of the curves, which will hopefully improve the robustness and quality of the CFDMesh and FEAMesh processes.

Unfortunately, the improved algorithms are potentially noticeably slower. If you notice CFDMesh pausing for a longer period during ‘Intersect’, this is why.

There are a bunch of changes to the organization of the Structures data. This should make all of the Parms available through the API or as design variables. However, this will also likely mean that structures currently saved to a *.vsp3 file will not read into versions going forward.

We try to avoid this sort of thing, but this one slipped by — very sorry for the inconvenience. However, I am certain that the best time to fix this issue is now.

The VSPAERO GUI has been extended to support unsteady stability runs.

There are a handful of bug fixes. Most significantly, a bunch of fixes related to saved views, the openness of the adjust view GUI, and the preset views from the View menu.

Overall, lots of good stuff. Download right away. Enjoy in moderation.

Features:

• Stand-alone curve intersection generation, visualization, and export
• VSPAERO GUI integration of PQR unsteady stability stuff

Bug Fixes:

• Structures data organization to make Parms available to API
• View adjust bugs

This version is long overdue, but it has lots of good stuff — should be well worth the wait. Not much of a theme here, but bits and pieces all over the place.

We’re in the process of migrating the www.openvsp.org web server. If the site goes down in the next few days, don’t dismay, it’ll come back soon. Hopefully this doesn’t cause problems with obtaining this version.

VSPAERO gets a big update to version 4.4.1. The binary file format has changed, so you must use the new viewer and slicer. There is also a VSPAERO test script that has received a lot of work.

New export types/formats — airfoil stack, simple PMARC 12 files, OBJ from MeshGeom. DegenGeom now available from API.

To round it out, some propeller modeling improvements, and significant speedups to the improved intersection curves recently released.

Features:

• Airfoil stack export
• Simple PMARC 12 export
• MeshGeom OBJ export
• DegenGeom support to API
• Structures small improvements and bug fixes.
• Propeller modeling improvements (sweep and construction line)
• Update VSPAERO to version 4.4.1
  • ADB file format change.
  • Supersonic solutions should work again.
  • New surface pressure calculation method
  • Fixed a 2 floating around in the unsteady aero forces
  • Fixed a bug in the time accurate wake code.
  • Steady state rotor calculations.
  • UnSteady rotor calculations.

Bug Fixes:

• Faster Intersection Curves
• Many fixes to VSPAERO test script