computer science

OpenVSP

OpenVSP is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand OpenVSP rather than just read about it. In short: OpenVSP (also Open Vehicle Sketch Pad) is an open-source parametric aircraft geometry tool originally developed by NASA. It can be used to create 3D models of aircraft and to support engineering analysis of those models.

Key takeaways

OpenVSP belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect OpenVSP to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of OpenVSP from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

OpenVSP (also Open Vehicle Sketch Pad) is an open-source parametric aircraft geometry tool originally developed by NASA. It can be used to create 3D models of aircraft and to support engineering analysis of those models.

History Predecessors to OpenVSP including VSP and Rapid Aircraft Modeler (RAM) were developed by J.R. Gloudemans and others for NASA beginning in the early 1990s. OpenVSP v2.0 was released as open source under the NOSA license in January 2012. Development has been led by Rob McDonald since around 2012 and has been supported by NASA and AFRL among other contributions. OpenVSP allows the user to quickly generate computer models from ideas, which can then be analyzed. As such, it is especially powerful in generating and evaluating unconventional design concepts.

Features

User interface OpenVSP displays a graphical user interface upon launch, built with FLTK. A workspace window and a "Geometry Browser" window open. The workspace is where the model is displayed while the Geometry Browser lists individual components in the workspace, such as fuselage and wings. These components can be selected, added or deleted, somewhat like a feature tree in CAD software such as Solidworks. When a component is selected in the Geometry Browser window, a component geometry window opens. This window is used to modify the component. OpenVSP also provides API capabilities which may be accessed using Matlab, Python or AngelScript.

Geometry modelling OpenVSP offers a multitude of basic geometries, common to aircraft modelling, which users modify and assemble to create models. Wing, pod, fuselage, and propeller are a few available geometries. Advanced components like body of revolution, duct, conformal geometry and such are also available.

Analysis tools Besides the geometry modeler, OpenVSP contains multiple tools that help with aerodynamic or structural analysis of models. The tools available are:

CompGeom - mesh generation tool that can handle model intersection and trimming

Mass Properties Analysis - to compute properties like centre of gravity and moment of inertia Projected Area Analysis - to compute project area CFD Mesh - to generate meshes that may be used in Computational fluid dynamics analysis software FEA Mesh - to generate meshes that may be used in FEA analysis software DegenGeom - to generate various simplified representations of geometry models like point, beam and camber surface models VSPAERO - for vortex lattice or panel method based aerodynamic and flight dynamic analysis

Wave Drag Analysis - for estimating wave drag of geometries Parasite Drag Analysis - for estimating parasite drag of geometries based on parameters like wetted area and skin friction coefficient Surface fitting - for fitting a parametric surface to a point cloud Texture Manager - for applying image textures to geometry for aiding visualization FEA Structure - for creating internal structures such as ribs and spars

Compatibility with other software OpenVSP permits import of multiple geometry formats like STL, CART3D (.tri) and PLOT3D. Point clouds may also be imported and used to fit a parametric surface. Geometry created in OpenVSP may be exported as STL, CART3D (.tri), PLOT3D, STEP and IGES, OBJ, SVG, DXF and X3D file formats. These file formats allow geometries to be used for mesh generation and in CFD or FEA software.

Community repository

OpenVSP Hangar OpenVSP Hangar (also VSP Hangar) provides users a place to upload models and promotes sharing of geometry created in OpenVSP. Each model is allowed revisions with accompanying details on source quality. Since end of 2023, OpenVSP Hangar has been closed and no backup downloads has been provided.

OpenVSP Airshow On 22 August 2024, OpenVSP Airshow (also VSP Airshow), a successor to OpenVSP Hangar, has been launched.

All of the v3 models on the Hangar have been ported over to the Airshow.

OpenVSP Workshop OpenVSP Workshop — is an offline event where developers and users meet to discuss progress and use of OpenVSP. The Workshop has been held annually since 2012 (except 2018). The 2020 and 2021 Workshops were held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2024 Workshop was held at the Museum of Flight in Seattle. Papers, slides and other workshops materials published on OpenVSP wiki site in a few days after workshops ends.

OpenVSP Ground School OpenVSP Ground School is a set of comprehensive tutorials under development by Brandon Litherland at NASA. Ground school tutorials provide details on OpenVSP features and techniques, along with tutorials for beginner and advanced users, and are hosted on the Langley Research Center website.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with OpenVSP

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what OpenVSP claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to OpenVSP before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about OpenVSP ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of OpenVSP

In research: OpenVSP appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses OpenVSP in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: OpenVSP is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Aerospace companies, Aerospace engineering software, Computational fluid dynamics, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for OpenVSP outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study OpenVSP in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what OpenVSP means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain OpenVSP out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is OpenVSP in simple terms?

Why does OpenVSP matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study OpenVSP?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on OpenVSP.