Category: Training Content

Introduction

Design variables are a great way of organizing your most important or most often used parameters into a single location for easy access and manipulation. You may also save the design variables to a text file that can be loaded at any time to update your model. These text files can be edited outside of OpenVSP either manually or by scripting/automation and then used to rapidly update models with parametric variations on design trades. This is a nice way of handling trade studies and systems analysis without having to build the API or write in AngelScript.

Topics:

Design Variable Introduction
Adding, Removing, and Adjusting Design Variables
Saving or Loading a Design Variable File
Modifying and Executing a Design Variable File
Finding Parameters Using the Design Variable Explorer
Design Variable Conflicts and How to Avoid Them

Chapter 2 Subjects

Component Sets
Design Variables
Variable Presets
User Parameters
Snap-To
Linear Parameter Linking
Subsurfaces

Introduction

Similar to isolating OpenVSP components in Sets for analyses or visual grouping, you can also define specific sets of components to be included or excluded in a file export. For example, if you have many internal components that serve as masses or for cabin layout it is unlikely that you want all of these included in an outer mold line for aerodynamics, 3D printing, meshing, etc. Simply place the relevant components into a new Set and export by choosing that Set from the dropdown menu (File > Export… > Normal Set menu).

Component Sets may also be saved as a new OpenVSP model with an important caveat. The component hierarchy in the Model Tree must be preserved for the model to save the Set, meaning that the individual components and ALL relevant ancestor/parent components must also be included in the saved Set.

Introduction

In addition to isolating components for various analyses in OpenVSP, Sets are a great way to quickly switch between configurations or assembly groups.  For example, you can have multiple different versions of a vehicle in the same model and only include particular configurations in a Set.  One configuration may have a highly swept wing and V-tail while another may have a low aspect ratio wing with no sweep and a cruciform tail.  This is different than leveraging Variable Presets to alter the overall parametric shape of a component for a design change and intended more for significant configurations changes. Similarly, Sets may be used to show only specific groups or assemblies so the user can focus on a particular element or region of the model. Hiding everything in a model except for the engines or propellers is one such use case. Your modeling efficiency and speed are greatly improved by leveraging Sets for group isolation in these ways.

Introduction

In this tutorial, we will demonstrate how to use Sets for analyses in OpenVSP. In each case, the analysis menu will show a dropdown selection for the set you wish to operate on. Once a set is chosen, you can execute the analysis as usual and only those components included in the set will be considered. Note that OpenVSP has three named sets that are always present and represent all components in the model (All), the visible components (Shown), or the hidden components (Not Shown).

Introduction

This topic will introduce Sets to the user and illustrate how to leverage the Set Editor to select which components will belong to any given Set. Sets are a great way to choose which components or features to include in an analysis, file export, assembly group, or configuration. For example, users can choose to include only the lifting surfaces in the model for a VSPAERO Vortex-Lattice analysis without having to hide all other components in the model.