View source for Component Details

<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;"> &larr; [[FAQ|Go to Frequently Asked Questions]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Tips|Go to Tips and Tricks &rarr;]]</div>
[[Main Page|&uarr; Back to Main Page]]
</div>

== Overview ==

<p>These are all of the components that you can expect to utilize when designing in OpenRocket, although <i>individual components <b>will be shaded</b> until available for use with other compatible components</i>.</p>

<p>[[File:Components.00.All.png|frameless|800 px|Openrocket <i>components</i>.]]</p>

<font color="blue">[[Component Details -- OpenRocket 15.02]]</font color>

== Component Classes ==

<p>The components available in OpenRocket are divided into four classes based upon component function. These classes are <i>assembly components</i>, <i>body components and fin sets</i> (external components), <i>internal components</i>, and <i>mass components</i> (which include electronics and recovery components).</p>

=== Assembly Components ===

<p>The assembly components allow you to create individual or multiple stages, and to add boosters and even pods.</p>

<p>[[File:Components.01.Assembly.png|frameless|280 px|Openrocket <i>components</i>.]]</p>

[[Assembly Components Basics]]

<br>

=== Body Components and Fin Sets Class ===

<p>The body components and fin sets, including launch guides, allows you dramatic flexibility in designing rockets, from the most basic to the extremely complex. These components can be generally divided by purpose into three areas, components from which the outer airframe is made, the rockets fins, and the components that guide the rocket until it accelerates to a safe and stable speed.</p>

<p>[[File:Components.02.00.Body-FinAll.png|frameless|1000 px|Openrocket <i>components</i>.]]</p>

==== Body Components ====

<p>The body components consist of the parts that make up the outer airframe of a rocket; nose cones, body tubes, and transitions. Although the top of virtually every rocket is a nose cone, OpenRocket allows these components to be combined in virtually any order, from simple model rockets with just a nose cone and a body tube, to complex designs that feature multiple body tube in a variety of diameters, with transitions in-between.</p>

<p>[[File:Components.02.00.Body-Fin.Body.png|frameless|1000 px|Openrocket <i>components</i>.]]</p>

[[Body Components Basics]]

==== Fin Sets ====

<p>The fin sets components allow you to select fins from the traditional trapezoidal and elliptical shapes, to just about any shape you can think of by using the freeform fin set editor. And, with the click of a button, you can transform trapezoidal and elliptical fins to freeform so that you can easily change the look and feel of your fin sets. For those who favor ring fins, OpenRocket offers that option as well. And, you can mix and match fin types, such as having trapezoidal fins in-between ring fins.</p>

<p>[[File:Components.02.00.Body-Fin.Fit_Sets.png|frameless|1100 px|Openrocket <i>components</i>.]]</p>

[[Fin Sets Basics]]

==== Launch Guides ====

<p>The launch guides components allow you to choose from launch lugs for low and mid power rockets to rail guides for your mid to high power needs. Although OpenRocket does not currently directly feature launch shoes, even that guide option may be simulated using the freeform fin set.</p>

<p>[[File:Components.02.00.Body-Fin.Launch_Guide.png|frameless|550 px|Openrocket <i>components</i>.]]</p>

[[Launch Guides Basics]]

<br>

----

[[#Body Components and Fin Sets Class|Go to <i>Body Components and Fin Sets Class</i>]]

----

<br>

=== Inner Components ===

<p>The inner components literally makes the rocket work, from the inside out; without these components there would be very little holding your rocket together; these components provide the surfaces necessary to glue the parts as the rocket is assembled. These components include such things as couplers to hold body tube together, bulkheads for avionics bay lids, inner tubes for baffles, centering rings to mount inner motor tubes, and engine blocks to keep the motor from going inside the rocket on launch; these components have many other uses when designing a rocket. Everything you need to construct the skeleton of the rocket.</p>

<p>[[File:Components.03.00.Inner.png|frameless|1200 px|Openrocket <i>components</i>.]]</p>

[[Inner Components Basics]]

<br>

=== Mass Components ===

<p>The mass components allow you to stabilize your rocket by adjusting its center of gravity and even to get your rocket back to the ground safely. This component class includes parachutes and streamers, shock cords and quick links, some electronic components, and the ability to create just about any other component you may need or can think of.</p>

<p>[[File:Components.03.00.Mass.png|frameless|960 px|Openrocket <i>components</i>.]]</p>

[[Mass Components Basics]]

== Configuring Components ==

<p>All components have characteristics that you can select from to customize your model. Some characteristics are unique to a specific type of component (whether a body tube is a motor tube for example). Other characteristics may apply to all components (every component has a color for example) This section relates to characteristics that are common to all, or at least the majority of components.</p>

[[Common Component Characteristics]]

<br>

----

<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">&larr; [[Basic Rocket Design|Go to Basic Rocket Design]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Advanced Rocket Design|Go to Advanced Rocket Design &rarr;]]</div>
</div>