OpenVSP 3.45.1 Released

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This is a bugfix with a few extra goodies thrown in. The applicable fixes from this release have been back ported to 3.44.3. That version is being maintained in case people have trouble moving to 3.45.X. That said, 3.45.0 has been going very well and I do not anticipate keeping the 3.44.X branch active for long.

Although a bugfix release, a couple features made their way in.

OpenVSP will now decompose file-type airfoils into approximate thickness and camber distributions. Then, when the thickness of the airfoil is adjusted, the thickness is scaled and re-applied to the fixed camber distribution (rather than just scaling the ordinates). This same process is used when interpolating between dissimilar airfoil types along a propeller blade.

The Advanced Link code window now displays line numbers. The error messages reported when there are problems in the code now reflect the displayed line numbers.

The new Geometry Analysis feature gained an online help page to help explain the input requirements for each analysis. The analyses also received some error checking to notify the user when those requirements are not met.

The most visible change in this version will be the layout of the main OpenVSP screen. Over the years, screens have gotten bigger and wider — and while most have landscape orientation, some are portrait. The default size of the main screen has been increased to better take advantage of the screen.

There are also a handful of updates to VSPAERO. Mostly bug fixes all around, but also continued improvements to the optimization mode including an adjoint optimization based trim capability.

Of course, a bugfix release is mostly about the bugs. The new VSPAERO NGon meshes could end up with holes in the mesh when there were adjacent coplanar surfaces in the geometry.

Control surface tag files were given invalid names on Windows. The VSPAERO Viewer would not load on Linux. Mref was not written properly to the VSPAERO input file. Input for the CLMax2D parameter was added to remedy its unintentional omission.

A problem with EngineGeom tessellation that mainly appeared on Linux was fixed.

A CFDMesh crash tied to model scale was fixed. Small scale aircraft modeled in large units (meters) with thin blunt trailing edges would cause degenerate patches that would cause a crash.

A long-standing bug on Windows machines that would not read STL files with non-native line endings properly.

There were also several fixes related to the new Geometry Analysis, Auxiliary Geometry, and Landing Gear capabilities.

Two releases in one go — everyone should update.

Features:

  • Camber decomposition scaling for file and interpolated airfoils
  • Advanced Link code section now has line numbers
  • Advanced Link code error messages reflect displayed line numbers
  • Geometry Analysis Online Help
  • Error handling for Geometry Analysis
  • Adjust Main Screen sizing

VSPAERO Updates:

  • Cleaned up vspaero_opt
  • Optimization support for non-geometric inputs as design variables
  • Optimization based trim mode
  • Preliminary support for VSPAERO API wrapper
  • Various bug fixes

Bug Fixes:

  • Fix holes in NGon mesh with co-planar surfaces
  • Fix control surface tag file name problem on Windows
  • Fix vspviewer temp directory problem on Linux
  • Fix writing Mref to VSPAERO input file
  • Add omitted support for VSPAERO CLMax2D parameter
  • Expose AuxGeom XSec Attributes
  • Fix bug with tessellation of EngineGeom
  • Fix CFDMesh crash tied to model scale.
  • Fix reading STL files on Windows with non-native line endings.
  • Fix Bogie containers not appearing in search
  • Fix CG envelope calculations & visualization
  • Clean up GearScreen
  • Improve matrix attribute format string

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