OpenRocket wiki - User contributions [en]

Downloading & Installing

2015-09-19T22:41:22Z

Tcbetka: /* 2. Downloading & Installing */

<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Introduction|← Introduction]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Getting Started|Getting Started →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

{{UserGuideHelp}}

==2. Downloading & Installing==

__TOC__

OpenRocket is a Java application, which means that you need to have [http://www.java.com/en/download/index.jsp Java] installed on your computer before you can use it. OpenRocket requires '''Java Version 6''' or better to run, you can check which version of Java is installed on your computer by clicking [http://www.java.com/en/download/installed.jsp?detect=jre&try=1 here]. If Java is not installed, that page should provide you with a link to download and install the latest version for your operating system. If that page tells you that you do not have a supported plugin, then you can still determine your Java version (on a Linux OS) from the command line:
<pre>java -version</pre>
If you see information about a specific version of Java listed on the first line of the output after that command, then you have Java installed. Otherwise the output should tell you which packages contain Java for your particular distribution of Linux. Some operating systems come with Java pre-installed, while others don't. The installation processes for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux are shown below.

== General ==

In general, OpenRocket is installed by following these three steps:

# Make sure you have the correct version of Java, and [http://www.java.com/getjava/ install or upgrade] if not.
# [http://openrocket.sourceforge.net/download.html Download] the OpenRocket application.
# Open the application and use it. On most operating systems you can just double-click the icon for the OpenRocket file which was downloaded, no further installation is required.

== Windows Users ==
Windows does '''not''' come with any sort of Java pre-installed. However, it's quite likely that Java has already been installed as part of another application, and you can check this by using [http://www.java.com/en/download/installed.jsp?detect=jre&try=1 this page]. If you don't have Java installed, you will need to [http://www.java.com/en/download/index.jsp download] and install it before continuing.

Once you have Java, installing OpenRocket on any version of Windows is simple:
# [http://openrocket.sourceforge.net/download.html Download] OpenRocket to the folder of your choice.
# Double click the file to start the program.

That's it! If you didn't save the OpenRocket file to your Desktop, you can place a shortcut there by right-clicking on the OpenRocket file, mousing over "Send to" and clicking "Desktop (create shortcut)".

== Mac OS X Users ==
If your computer runs OS X 10.7.2 or older version, then it receives Java updates from Apple. Apple sends out Java with system updates, so it should already be installed. A common complication with Mac users is that most Macs have both Java 5 and Java 6 installed, and Java 5 is used by default. If you try to use OpenRocket and get an error, then you probably still have Java 5 set as the default.

To set Java 6 as the default:
# Open the Utilities folder (Finder -> Go -> Utilities). [[File:FinderOpenUtilities.png|none|300px]]
# Open the Java Preferences Application (double-click Java Preferences.app). [[File:UtilitiesJavaPreferences.png|none|300px]]
# In the bottom section of the window that opens, drag Java 6 to top of list. [[File:JavaApplicationPreferences.png|none|300px]]

If your Mac runs OS X 10.7.3 (Lion) or later version, then the updates are delivered directly by Oracle and you should not encounter any problems.

For more information on software versions and updates, visit [https://www.java.com/en/download/faq/java_mac.xml Java on Mac OS X] page of the Oracle official web site.

== Linux Users ==

=== Ubuntu/Debian Repository ===

If you are running a recent version of Ubuntu or Debian, then OpenRocket can be easily installed using the Ubuntu Software Center or Synaptic (etc.). Please note that the version in the distribution repository ''may not be the latest version''. Alternatively you may install OpenRocket from the command line:
<pre>sudo apt-get install openrocket</pre>

To start OpenRocket, simply select it from the Applications menu.

=== Official Version ===

# [http://openrocket.sourceforge.net/download.html Download] the OpenRocket application.
# Copy it to a convenient folder.
# Make the .jar file executable (right-click on .jar file, select "Properties", go to the Permissions tab and check the "Allow executing file as program" box).
# Start OpenRocket by either double-clicking the .jar file, or right-clicking the .jar file, and selecting "Open with Sun Java6 Runtime".
If the default is set to open with the Archive Manager, then right-click, select "Open with other application", then select "Open with Sun Java6 Runtime", and check the box to make that the default. In future, it should be possible to just double-click to start OpenRocket.

Alternatively you may start OpenRocket from the command line:
<pre>java -jar OpenRocket-14.06.jar</pre>

Or, if you are not currently in the same directory as the .jar file, replace '/path/to/' by the appropriate path on your system:
<pre>java -jar /path/to/OpenRocket-14.06.jar</pre>

----
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Introduction|← Introduction]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Getting Started|Getting Started →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

Developer's Guide

2015-09-14T17:38:58Z

Tcbetka: Fixed spelling error.

{{Access}}

This page contains information on the inner workings of OpenRocket and is meant primarily for developers interested in developing OpenRocket.

In addition to this page, information can be found in the [http://openrocket.sourceforge.net/documentation.html Technical documentation] chapter 5.

== Obtaining the source code ==

OpenRocket is primarily developed using [http://www.eclipse.org/ Eclipse], and it's the recommended IDE for compatibility. Developers are free to use other IDE's, but everything may not work out-of-the-box.

The source code is hosted on [https://github.com/openrocket/openrocket/ GitHub]. You need either to install the [http://www.eclipse.org/egit/ EGit] plugin to Eclipse, or use some other Git client (for example the command-line client).

Using the command-line, the OpenRocket code can be retrieved by:

<pre>
$ git clone git://github.com/openrocket/openrocket.git
</pre>

'''Note:''' The source packages available on the OpenRocket web site (*.zip) are meant for building the application from source code, '''NOT''' for development purposes. They do not contain all the project files etc [http://tokobungasabana.com Toko bunga], [http://www.grosir-kosmetik.com/62-glutera.html Glutera], [http://tokobungasabana.com Toko bunga jakarta], [http://www.raywhitesemarang.com Properti semarang].

== Running OpenRocket from Eclipse (tested with Eclipse Luna and OpenRocket v15.03, September, 2015) ==

The following steps should get you up and running with OpenRocket source code: 

1) After downloading the source code, start Eclipse. 
2) From the Eclipse main menu, select File -> Import. 
3) In the Import window that opens, select General -> Existing Projects into Workspace, then click Next. 
4) In the Select root directory field, browse to the location of the OpenRocket source code that you downloaded. 
5) In the file browser that appears, click on the openrocket root project directory. A list of projects should then appear in the Projects pane on the import window. 
6) Select only these three projects from the list: OpenRocket Core, OpenRocket Swing and OpenRocket Test Libraries. (Note: As of v15.03 you no longer need to load the other projects to build OpenRocket on the desktop.) 
7) Once those three projects have been selected, click Finish. Eclipse should start with those three projects shown in the Package Explorer. 

NOTE: You might see errors in some source files, reporting that various Java classes cannot be found. If that happens, you might try these steps to resolve these issues: 

8) In the Project Explorer pane in Eclipse, right-click on the project reporting the errors. Select Properties. 
9) In the properties window that opens, select Java Build Path -> Libraries. 
10) Make sure that the JRE System Library for your version of Java is seen in the list of libraries. 
11) If it is NOT included in the list, click the Add Library button in the menu to the right. 
12) From the Add Library window that appears, select JRE System Library from the list. Then click Next. 
13) Make sure that the correct Workspace is selected in the next window that appears, and then click Finish. Once the Add Library window closes, you should then see the JRE System Library added to the list of libraries in the project properties window. 
14) Click OK. Once the project properties window closes you will be returned to Eclipse, and hopefully the errors reported by the IDE will then resolve. 
15) If there are still errors, you'll need to revert to Google for additional help. Googling the exact error string reported by Eclipse will most likely help you resolve any outstanding dependency issues. 

*** Also note that the main entry point for OpenRocket is in the OpenRocket Swing project, in the net.sf.openrocket.startup.SwingStartup.java file. With that file active OpenRocket should build and start. 

Finally, remember that help is available either in the OpenRocket forums or in the main developers list. Good Luck! 

== Marking TODO's ==

Often when writing code you know that something could be done better, but at the moment is either impossible or unreasonable. These are commonly marked with a TODO comment. The following convension is used to mark the importance of different TODO's:

* <code>// TODO: CRITICAL: Some comment</code> A bug or something that is not yet implemented, and must be corrected before any release is made. The Ant build script checks for these and prevents building if such a comment is found.
* <code>// TODO: HIGH: Some comment</code> An important issue that should be looked into within this or the next major release.
* <code>// TODO: MEDIUM: Some comment</code> Something that would make the software better, but does not represent a problem as such.
* <code>// TODO: LOW: Some comment</code> Something that would be nice to do better in the future

== Debugging ==

=== LogBack ===

As of version 13.05, OpenRocket uses [http://logback.qos.ch/index.html LogBack] for logging.

If you want to change the default logging that OpenRocket uses, you can create or reuse a LogBack configuration file stored in openrocket/core/config. For example, you can use the logback-stdout-level-error.xml there which tells logback to log everything to stdout with logging level of Error (serious errors only).

To enable use of a LogBack configuration file, pass the JVM the following option during startup:

-Dlogback.configurationFile=config/logback-stdout-level-error.xml

See the [http://logback.qos.ch/manual/configuration.html LogBack configuration page] for more details.

=== Probably Obsolete Debugging Info ===

Log messages in openrocket are specified by one of six levels. You can specify which level of errors you want reported to standard out with a system property which you can add to your VM argument, e.g:

-Dopenrocket.log.stdout=debug

The error levels available are:

: '''ERROR''' - Level for indicating a bug or error condition noticed in the software or JRE. No ERROR level events _should_ occur while running the program.

: '''WARN''' - Level for indicating error conditions or atypical events that can occur during normal operation (errors while loading files, weird computation results etc).

: '''USER''' - Level for logging user actions (adding and modifying components, running simulations etc). A user action should be logged as soon as possible on this level. The level is separate so that additional INFO messages won't purge user actions from a bounded log buffer.

: '''INFO''' - Level for indicating general level actions the software is performing and other notable events during execution (dialogs shown, simulations run etc)

: '''DEBUG''' - Level for indicating mid-results, outcomes of methods and other debugging information. The data logged should be of value when analyzing error conditions and what has caused them. Places that are called repeatedly during e.g. flight simulation should use the VBOSE level instead.

: '''VBOSE''' - Level of verbose debug logging to be used in areas which are called repeatedly, such as computational methods used in simulations. This level is separated to allow filtering out the verbose logs generated during simulations, DnD etc. from the normal debug logs.

In the code, the standard way to log errors is with

log.verbose("Error message");

where log is defined in each class as :

private static final LogHelper log = Application.getLogger();

== Units used in OpenRocket ==

OpenRocket always uses internally pure SI units. For example all rocket dimensions and flight distances are in meters, all masses are in kilograms, density is in kg/m³, temperature is in Kelvin etc. This convension is also used when storing the design in the OpenRocket format.

The only exception to this rule is angles:
* Angles are represented as radians internally, but in the file format they are converted to degrees. This is to make the file format more human-readable and to avoid rounding errors.
* Latitude and longitude of the launch site are represented in degrees both internally and externally.

When displaying measures to the user, the values are converted into the preferred units of the user. This is performed using classes in the package <tt>net.sf.openrocket.unit</tt>. The <tt>Unit</tt> class represents a single unit and it includes methods for converting between that unit and SI units in addition to creating a string representation with a suitable amount of decimals. A <tt>UnitGroup</tt> describes a measurable quantity such as temperature and contains the units available for that quantity, such as Celcius, Fahrenheit and Kelvin.

== Rocket design loading and saving ==

''(This section is based on email correspondence)''

All file reading/writing is performed in the package
<tt>net.sf.openrocket.file</tt> and subpackages. To implement a new
document loader it is necessary to extend the class <tt>RocketLoader</tt> and
implement the abstract method <tt>loadFromStream(InputStream)</tt>. This
method simply loads the document and returns an <tt>OpenRocketDocument</tt>
object.

An <tt>OpenRocketDocument</tt> contains all the information about an opened
document, primarily the rocket structure and the simulations. The
rocket structure is a simple tree-like structure of <tt>RocketComponents</tt>.
All of the components are in the package <tt>.rocketcomponent</tt>. A diagram
of their hierarchy and a short explanation of each class is available
in my thesis section 5.1
(http://openrocket.sourceforge.net/documentation.html)

I've implemented a simple XML reading framework (based on SAX), which
simplifies reading by assuming that XML elements can contain only
other elements or text content, but not both. Both the OpenRocket and
Rocksim format abide with this restriction.

The framework is in the package <tt>.file.simplesax</tt>. The primary class
that will be extended is <tt>ElementHandler</tt>, which contains three methods.
<tt>openElement()</tt> is called when a new subelement is found, and it
returns a new <tt>ElementHandler</tt> to handle that element (which can be the
object itself), or <tt>null</tt> in order to ignore that element and all of its
contents (for example for unknown elements). <tt>closeElement()</tt> is called
when the subelement ends, and <tt>endHandler()</tt> is called when the element
of the current handler ends. The JavaDoc should provide the necessary
details.

There are a few ready handlers, the most useful of which will probably
be <tt>PlainTextHandler</tt>. This handler accepts only text content and
ignores all subelements. If the XML file contains
<nowiki><element>value</element></nowiki>, then the handler can return a
<tt>PlainTextHandler</tt> and handle the content within the <tt>closeElement()</tt>
method, removing the need to write a specialized handler for that
element.

The XML reading is initiated by calling <tt>SimpleSAX.readXML()</tt> with the
input source and the initial <tt>ElementHandler</tt>.

The OpenRocket document loading is implemented in
<tt>.file.openrocket.OpenRocketLoader</tt>. Here I've used a bit more
boilerplate code to be able to define most of the rocket structure
preferences without needing separate handlers for them.

=== The OpenRocket format (*.ork) ===

The OpenRocket native format uses the file extension *.ork. It is an XML format, which can optionally be compressed using GZIP. (The extension *.ork.gz is also accepted by the dialogs, though plain .ork is recommended.)

Currently the file format is not documented other than as the reference implementation, and no XML schema exists. This will hopefully change in the future. See [[#Units used in OpenRocket]] for details on units.

Every time the XML format changes, the file version number is increased. This version number is not linked to the version of OpenRocket that created the file, but instead describes the file format. Later versions of OpenRocket should attempt to store files in the oldest format that supports all the necessary features. The changes in the format are described in the [http://openrocket.svn.sourceforge.net/viewvc/openrocket/trunk/fileformat.txt fileformat.txt file in SVN].
''Italic text''

Developer's Guide

2015-09-14T17:31:05Z

Tcbetka: Edited the instructions for importing and building the project in Eclipse.

{{Access}}

This page contains information on the inner workings of OpenRocket and is meant primarily for developers interested in developing OpenRocket.

In addition to this page, information can be found in the [http://openrocket.sourceforge.net/documentation.html Technical documentation] chapter 5.

== Obtaining the source code ==

OpenRocket is primarily developed using [http://www.eclipse.org/ Eclipse], and it's the recommended IDE for compatibility. Developers are free to use other IDE's, but everything may not work out-of-the-box.

The source code is hosted on [https://github.com/openrocket/openrocket/ GitHub]. You need either to install the [http://www.eclipse.org/egit/ EGit] plugin to Eclipse, or use some other Git client (for example the command-line client).

Using the command-line, the OpenRocket code can be retrieved by:

<pre>
$ git clone git://github.com/openrocket/openrocket.git
</pre>

'''Note:''' The source packages available on the OpenRocket web site (*.zip) are meant for building the application from source code, '''NOT''' for development purposes. They do not contain all the project files etc [http://tokobungasabana.com Toko bunga], [http://www.grosir-kosmetik.com/62-glutera.html Glutera], [http://tokobungasabana.com Toko bunga jakarta], [http://www.raywhitesemarang.com Properti semarang].

== Running OpenRocket from Eclipse (tested with Eclipse Luna and OpenRocket v15.03, September, 2015) ==

The following steps should get you up and running with OpenRocket source code: 

1) After downloading the source code, start Eclipse. 
2) From the Eclipse main menu, select File -> Import. 
3) In the Import window that opens, select General -> Existing Projects into Workspace, then click Next. 
4) In the Select root directory field, browse to the location of the OpenRocket source code that you downloaded. 
5) In the file browser that appears, click on the openrocket root project directory. A list of projects should then appear in the Projects pane on the import window. 
6) Select only these three projects from the list: OpenRocket Core, OpenRocket Swing and OpenRocket Test Libraries. (Note: As of v15.03 you no longer need to load the other projects to build OpenRocket on the desktop.) 
7) Once those three projects have been selected, click Finish. Eclipse should start with those three projects shown in the Package Explorer. 

NOTE: You might see errors in some source files, reporting that various Java classes cannot be found. If that happens, you might try this steps to resolve these issues: 

8) In the Project Explorer pane in Eclipse, right-click on the project reporting the errors. Select Properties. 
9) In the properties window that opens, select Java Build Path -> Libraries. 
10) Make sure that the JRE System Library for your version of Java is seen in the list of libraries. 
11) If it is NOT included in the list, click the Add Library button in the menu to the right. 
12) From the Add Library window that appears, select JRE System Library from the list. Then click Next. 
13) Make sure that the correct Workspace is selected in the next window that appears, and then click Finish. Once the Add Library window closes, you should then see the JRE System Library added to the list of libraries in the project properties window. 
14) Click OK. Once the project properties window closes you will be returned to Eclipse, and hopefully the errors reported by the IDE will then resolve. 
15) If there are still errors, you'll need to revert to Google for additional help. Googling the exact error string reported by Eclipse will most likely help you resolve any outstanding dependency issues. 

*** Also note that the main entry point for OpenRocket is in the OpenRocket Swing project, in the net.sf.openrocket.startup.SwingStartup.java file. With that file active OpenRocket should build and start. 

Finally, remember that help is available either in the OpenRocket forums or in the main developers list. Good Luck! 

== Marking TODO's ==

Often when writing code you know that something could be done better, but at the moment is either impossible or unreasonable. These are commonly marked with a TODO comment. The following convension is used to mark the importance of different TODO's:

* <code>// TODO: CRITICAL: Some comment</code> A bug or something that is not yet implemented, and must be corrected before any release is made. The Ant build script checks for these and prevents building if such a comment is found.
* <code>// TODO: HIGH: Some comment</code> An important issue that should be looked into within this or the next major release.
* <code>// TODO: MEDIUM: Some comment</code> Something that would make the software better, but does not represent a problem as such.
* <code>// TODO: LOW: Some comment</code> Something that would be nice to do better in the future

== Debugging ==

=== LogBack ===

As of version 13.05, OpenRocket uses [http://logback.qos.ch/index.html LogBack] for logging.

If you want to change the default logging that OpenRocket uses, you can create or reuse a LogBack configuration file stored in openrocket/core/config. For example, you can use the logback-stdout-level-error.xml there which tells logback to log everything to stdout with logging level of Error (serious errors only).

To enable use of a LogBack configuration file, pass the JVM the following option during startup:

-Dlogback.configurationFile=config/logback-stdout-level-error.xml

See the [http://logback.qos.ch/manual/configuration.html LogBack configuration page] for more details.

=== Probably Obsolete Debugging Info ===

Log messages in openrocket are specified by one of six levels. You can specify which level of errors you want reported to standard out with a system property which you can add to your VM argument, e.g:

-Dopenrocket.log.stdout=debug

The error levels available are:

: '''ERROR''' - Level for indicating a bug or error condition noticed in the software or JRE. No ERROR level events _should_ occur while running the program.

: '''WARN''' - Level for indicating error conditions or atypical events that can occur during normal operation (errors while loading files, weird computation results etc).

: '''USER''' - Level for logging user actions (adding and modifying components, running simulations etc). A user action should be logged as soon as possible on this level. The level is separate so that additional INFO messages won't purge user actions from a bounded log buffer.

: '''INFO''' - Level for indicating general level actions the software is performing and other notable events during execution (dialogs shown, simulations run etc)

: '''DEBUG''' - Level for indicating mid-results, outcomes of methods and other debugging information. The data logged should be of value when analyzing error conditions and what has caused them. Places that are called repeatedly during e.g. flight simulation should use the VBOSE level instead.

: '''VBOSE''' - Level of verbose debug logging to be used in areas which are called repeatedly, such as computational methods used in simulations. This level is separated to allow filtering out the verbose logs generated during simulations, DnD etc. from the normal debug logs.

In the code, the standard way to log errors is with

log.verbose("Error message");

where log is defined in each class as :

private static final LogHelper log = Application.getLogger();

== Units used in OpenRocket ==

OpenRocket always uses internally pure SI units. For example all rocket dimensions and flight distances are in meters, all masses are in kilograms, density is in kg/m³, temperature is in Kelvin etc. This convension is also used when storing the design in the OpenRocket format.

The only exception to this rule is angles:
* Angles are represented as radians internally, but in the file format they are converted to degrees. This is to make the file format more human-readable and to avoid rounding errors.
* Latitude and longitude of the launch site are represented in degrees both internally and externally.

When displaying measures to the user, the values are converted into the preferred units of the user. This is performed using classes in the package <tt>net.sf.openrocket.unit</tt>. The <tt>Unit</tt> class represents a single unit and it includes methods for converting between that unit and SI units in addition to creating a string representation with a suitable amount of decimals. A <tt>UnitGroup</tt> describes a measurable quantity such as temperature and contains the units available for that quantity, such as Celcius, Fahrenheit and Kelvin.

== Rocket design loading and saving ==

''(This section is based on email correspondence)''

All file reading/writing is performed in the package
<tt>net.sf.openrocket.file</tt> and subpackages. To implement a new
document loader it is necessary to extend the class <tt>RocketLoader</tt> and
implement the abstract method <tt>loadFromStream(InputStream)</tt>. This
method simply loads the document and returns an <tt>OpenRocketDocument</tt>
object.

An <tt>OpenRocketDocument</tt> contains all the information about an opened
document, primarily the rocket structure and the simulations. The
rocket structure is a simple tree-like structure of <tt>RocketComponents</tt>.
All of the components are in the package <tt>.rocketcomponent</tt>. A diagram
of their hierarchy and a short explanation of each class is available
in my thesis section 5.1
(http://openrocket.sourceforge.net/documentation.html)

I've implemented a simple XML reading framework (based on SAX), which
simplifies reading by assuming that XML elements can contain only
other elements or text content, but not both. Both the OpenRocket and
Rocksim format abide with this restriction.

The framework is in the package <tt>.file.simplesax</tt>. The primary class
that will be extended is <tt>ElementHandler</tt>, which contains three methods.
<tt>openElement()</tt> is called when a new subelement is found, and it
returns a new <tt>ElementHandler</tt> to handle that element (which can be the
object itself), or <tt>null</tt> in order to ignore that element and all of its
contents (for example for unknown elements). <tt>closeElement()</tt> is called
when the subelement ends, and <tt>endHandler()</tt> is called when the element
of the current handler ends. The JavaDoc should provide the necessary
details.

There are a few ready handlers, the most useful of which will probably
be <tt>PlainTextHandler</tt>. This handler accepts only text content and
ignores all subelements. If the XML file contains
<nowiki><element>value</element></nowiki>, then the handler can return a
<tt>PlainTextHandler</tt> and handle the content within the <tt>closeElement()</tt>
method, removing the need to write a specialized handler for that
element.

The XML reading is initiated by calling <tt>SimpleSAX.readXML()</tt> with the
input source and the initial <tt>ElementHandler</tt>.

The OpenRocket document loading is implemented in
<tt>.file.openrocket.OpenRocketLoader</tt>. Here I've used a bit more
boilerplate code to be able to define most of the rocket structure
preferences without needing separate handlers for them.

=== The OpenRocket format (*.ork) ===

The OpenRocket native format uses the file extension *.ork. It is an XML format, which can optionally be compressed using GZIP. (The extension *.ork.gz is also accepted by the dialogs, though plain .ork is recommended.)

Currently the file format is not documented other than as the reference implementation, and no XML schema exists. This will hopefully change in the future. See [[#Units used in OpenRocket]] for details on units.

Every time the XML format changes, the file version number is increased. This version number is not linked to the version of OpenRocket that created the file, but instead describes the file format. Later versions of OpenRocket should attempt to store files in the oldest format that supports all the necessary features. The changes in the format are described in the [http://openrocket.svn.sourceforge.net/viewvc/openrocket/trunk/fileformat.txt fileformat.txt file in SVN].
''Italic text''

Custom Expressions

2015-09-13T22:01:46Z

Tcbetka: Moved the TOC tag below the numbering, for consistency with the other pages in the section.

<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Rocket Analysis|← Rocket Analysis]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Simulation Listeners|Simulation Listeners →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

{{UserGuideHelp}}

==9. Custom Expressions==

__TOC__

== Overview ==

In openrocket (12.09 and later), you are not limited to using just the built-in simulation variables in your plots and analysis.
With the custom expression feature, you can write expressions to calculate other values of interest during the simulation. These can then be plotted or exported just like the built in variables.

Custom expressions are added to your rocket document from the 'Analyze' menu under custom expressions. This will open a window showing all your custom expressions.

[[File:custom_expressions.png]]

Initially there will be no custom expressions, so you will need to add one using the ''New expression'' button in the lower right. This opens the expression builder window. You can also import expressions from another .ork file.

== Building expressions ==

[[File:expression_builder.png]]

You must specify a name for the expression, a short symbol, the units of the resulting value, and of course the expression itself. After you enter a valid value in each of the fields the adjacent indicator will change from red to green. Only when all indicators are green will you be able to add or update the expression.

* The name field can be arbitrary, it only must have not been used before.
* The symbol field is intended for a short (locale-independent) symbol representing the value. It must not have been used before, contain no numbers, whitespaces, special characters such as brackets or operators.
* There are no restrictions on the unit, it can even be empty for dimensionless quantities. However, if you enter a standard SI unit then you will be able to automatically convert the units when plotting or exporting. The available SI units are: m, m^2, m/s, kg, kg m^2, kg m^3, N, Ns, s, Pa, V, A, J, W, kg m/s, Hz, K. They must match exactly.
* The expression must only contain valid symbols, operators and numbers and must make sense mathematically. For convenience, the adjacent indicator updates on-the-fly.
* It is possible to nest custom expressions, i.e. you can use the symbol defined for a custom expression in another expression. However, you must ensure that expressions are calculated in the correct order if you do this. This can be done using the blue arrows in the custom expression pane to adjust the order of calculation.

To see a list of the available variables and their symbols, click the ''Insert Variable'' button. This will open a window from which you can choose a variable and insert it (at the current cursor position) in the expression box. This is particularly useful because you may not be able to type some of the symbols on your keyboard. The ''insert operator'' window is similar and shows all the available mathematical operators and functions.

== Index expressions ==

The custom expressions are calculated at each time step of the simulation, however there are some cases where it is useful to have access to earlier values of a given variable. This is possible using ''index expressions''. These use a square bracket syntax to specify the time (in seconds) for the variable you want. For example, the expression:
m / m[0]
would give the ratio of the current mass to the launch mass at time 0. Similarly,
m - m[t-1]
would give you the change in mass over the last second.

You can specify any valid sub-expression inside the square brackets, the only restriction is that you can't nest another index/range expression inside the square brackets.

When indexed expressions are calculated, interpolation is used to get the value exactly at the specified time, independent of the time steps of the simulation.

If you specify a time smaller than 0 or greater than t then it will be clipped to 0 or t respectively. You can't access data that has not been calculated yet.

== Range expressions ==

It is sometimes useful to have access to a range of values of a particular variable rather than just one point. Openrocket includes a number of useful operators for calculating statistics and other properties of ranges. These operators can be identified in the operator selection box by the ''[:]'' which will already have been filled out in place of one of more of the parameters.

Range expressions are defined with a square bracket syntax similar to index expressions, but with a '':'' used to separate the lower and upper bounds of a range. For example, suppose we had an accelerometer on our rocket which (as many do) includes some low-pass filtering on the output. This can be modeled as a moving average, and defined with a custom expression such as:
mean(At[t-0.5:t])
which will calculate a moving mean for the variable At (total acceleration) over the last 0.5 seconds of data.

As with index expressions, the upper and lower bounds can be any valid expression. If omitted, the upper bound will default to t and the lower bound to 0, so the above expression can also be written
mean(At[t-0.5:])

In this particular case, we might want to make the expression more realistic by clipping accelerations above a given threshold and perhaps returning the actual voltage from the sensor, for example:
0.2 * uclip( mean(At[t-.5:]), 10 )

Note that when range expressions are calculated the data is generated by interpolation over the specified range with a fixed time step equal to the default time step set in your simulation options. This is independent of the current time step ''dt'' used by the simulation engine. When generated, range expressions include the start time and step information. The facilitates easy integration or optimization with functions such as ''trapz([:])'' for trapezoidal integration or ''tnear([:],x)'' for finding the time value when a variable is nearest a specified value.

For a complete list of all the operators available see the operator selection list when making a new expression.

== Troubleshooting ==

While openrocket makes a reasonable attempt to check your expression as you enter it, it is still possible to enter something invalid or that can't be calculated for some reason. In this case you will simply end up with no data available to plot after running the simulation.

If you can't figure out why your expression is not generating any data or can't be accepted by the expression builder then you might find some useful information in the error log. This can be accessed from the help -> debug log menu. Any relevant messages are probably under the 'USER' category.

It should not be possible to cause a crash with an invalid expression. If you manage to please report the bug and include your expression.

Custom expressions are interpreted during the simulation and are necessarily much slower than `native' datatypes. For a few simple expressions you probably won't notice much speed difference but it can become particularly significant if you have range expressions. If speed is an issue for you then you might want to consider implementing your expression as a [[Simulation_Listeners|simulation listener]].

----
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Advanced Flight Simulation|← Advanced Flight Simulation]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Simulation Listeners|Simulation Listeners →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

Advanced Rocket Design

2015-09-13T22:00:20Z

Tcbetka: Added the TOC tag to move the page number above the table of contents, for consistency with the other pages in the section.

<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Basic Rocket Design|← Basic Rocket Design]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Advanced Flight Simulation|Advanced Flight Simulation →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

{{UserGuideHelp}}

==6. Advanced Rocket Design==

__TOC__

 
In this section, advanced design principles and concepts are discussed, with step-by-step instructions describing how to incorporate these techniques into designs created in OpenRocket. Implementing the techniques described in this section may require specialized materials and electronic devices intended for use only by experienced rocketeers. 

Advanced rocket design encompasses configurations for high power rockets generally, including:
           •          recovery systems,
           •          through-the-wall fin construction,
           •          electronic and dual deployment,
           •          complex multi-staging (such as motor racking) and motor clustering, and
           •          roll stabilization.And, utilizing mass and center of gravity (CG) overrides will improve OpenRocket flight and recovery simulation accuracy.
 

= Increasing Simulation Accuracy by Overriding Mass and Center of Gravity =

<<INSERTION POINT>>

== Adhesive, Paint, and Other Weight Factors ==

<<INSERTION POINT>>

= Recovery Systems =

== Recovery Techniques ==

Recovery systems are intended to return a rocket safely to the ground, without harm to people or damage to the rocket or other objects. Though recovery mechanisms vary greatly, recovery systems generally include elements of one or more of these techniques:
           •          featherweight
           •          break-apart
           •          streamer
           •          parachute
           •          helicopter
           •          gliding

=== Featherweight and Break-Apart Recovery ===

Featherweight and break-apart recovery work by creating enough drag to ensure that the terminal velocity of the rocket is so low that it won't be damaged or do damage when it hits the ground. Featherweight designs are often minimum diameter rockets that eject the burned-out motor casing altogether, or use the ejection charge to shift the casing position rearward after motor burnout (within an extended motor hook), to induce instability and cause the rocket to tumble. Break-apart recovery, aerodynamically, does the same thing, increasing drag and inducing instability by breaking the rocket into two or more sections connected together by a shock cord. Typically, a feather weight rocket, and each section of a break-apart rocket weighs less than one ounce. 

==== Example Featherweight Design ====

<<CONTINUED INSERTION POINT>>

Ejecting burned-out motor casings is not allowed in NAR contests unless a streamer or parachute is attached to the ejected casing. 

==== Example Break-Apart Design ====

<<CONTINUED INSERTION POINT>>

=== Streamer and Parachute Recovery ===

Streamers and parachutes add drag to slow the rocket descent rate. Generally, a larger streamer is always better. But, streamer size is an example of the principle of diminishing marginal returns, eventually making a streamer larger will only add slightly increase drag (a rocket weighing more than 10 oz is beyond the effective use of a streamer). On the other hand, because of their efficiency, parachutes create more drag with less cloth than any other method, and virtually all high power rockets use parachutes. 

==== Example Streamer Design ====

<<INSERTION POINT>>

NAR requires 10 square cm of streamer area per gram of mass in contest models.

==== Example Parachute Design ====

<<INSERTION POINT>>

NAR requires 5 square cm of parachute area per gram of mass in contest models.

=== Helicopter and Gliding Recovery ===

==== Helicopter Recovery ====

Helicopter recovery relies upon rigid lift-generating blades and auto-rotation to slow terminal velocity. This design technique is the most complicated of all, and requires that the entire rocket be designed around the recovery device. As important, the stresses generated by rapidly spinning blades hitting the ground effectively limits the use of this technique to low mass (model) rockets. 

==== Gliding Recovery ====

A glider uses aerodynamic lift to control terminal velocity. However, because the aerodynamic requirements of vertical flight are vastly different than gliding flight, to make this transition there must be a shift in the center of gravity or the center of pressure. This transition can be made by reducing mass (ejecting the motor mount tube and weights) or changing aerodynamic signature (ejection activated fin-elevators or swing-wings). Radio and other control systems are currently being used to fly gliding recovery rockets, even high power. 

==== Example Design ====

<<INSERTION POINT>>

== Protecting Recovery Components ==

<<INSERTION POINT>>

=== Heat Shields ===

<<INSERTION POINT>>

==== Fire Resistant Wading and Blankets ====

<<INSERTION POINT>>

==== Piston Ejection ====

<<INSERTION POINT>>

=== Ejection Gas Cooling ===

<<INSERTION POINT>>

==== Cooling Mesh ====

<<INSERTION POINT>>

==== Baffles ====

<<INSERTION POINT>>

=== CO2 Ejection Devices ===

<<INSERTION POINT>>

= Tube Fins and Ring Tails =

== Tube Fins ==

A tube fin is just that, using a shorter section of body tube, adhered to the main body tube, as a fin, with or without other flat fins. Although this type of rocket is easy enough to build, creating an accurate simulation can be anything but.

 The aerodynamic flight of a rocket is affected by both how far the tip of a fin is from the body of the rocket and the surface area and profile of the fin. Using a 1 inch diameter tube, 2" long as an example, the tube fin has a surface area equal to pi (22/7) times the tube diameter times its length, or about 6 square inches. But, looking at the tube fin from the side (in profile), its area is length times height (the tube diameter), or about 2 square inches. Dividing the former by the later, three "flat" fins are aerodynamically about the same as one tube fin.

 So, to simulate tube fins, for each tube fin, three flat fins having the same profile as the tube fin are substituted. One tube fin equals three flat fins, two tube fins equals six flat fins, and so on. OpenRocket allows a maximum of eight fins per fin set, so six tube fins of the same kind can be represented by six fin sets (each containing three flat fins), or by three fin sets (two containing eight flat fins and one containing two flat fins). Just be aware that the Too many parallel fins warning in OpenRocket activates when more than eight total fins are created, and this warning appears in the results of every flight simulation.

 How does that work in OpenRocket? First, load the Simple model rocket example:

1.        At the OpenRocket main window, left-click the File menu, then left-click Open example design in the drop-down menu.
2.        In the pop-up Open example design box, left-click the "A simple model rocket" selection, then left-click the Open button.

=== Tubes as Fins ===

 Keeping in mind how tube fin simulation is done as described above, the Simple model rocket example design is converted to six tube fins, each with a 45 degree slant on the leading edge, following these steps:

3.        Double left-click the Body tube component in the Rocket design view, and write down the Wall thickness of the tube.
4.        Double left-click the Trapezoidal fin set component in the Rocket design view.
5.        Change the Number of fins to 6 (six tube fins).
6.        Change the Root chord to 2 cm.
7.        Change the Tip chord to 1 cm.
8.        Change the Height to 1 cm.
9.        Change the Sweep angle to 45 degrees (the Sweep length will automatically calculate).
10.      Change the Thickness to match the fin tube Wall thickness from Step 3 (.039).
11.      Now, to create flat fin sets for each tube fin, left-click the Split fins button.

 At this point, six individual fin sets have been created, each fin set containing one fin.

12.      Next, double left-click Trapezoidal fin set #1, and change the Number of fins to 3. Make sure the Fin rotation is 0 degrees, then left-click the Close button.
13.      Left-click the Back view button so that you can see the fin angles for the remaining steps.
14.      Double left-click Trapezoidal fin set #2, and change the Number of fins to 3. Change the Fin rotation to 20 degrees (360 degrees divided by 18 fins), then left-click the Close button.
15.      Double left-click Trapezoidal fin set #3, and change the Number of fins to 3. Change the Fin rotation to the previous rotation plus 20 degrees (20 degrees + 20 degrees = 40 degrees), then left-click the Close button.
16.      Repeat the previous step for each of the remaining fin sets, increasing the Fin rotation by an additional 20 degrees for each set (0, then 20, then 40 then 60, and so on).

 At this point, each fin set contains 3 fins, 18 fins in all.
17.      Now, rotate the launch lug so that it is between fins. Double left-click the Launch lug component and change the Radial position to 10 degrees, then left-click the Close button.

 The conversion is complete. Left-click the Side view button to see the completed rocket in profile.

 By adjusting the Tip chord length and Sweep angle, tube fin angles from 90 degrees to virtually any other angle can be created.

=== Tube Around Each Fin ===

 This section describes how to convert a simple model rocket design to flat fins with tube fins surrounding each at the trailing edge. The tube fins are the same diameter as the main body tube.

 Beginning with the Simple model rocket example started above, modify the main flat fins as follows:

3.        Double left-click the Body tube component in the Rocket design view window, and write down the Outer Diameter, Inner Diameter, and Wall thickness, (2.5, 2.3, and .1 cm). Then, left-click the Close button.
4.        Double left-click the Trapezoidal fin set component in the Rocket design view window.
5.        Change the Root chord to 8 cm.
6.        Change the Tip chord to 2 cm.
7.        Change the Height to the outside diameter of the tube fin, 2.5 cm.
8.        Change the Sweep length to 6 cm (the Sweep angle will automatically calculate).

 Now, the main flat fins need to be converted from trapezoid to freeform, and then notched to accept the tube fins.

9.        Left-click the Convert to freeform button.
10.      Left-click the Shape tab.
11.      On the graph of the fin, left-click on a fin line to create a new coordinate, and repeat doing so in different places until there are seven coordinate boxes.
12.      In the x/y table, change the coordinates to the following points:
               0 | 0
               6 | 2.5
               6 | 2.4
               8 | 2.4
               8 | 0.1
               6 | 0.1
               6 | 0.1
13.      Then reposition the fin, left-clicking the General tab, and changing the Relative position to - plus to "-2" cm. Then, left-click the Close button.

 Now that the main flat fins are done, its time to add the surrounding tube fins.

14.      Left-click the Body tube component in the Rocket design view window, then, in the Add a new component window, left-click Trapezoidal fin set.

15.      Change the Number of fins to 3 (three tube fins).
16.       Change the Root chord to 2 cm.
17.      Change the Tip chord to 2 cm.
18.      Change the Height to 2.5 cm, the inside diameter of the tube.
19.      Change the Sweep length to 0 cm (the Sweep angle will automatically calculate).
20.      Change the Thickness to .1 cm.
21.      Now, create substitute flat fin sets for each tube fin, left-click the Split fins button.

 At this point, three individual trapezoidal fin sets have been created, each fin set containing one fin.

22.      Left-click the Back view button so that you can see the fin angles for the remaining steps.
23.      Double left-click Trapezoidal fin set #1, and change the Number of fins to 3. Change the Fin rotation to 30 degrees (360 degrees divided by 12 fins [9 tube fins plus 3 flat fins]), then left-click the Close button.
24.      Double left-click Trapezoidal fin set #2, and change the Number of fins to 3. Change the Fin rotation to the previous rotation plus 30 degrees (30 degrees + 30 degrees = 60 degrees), then left-click the Close button.
25.      Double left-click Trapezoidal fin set #2, and change the Number of fins to 3. Change the Fin rotation to the previous rotation plus 30 degrees (60 degrees + 30 degrees = 90 degrees), then left-click the Close button.

 At this point, the rocket has three trapezoidal fin sets containing 3 fins each, plus the 3 flat fins, 12 fins in all.

26.      To finish, rotate the launch lug so that it is between fins. Double left-click the Launch lug component and change the Radial position to 15 degrees, then left-click the Close button.

 The conversion is complete. Left-click the Side view button to see the completed rocket in profile. Although the tube notches can be seen, separate from the substitute tube fins, this design is the aerodynamic equivalent for simulation purposes.

== Ring Tails ==

<<INSERTION POINT>>

= Through-the-Wall Fin Mounting =

Model rocket fins are usually glued to the surface of an airframe. However, when higher thrust motors are used (E and above) the increased thrust can literally rip fins off or shoot a motor up through the airframe. Instead, "through-the-wall" (TTW) mounting refers to fins that protrude through a slot in the airframe and are glued to the motor mount tube, one or more centering rings, and the airframe surrounding the slot. This construction technique significantly strengthens fin joints and motor mounts. 

There are three measurements necessary to create a fin tab: tab length, tab height, and tab position.
           •          Tab length is the distance from one side of the fin tab to the other. This is also the length of the slot that is cut through the airframe, the distance between the inside edges of the outermost centering rings.
           •          Tab height is the distance from outside of the airframe to the outside of the motor mount tube. This is calculated as follows: (BT OD - MMT OD) / 2, where BT is the airframe body tube and MMT is the motor mount tube diameters.
           •          Tab position is the distance from the root chord reference point to the fin tab reference point. OpenRocket features three choices:
Relative to:
                       -          the chord root leading edge – the tab position is the distance from the fin chord root leading edge to the fin tab leading edge. 
                       -          the chord root midpoint – the tab position is the distance from the fin chord root midpoint to the fin tab midpoint.
                       -          the chord root trailing edge – the tab position is the distance from the fin chord root trailing edge to the fin tab trailing edge. 
 
OpenRocket will automatically calculate fin tab dimensions, within the following constraints:
           •          If there are no centering rings beneath a fin, the trailing edge of the fin tab is the fin chord trailing edge and the leading edge of the fin tab is the fin chord leading edge.
           •          If only one centering ring is beneath a fin, the trailing edge of the fin tab is the fin chord trailing edge and the leading edge of the fin tab is the trailing edge of the centering ring.
           •          If two centering rings are beneath a fin, the trailing edge of the fin tab is the leading edge of the trailing centering ring and the leading edge of the fin tab is the trailing edge of the leading centering ring.
           •          If more than two centering rings are beneath a fin, referring to the centering rings in order from the trailing edge to the leading edge of the fin chord, the trailing edge of the fin tab is the leading edge of the first centering ring and the fin tab leading edge is the trailing edge of the second centering ring. OpenRocket supports only one fin tab on each fin.
 

Converting a simple rocket to through-the-wall design:
1.        At the OpenRocket main window, left-click the File menu, then left-click Open example design in the drop-down menu.
2.        In the pop-up Open example design box, left-click the "A simple model rocket" selection, then left-click the Open button.
3.        In the Rocket design view, double left-click the Trapezoidal fin set component.
4.        Left-click the Fin tabs tab.
5.        Left-click the Calculate automatically button.
And, a through-the-wall fin tab is automatically created between the two motor mount centering rings.

= Electronic and Dual Deployment =

<<INSERTION POINT>>

= Clustering and Multi-staging =

Complex rockets fall into two basic categories, a rocket that is propelled by a cluster of motors intended to be simultaneously ignited or multi-staged (massively-staged), propelled by a series of motors that successively ignite the next in line when the prior motor burns out.

== Motor Clustering ==

<<INSERTION POINT>>

== Conventional Staging ==

A "closed-hull" design with a separating airframe in which finned-stages holding motors are stacked up, and lower stages holding burned-out casings separate under pressure as upper stages ignite. Conventional staging is inherently limited to three stages because of the "Pisa Effect" which results in an increasing arcing trajectory with each stage.

<<CONTINUE INSERTION POINT>>

== Rack Staging ==

An "open-hull" design with a non separating airframe in which motors are staked up, end-to-end, in a frame, and only the burned-out casings are ejected under pressure as higher stages ignite, stage-after-stage. So long as high average impulse lower stage motors are used to ensure adequate initial velocities, rack staging is not inherently limited because this design overcomes the "Pisa Effect."

<<CONTINUE INSERTION POINT>>

= Roll Stabilization =

<<INSERTION POINT>>

= Regulatory Concerns =

Rocketry is subject to regulation by federal, state, and local governments, and most of the regulations that rocketeers must follow are promulgated by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The NFPA divides rockets into two major classifications, model rockets (NFPA § 1122) and high power rockets (NFPA § 1127), the difference primarily being weight and power, as follows:

           •          Model Rocket. A rocket vehicle that weighs no more than 1500 g (53 oz) with motors installed, is propelled by one or more model rocket motors having an installed total impulse of no more than 320 N-sec (71.9 lb-sec), and contains no more than a total of 125 g (4.4 oz) of propellant weight. (NFPA § 1122, subd. 3.3.7.2.)

           •          High Power Rocket. A rocket vehicle that weighs more than 1500 g (53 oz) with motors installed and is either propelled by one or more high power rocket motors or by a combination of model rocket motors having an installed total impulse of more than 320 N-sec (71.9 lb-sec). (NFPA §1127, subd. 3.3.13.1.)

Within the high power rocket classification, a subclassification for “complex” rockets is defined as a high power rocket that is multi-staged or propelled by a cluster of two or more rocket motors. (NFPA §1127, subd. 3.3.13.1.1.) And, a high power rocket launched with an installed total impulse greater than 2,560 N-sec (576 lb-sec) must have an electronically actuated recovery system. (NFPA §1127, subd. 4.10.2.) 

== National Association of Rocketry ==
National Association of Rocketry pursuits the goal of safe, fun and educative sport rocketry. It is the oldest and largest sport rocketry organization in the world. Visit dedicated [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Association_of_Rocketry Wiki page] or [http://www.nar.org/ NAR official website] for more information.

The major work of the NAR includes, but not limited to:
* Certification of Rocketry-Related products and establishment of safety codes
The NAR is a recognized authority for safety certification of consumer rocket motors and user certification of high- power rocket fliers in the U.S. It plays a major role in establishment of safety codes for the hobby used and accepted by manufacturers and public safety officials nationwide.
* Certification of experienced rocketeers
NAR issues three levels of High Power Rocketry (HPR) certificates, Level 1 (L1) through Level 3 (L3). Certificates are necessary to purchase powerful rocket motor components.
* Communication with public officials
The NAR helps in communication with local public safety officials, and government regulatory agencies such as the Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, and Consumer Product Safety Commission.
* Other work
The NAR publishes the bimonthly color magazine Sport Rocketry (sent to each member and selected libraries and newsstands around the nation). The NAR provides a wide range of other services to its members, including: education programs; national and local competitions; grants to teachers and scholarships for student members; flight performance record recognition; liability insurance; and publication of technical literature.

== Tripoli Rocketry Association ==

<<INSERTION POINT>>

= User Guide Contributions =

''Use the clustered, staged and dual-deploy example designs to cover the more advanced motor and recovery configuration options. Talk about using mass and CG overrides to improve accuracy.''
''Special designs that might have their own sub-chapters:'' 
''- clusters + staged (including rack rocket (http://sourceforge.net/apps/phpbb/openrocket/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=28))'' 
''- dual-deploy and other more advanced recovery options (if we can think of any)'' 
''- roll stabilization'' 

''It would be good to include a description on how the different components affect the simulations and what the limits are (e.g. an inner tube won’t affect the aerodynamics even if you move it outside of the body tube).''
 

----
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Basic Rocket Design|← Basic Rocket Design]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Advanced Flight Simulation|Advanced Flight Simulation →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

Introduction

2015-09-13T21:58:13Z

Tcbetka: Fixed main menu numbering.

<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[User's Guide|← Contents]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Downloading & Installing|Downloading & Installing →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>
{{UserGuideHelp}}

==1. Introduction==
 

== What is OpenRocket? ==

Welcome! [[File:Logo.png|thumb|800 px|right|The OpenRocket logo.]]
OpenRocket is an opensource model rocket simulation software. It was originally developed by [http://sampo.kapsi.fi/ Sampo Niskanen] in 2009 as part of his master thesis at the Helsinki University of Technology. If you want to have a look at his thesis you can download it from OpenRocket's [http://openrocket.sourceforge.net/documentation.html webpage]. Being written entirely in Java, OpenRocket is fully cross-platform. Have a look at the [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Downloading_%26_Installing next section] if you need information about how to open the program on your computer. 

OpenRocket is mainly intended to be used by all model-rocketeers who intend to test the performance of a model rocket before actually building and flying it. In fact the software computes accurately the aerodynamic properties of model rockets and simulates their flight, returning a wide range of technical results. 

The program can be roughly divided into two sections: 
- Rocket design, where you can design the model rocket you intend to build, choosing from a wide range of body components, trapezoidal, elliptical and free-form fins, inner components, and mass objects. During this phase you will see a 2D representation of the rocket you are building and various technical information (size, mass, apogee, max. velocity, max. acceleration, stability, centre of gravity (CG), centre of pressure (CP)) about your rocket, so you can have already a good idea of its performance even before running any simulation. 
- Flight simulation, where you can run one or more simulations of your rocket's flight, choosing from one or more motor configurations. Each simulation (calculated using the Runge-Kutta 4 simulator) returns a wide range of data about the rocket's flight. Unfortunately, for the moment a graphical visualisation of the rocket's flight is not available ([http://openrocket.sourceforge.net/getinvolved.html help needed]). 
For more information about OpenRocket's features and a few screenshots you can have a look [http://openrocket.sourceforge.net/features.html here].

== How this guide is organized ==

Note: since work on the User's Guide is still currently in progress, many sections are still incomplete/empty. This subsection also explains the content of those sections, as it's meant to be a reference when the guide will be completed. 

This guide will try to explain, as exhaustively as possible, how to fully exploit all of OpenRocket's features. Hence it will start off at a relatively basic level and then analyse more and more complicated parts of the software. Depending on your level of experience and your learning objectives, you should either start reading from a specific section, or end reading at a specific section. 

The [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Downloading_%26_Installing next section] explains how to install java on your computer (or find out if it is already installed) and then how to launch OpenRocket. If you have already managed to launch the program, skip this section. 

[https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Getting_Started Section 3] gets you started. If you are an experienced user you should be able to get most of what is explained there on your own, but we recommend that most of you read it so that you can fully understand how OpenRocket is organized. 

From sections [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Basic_Rocket_Design 4] and [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Basic_Flight_Simulation 5] you will learn how to design some basic rockets and simulate their flights, using OpenRocket. These sections are useful for both experienced and non-experienced model-rocketeers, since they basically show how to use most of the software. 

Sections [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Advanced_Rocket_Design 6] and [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Advanced_Flight_Simulation 7] build on the material explained in sections 4 and 5. These sections are meant for experienced model-rocketeers, since they explain how to use OpenRocket to design more complicated rockets and run simulations with them. 

[https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Rocket_Analysis Section 8] is about analysing the rocket you have built and optimising its performance. It is suitable both for experienced and non-experienced users. 

[https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Simulation_Listeners Section 9] is about Simulation listeners, i.e.; a way to monitor and interact with flight simulations while they are running. It is suitable for experienced users. 
Finally, [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Simulation_Listeners Section 10] is about some extra features that have not been, until then, explained. Also, you can have a look at [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Component_Details Appendix A] for a full list of rocket components available in OpenRocket and their uses. 

Good reading!
----
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[User's Guide|← Contents]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Downloading & Installing|Downloading & Installing →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

Downloading & Installing

2015-09-13T21:56:57Z

Tcbetka: Fixed main menu numbering.

<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Introduction|← Introduction]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Getting Started|Getting Started →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

{{UserGuideHelp}}

==2. Downloading & Installing==

__TOC__

OpenRocket is a Java application, which means that you need to have [http://www.java.com/en/download/index.jsp Java] installed on your computer before you can use it. OpenRocket requires '''Java Version 6''' or better to run, you can check which version of Java is installed on your computer by clicking [http://www.java.com/en/download/installed.jsp?detect=jre&try=1 here]. If Java is not installed, that page should provide you with a link to download and install the latest version for your operating system. If that page tells you that you do not have a supported plugin, then you can still determine your Java version from the command line:
<pre>java -version</pre>
If you see information about a specific version of Java listed on the first line of the output after that command, then you have Java installed. Otherwise the output should tell you which packages contain Java for your particular distribution of Linux. Some operating systems come with Java pre-installed, while others don't. The installation processes for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux are shown below.

== General ==

In general, OpenRocket is installed by following these three steps:

# Make sure you have the correct version of Java, and [http://www.java.com/getjava/ install or upgrade] if not.
# [http://openrocket.sourceforge.net/download.html Download] the OpenRocket application.
# Open the application and use it. On most operating systems you can just double-click the icon for the OpenRocket file which was downloaded, no further installation is required.

== Windows Users ==
Windows does '''not''' come with any sort of Java pre-installed. However, it's quite likely that Java has already been installed as part of another application, and you can check this by using [http://www.java.com/en/download/installed.jsp?detect=jre&try=1 this page]. If you don't have Java installed, you will need to [http://www.java.com/en/download/index.jsp download] and install it before continuing.

Once you have Java, installing OpenRocket on any version of Windows is simple:
# [http://openrocket.sourceforge.net/download.html Download] OpenRocket to the folder of your choice.
# Double click the file to start the program.

That's it! If you didn't save the OpenRocket file to your Desktop, you can place a shortcut there by right-clicking on the OpenRocket file, mousing over "Send to" and clicking "Desktop (create shortcut)".

== Mac OS X Users ==
If your computer runs OS X 10.7.2 or older version, then it receives Java updates from Apple. Apple sends out Java with system updates, so it should already be installed. A common complication with Mac users is that most Macs have both Java 5 and Java 6 installed, and Java 5 is used by default. If you try to use OpenRocket and get an error, then you probably still have Java 5 set as the default.

To set Java 6 as the default:
# Open the Utilities folder (Finder -> Go -> Utilities). [[File:FinderOpenUtilities.png|none|300px]]
# Open the Java Preferences Application (double-click Java Preferences.app). [[File:UtilitiesJavaPreferences.png|none|300px]]
# In the bottom section of the window that opens, drag Java 6 to top of list. [[File:JavaApplicationPreferences.png|none|300px]]

If your Mac runs OS X 10.7.3 (Lion) or later version, then the updates are delivered directly by Oracle and you should not encounter any problems.

For more information on software versions and updates, visit [https://www.java.com/en/download/faq/java_mac.xml Java on Mac OS X] page of the Oracle official web site.

== Linux Users ==

=== Ubuntu/Debian Repository ===

If you are running a recent version of Ubuntu or Debian, then OpenRocket can be easily installed using the Ubuntu Software Center or Synaptic (etc.). Please note that the version in the distribution repository ''may not be the latest version''. Alternatively you may install OpenRocket from the command line:
<pre>sudo apt-get install openrocket</pre>

To start OpenRocket, simply select it from the Applications menu.

=== Official Version ===

# [http://openrocket.sourceforge.net/download.html Download] the OpenRocket application.
# Copy it to a convenient folder.
# Make the .jar file executable (right-click on .jar file, select "Properties", go to the Permissions tab and check the "Allow executing file as program" box).
# Start OpenRocket by either double-clicking the .jar file, or right-clicking the .jar file, and selecting "Open with Sun Java6 Runtime".
If the default is set to open with the Archive Manager, then right-click, select "Open with other application", then select "Open with Sun Java6 Runtime", and check the box to make that the default. In future, it should be possible to just double-click to start OpenRocket.

Alternatively you may start OpenRocket from the command line:
<pre>java -jar OpenRocket-14.06.jar</pre>

Or, if you are not currently in the same directory as the .jar file, replace '/path/to/' by the appropriate path on your system:
<pre>java -jar /path/to/OpenRocket-14.06.jar</pre>

----
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Introduction|← Introduction]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Getting Started|Getting Started →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

Getting Started

2015-09-13T21:55:34Z

Tcbetka: Fixed main menu numbering.

<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Downloading & Installing|← Downloading & Installing]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Basic Rocket Design|Basic Rocket Design →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

{{UserGuideHelp}}

==3. Getting Started==

__TOC__

In this section we have a look at how OpenRocket is organized, by analyzing in detail the structure of the user interface. We will also briefly mention the Example projects that are accessible from the File menu. After reading this section you will have a thorough understanding of how OpenRocket is structured, and will be ready to start designing a rocket of your own. If you already know how this program is organized, feel free to jump to the [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Basic_Rocket_Design next section].

= The User interface =

In this subsection we first briefly discuss the Rocket Configuration window, and then OpenRocket's main window and the main window's four menus. 

== The Rocket Configuration window ==

When you start a new project, you will be prompted with the following window:

[[File:Rocket_configuration.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Rocket Configuration window.]]

Fill in the four fields (or you can leave all, except the Design name, blank if you wish), and click the close button. 

== OpenRocket's main window ==

You now have access to the OpenRocket main window.

[[File:Main_window.png|thumb|800 px|center|The OpenRocket main window.]]

Notice there are two tabs in the top-left corner of the window, just under the menu options. These tabs allow you to switch between the Rocket design and Flight simulations windows. 

=== The Rocket design window ===

For the moment, let's focus on the Rocket design window. This window is organized in the following way: 
- in the bottom half of the window there is a large white space. This is where a 2D image of the rocket you are designing will appear. 
- in the top-left part of the window, the rocket's stages and components are shown. When you start a new project, the rocket contains only one stage (i.e.; the sustainer) but no components. 
- in the top-right part of the window, all the body components and fin sets, inner components, and mass objects that you can add to the rocket are shown. Notice that it's not possible to add all of these object to the rocket at any particular stage of the rocket design. Exactly which components can be added when will be explained later in this guide. 

Now let's have a closer look at the bottom half of the Rocket design window. When you add a component to your rocket, it will be immediately displayed, as shown below:

[[File:After_first_component.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Bottom half of the Rocket design window after adding a nose cone.]]

Notice the rulers around the borders. These give you an idea of the dimensions of your rocket. 

As you can see, in addition to the appearance of your rocket, the Rocket design window also shows some other useful information as well. This includes the rocket's dimensions, mass, apogee, max. velocity, max. acceleration, stability, center of gravity (CG), and center of pressure (CP). 

In the top left-hand corner of the previous image there are two buttons: Side view and Back view. These allow you to visualize the rocket from two different positions. Next to these buttons you can find the zoom-regulation commands and then one Stage i button for each Stage in your rocket. Selecting/deselecting each of these allows you to include or exclude each stage from the picture. On the left of the previous image you can also see a scroll bar that allows you to rotate the rocket up to 360°. 

Finally, notice the drop-down list in the top right-hand corner of the previous image. This allows you to choose which of your motor configurations to apply to the rocket you have designed (more on this later). The image below shows how the bottom half of the Rocket design window appears after the rocket design has been completed.

[[File:After_complete_design.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Bottom half of the Rocket design window after completing the rocket's design (taken from the A simple model rocket example design).]]

In this image, the rocket's body components and fin sets are represented with a continuous blue line; the rocket's inner components are represented with a continuous red line (the inner tube is also filled in with a grey background); and the mass objects are represented with either black or red dotted lines. It is also possible to customize the colour in which each part is represented, as will be shown later on. The image below shows how the top left-hand portion of the Rocket design window looks after the rocket design has been completed.

[[File:Structure.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Top left-hand portion of the Rocket design window after completing the rocket's design (taken from the A simple model rocket example design).]]

As you can see, the rocket's components have a tree-like structure: 
- the Rocket, called A simple model rocket, has only one stage: the Sustainer. 
- the Sustainer contains two body components: a Nose cone and a Body tube. 
- the Body tube contains a fin set (in particular a Trapezoidal fin set), a Launch lug, three inner components (an Inner Tube and two Centering rings), and three mass objects (a Shock cord, a Parachute, and a Wadding). 
- the Inner tube contains an Engine block. 
This tree-like structure will be discussed further later in this guide. 

The buttons visible on the left in the previous image have pretty straightforward functions. By selecting one of the rocket's components you can change its position in the list of components (but not its position in the rocket) by using the Move up and Move down buttons. You can also edit its characteristics (e.g., dimensions, material, mass, colour used to represent it within the rocket) by using the Edit button--or you can delete it from the rocket completely using the Delete button. Notice that none of these buttons is active in the above image, since no component has been selected. 

You can also add an extra stage to your rocket by clicking the New stage button.

=== The Flight simulations window ===

Now we have a look at the Flight simulations window, which you can access by selecting the Flight simulations tab in the top left-hand corner of the OpenRocket main window. Before designing your rocket or running any flight simulation, the Flight simulations window looks like this:

[[File:Empty_simulations.png|thumb|800 px|center|The Flight simulations window before designing the rocket and running any simulation.]]

Notice that the bottom part of the window does not change when switching from the Rocket Design window to the Flight simulations window. Hence we only need to analyze the top part of the window. Here, most of the space is occupied by a currently blank space, where the technical details about your simulations will appear. Above this space there are five buttons, which allow you to program a new simulation (New simulation), edit a selected simulation (Edit simulation), for example by changing motor configuration or some atmospheric condition, run all the simulations you have programmed (Run simulations), remove the selected simulations (Remove simulations), or either plot or export some of the results of a selected simulation(Plot/export). (More on exporting simulation results in [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Rocket_Analysis Section 8].) 

The image below shows how the top part of the Rocket Design window looks after you have designed your rocket, programmed some simulations and run them.

[[File:Simulations.png|thumb|1000 px|center|The top half of the Flight simulations window after having programmed and run some simulations (taken from the A simple model rocket example design).]]
 
Notice that five of the six simulations that have been run have a green tick on the left: this means that the simulation has been completed without any warnings. Conversely, if the simulation has generated some warning while being run, a red exclamation mark is shown (as for the third simulation in the image above). To find out the more about the warning, mouse-over the simulation (without clicking) as shown in the image below.

[[File:Warning.png|thumb|1000 px|center|More information about warnings in the Flight simulations window.]]
 
It is possible to change the position of the columns containing the various technical simulation data by simply dragging any column left or right, as shown below:

[[File:Columns.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Moving columns in the Flight simulations window.]]

== The main window's menus ==

We now analyze the four main window's menus, briefly explaining the function of each of the menus' options.

=== The File menu ===

The image below shows the options offered by the File menu, located in the top left-hand corner of OpenRocket's main window.

[[File:File.png|thumb|1000 px|center|The File menu.]]

The function of each option in the File menu is pretty straightforward to understand: 
- New allows you to start a new project, without closing the project that is currently open. 
- Open... allows you to open a *.ork file that you have saved on your computer. 
- Open example... allows you to open one of the example projects (more on these later). 
- Save saves the changes you have made to a previously-saved project. 
- Save as... allows you to save the project you are working on to a new *.ork file. 
- Print/Export PDF opens a window like the one shown below (if you have already completed your rocket's design). From here you can select what to include in your print/PDF file; such as technical details of your rocket's components, templates of your rocket's fin sets or even the design of your rocket. We suggest you try this option with one of the example projects to understand how each of these is represented when printing/exporting to PDF. More on printing and exporting to PDF in [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Rocket_Analysis Section 8].
 
- Close closes the current project (after asking for confirmation if there are unsaved changes). This will also exit the application if there was only one project open. 
- Quit exits the application, checking that you have saved all open projects.

[[File:PDF.png|thumb|800 px|center|The window that opens when Print/Export PDF is selected.]]

=== The Edit menu ===

The image below shows the options offered by the Edit menu.

[[File:Edit.png|thumb|1000 px|center|The Edit menu.]]

These options are mostly the classic editing options: undo/redo some action (Undo/Redo) and cut/copy/paste/delete some element (Cut/Copy/Paste/Delete). We also have the following options: 
- Scale... opens the window shown below. Here you can choose to scale your rocket's size by some percentage (you can select from a range of 25% to 400%), starting from a specified dimension that can either be the one the rocket currently has or one you specify. By checking or unchecking the Update explicit mass values box, you can also decide whether or not the rocket's mass should be updated when scaling its volume.

[[File:Scale.png|thumb|1000 px|center|The Scale window.]]

- Preferences opens the Preferences window, as shown below. At the top of this window there are three tabs which allow you to switch between Units, Materials, and Options. We will first consider the Units tab (shown in the picture below). Here you can set the units for each individual physical quantity, or set all units either to the Default metric or to the Default imperial settings.

[[File:Preferences.png|thumb|1000 px|center|The Units tab of the Preferences window.]]

The picture below shows the Materials tab of the Preferences window. Here you can manage all of the available materials for the rocket component, by either editing the characteristics of the materials (i.e., their name and density) through the Edit button, or you can delete a material through the Delete button. You can also add new materials if you wish, by clicking the New button and setting the material's name, type and density.

[[File:Materials.png|thumb|1000 px|center|The Materials tab of the Preferences window.]]

Finally, the picture below shows the Options tab of the Preferences window. Using the provided drop-down lists you can set the application's language, determine where to insert new rocket components, choose whether or not to ask for confirmation when deleting simulations, or load some of your own thrust curves.

[[File:Options.png|thumb|1000 px|center|The Options tab of the Preferences window.]]

=== The Analyze menu ===

The image below shows the options offered by the Analyze menu.

[[File:Analyze.png|thumb|1000 px|center|The Analyze menu.]]

- The Component analysis option opens a window like the one shown below. Here, technical information for the rocket's external components and fin sets is displayed. Using the scroll bars in the top half of the window you can also change some parameters, such as wind direction, angle of attachment, mach number and roll rate. More on the component analysis window in [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Rocket_Analysis Section 8].

[[File:Component analysis.png|thumb|1000 px|center|The Component analysis window, opened from the A simple model rocket example design.]]

- The Rocket optimization option opens a window like the one shown below. From here you can optimize the performance of your rocket by selecting exactly which performance to optimize from the Optimized drop-down list. More on the rocket optimization window in [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Rocket_Analysis Section 8].

[[File:Optimization.png|thumb|800 px|center|The Optimization window, opened from the A simple model rocket example design.]]

=== The Help menu ===

The image below shows the options offered by the Help menu.

[[File:Help.png|thumb|1000 px|center|The Help menu.]]

NOTE: The guided tour option is a planned feature, but is not yet implemented in OpenRocket. Therefore for the moment you will not find it in the Help menu. 
The functions of the options in the Help menu are as follow: 
- License opens a window containing OpenRocket's license. 
- Bug report opens a bug report form that you can complete and submit to the developers. 
- Debug log opens the OpenRocket debug log. 
- About opens a window containing summary information about this project. 

= The Example projects =

By now you should have a good idea of how OpenRocket's user interface is structured, so you might feel ready to start designing your own rocket (see next section)--and probably you are indeed ready. Nonetheless we suggest you have a look at some pre-designed example rockets that we have provided. To do this, simply select File -> Open example... and the window shown in the image below will appear.

[[File:Example.png|thumb|1000 px|center|The Open example design window.]]

Select one or more of the listed rockets (we suggest that you start with A simple model rocket), then click Open. Now have a closer look at the various windows discussed in this section, and note how they change when you choose another example project. This should give you an idea of how to best use this application, and maybe even give you some new ideas for your future rockets! 

Now that you know how this program is structured, you can start using OpenRocket to design your own rockets. How to do this will be the topic of the [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Basic_Rocket_Design next section].

----
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Downloading & Installing|← Downloading & Installing]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Basic Rocket Design|Basic Rocket Design →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

Basic Flight Simulation

2015-09-13T21:54:33Z

Tcbetka: Corrected the main menu number entry for this page.

<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Basic Rocket Design|← Basic Rocket Design]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Advanced Rocket Design|Advanced Rocket Design →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

{{UserGuideHelp}}

==5. Basic Flight Simulation==

''Since we have included pre-made example designs with which to experiment, it is entirely possible to start your OpenRocket experience by running simulations instead of designing rockets. However as the program is quite intuitive, it would probably work well either way. If you do decide to start by running a simulation, we recommend you start with the 'A simple model rocket' example. Use this design to work through the Flight Simulations tab, where you can either edit an existing or add a new simulation to the list of those already included. Note also that the Motors & Configuration tab will allow you to observe the effects of changing thrust parameters on rocket design and performance.''

----
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Basic Rocket Design|← Basic Rocket Design]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Advanced Rocket Design|Advanced Rocket Design →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

Basic Rocket Design

2015-09-13T21:54:00Z

Tcbetka: Fixed main menu numbering

<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Getting Started|← Getting Started]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Basic Flight Simulation|Basic Flight Simulation →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

{{UserGuideHelp}}

==4. Basic Rocket Design==

__TOC__

In this section we'll look at how to design a basic rocket by examining the A simple model rocket design example. After reading this section you should have an understanding of how to start designing your own rockets. If you already know how to design your rocket, you can jump to the [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Basic_Flight_Simulation next section]. 

We will start with a brief discussion on the selection of available components, and then the components used in the A simple model rocket example. Then we'll build a rocket from scratch to see how it’s done. 

=== Component Configuration Window ===

There are several types of components available to you as a rocket designer, and you can either customize these to meet your specific needs, or simply load presets from the database. 

To start, let's begin a new project: File -> New. It doesn’t matter what we call it at the moment, but go ahead and save the design straight away: File -> Save your design. At this point you should be presented with a blank design window in the bottom half of the user interface.

[[File:Main_window.png|thumb|800 px|center|The OpenRocket main window.]] 

When you first start a new rocket design you will see that only three categories of components are available in the Add new component panel: 
- Body components and fin sets 
- Inner components 
- Mass objects 

We would usually start building our rocket by selecting a nose cone but for the sake of this guide click the Body tube icon in the Body components and fin sets section. This will then open up a configuration window that we'll use to edit the parameters of the body tube. 

==== The Body Tube’ Configuration Window ====

At this point you should see a new window titled Body tube configuration.

[[File:ConfigBody.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Configuration Window.]]

This window allows you to either select a preset for the component type you are choosing, or make your own. Let’s start by examining how to customize it ourselves. If you have a look at the Body tube configuration window you will see that at the top there is a Component name field. Here we can change the name of the current component to anything we choose. (Note that this name will then appear in the design tree seen in the Rocket Design panel of the main program window.) 

Just below Component name there are several tabs: 
- General: allows us to alter the basic attributes of the component. 
- Motor: allows us to make the body tube into a motor mount, and also edit the properties of the motor. 
- Override: allows us to manually set the mass or centre of gravity for the component. 
- Appearance: allows us to select colours, textures and other finishes. 
- Comment: allows us to enter any comments or notes about the component. 

It should be noted that these tabs are specific to the component being designed. For example, a nose cone will not have a motor tab, but will instead have a shoulder tab. It will also have a description panel to tell you a bit more about the component you are choosing. After you learn how to navigate around one component configuration panel, the others should be relatively self-explanatory. 

===== General Tab =====

The rest of the Body tube configuration window lists the different parameters for the current component type. As you can see, the General tab provides options to manually enter numbers, or you can also use the spin boxes (coarse control) or sliders (fine control) provided to adjust the parameter values. The Automatic checkbox will adjust the dimensions of the component automatically. Here you will also see a Filled checkbox. If this is checked you will notice that the inner diameter goes to zero, i.e., a filled (solid) tube. Note how the Component mass changes when this box is checked. 

On the right hand side of the window you will see the Component material and Component finish drop-down menus. If you click on these you will be presented with a list of various materials and finishes, each with their own weight and thickness. If you are using the same finish for the entire rocket you can click the Set for all button to make each component use the same finish. The last notable feature in this window is in the bottom left. There you will see a live display of the Component mass. This will update automatically as you change parameter values. Experiment with the sliders to see how the component changes in the design window.

You may have noticed that, apart from the mass, there is no noticeable difference when either the inner diameter or wall thickness parameters are changed. To see those changes reflected in the model you will have to switch to a different View Type, by selecting the desired view from the drop-down list at the left of the main OpenRocket program window.

===== Motor Tab =====

Next to the General tab is the Motor tab. If you click on it you will see that most parameters are grayed-out, with the exception of one checkbox. As the label mentions, this is for when you want the body tube component to also be a motor mount.
[[File:ConfigBodyMotor.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Motor tab of the Configuration Window.]]

Have a quick look at this if you wish, but we'll discuss changing flight configurations for a later section of the guide.

===== Override =====

We'll take a quick look at this tab, as it common to most components. For starting out though, you most likely will not need it.

[[File:ConfigBodyOverride.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Override tab of the Configuration Window.]]

This tab would be used when you specifically wanted to override the mass and centre of gravity (CG) of the component.

===== Appearance =====

Everyone likes something shiny, don’t they? This tab allows you edit the appearance of the component.

[[File:ConfigBodyAppearance.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Appearance tab of the Configuration Window.]]

There are two sections here, the Figure style section and the Appearance section. Figure style changes what the 2D figure looks like, whereas Appearance will change what the 3D model will look like. If you wish to use any custom textures or images in your rocket design, you can load those through the Texture drop-down menu.

===== Comment =====

This section does not really need much explanation. If you want to write any comments or notes about your component (why you chose the values you did, etc.), then this is the place to do it.

[[File:ConfigBodyComment.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Comment tab of the Configuration Window.]] 

Now that we have been through all of the tabs of the Body Tube component, click the Close button. You should now notice that the rest of the components are now unlocked in the top right of the Design window. This is because all component types can be added to a body tube. However, a Nose cone should be selected first if you are making your own rocket.

Let’s have a look at the full list of components. If you cannot click on the component type, try selecting the Body tube in the design window in the top left panel of OpenRocket.

=== Available Components ===

As previously mentioned, there are 16 component types to choose from within OpenRocket. These are split into three sections: 
- Body components and fin sets 
- Inner components 
- Mass objects 

[[File:ComponentSupertypes.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Component types menu.]] 

==== Body components and fin sets ====

Within Body components and fin sets we have 7 component types. These components make up the external and main body of the rocket; everything else is inside the rocket. As you will see in the image the component types are: 

- Nose Cone: The very tip of the rocket. Usually, you will select this component first. 
- Body Tube: As we have seen, the body tube makes up the main section of a stage. 
- Transition: A component that usually joins one body tube to another (normally larger) tube. 
- Trapezoidal fin: A fin set that is in the shape of a trapezoid. 
- Elliptical fin: A fin set that is in the shape of an ellipse. 
- Freeform fin: This special kind of fin takes any shape you want. If you add it to your model it will open up a design window for you to alter the shape as desired. 
- Launch Lug: This component usually goes on the outside of a body tube and is used while the rocket is on the launch pad. 

[[File:ComponentBodyAndFins.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Body components and fin sets submenu.]] 

==== Inner Components ====

Within Inner components we have 5 component types, and these components are all internal. As with Body components and fin sets we will now run through the list of components. 

- Inner tube: This component lets you add tubes to the inside of the main body tube. 
- Coupler: Used in multi-stage rockets, a coupler joins two sections together. 
- Centering ring: These can be used to support other components (e.g., a motor), in the centre of a larger tube. 
- Bulkhead: This is a block of material that forms a stop or barrier between two different areas. 
- Engine block: An engine block prevents the motor from moving forward in the motor mount tube. 

[[File:ComponentInner.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Inner Components submenu.]] 

==== Mass Objects ====

Within Mass objects we have 4 component types. They are:

- Parachute: Like any good parachute, this component will stop your rocket from becoming scrap. 
- Streamer: Another component for keeping your rocket safe, a streamer creates drag as your rocket falls down to earth. 
- Shock cord: A shock cord secures the nose cone to the body of the rocket so that it isn't lost when the nose is blown off to deploy the parachute/streamer. 
- Mass component: This is a block of mass used to adjust the rocket's Center of Gravity (CG). You can name it to whatever you want it to represent. 

[[File:ComponentMasses.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Mass Objects submenu.]] 

You have now had a brief run through the various components available for use in OpenRocket. The next section will deal with an example rocket. 

== A Simple Model Rocket Example ==

In this section we will look at the components used in the A simple model rocket example design. To get started, start OpenRocket and navigate to the main window. As a reminder it looks like this:

[[File:Main_window.png|thumb|800 px|center|The Openrocket main window.]] 

==== Opening Example Designs ====

We'll begin by looking at how to find and load the example rockets within OpenRocket. Recall that this was also covered in the Getting Started section of this guide, but as a refresher the steps for doing this are as follows: 
- In the main window, click on the File menu at the top left. 
- Scroll down to Open Examples... open, and expand that menu. Here you will see a list of the available rocket design examples. 
Your screen should now look like this:

[[File:OpenExample.png|thumb|800 px|center|Opening an example rocket ]] 

Click on first example, our Simple model rocket. A Rocket configuration window should appear, with the Design Name (A simple model Rocket) and Designer (Sampo Niskanen) fields populated. The Comments and Revision History fields will be blank. Click Close. You should now have successfully loaded the rocket and be able to see a 2D schematic in the Rocket Design window.

[[File:After_complete_design.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Bottom half of the Rocket design window.]] 

==== Components used in ‘A simple model rocket’ ====

Now we will have a quick look through the components used in the example rocket. If you look towards the top left of the Rocket Design window you will see that there is a tree of components shown. By default they should all be fully expanded. If not, do so now.

[[File:Structure.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Top left-hand portion of the Rocket design window.]]

This image shows A simple model rocket at the top, followed by the Sustainer, which is Stage 1 of the rocket. 

If we look at the first component in the Sustainer stage we see that it is the nose cone. Double click on that now. This will bring up the Nose cone configuration window.

[[File:ConfigNose.png|thumb|600 px|center|Nose Cone Configuration Window.]]

As we have already examined the configuration window we will not repeat ourselves here. However, you will see that in this example we have used an Ogive nose cone with a Shape parameter of 1.0. If you read the description of the component to the right in the configuration window, you will discover that a value of 1.0 produces a tangent ogive. 

Moving down the window, you will see that the Nose cone length has a value of 10, the Base diameter has a value of 2.5, and the Wall thickness has a value of 0.2. All of these parameters have been set, in this example, to use centimeters (cm) as their unit. You should also see that this component is using Polystyrene as its material with a Regular paint finish. As you can see, the material has a density of 1.05 grams per centimetre cubed, and the paint is 60.0 micrometers thick. In the bottom left, the component weight is currently 13.2 grams. Go ahead and play around with the sliders to see how the component changes, and then change them back when you are finished. 

If you move over to the Shoulder tab, you'll be able to see the size attributes of the shoulder. Again, you can play around with the sliders if you want--as long as you change them back to the original settings when you are finished. For reference these are 2.3, 2.0 and 0.2 centimeters, respectively. Also have a look through the rest of the tabs to see what has been selected. The only other thing to note is that the appearance has been customized. If you were to change to the 3D Finished view type, you will see how the finished model looks. 

Moving on to the Body tube, you can access its various attributes by double-clicking on it in the Rocket design window. Note how its various attributes have been set to create the current size. This is all fairly straightforward and as we have already looked into the various components earlier, we will not go into great detail here. 

Note the eight other components that have been placed onto the Body tube. In descending order these are: 
- Trapezoidal fin set 
- Inner Tube 
- Centering Ring 
- Centering Ring 
- Shock Cord 
- Parachute 
- Wadding 
- Launch lug 

The Inner Tube in this design is used as a motor mount. You will see this if you go to the Motor tab in the Inner Tube configuration window. This means that a motor has been fitting into this piece. Upon inspection we can see that the current motor name is displayed in the Flight configuration drop-down list, on the right side of the main OpenRocket window. You can open this drop-down menu to select other motors that are available for use in this simulation, as well as the other example simulations that you will see on the Flight simulation tab. 

The ninth component is place inside the inner tube. This is the engine block. If you look at the schematic of the rocket you will see that this is placed in front of the grey rectangle, which is the motor. To quickly address some of the other components, you will note that the recovery method used in this rocket is a Parachute: the red dashed rounded-rectangle near the nose cone of the rocket. Along with the parachute we have a Shock cord, which (as was discussed earlier) prevents loss of the nose cone upon deployment of the recovery system. This is shown as a long, black, dashed rounded-rectangle in the same general area as the parachute. The other black, dashed rounded-rectangle box is the Wadding, which is a mass component and is used here to bring the centre of gravity forward towards the nose. 

We have now looked through the components used within the simple model rocket example. If you would like to see other available components, see Appendix A. Now that we are familiar with what makes up the rocket we will go ahead and build one from scratch! 

== Building ‘A simple model rocket’ ==

In this section we will build up the example model from scratch. After you have completed this process, you should be able to apply what you've learned in order to make any basic rocket you want. So let’s begin... 

Open a new project window so that everything is blank. The following are the steps that you will follow to create the rocket. 

1) Select the nose cone. Change its type to Ogive, if that isn't already selected. Make sure that Shape parameter, Nose cone length, base diameter, and Wall thickness values are set to 1.0, 10.0, 2.5 and 0.2, respectively. The units are centimeters by default, so we should not need to change these. Finally, change the Component material to Polystyrene. 

2) Next, while still in the Nose cone configuration window, move to the Shoulder tab. Change the diameter to 2.3, the length to 2.0, and the thickness to 0.2. Also, check the End capped box. 

3) The last thing we have to do with the nose cone is to change its Appearance, so switch to that tab now. Leave the Figure style section unchanged but under the Appearance section, change the colour to one lighter than black. (Or to whatever you want, go crazy!) Then adjust the shine to 50%. That is all we need to change for now. 

You should now see this in the view area at the bottom of the main OpenRocket window:

[[File:NoseComplete.png|thumb|600 px|center|Nose Cone]] 

4) Next, add the Body tube. The measurements for length, outer diameter, inner diameter, and wall thickness are 30.0, 2.5, 2.3, 0.1, respectively. Note that it may be easier to enter the last two manually rather than use the spin boxes or sliders. Leave the Automatic and Filled boxes unchecked. The material should remain Cardboard and the finish should be Regular Paint. The only other thing you should change here is the appearance, but we'll leave that to you as an exercise. 

You should now have this: 

[[File:BodyComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Nose Cone and Body]] 

5) Moving on, we next need to add a Fin set. Make sure you have clicked on the Body tube so that it’s highlighted then click on the Trapezoidal component type. The Trapezoidal fin set configuration window will have appeared. Leave the left side of the window alone: the settings there are fine as-is. However, we will need to change some things on the right hand side. First, change the Fin cross section to Rounded. Also, reduce the Thickness to 0.2. That’s all we need to do in this tab. Now move to the Appearance tab and customize to your preference. 

[[File:FinsComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Nose Cone, Body, and Fins]] 

6) The next component we need to add is the Inner tube. Once again highlight the body tube and then click on the Inner tube component button. There are a couple of attributes we should change here. First, increase the Length value to 7.5. Also, increase the Plus value to 0.5. Leave everything else the same. 

Now go to the Motor tab. There are a few things we need to add here. To start, check the This component is a motor mount checkbox. This will allow us to add motors. The next few steps may seem complicated but do not be daunted by them. First, we will deal with the easy part: Increase the Motor overhang to 0.3. Now click Close button to close the Inner Tube configuration window. 

Now click on the Motors & Configuration tab towards the left upper corner of the main OpenRocket window, just under the menu bar. On the resulting page, note the Motors tab towards the left upper corner. Make sure the Inner T... box is checked, and then click on the New Configuration button in the top center portion of the upper panel. You should see that a new configuration has been added to the list of configuration. Left-click in the Inner Tube column, and then click the Select motor button just below the open panel on the right of the screen. The Select a rocket motor window now appears:

[[File:MotorConfigs.png|thumb|800 px|center|Motors & Configurations window (all motors configured)]] 

To make sure your window looks the same as the one above, follow these steps: 

- Make sure the Filter Motors tab is selected in the top right corner of the window. 
- Select only the Estes option in the Manufacturer list. 
- Make sure that the Total Impulse slider is positioned over A (all the way to the left). 
- Look for the A8 motor in list on the left side of the window. Click on it. 
- In the Ejection charge delay field at the top left, enter the value 3. 
- Now click the OK button at the lower right corner of the window. 

If everything went to plan, you have successfully added the Estes A8-3 motor to your rocket. Now repeat these steps for the following motors, using a New Configuration for each new motor you add: 
- Estes B4-4 
- Estes C6-3 
- Estes C6-5 
- Estes C6-7 

After you have added the rest of the motors, click back on the Rocket design tab just under the main menu. 

7) The next component we will add is the Engine Block. This time make sure that the Inner tube is highlighted and then add an engine block component. Change the Inner diameter to 1.2 and the Wall thickness to 0.3. Also, change the Position relative to: Top of the parent component. The last change we will make is to increase plus to 0.2. That is all we have to do for this component. 

Your rocket should now look like this: 

[[File:EngineBlockCompleted.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added the Engine Block]] 

8) We will now add two Centering Rings. Make sure the Body tube is highlighted in the list of components under Rocket design, then click on the Centering ring component type. The first one is fine as-is, so we will not make any changes. However, we will add the following line under the Comment tab: The centering ring automatically takes the outer diameter of the body tube and the inner diameter of the inner tube. 

Now click Close, select the body tube again and add another Centering ring. This time all we have to do is to change plus to -4.5. Also, add the same comment as for the first ring. 

[[File:CenteringRings.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Centering Rings]] 

9) The next component we will add is the Shock cord. As usual, make sure the Body tube is selected before adding the shock cord component. After it has been added change the Plus value to 2, Packed length to 5.2, and Packed diameter to 1.2. Again, we will add a comment to this component. Enter the following line to the Comment section: The shock cord does not need to be attached to anything in particular, as it functions only as a mass component.. Click the Close button to close the window, as the shock cord has now been completed. 

[[File:ShockCordComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Shock Cord]] 

10) Now we need to add the Parachute. With the body tube highlighted, add a parachute component. Change Plus to 3.2, Packed length to 4.2 and Packed diameter to 1.8. That is everything we need to do to the parachute. Click Close to close the window. You can see what your rocket should now look like below. 

[[File:ParachuteAdded.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Parachute]] 

11) The second-to-last component to add is a Mass Component. Go ahead and add one to the body tube now. Adjust the Mass to 2 grams (g), the Approximate density to 0.16 g/cm^3, the length to 3.0, the diameter to 2.3 and finally the Plus value to 8.0. It may be easier to enter these manually. The last thing you have to do is to rename it from ‘Unspecified’ to Wadding. Leave everything else as it is and click the Close button. 

[[File:AddedMass.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Mass]] 

12) Almost done! One final component left to add: the Launch lug. Add this to the body tube now. Change the Length to 3.5, the Outer diameter to 0.7, and the inner diameter to 0.5. Leave the Thickness as it is. Also, change the Radial position to 19 degrees. Click Close.

[[File:LaunchLugAdded.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Launch Lug]] 

And that’s all there is to it. You have just completed building your first rocket within OpenRocket! From here you can use what you know to create more rockets, or you can proceed to the next section of the User Guide: Advanced Rocket Design. Have fun!

----
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Getting Started|← Getting Started]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Basic Flight Simulation|Basic Flight Simulation →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

Advanced Rocket Design

2015-09-13T21:52:21Z

Tcbetka: Added menu bullet numbering, consistent with other existing pages.

<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Basic Rocket Design|← Basic Rocket Design]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Advanced Flight Simulation|Advanced Flight Simulation →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

{{UserGuideHelp}}

==6. Advanced Rocket Design==

 
In this section, advanced design principles and concepts are discussed, with step-by-step instructions describing how to incorporate these techniques into designs created in OpenRocket. Implementing the techniques described in this section may require specialized materials and electronic devices intended for use only by experienced rocketeers. 

Advanced rocket design encompasses configurations for high power rockets generally, including:
           •          recovery systems,
           •          through-the-wall fin construction,
           •          electronic and dual deployment,
           •          complex multi-staging (such as motor racking) and motor clustering, and
           •          roll stabilization.And, utilizing mass and center of gravity (CG) overrides will improve OpenRocket flight and recovery simulation accuracy.
 

= Increasing Simulation Accuracy by Overriding Mass and Center of Gravity =

<<INSERTION POINT>>

== Adhesive, Paint, and Other Weight Factors ==

<<INSERTION POINT>>

= Recovery Systems =

== Recovery Techniques ==

Recovery systems are intended to return a rocket safely to the ground, without harm to people or damage to the rocket or other objects. Though recovery mechanisms vary greatly, recovery systems generally include elements of one or more of these techniques:
           •          featherweight
           •          break-apart
           •          streamer
           •          parachute
           •          helicopter
           •          gliding

=== Featherweight and Break-Apart Recovery ===

Featherweight and break-apart recovery work by creating enough drag to ensure that the terminal velocity of the rocket is so low that it won't be damaged or do damage when it hits the ground. Featherweight designs are often minimum diameter rockets that eject the burned-out motor casing altogether, or use the ejection charge to shift the casing position rearward after motor burnout (within an extended motor hook), to induce instability and cause the rocket to tumble. Break-apart recovery, aerodynamically, does the same thing, increasing drag and inducing instability by breaking the rocket into two or more sections connected together by a shock cord. Typically, a feather weight rocket, and each section of a break-apart rocket weighs less than one ounce. 

==== Example Featherweight Design ====

<<CONTINUED INSERTION POINT>>

Ejecting burned-out motor casings is not allowed in NAR contests unless a streamer or parachute is attached to the ejected casing. 

==== Example Break-Apart Design ====

<<CONTINUED INSERTION POINT>>

=== Streamer and Parachute Recovery ===

Streamers and parachutes add drag to slow the rocket descent rate. Generally, a larger streamer is always better. But, streamer size is an example of the principle of diminishing marginal returns, eventually making a streamer larger will only add slightly increase drag (a rocket weighing more than 10 oz is beyond the effective use of a streamer). On the other hand, because of their efficiency, parachutes create more drag with less cloth than any other method, and virtually all high power rockets use parachutes. 

==== Example Streamer Design ====

<<INSERTION POINT>>

NAR requires 10 square cm of streamer area per gram of mass in contest models.

==== Example Parachute Design ====

<<INSERTION POINT>>

NAR requires 5 square cm of parachute area per gram of mass in contest models.

=== Helicopter and Gliding Recovery ===

==== Helicopter Recovery ====

Helicopter recovery relies upon rigid lift-generating blades and auto-rotation to slow terminal velocity. This design technique is the most complicated of all, and requires that the entire rocket be designed around the recovery device. As important, the stresses generated by rapidly spinning blades hitting the ground effectively limits the use of this technique to low mass (model) rockets. 

==== Gliding Recovery ====

A glider uses aerodynamic lift to control terminal velocity. However, because the aerodynamic requirements of vertical flight are vastly different than gliding flight, to make this transition there must be a shift in the center of gravity or the center of pressure. This transition can be made by reducing mass (ejecting the motor mount tube and weights) or changing aerodynamic signature (ejection activated fin-elevators or swing-wings). Radio and other control systems are currently being used to fly gliding recovery rockets, even high power. 

==== Example Design ====

<<INSERTION POINT>>

== Protecting Recovery Components ==

<<INSERTION POINT>>

=== Heat Shields ===

<<INSERTION POINT>>

==== Fire Resistant Wading and Blankets ====

<<INSERTION POINT>>

==== Piston Ejection ====

<<INSERTION POINT>>

=== Ejection Gas Cooling ===

<<INSERTION POINT>>

==== Cooling Mesh ====

<<INSERTION POINT>>

==== Baffles ====

<<INSERTION POINT>>

=== CO2 Ejection Devices ===

<<INSERTION POINT>>

= Tube Fins and Ring Tails =

== Tube Fins ==

A tube fin is just that, using a shorter section of body tube, adhered to the main body tube, as a fin, with or without other flat fins. Although this type of rocket is easy enough to build, creating an accurate simulation can be anything but.

 The aerodynamic flight of a rocket is affected by both how far the tip of a fin is from the body of the rocket and the surface area and profile of the fin. Using a 1 inch diameter tube, 2" long as an example, the tube fin has a surface area equal to pi (22/7) times the tube diameter times its length, or about 6 square inches. But, looking at the tube fin from the side (in profile), its area is length times height (the tube diameter), or about 2 square inches. Dividing the former by the later, three "flat" fins are aerodynamically about the same as one tube fin.

 So, to simulate tube fins, for each tube fin, three flat fins having the same profile as the tube fin are substituted. One tube fin equals three flat fins, two tube fins equals six flat fins, and so on. OpenRocket allows a maximum of eight fins per fin set, so six tube fins of the same kind can be represented by six fin sets (each containing three flat fins), or by three fin sets (two containing eight flat fins and one containing two flat fins). Just be aware that the Too many parallel fins warning in OpenRocket activates when more than eight total fins are created, and this warning appears in the results of every flight simulation.

 How does that work in OpenRocket? First, load the Simple model rocket example:

1.        At the OpenRocket main window, left-click the File menu, then left-click Open example design in the drop-down menu.
2.        In the pop-up Open example design box, left-click the "A simple model rocket" selection, then left-click the Open button.

=== Tubes as Fins ===

 Keeping in mind how tube fin simulation is done as described above, the Simple model rocket example design is converted to six tube fins, each with a 45 degree slant on the leading edge, following these steps:

3.        Double left-click the Body tube component in the Rocket design view, and write down the Wall thickness of the tube.
4.        Double left-click the Trapezoidal fin set component in the Rocket design view.
5.        Change the Number of fins to 6 (six tube fins).
6.        Change the Root chord to 2 cm.
7.        Change the Tip chord to 1 cm.
8.        Change the Height to 1 cm.
9.        Change the Sweep angle to 45 degrees (the Sweep length will automatically calculate).
10.      Change the Thickness to match the fin tube Wall thickness from Step 3 (.039).
11.      Now, to create flat fin sets for each tube fin, left-click the Split fins button.

 At this point, six individual fin sets have been created, each fin set containing one fin.

12.      Next, double left-click Trapezoidal fin set #1, and change the Number of fins to 3. Make sure the Fin rotation is 0 degrees, then left-click the Close button.
13.      Left-click the Back view button so that you can see the fin angles for the remaining steps.
14.      Double left-click Trapezoidal fin set #2, and change the Number of fins to 3. Change the Fin rotation to 20 degrees (360 degrees divided by 18 fins), then left-click the Close button.
15.      Double left-click Trapezoidal fin set #3, and change the Number of fins to 3. Change the Fin rotation to the previous rotation plus 20 degrees (20 degrees + 20 degrees = 40 degrees), then left-click the Close button.
16.      Repeat the previous step for each of the remaining fin sets, increasing the Fin rotation by an additional 20 degrees for each set (0, then 20, then 40 then 60, and so on).

 At this point, each fin set contains 3 fins, 18 fins in all.
17.      Now, rotate the launch lug so that it is between fins. Double left-click the Launch lug component and change the Radial position to 10 degrees, then left-click the Close button.

 The conversion is complete. Left-click the Side view button to see the completed rocket in profile.

 By adjusting the Tip chord length and Sweep angle, tube fin angles from 90 degrees to virtually any other angle can be created.

=== Tube Around Each Fin ===

 This section describes how to convert a simple model rocket design to flat fins with tube fins surrounding each at the trailing edge. The tube fins are the same diameter as the main body tube.

 Beginning with the Simple model rocket example started above, modify the main flat fins as follows:

3.        Double left-click the Body tube component in the Rocket design view window, and write down the Outer Diameter, Inner Diameter, and Wall thickness, (2.5, 2.3, and .1 cm). Then, left-click the Close button.
4.        Double left-click the Trapezoidal fin set component in the Rocket design view window.
5.        Change the Root chord to 8 cm.
6.        Change the Tip chord to 2 cm.
7.        Change the Height to the outside diameter of the tube fin, 2.5 cm.
8.        Change the Sweep length to 6 cm (the Sweep angle will automatically calculate).

 Now, the main flat fins need to be converted from trapezoid to freeform, and then notched to accept the tube fins.

9.        Left-click the Convert to freeform button.
10.      Left-click the Shape tab.
11.      On the graph of the fin, left-click on a fin line to create a new coordinate, and repeat doing so in different places until there are seven coordinate boxes.
12.      In the x/y table, change the coordinates to the following points:
               0 | 0
               6 | 2.5
               6 | 2.4
               8 | 2.4
               8 | 0.1
               6 | 0.1
               6 | 0.1
13.      Then reposition the fin, left-clicking the General tab, and changing the Relative position to - plus to "-2" cm. Then, left-click the Close button.

 Now that the main flat fins are done, its time to add the surrounding tube fins.

14.      Left-click the Body tube component in the Rocket design view window, then, in the Add a new component window, left-click Trapezoidal fin set.

15.      Change the Number of fins to 3 (three tube fins).
16.       Change the Root chord to 2 cm.
17.      Change the Tip chord to 2 cm.
18.      Change the Height to 2.5 cm, the inside diameter of the tube.
19.      Change the Sweep length to 0 cm (the Sweep angle will automatically calculate).
20.      Change the Thickness to .1 cm.
21.      Now, create substitute flat fin sets for each tube fin, left-click the Split fins button.

 At this point, three individual trapezoidal fin sets have been created, each fin set containing one fin.

22.      Left-click the Back view button so that you can see the fin angles for the remaining steps.
23.      Double left-click Trapezoidal fin set #1, and change the Number of fins to 3. Change the Fin rotation to 30 degrees (360 degrees divided by 12 fins [9 tube fins plus 3 flat fins]), then left-click the Close button.
24.      Double left-click Trapezoidal fin set #2, and change the Number of fins to 3. Change the Fin rotation to the previous rotation plus 30 degrees (30 degrees + 30 degrees = 60 degrees), then left-click the Close button.
25.      Double left-click Trapezoidal fin set #2, and change the Number of fins to 3. Change the Fin rotation to the previous rotation plus 30 degrees (60 degrees + 30 degrees = 90 degrees), then left-click the Close button.

 At this point, the rocket has three trapezoidal fin sets containing 3 fins each, plus the 3 flat fins, 12 fins in all.

26.      To finish, rotate the launch lug so that it is between fins. Double left-click the Launch lug component and change the Radial position to 15 degrees, then left-click the Close button.

 The conversion is complete. Left-click the Side view button to see the completed rocket in profile. Although the tube notches can be seen, separate from the substitute tube fins, this design is the aerodynamic equivalent for simulation purposes.

== Ring Tails ==

<<INSERTION POINT>>

= Through-the-Wall Fin Mounting =

Model rocket fins are usually glued to the surface of an airframe. However, when higher thrust motors are used (E and above) the increased thrust can literally rip fins off or shoot a motor up through the airframe. Instead, "through-the-wall" (TTW) mounting refers to fins that protrude through a slot in the airframe and are glued to the motor mount tube, one or more centering rings, and the airframe surrounding the slot. This construction technique significantly strengthens fin joints and motor mounts. 

There are three measurements necessary to create a fin tab: tab length, tab height, and tab position.
           •          Tab length is the distance from one side of the fin tab to the other. This is also the length of the slot that is cut through the airframe, the distance between the inside edges of the outermost centering rings.
           •          Tab height is the distance from outside of the airframe to the outside of the motor mount tube. This is calculated as follows: (BT OD - MMT OD) / 2, where BT is the airframe body tube and MMT is the motor mount tube diameters.
           •          Tab position is the distance from the root chord reference point to the fin tab reference point. OpenRocket features three choices:
Relative to:
                       -          the chord root leading edge – the tab position is the distance from the fin chord root leading edge to the fin tab leading edge. 
                       -          the chord root midpoint – the tab position is the distance from the fin chord root midpoint to the fin tab midpoint.
                       -          the chord root trailing edge – the tab position is the distance from the fin chord root trailing edge to the fin tab trailing edge. 
 
OpenRocket will automatically calculate fin tab dimensions, within the following constraints:
           •          If there are no centering rings beneath a fin, the trailing edge of the fin tab is the fin chord trailing edge and the leading edge of the fin tab is the fin chord leading edge.
           •          If only one centering ring is beneath a fin, the trailing edge of the fin tab is the fin chord trailing edge and the leading edge of the fin tab is the trailing edge of the centering ring.
           •          If two centering rings are beneath a fin, the trailing edge of the fin tab is the leading edge of the trailing centering ring and the leading edge of the fin tab is the trailing edge of the leading centering ring.
           •          If more than two centering rings are beneath a fin, referring to the centering rings in order from the trailing edge to the leading edge of the fin chord, the trailing edge of the fin tab is the leading edge of the first centering ring and the fin tab leading edge is the trailing edge of the second centering ring. OpenRocket supports only one fin tab on each fin.
 

Converting a simple rocket to through-the-wall design:
1.        At the OpenRocket main window, left-click the File menu, then left-click Open example design in the drop-down menu.
2.        In the pop-up Open example design box, left-click the "A simple model rocket" selection, then left-click the Open button.
3.        In the Rocket design view, double left-click the Trapezoidal fin set component.
4.        Left-click the Fin tabs tab.
5.        Left-click the Calculate automatically button.
And, a through-the-wall fin tab is automatically created between the two motor mount centering rings.

= Electronic and Dual Deployment =

<<INSERTION POINT>>

= Clustering and Multi-staging =

Complex rockets fall into two basic categories, a rocket that is propelled by a cluster of motors intended to be simultaneously ignited or multi-staged (massively-staged), propelled by a series of motors that successively ignite the next in line when the prior motor burns out.

== Motor Clustering ==

<<INSERTION POINT>>

== Conventional Staging ==

A "closed-hull" design with a separating airframe in which finned-stages holding motors are stacked up, and lower stages holding burned-out casings separate under pressure as upper stages ignite. Conventional staging is inherently limited to three stages because of the "Pisa Effect" which results in an increasing arcing trajectory with each stage.

<<CONTINUE INSERTION POINT>>

== Rack Staging ==

An "open-hull" design with a non separating airframe in which motors are staked up, end-to-end, in a frame, and only the burned-out casings are ejected under pressure as higher stages ignite, stage-after-stage. So long as high average impulse lower stage motors are used to ensure adequate initial velocities, rack staging is not inherently limited because this design overcomes the "Pisa Effect."

<<CONTINUE INSERTION POINT>>

= Roll Stabilization =

<<INSERTION POINT>>

= Regulatory Concerns =

Rocketry is subject to regulation by federal, state, and local governments, and most of the regulations that rocketeers must follow are promulgated by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The NFPA divides rockets into two major classifications, model rockets (NFPA § 1122) and high power rockets (NFPA § 1127), the difference primarily being weight and power, as follows:

           •          Model Rocket. A rocket vehicle that weighs no more than 1500 g (53 oz) with motors installed, is propelled by one or more model rocket motors having an installed total impulse of no more than 320 N-sec (71.9 lb-sec), and contains no more than a total of 125 g (4.4 oz) of propellant weight. (NFPA § 1122, subd. 3.3.7.2.)

           •          High Power Rocket. A rocket vehicle that weighs more than 1500 g (53 oz) with motors installed and is either propelled by one or more high power rocket motors or by a combination of model rocket motors having an installed total impulse of more than 320 N-sec (71.9 lb-sec). (NFPA §1127, subd. 3.3.13.1.)

Within the high power rocket classification, a subclassification for “complex” rockets is defined as a high power rocket that is multi-staged or propelled by a cluster of two or more rocket motors. (NFPA §1127, subd. 3.3.13.1.1.) And, a high power rocket launched with an installed total impulse greater than 2,560 N-sec (576 lb-sec) must have an electronically actuated recovery system. (NFPA §1127, subd. 4.10.2.) 

== National Association of Rocketry ==
National Association of Rocketry pursuits the goal of safe, fun and educative sport rocketry. It is the oldest and largest sport rocketry organization in the world. Visit dedicated [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Association_of_Rocketry Wiki page] or [http://www.nar.org/ NAR official website] for more information.

The major work of the NAR includes, but not limited to:
* Certification of Rocketry-Related products and establishment of safety codes
The NAR is a recognized authority for safety certification of consumer rocket motors and user certification of high- power rocket fliers in the U.S. It plays a major role in establishment of safety codes for the hobby used and accepted by manufacturers and public safety officials nationwide.
* Certification of experienced rocketeers
NAR issues three levels of High Power Rocketry (HPR) certificates, Level 1 (L1) through Level 3 (L3). Certificates are necessary to purchase powerful rocket motor components.
* Communication with public officials
The NAR helps in communication with local public safety officials, and government regulatory agencies such as the Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, and Consumer Product Safety Commission.
* Other work
The NAR publishes the bimonthly color magazine Sport Rocketry (sent to each member and selected libraries and newsstands around the nation). The NAR provides a wide range of other services to its members, including: education programs; national and local competitions; grants to teachers and scholarships for student members; flight performance record recognition; liability insurance; and publication of technical literature.

== Tripoli Rocketry Association ==

<<INSERTION POINT>>

= User Guide Contributions =

''Use the clustered, staged and dual-deploy example designs to cover the more advanced motor and recovery configuration options. Talk about using mass and CG overrides to improve accuracy.''
''Special designs that might have their own sub-chapters:'' 
''- clusters + staged (including rack rocket (http://sourceforge.net/apps/phpbb/openrocket/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=28))'' 
''- dual-deploy and other more advanced recovery options (if we can think of any)'' 
''- roll stabilization'' 

''It would be good to include a description on how the different components affect the simulations and what the limits are (e.g. an inner tube won’t affect the aerodynamics even if you move it outside of the body tube).''
 

----
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Basic Rocket Design|← Basic Rocket Design]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Advanced Flight Simulation|Advanced Flight Simulation →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

Rocket Analysis

2015-09-13T21:48:22Z

Tcbetka: Fixed right link so that it now points at the Custom Expressions page.

<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Advanced Flight Simulation|← Advanced Flight Simulation]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Custom Expressions|Custom Expressions →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

{{UserGuideHelp}}

==8. Rocket Analysis==
''- component analysis dialog'' 
''- more details about the plottable variables? - pick up from previous chapter and cover the rest of the graphing/plottable variables in full.'' 
''- instructions to export simulation data and use it elsewhere'' 
''- print / pdf export''

''This chapter has some overlap with [[Advanced Flight Simulation]], need to check the division.''

----
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Advanced Flight Simulation|← Advanced Flight Simulation]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Custom Expressions|Custom Expressions →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

Custom Expressions

2015-09-13T21:46:49Z

Tcbetka: Inserted this page into the main menu linkage system. It was mentioned in the main menu, but the links were broken on the pages on either side of it.

<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Rocket Analysis|← Rocket Analysis]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Simulation Listeners|Simulation Listeners →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

{{UserGuideHelp}}

==9. Custom Expressions==

== Overview ==

In openrocket (12.09 and later), you are not limited to using just the built-in simulation variables in your plots and analysis.
With the custom expression feature, you can write expressions to calculate other values of interest during the simulation. These can then be plotted or exported just like the built in variables.

Custom expressions are added to your rocket document from the 'Analyze' menu under custom expressions. This will open a window showing all your custom expressions.

[[File:custom_expressions.png]]

Initially there will be no custom expressions, so you will need to add one using the ''New expression'' button in the lower right. This opens the expression builder window. You can also import expressions from another .ork file.

== Building expressions ==

[[File:expression_builder.png]]

You must specify a name for the expression, a short symbol, the units of the resulting value, and of course the expression itself. After you enter a valid value in each of the fields the adjacent indicator will change from red to green. Only when all indicators are green will you be able to add or update the expression.

* The name field can be arbitrary, it only must have not been used before.
* The symbol field is intended for a short (locale-independent) symbol representing the value. It must not have been used before, contain no numbers, whitespaces, special characters such as brackets or operators.
* There are no restrictions on the unit, it can even be empty for dimensionless quantities. However, if you enter a standard SI unit then you will be able to automatically convert the units when plotting or exporting. The available SI units are: m, m^2, m/s, kg, kg m^2, kg m^3, N, Ns, s, Pa, V, A, J, W, kg m/s, Hz, K. They must match exactly.
* The expression must only contain valid symbols, operators and numbers and must make sense mathematically. For convenience, the adjacent indicator updates on-the-fly.
* It is possible to nest custom expressions, i.e. you can use the symbol defined for a custom expression in another expression. However, you must ensure that expressions are calculated in the correct order if you do this. This can be done using the blue arrows in the custom expression pane to adjust the order of calculation.

To see a list of the available variables and their symbols, click the ''Insert Variable'' button. This will open a window from which you can choose a variable and insert it (at the current cursor position) in the expression box. This is particularly useful because you may not be able to type some of the symbols on your keyboard. The ''insert operator'' window is similar and shows all the available mathematical operators and functions.

== Index expressions ==

The custom expressions are calculated at each time step of the simulation, however there are some cases where it is useful to have access to earlier values of a given variable. This is possible using ''index expressions''. These use a square bracket syntax to specify the time (in seconds) for the variable you want. For example, the expression:
m / m[0]
would give the ratio of the current mass to the launch mass at time 0. Similarly,
m - m[t-1]
would give you the change in mass over the last second.

You can specify any valid sub-expression inside the square brackets, the only restriction is that you can't nest another index/range expression inside the square brackets.

When indexed expressions are calculated, interpolation is used to get the value exactly at the specified time, independent of the time steps of the simulation.

If you specify a time smaller than 0 or greater than t then it will be clipped to 0 or t respectively. You can't access data that has not been calculated yet.

== Range expressions ==

It is sometimes useful to have access to a range of values of a particular variable rather than just one point. Openrocket includes a number of useful operators for calculating statistics and other properties of ranges. These operators can be identified in the operator selection box by the ''[:]'' which will already have been filled out in place of one of more of the parameters.

Range expressions are defined with a square bracket syntax similar to index expressions, but with a '':'' used to separate the lower and upper bounds of a range. For example, suppose we had an accelerometer on our rocket which (as many do) includes some low-pass filtering on the output. This can be modeled as a moving average, and defined with a custom expression such as:
mean(At[t-0.5:t])
which will calculate a moving mean for the variable At (total acceleration) over the last 0.5 seconds of data.

As with index expressions, the upper and lower bounds can be any valid expression. If omitted, the upper bound will default to t and the lower bound to 0, so the above expression can also be written
mean(At[t-0.5:])

In this particular case, we might want to make the expression more realistic by clipping accelerations above a given threshold and perhaps returning the actual voltage from the sensor, for example:
0.2 * uclip( mean(At[t-.5:]), 10 )

Note that when range expressions are calculated the data is generated by interpolation over the specified range with a fixed time step equal to the default time step set in your simulation options. This is independent of the current time step ''dt'' used by the simulation engine. When generated, range expressions include the start time and step information. The facilitates easy integration or optimization with functions such as ''trapz([:])'' for trapezoidal integration or ''tnear([:],x)'' for finding the time value when a variable is nearest a specified value.

For a complete list of all the operators available see the operator selection list when making a new expression.

== Troubleshooting ==

While openrocket makes a reasonable attempt to check your expression as you enter it, it is still possible to enter something invalid or that can't be calculated for some reason. In this case you will simply end up with no data available to plot after running the simulation.

If you can't figure out why your expression is not generating any data or can't be accepted by the expression builder then you might find some useful information in the error log. This can be accessed from the help -> debug log menu. Any relevant messages are probably under the 'USER' category.

It should not be possible to cause a crash with an invalid expression. If you manage to please report the bug and include your expression.

Custom expressions are interpreted during the simulation and are necessarily much slower than `native' datatypes. For a few simple expressions you probably won't notice much speed difference but it can become particularly significant if you have range expressions. If speed is an issue for you then you might want to consider implementing your expression as a [[Simulation_Listeners|simulation listener]].

----
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Advanced Flight Simulation|← Advanced Flight Simulation]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Simulation Listeners|Simulation Listeners →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

Rocket Analysis

2015-09-13T21:42:17Z

Tcbetka: Changed main menu number back to 8. We are missing menu option #9, for a "Custom Expressions" page.

<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Advanced Flight Simulation|← Advanced Flight Simulation]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Simulation Listeners|Simulation Listeners →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

{{UserGuideHelp}}

==8. Rocket Analysis==
''- component analysis dialog'' 
''- more details about the plottable variables? - pick up from previous chapter and cover the rest of the graphing/plottable variables in full.'' 
''- instructions to export simulation data and use it elsewhere'' 
''- print / pdf export''

''This chapter has some overlap with [[Advanced Flight Simulation]], need to check the division.''

----
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Advanced Flight Simulation|← Advanced Flight Simulation]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Simulation Listeners|Simulation Listeners →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

Rocket Analysis

2015-09-13T21:41:05Z

Tcbetka: Changed main menu number from 8 to 9

<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Advanced Flight Simulation|← Advanced Flight Simulation]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Simulation Listeners|Simulation Listeners →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

{{UserGuideHelp}}

==9. Rocket Analysis==
''- component analysis dialog'' 
''- more details about the plottable variables? - pick up from previous chapter and cover the rest of the graphing/plottable variables in full.'' 
''- instructions to export simulation data and use it elsewhere'' 
''- print / pdf export''

''This chapter has some overlap with [[Advanced Flight Simulation]], need to check the division.''

----
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Advanced Flight Simulation|← Advanced Flight Simulation]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Simulation Listeners|Simulation Listeners →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

Simulation Listeners

2015-09-13T21:40:39Z

Tcbetka: Changed main menu number from 9 to 10

<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Rocket Analysis|← Rocket Analysis]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Other Stuff|Other Stuff →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

{| style="background: #FDC; border: 1px solid #ECB; text-align: center; margin: 0% 10%; width: 80%;"
|
This page describes features or examples introduced in '''OpenRocket version 1.1.6'''. 
Earlier software versions may have different functionality or example designs.
|}

== 10. Simulation Listeners ==

'''''Simulation listeners''''' are an advanced way to monitor and interact with flight simulations while they are running. They work by defining a number of "hooks" of custom code which are called as various points during the simulation. OpenRocket allows full control of the rocket flight during the simulation. This enables simulating for example air-starts, active control mechanisms or calculating additional flight parameters on-the-fly.

Using simulation listeners requires basic Java knowledge and knowing how to use the command line.

The basic steps for implementing and using simulation listeners are the following:

# Implement the simulation listener in Java.
# Compile the Java class file.
# Start OpenRocket and include the class file in the classpath.
# Add the simulation listener to a simulation and run the simulation.

The example below will show these steps in detail.

=== Air-start launch example ===

The following example demonstrates how to simulate an air-start launch that launches from a height of 1000 meters.

First we need to implement the simulation listener in Java. The implementation is as below, stored in the file "<tt style="color: #006">AirStart.java</tt>":

{| align="top"
| <pre style="background-color: transparent; color: gray; border-color: transparent;">
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</pre>
| <pre>
import net.sf.openrocket.simulation.SimulationStatus;
import net.sf.openrocket.simulation.exception.SimulationException;
import net.sf.openrocket.simulation.listeners.AbstractSimulationListener;
import net.sf.openrocket.util.Coordinate;

/**
* Simulation listener that launches a rocket from a specific altitude.
*/
public class AirStart extends AbstractSimulationListener {

/** Launch altitude in meters */
private static final double ALTITUDE = 1000.0;

@Override
public void startSimulation(SimulationStatus status) throws SimulationException {
Coordinate position = status.getRocketPosition();
position = position.add(0, 0, ALTITUDE);
status.setRocketPosition(position);
}

}
</pre>
|}

'''Lines 1-4''' have the necessary class imports for using the OpenRocket classes.

'''Line 9''' defines the <tt style="color: #006">AirStart</tt> class. The class extends the <tt style="color: #006">AbstractSimulationListener</tt> class, which is the recommended way of defining simulation listeners. This allows better future compatibility, and allows you to override and implement only the methods relevant to your needs.

'''Line 12''' defines a constant which has the launch altitude. OpenRocket does not currently support configuring simulation listeners, so all properties of the listener need to be hard-coded or read from some external source.

'''Lines 14-15''' override the <tt style="color: #006">startSimulation</tt> method. This method is called at the beginning of a simulation. It is the proper place for setting up initial conditions for the simulation. The method takes a <tt style="color: #006">SimulationStatus</tt> object as an argument, which contains all details of the rocket's position, orientation and movement as well as all simulation details. This can be freely modified to suit the customization needs.

'''Lines 16-18''' contain the actual air-start implementation. On line 16 we get the current rocket position as a three-dimensional cartesian coordinate (which should be the origin (0,0,0)). On line 17 we add the launch altitude to the Z-axis, which corresponds to altitude above ground. Finally on line 18 we set the position back into the <tt style="color: #006">SimulationStatus</tt> object.

After the listener has been implemented, it needs to be compiled into a Java class file. This requires providing the OpenRocket application on the classpath so that the compilation dependencies are met. Assuming that the OpenRocket JAR file and the <tt style="color: #006">AirStart.java</tt> file are both in the current directory, the file can be compiled for example on the command line with:

$ javac -cp OpenRocket-1.1.6.jar AirStart.java

This will produce <tt style="color: #006">AirStart.class</tt>, which is the compiled class file.

Next we need to start OpenRocket with the directory containing the class file included on the classpath. The startup class needs to be explicitly defined, because using the <tt style="color: #006">-jar</tt> option would override the classpath set on the command line. From the command line:

$ java -cp OpenRocket-1.1.6.jar:. net.sf.openrocket.startup.Startup

Finally we need to add the simulation listener to a simulation. Open the ''Three-stage rocket'' example design. Create a new simulation which uses the ''[C6-5; B6-0; B6-0]'' motor configuration. Then open the ''Simulation options'' tab, and click ''Add'' under ''Simulation listeners''. Type in <tt style="color: #006">AirStart</tt>, click OK and run the simulation.

You should get an apogee altitude between 1400-1500 meters. When you plot the simulation the rocket starts from an altitude of 1000 meters, rises to about 1450 meters and finally lands to 0 meters.

A slightly enhanced version of the air-start simulation listener is included in the OpenRocket package and can be used directly with the name <tt style="color: #006">net.sf.openrocket.simulation.listeners.example.AirStart</tt>. The source code is [http://openrocket.svn.sourceforge.net/viewvc/openrocket/trunk/src/net/sf/openrocket/simulation/listeners/example/AirStart.java?view=markup available in SVN].

=== Simulation listener actions ===

The simulation listeners can take action and modify the rocket state at any of the following (method names included in parenthesis):

* before and after the simulation (<tt style="color: #006">startSimulation</tt>, <tt style="color: #006">endSimulation</tt>)
* before and after a single step of the simulation (<tt style="color: #006">preStep</tt>, <tt style="color: #006">postStep</tt>)
* before adding a flight event to the event queue (<tt style="color: #006">addFlightEvent</tt>)
* before handling a flight event (<tt style="color: #006">handleFlightEvent</tt>)
* before any motor ignition (<tt style="color: #006">motorIgnition</tt>) or recovery device deployment (<tt style="color: #006">recoveryDeviceDeployment</tt>)
* before and after any computation (<tt style="color: #006">preXyz</tt>, <tt style="color: #006">postXyz</tt>)

All simulation listeners must implement the <tt style="color: #006">[http://openrocket.svn.sourceforge.net/viewvc/openrocket/trunk/src/net/sf/openrocket/simulation/listeners/SimulationListener.java?view=markup SimulationListener]</tt> interface. This defines a few basic hooks for the simulation startup and steps. For additional hooks the class can additionally implement the <tt style="color: #006">[http://openrocket.svn.sourceforge.net/viewvc/openrocket/trunk/src/net/sf/openrocket/simulation/listeners/SimulationEventListener.java?view=markup SimulationEventListener]</tt> and <tt style="color: #006">[http://openrocket.svn.sourceforge.net/viewvc/openrocket/trunk/src/net/sf/openrocket/simulation/listeners/SimulationComputationListener.java?view=markup SimulationComputationListener]</tt> interfaces.

The recommended way of implementing simulation listeners is by extending the <tt style="color: #006">AbstractSimulationListener</tt> class. This implements all of the hook methods with abstract implementations that do nothing. During future development the interfaces may be augmented or change slightly, but the abstract class will contain backward-compatible callbacks.

The hook methods come in three varieties depending on the return value.

* The <tt style="color: #006">startSimulation</tt>, <tt style="color: #006">endSimulation</tt> and <tt style="color: #006">postStep</tt> are hooks that are called at a specific point of the simulation. They are void methods and do not return any value.
* The <tt style="color: #006">preStep</tt> and event-related hooks return a boolean value indicating whether the action should be taken or not. A return value of <tt style="color: #006">true</tt> indicates that the action should be taken as normally would be (default), <tt style="color: #006">false</tt> will inhibit the action.
* The pre- and post-computation methods may return the computed value, either as an object or a double value. The pre-computation methods allow pre-empting the entire computation, while the post-computation methods allow augmenting the computed values. These methods may return <tt style="color: #006">null</tt> or <tt style="color: #006">Double.NaN</tt> to use the original values (default), or return an overriding value.

Every method receives a <tt style="color: #006">SimulationStatus</tt> object as the first argument, and may have additional arguments. The <tt style="color: #006">SimulationStatus</tt> object contains information about the rocket's current position, orientation, velocity and simulation state. It also contains a reference to a copy of the rocket design and its configuration. Any simulation listener method may modify the state of the rocket by changing the properties of the state object.

Each listener method may also throw a <tt style="color: #006">SimulationException</tt>. This is considered an error during simulation, and an error dialog is displayed to the user with the exception message. The simulation data thus far is not stored in the simulation. Throwing a <tt style="color: #006">RuntimeException</tt> is considered a bug in the software and will result in a bug report dialog.

If a simulation listener wants to stop a simulation prematurely without an error condition, it needs to add a flight event of type <tt style="color: #006">SIMULATION_END</tt> to the simulation event queue:

status.getEventQueue().add(new FlightEvent(FlightEvent.Type.SIMULATION_END, status.getSimulationTime(), null));

This will cause the simulation to be terminated normally.

----
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Rocket Analysis|← Rocket Analysis]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Other Stuff|Other Stuff →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

Miscellaneous

2015-09-13T21:40:08Z

Tcbetka: Changed main menu number from 10 to 11

<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Simulation Listeners|← Simulation Listeners]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Component Details|Appendix A: Component Details →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

{{UserGuideHelp}}

==11. Other Stuff==
''Adding motors to the database, motor and design sources, anything else that doesn't fit in elsewhere...'' 
''The title of this chapter desperately needs changing to something better when we know what other content will be going in it.''

----
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Simulation Listeners|← Simulation Listeners]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Component Details|Appendix A: Component Details →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

Basic Flight Simulation

2015-09-13T21:38:47Z

Tcbetka: Fixed links for section menu.

<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Basic Rocket Design|← Basic Rocket Design]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Advanced Rocket Design|Advanced Rocket Design →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

{{UserGuideHelp}}

==4. Basic Flight Simulation==

''Since we have included pre-made example designs with which to experiment, it is entirely possible to start your OpenRocket experience by running simulations instead of designing rockets. However as the program is quite intuitive, it would probably work well either way. If you do decide to start by running a simulation, we recommend you start with the 'A simple model rocket' example. Use this design to work through the Flight Simulations tab, where you can either edit an existing or add a new simulation to the list of those already included. Note also that the Motors & Configuration tab will allow you to observe the effects of changing thrust parameters on rocket design and performance.''

----
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Basic Rocket Design|← Basic Rocket Design]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Advanced Rocket Design|Advanced Rocket Design →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

Basic Rocket Design

2015-09-13T21:37:13Z

Tcbetka: Fixed links for section menu.

<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Getting Started|← Getting Started]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Basic Flight Simulation|Basic Flight Simulation →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

{{UserGuideHelp}}

==Basic Rocket Design==

__TOC__

In this section we'll look at how to design a basic rocket by examining the A simple model rocket design example. After reading this section you should have an understanding of how to start designing your own rockets. If you already know how to design your rocket, you can jump to the [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Basic_Flight_Simulation next section]. 

We will start with a brief discussion on the selection of available components, and then the components used in the A simple model rocket example. Then we'll build a rocket from scratch to see how it’s done. 

=== Component Configuration Window ===

There are several types of components available to you as a rocket designer, and you can either customize these to meet your specific needs, or simply load presets from the database. 

To start, let's begin a new project: File -> New. It doesn’t matter what we call it at the moment, but go ahead and save the design straight away: File -> Save your design. At this point you should be presented with a blank design window in the bottom half of the user interface.

[[File:Main_window.png|thumb|800 px|center|The OpenRocket main window.]] 

When you first start a new rocket design you will see that only three categories of components are available in the Add new component panel: 
- Body components and fin sets 
- Inner components 
- Mass objects 

We would usually start building our rocket by selecting a nose cone but for the sake of this guide click the Body tube icon in the Body components and fin sets section. This will then open up a configuration window that we'll use to edit the parameters of the body tube. 

==== The Body Tube’ Configuration Window ====

At this point you should see a new window titled Body tube configuration.

[[File:ConfigBody.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Configuration Window.]]

This window allows you to either select a preset for the component type you are choosing, or make your own. Let’s start by examining how to customize it ourselves. If you have a look at the Body tube configuration window you will see that at the top there is a Component name field. Here we can change the name of the current component to anything we choose. (Note that this name will then appear in the design tree seen in the Rocket Design panel of the main program window.) 

Just below Component name there are several tabs: 
- General: allows us to alter the basic attributes of the component. 
- Motor: allows us to make the body tube into a motor mount, and also edit the properties of the motor. 
- Override: allows us to manually set the mass or centre of gravity for the component. 
- Appearance: allows us to select colours, textures and other finishes. 
- Comment: allows us to enter any comments or notes about the component. 

It should be noted that these tabs are specific to the component being designed. For example, a nose cone will not have a motor tab, but will instead have a shoulder tab. It will also have a description panel to tell you a bit more about the component you are choosing. After you learn how to navigate around one component configuration panel, the others should be relatively self-explanatory. 

===== General Tab =====

The rest of the Body tube configuration window lists the different parameters for the current component type. As you can see, the General tab provides options to manually enter numbers, or you can also use the spin boxes (coarse control) or sliders (fine control) provided to adjust the parameter values. The Automatic checkbox will adjust the dimensions of the component automatically. Here you will also see a Filled checkbox. If this is checked you will notice that the inner diameter goes to zero, i.e., a filled (solid) tube. Note how the Component mass changes when this box is checked. 

On the right hand side of the window you will see the Component material and Component finish drop-down menus. If you click on these you will be presented with a list of various materials and finishes, each with their own weight and thickness. If you are using the same finish for the entire rocket you can click the Set for all button to make each component use the same finish. The last notable feature in this window is in the bottom left. There you will see a live display of the Component mass. This will update automatically as you change parameter values. Experiment with the sliders to see how the component changes in the design window.

You may have noticed that, apart from the mass, there is no noticeable difference when either the inner diameter or wall thickness parameters are changed. To see those changes reflected in the model you will have to switch to a different View Type, by selecting the desired view from the drop-down list at the left of the main OpenRocket program window.

===== Motor Tab =====

Next to the General tab is the Motor tab. If you click on it you will see that most parameters are grayed-out, with the exception of one checkbox. As the label mentions, this is for when you want the body tube component to also be a motor mount.
[[File:ConfigBodyMotor.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Motor tab of the Configuration Window.]]

Have a quick look at this if you wish, but we'll discuss changing flight configurations for a later section of the guide.

===== Override =====

We'll take a quick look at this tab, as it common to most components. For starting out though, you most likely will not need it.

[[File:ConfigBodyOverride.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Override tab of the Configuration Window.]]

This tab would be used when you specifically wanted to override the mass and centre of gravity (CG) of the component.

===== Appearance =====

Everyone likes something shiny, don’t they? This tab allows you edit the appearance of the component.

[[File:ConfigBodyAppearance.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Appearance tab of the Configuration Window.]]

There are two sections here, the Figure style section and the Appearance section. Figure style changes what the 2D figure looks like, whereas Appearance will change what the 3D model will look like. If you wish to use any custom textures or images in your rocket design, you can load those through the Texture drop-down menu.

===== Comment =====

This section does not really need much explanation. If you want to write any comments or notes about your component (why you chose the values you did, etc.), then this is the place to do it.

[[File:ConfigBodyComment.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Comment tab of the Configuration Window.]] 

Now that we have been through all of the tabs of the Body Tube component, click the Close button. You should now notice that the rest of the components are now unlocked in the top right of the Design window. This is because all component types can be added to a body tube. However, a Nose cone should be selected first if you are making your own rocket.

Let’s have a look at the full list of components. If you cannot click on the component type, try selecting the Body tube in the design window in the top left panel of OpenRocket.

=== Available Components ===

As previously mentioned, there are 16 component types to choose from within OpenRocket. These are split into three sections: 
- Body components and fin sets 
- Inner components 
- Mass objects 

[[File:ComponentSupertypes.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Component types menu.]] 

==== Body components and fin sets ====

Within Body components and fin sets we have 7 component types. These components make up the external and main body of the rocket; everything else is inside the rocket. As you will see in the image the component types are: 

- Nose Cone: The very tip of the rocket. Usually, you will select this component first. 
- Body Tube: As we have seen, the body tube makes up the main section of a stage. 
- Transition: A component that usually joins one body tube to another (normally larger) tube. 
- Trapezoidal fin: A fin set that is in the shape of a trapezoid. 
- Elliptical fin: A fin set that is in the shape of an ellipse. 
- Freeform fin: This special kind of fin takes any shape you want. If you add it to your model it will open up a design window for you to alter the shape as desired. 
- Launch Lug: This component usually goes on the outside of a body tube and is used while the rocket is on the launch pad. 

[[File:ComponentBodyAndFins.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Body components and fin sets submenu.]] 

==== Inner Components ====

Within Inner components we have 5 component types, and these components are all internal. As with Body components and fin sets we will now run through the list of components. 

- Inner tube: This component lets you add tubes to the inside of the main body tube. 
- Coupler: Used in multi-stage rockets, a coupler joins two sections together. 
- Centering ring: These can be used to support other components (e.g., a motor), in the centre of a larger tube. 
- Bulkhead: This is a block of material that forms a stop or barrier between two different areas. 
- Engine block: An engine block prevents the motor from moving forward in the motor mount tube. 

[[File:ComponentInner.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Inner Components submenu.]] 

==== Mass Objects ====

Within Mass objects we have 4 component types. They are:

- Parachute: Like any good parachute, this component will stop your rocket from becoming scrap. 
- Streamer: Another component for keeping your rocket safe, a streamer creates drag as your rocket falls down to earth. 
- Shock cord: A shock cord secures the nose cone to the body of the rocket so that it isn't lost when the nose is blown off to deploy the parachute/streamer. 
- Mass component: This is a block of mass used to adjust the rocket's Center of Gravity (CG). You can name it to whatever you want it to represent. 

[[File:ComponentMasses.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Mass Objects submenu.]] 

You have now had a brief run through the various components available for use in OpenRocket. The next section will deal with an example rocket. 

== A Simple Model Rocket Example ==

In this section we will look at the components used in the A simple model rocket example design. To get started, start OpenRocket and navigate to the main window. As a reminder it looks like this:

[[File:Main_window.png|thumb|800 px|center|The Openrocket main window.]] 

==== Opening Example Designs ====

We'll begin by looking at how to find and load the example rockets within OpenRocket. Recall that this was also covered in the Getting Started section of this guide, but as a refresher the steps for doing this are as follows: 
- In the main window, click on the File menu at the top left. 
- Scroll down to Open Examples... open, and expand that menu. Here you will see a list of the available rocket design examples. 
Your screen should now look like this:

[[File:OpenExample.png|thumb|800 px|center|Opening an example rocket ]] 

Click on first example, our Simple model rocket. A Rocket configuration window should appear, with the Design Name (A simple model Rocket) and Designer (Sampo Niskanen) fields populated. The Comments and Revision History fields will be blank. Click Close. You should now have successfully loaded the rocket and be able to see a 2D schematic in the Rocket Design window.

[[File:After_complete_design.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Bottom half of the Rocket design window.]] 

==== Components used in ‘A simple model rocket’ ====

Now we will have a quick look through the components used in the example rocket. If you look towards the top left of the Rocket Design window you will see that there is a tree of components shown. By default they should all be fully expanded. If not, do so now.

[[File:Structure.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Top left-hand portion of the Rocket design window.]]

This image shows A simple model rocket at the top, followed by the Sustainer, which is Stage 1 of the rocket. 

If we look at the first component in the Sustainer stage we see that it is the nose cone. Double click on that now. This will bring up the Nose cone configuration window.

[[File:ConfigNose.png|thumb|600 px|center|Nose Cone Configuration Window.]]

As we have already examined the configuration window we will not repeat ourselves here. However, you will see that in this example we have used an Ogive nose cone with a Shape parameter of 1.0. If you read the description of the component to the right in the configuration window, you will discover that a value of 1.0 produces a tangent ogive. 

Moving down the window, you will see that the Nose cone length has a value of 10, the Base diameter has a value of 2.5, and the Wall thickness has a value of 0.2. All of these parameters have been set, in this example, to use centimeters (cm) as their unit. You should also see that this component is using Polystyrene as its material with a Regular paint finish. As you can see, the material has a density of 1.05 grams per centimetre cubed, and the paint is 60.0 micrometers thick. In the bottom left, the component weight is currently 13.2 grams. Go ahead and play around with the sliders to see how the component changes, and then change them back when you are finished. 

If you move over to the Shoulder tab, you'll be able to see the size attributes of the shoulder. Again, you can play around with the sliders if you want--as long as you change them back to the original settings when you are finished. For reference these are 2.3, 2.0 and 0.2 centimeters, respectively. Also have a look through the rest of the tabs to see what has been selected. The only other thing to note is that the appearance has been customized. If you were to change to the 3D Finished view type, you will see how the finished model looks. 

Moving on to the Body tube, you can access its various attributes by double-clicking on it in the Rocket design window. Note how its various attributes have been set to create the current size. This is all fairly straightforward and as we have already looked into the various components earlier, we will not go into great detail here. 

Note the eight other components that have been placed onto the Body tube. In descending order these are: 
- Trapezoidal fin set 
- Inner Tube 
- Centering Ring 
- Centering Ring 
- Shock Cord 
- Parachute 
- Wadding 
- Launch lug 

The Inner Tube in this design is used as a motor mount. You will see this if you go to the Motor tab in the Inner Tube configuration window. This means that a motor has been fitting into this piece. Upon inspection we can see that the current motor name is displayed in the Flight configuration drop-down list, on the right side of the main OpenRocket window. You can open this drop-down menu to select other motors that are available for use in this simulation, as well as the other example simulations that you will see on the Flight simulation tab. 

The ninth component is place inside the inner tube. This is the engine block. If you look at the schematic of the rocket you will see that this is placed in front of the grey rectangle, which is the motor. To quickly address some of the other components, you will note that the recovery method used in this rocket is a Parachute: the red dashed rounded-rectangle near the nose cone of the rocket. Along with the parachute we have a Shock cord, which (as was discussed earlier) prevents loss of the nose cone upon deployment of the recovery system. This is shown as a long, black, dashed rounded-rectangle in the same general area as the parachute. The other black, dashed rounded-rectangle box is the Wadding, which is a mass component and is used here to bring the centre of gravity forward towards the nose. 

We have now looked through the components used within the simple model rocket example. If you would like to see other available components, see Appendix A. Now that we are familiar with what makes up the rocket we will go ahead and build one from scratch! 

== Building ‘A simple model rocket’ ==

In this section we will build up the example model from scratch. After you have completed this process, you should be able to apply what you've learned in order to make any basic rocket you want. So let’s begin... 

Open a new project window so that everything is blank. The following are the steps that you will follow to create the rocket. 

1) Select the nose cone. Change its type to Ogive, if that isn't already selected. Make sure that Shape parameter, Nose cone length, base diameter, and Wall thickness values are set to 1.0, 10.0, 2.5 and 0.2, respectively. The units are centimeters by default, so we should not need to change these. Finally, change the Component material to Polystyrene. 

2) Next, while still in the Nose cone configuration window, move to the Shoulder tab. Change the diameter to 2.3, the length to 2.0, and the thickness to 0.2. Also, check the End capped box. 

3) The last thing we have to do with the nose cone is to change its Appearance, so switch to that tab now. Leave the Figure style section unchanged but under the Appearance section, change the colour to one lighter than black. (Or to whatever you want, go crazy!) Then adjust the shine to 50%. That is all we need to change for now. 

You should now see this in the view area at the bottom of the main OpenRocket window:

[[File:NoseComplete.png|thumb|600 px|center|Nose Cone]] 

4) Next, add the Body tube. The measurements for length, outer diameter, inner diameter, and wall thickness are 30.0, 2.5, 2.3, 0.1, respectively. Note that it may be easier to enter the last two manually rather than use the spin boxes or sliders. Leave the Automatic and Filled boxes unchecked. The material should remain Cardboard and the finish should be Regular Paint. The only other thing you should change here is the appearance, but we'll leave that to you as an exercise. 

You should now have this: 

[[File:BodyComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Nose Cone and Body]] 

5) Moving on, we next need to add a Fin set. Make sure you have clicked on the Body tube so that it’s highlighted then click on the Trapezoidal component type. The Trapezoidal fin set configuration window will have appeared. Leave the left side of the window alone: the settings there are fine as-is. However, we will need to change some things on the right hand side. First, change the Fin cross section to Rounded. Also, reduce the Thickness to 0.2. That’s all we need to do in this tab. Now move to the Appearance tab and customize to your preference. 

[[File:FinsComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Nose Cone, Body, and Fins]] 

6) The next component we need to add is the Inner tube. Once again highlight the body tube and then click on the Inner tube component button. There are a couple of attributes we should change here. First, increase the Length value to 7.5. Also, increase the Plus value to 0.5. Leave everything else the same. 

Now go to the Motor tab. There are a few things we need to add here. To start, check the This component is a motor mount checkbox. This will allow us to add motors. The next few steps may seem complicated but do not be daunted by them. First, we will deal with the easy part: Increase the Motor overhang to 0.3. Now click Close button to close the Inner Tube configuration window. 

Now click on the Motors & Configuration tab towards the left upper corner of the main OpenRocket window, just under the menu bar. On the resulting page, note the Motors tab towards the left upper corner. Make sure the Inner T... box is checked, and then click on the New Configuration button in the top center portion of the upper panel. You should see that a new configuration has been added to the list of configuration. Left-click in the Inner Tube column, and then click the Select motor button just below the open panel on the right of the screen. The Select a rocket motor window now appears:

[[File:MotorConfigs.png|thumb|800 px|center|Motors & Configurations window (all motors configured)]] 

To make sure your window looks the same as the one above, follow these steps: 

- Make sure the Filter Motors tab is selected in the top right corner of the window. 
- Select only the Estes option in the Manufacturer list. 
- Make sure that the Total Impulse slider is positioned over A (all the way to the left). 
- Look for the A8 motor in list on the left side of the window. Click on it. 
- In the Ejection charge delay field at the top left, enter the value 3. 
- Now click the OK button at the lower right corner of the window. 

If everything went to plan, you have successfully added the Estes A8-3 motor to your rocket. Now repeat these steps for the following motors, using a New Configuration for each new motor you add: 
- Estes B4-4 
- Estes C6-3 
- Estes C6-5 
- Estes C6-7 

After you have added the rest of the motors, click back on the Rocket design tab just under the main menu. 

7) The next component we will add is the Engine Block. This time make sure that the Inner tube is highlighted and then add an engine block component. Change the Inner diameter to 1.2 and the Wall thickness to 0.3. Also, change the Position relative to: Top of the parent component. The last change we will make is to increase plus to 0.2. That is all we have to do for this component. 

Your rocket should now look like this: 

[[File:EngineBlockCompleted.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added the Engine Block]] 

8) We will now add two Centering Rings. Make sure the Body tube is highlighted in the list of components under Rocket design, then click on the Centering ring component type. The first one is fine as-is, so we will not make any changes. However, we will add the following line under the Comment tab: The centering ring automatically takes the outer diameter of the body tube and the inner diameter of the inner tube. 

Now click Close, select the body tube again and add another Centering ring. This time all we have to do is to change plus to -4.5. Also, add the same comment as for the first ring. 

[[File:CenteringRings.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Centering Rings]] 

9) The next component we will add is the Shock cord. As usual, make sure the Body tube is selected before adding the shock cord component. After it has been added change the Plus value to 2, Packed length to 5.2, and Packed diameter to 1.2. Again, we will add a comment to this component. Enter the following line to the Comment section: The shock cord does not need to be attached to anything in particular, as it functions only as a mass component.. Click the Close button to close the window, as the shock cord has now been completed. 

[[File:ShockCordComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Shock Cord]] 

10) Now we need to add the Parachute. With the body tube highlighted, add a parachute component. Change Plus to 3.2, Packed length to 4.2 and Packed diameter to 1.8. That is everything we need to do to the parachute. Click Close to close the window. You can see what your rocket should now look like below. 

[[File:ParachuteAdded.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Parachute]] 

11) The second-to-last component to add is a Mass Component. Go ahead and add one to the body tube now. Adjust the Mass to 2 grams (g), the Approximate density to 0.16 g/cm^3, the length to 3.0, the diameter to 2.3 and finally the Plus value to 8.0. It may be easier to enter these manually. The last thing you have to do is to rename it from ‘Unspecified’ to Wadding. Leave everything else as it is and click the Close button. 

[[File:AddedMass.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Mass]] 

12) Almost done! One final component left to add: the Launch lug. Add this to the body tube now. Change the Length to 3.5, the Outer diameter to 0.7, and the inner diameter to 0.5. Leave the Thickness as it is. Also, change the Radial position to 19 degrees. Click Close.

[[File:LaunchLugAdded.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Launch Lug]] 

And that’s all there is to it. You have just completed building your first rocket within OpenRocket! From here you can use what you know to create more rockets, or you can proceed to the next section of the User Guide: Advanced Rocket Design. Have fun!

----
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Getting Started|← Getting Started]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Basic Flight Simulation|Basic Flight Simulation →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

Getting Started

2015-09-13T21:34:54Z

Tcbetka: Fixed links for section menu.

<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Downloading & Installing|← Downloading & Installing]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Basic Rocket Design|Basic Rocket Design →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

{{UserGuideHelp}}

__TOC__

In this section we have a look at how OpenRocket is organized, by analyzing in detail the structure of the user interface. We will also briefly mention the Example projects that are accessible from the File menu. After reading this section you will have a thorough understanding of how OpenRocket is structured, and will be ready to start designing a rocket of your own. If you already know how this program is organized, feel free to jump to the [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Basic_Rocket_Design next section].

= The User interface =

In this subsection we first briefly discuss the Rocket Configuration window, and then OpenRocket's main window and the main window's four menus. 

== The Rocket Configuration window ==

When you start a new project, you will be prompted with the following window:

[[File:Rocket_configuration.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Rocket Configuration window.]]

Fill in the four fields (or you can leave all, except the Design name, blank if you wish), and click the close button. 

== OpenRocket's main window ==

You now have access to the OpenRocket main window.

[[File:Main_window.png|thumb|800 px|center|The OpenRocket main window.]]

Notice there are two tabs in the top-left corner of the window, just under the menu options. These tabs allow you to switch between the Rocket design and Flight simulations windows. 

=== The Rocket design window ===

For the moment, let's focus on the Rocket design window. This window is organized in the following way: 
- in the bottom half of the window there is a large white space. This is where a 2D image of the rocket you are designing will appear. 
- in the top-left part of the window, the rocket's stages and components are shown. When you start a new project, the rocket contains only one stage (i.e.; the sustainer) but no components. 
- in the top-right part of the window, all the body components and fin sets, inner components, and mass objects that you can add to the rocket are shown. Notice that it's not possible to add all of these object to the rocket at any particular stage of the rocket design. Exactly which components can be added when will be explained later in this guide. 

Now let's have a closer look at the bottom half of the Rocket design window. When you add a component to your rocket, it will be immediately displayed, as shown below:

[[File:After_first_component.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Bottom half of the Rocket design window after adding a nose cone.]]

Notice the rulers around the borders. These give you an idea of the dimensions of your rocket. 

As you can see, in addition to the appearance of your rocket, the Rocket design window also shows some other useful information as well. This includes the rocket's dimensions, mass, apogee, max. velocity, max. acceleration, stability, center of gravity (CG), and center of pressure (CP). 

In the top left-hand corner of the previous image there are two buttons: Side view and Back view. These allow you to visualize the rocket from two different positions. Next to these buttons you can find the zoom-regulation commands and then one Stage i button for each Stage in your rocket. Selecting/deselecting each of these allows you to include or exclude each stage from the picture. On the left of the previous image you can also see a scroll bar that allows you to rotate the rocket up to 360°. 

Finally, notice the drop-down list in the top right-hand corner of the previous image. This allows you to choose which of your motor configurations to apply to the rocket you have designed (more on this later). The image below shows how the bottom half of the Rocket design window appears after the rocket design has been completed.

[[File:After_complete_design.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Bottom half of the Rocket design window after completing the rocket's design (taken from the A simple model rocket example design).]]

In this image, the rocket's body components and fin sets are represented with a continuous blue line; the rocket's inner components are represented with a continuous red line (the inner tube is also filled in with a grey background); and the mass objects are represented with either black or red dotted lines. It is also possible to customize the colour in which each part is represented, as will be shown later on. The image below shows how the top left-hand portion of the Rocket design window looks after the rocket design has been completed.

[[File:Structure.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Top left-hand portion of the Rocket design window after completing the rocket's design (taken from the A simple model rocket example design).]]

As you can see, the rocket's components have a tree-like structure: 
- the Rocket, called A simple model rocket, has only one stage: the Sustainer. 
- the Sustainer contains two body components: a Nose cone and a Body tube. 
- the Body tube contains a fin set (in particular a Trapezoidal fin set), a Launch lug, three inner components (an Inner Tube and two Centering rings), and three mass objects (a Shock cord, a Parachute, and a Wadding). 
- the Inner tube contains an Engine block. 
This tree-like structure will be discussed further later in this guide. 

The buttons visible on the left in the previous image have pretty straightforward functions. By selecting one of the rocket's components you can change its position in the list of components (but not its position in the rocket) by using the Move up and Move down buttons. You can also edit its characteristics (e.g., dimensions, material, mass, colour used to represent it within the rocket) by using the Edit button--or you can delete it from the rocket completely using the Delete button. Notice that none of these buttons is active in the above image, since no component has been selected. 

You can also add an extra stage to your rocket by clicking the New stage button.

=== The Flight simulations window ===

Now we have a look at the Flight simulations window, which you can access by selecting the Flight simulations tab in the top left-hand corner of the OpenRocket main window. Before designing your rocket or running any flight simulation, the Flight simulations window looks like this:

[[File:Empty_simulations.png|thumb|800 px|center|The Flight simulations window before designing the rocket and running any simulation.]]

Notice that the bottom part of the window does not change when switching from the Rocket Design window to the Flight simulations window. Hence we only need to analyze the top part of the window. Here, most of the space is occupied by a currently blank space, where the technical details about your simulations will appear. Above this space there are five buttons, which allow you to program a new simulation (New simulation), edit a selected simulation (Edit simulation), for example by changing motor configuration or some atmospheric condition, run all the simulations you have programmed (Run simulations), remove the selected simulations (Remove simulations), or either plot or export some of the results of a selected simulation(Plot/export). (More on exporting simulation results in [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Rocket_Analysis Section 8].) 

The image below shows how the top part of the Rocket Design window looks after you have designed your rocket, programmed some simulations and run them.

[[File:Simulations.png|thumb|1000 px|center|The top half of the Flight simulations window after having programmed and run some simulations (taken from the A simple model rocket example design).]]
 
Notice that five of the six simulations that have been run have a green tick on the left: this means that the simulation has been completed without any warnings. Conversely, if the simulation has generated some warning while being run, a red exclamation mark is shown (as for the third simulation in the image above). To find out the more about the warning, mouse-over the simulation (without clicking) as shown in the image below.

[[File:Warning.png|thumb|1000 px|center|More information about warnings in the Flight simulations window.]]
 
It is possible to change the position of the columns containing the various technical simulation data by simply dragging any column left or right, as shown below:

[[File:Columns.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Moving columns in the Flight simulations window.]]

== The main window's menus ==

We now analyze the four main window's menus, briefly explaining the function of each of the menus' options.

=== The File menu ===

The image below shows the options offered by the File menu, located in the top left-hand corner of OpenRocket's main window.

[[File:File.png|thumb|1000 px|center|The File menu.]]

The function of each option in the File menu is pretty straightforward to understand: 
- New allows you to start a new project, without closing the project that is currently open. 
- Open... allows you to open a *.ork file that you have saved on your computer. 
- Open example... allows you to open one of the example projects (more on these later). 
- Save saves the changes you have made to a previously-saved project. 
- Save as... allows you to save the project you are working on to a new *.ork file. 
- Print/Export PDF opens a window like the one shown below (if you have already completed your rocket's design). From here you can select what to include in your print/PDF file; such as technical details of your rocket's components, templates of your rocket's fin sets or even the design of your rocket. We suggest you try this option with one of the example projects to understand how each of these is represented when printing/exporting to PDF. More on printing and exporting to PDF in [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Rocket_Analysis Section 8].
 
- Close closes the current project (after asking for confirmation if there are unsaved changes). This will also exit the application if there was only one project open. 
- Quit exits the application, checking that you have saved all open projects.

[[File:PDF.png|thumb|800 px|center|The window that opens when Print/Export PDF is selected.]]

=== The Edit menu ===

The image below shows the options offered by the Edit menu.

[[File:Edit.png|thumb|1000 px|center|The Edit menu.]]

These options are mostly the classic editing options: undo/redo some action (Undo/Redo) and cut/copy/paste/delete some element (Cut/Copy/Paste/Delete). We also have the following options: 
- Scale... opens the window shown below. Here you can choose to scale your rocket's size by some percentage (you can select from a range of 25% to 400%), starting from a specified dimension that can either be the one the rocket currently has or one you specify. By checking or unchecking the Update explicit mass values box, you can also decide whether or not the rocket's mass should be updated when scaling its volume.

[[File:Scale.png|thumb|1000 px|center|The Scale window.]]

- Preferences opens the Preferences window, as shown below. At the top of this window there are three tabs which allow you to switch between Units, Materials, and Options. We will first consider the Units tab (shown in the picture below). Here you can set the units for each individual physical quantity, or set all units either to the Default metric or to the Default imperial settings.

[[File:Preferences.png|thumb|1000 px|center|The Units tab of the Preferences window.]]

The picture below shows the Materials tab of the Preferences window. Here you can manage all of the available materials for the rocket component, by either editing the characteristics of the materials (i.e., their name and density) through the Edit button, or you can delete a material through the Delete button. You can also add new materials if you wish, by clicking the New button and setting the material's name, type and density.

[[File:Materials.png|thumb|1000 px|center|The Materials tab of the Preferences window.]]

Finally, the picture below shows the Options tab of the Preferences window. Using the provided drop-down lists you can set the application's language, determine where to insert new rocket components, choose whether or not to ask for confirmation when deleting simulations, or load some of your own thrust curves.

[[File:Options.png|thumb|1000 px|center|The Options tab of the Preferences window.]]

=== The Analyze menu ===

The image below shows the options offered by the Analyze menu.

[[File:Analyze.png|thumb|1000 px|center|The Analyze menu.]]

- The Component analysis option opens a window like the one shown below. Here, technical information for the rocket's external components and fin sets is displayed. Using the scroll bars in the top half of the window you can also change some parameters, such as wind direction, angle of attachment, mach number and roll rate. More on the component analysis window in [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Rocket_Analysis Section 8].

[[File:Component analysis.png|thumb|1000 px|center|The Component analysis window, opened from the A simple model rocket example design.]]

- The Rocket optimization option opens a window like the one shown below. From here you can optimize the performance of your rocket by selecting exactly which performance to optimize from the Optimized drop-down list. More on the rocket optimization window in [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Rocket_Analysis Section 8].

[[File:Optimization.png|thumb|800 px|center|The Optimization window, opened from the A simple model rocket example design.]]

=== The Help menu ===

The image below shows the options offered by the Help menu.

[[File:Help.png|thumb|1000 px|center|The Help menu.]]

NOTE: The guided tour option is a planned feature, but is not yet implemented in OpenRocket. Therefore for the moment you will not find it in the Help menu. 
The functions of the options in the Help menu are as follow: 
- License opens a window containing OpenRocket's license. 
- Bug report opens a bug report form that you can complete and submit to the developers. 
- Debug log opens the OpenRocket debug log. 
- About opens a window containing summary information about this project. 

= The Example projects =

By now you should have a good idea of how OpenRocket's user interface is structured, so you might feel ready to start designing your own rocket (see next section)--and probably you are indeed ready. Nonetheless we suggest you have a look at some pre-designed example rockets that we have provided. To do this, simply select File -> Open example... and the window shown in the image below will appear.

[[File:Example.png|thumb|1000 px|center|The Open example design window.]]

Select one or more of the listed rockets (we suggest that you start with A simple model rocket), then click Open. Now have a closer look at the various windows discussed in this section, and note how they change when you choose another example project. This should give you an idea of how to best use this application, and maybe even give you some new ideas for your future rockets! 

Now that you know how this program is structured, you can start using OpenRocket to design your own rockets. How to do this will be the topic of the [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Basic_Rocket_Design next section].

----
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Downloading & Installing|← Downloading & Installing]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Basic Rocket Design|Basic Rocket Design →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

User's Guide

2015-09-13T21:31:04Z

Tcbetka: Fixed the ordering of pages so that the design material comes before the simulation material, and (obviously) basic comes before advanced.

{{Access}}

== FAQ and HOWTO ==
Basically responses to FAQs or brief HOWTOs for specific tasks.

* [[FAQ]] - contains information on many common tasks with OpenRocket

== User's Guide (Work In Progress) ==

{{UserGuideHelp}}

=== '''Contents''' ===

1. [[Introduction]]

2. [[Downloading & Installing]]

3. [[Getting Started]]

4. [[Basic Rocket Design]]

5. [[Basic Flight Simulation]]

6. [[Advanced Rocket Design]]

7. [[Advanced Flight Simulation]]

8. [[Rocket Analysis]]

9. [[Custom Expressions]]

10. [[Simulation Listeners]]

11. [[Other Stuff]]

Appendices:

A. [[Component Details]]

Basic Rocket Design

2015-09-13T21:28:04Z

Tcbetka: New screen capture uploaded with correct motor configurations, and consistent desktop theme to (roughly) match the other existing images.

<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Basic Flight Simulation|← Basic Flight Simulation]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Advanced Rocket Design|Advanced Rocket Design →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

{{UserGuideHelp}}

==Basic Rocket Design==

__TOC__

In this section we'll look at how to design a basic rocket by examining the A simple model rocket design example. After reading this section you should have an understanding of how to start designing your own rockets. If you already know how to design your rocket, you can jump to the [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Basic_Flight_Simulation next section]. 

We will start with a brief discussion on the selection of available components, and then the components used in the A simple model rocket example. Then we'll build a rocket from scratch to see how it’s done. 

=== Component Configuration Window ===

There are several types of components available to you as a rocket designer, and you can either customize these to meet your specific needs, or simply load presets from the database. 

To start, let's begin a new project: File -> New. It doesn’t matter what we call it at the moment, but go ahead and save the design straight away: File -> Save your design. At this point you should be presented with a blank design window in the bottom half of the user interface.

[[File:Main_window.png|thumb|800 px|center|The OpenRocket main window.]] 

When you first start a new rocket design you will see that only three categories of components are available in the Add new component panel: 
- Body components and fin sets 
- Inner components 
- Mass objects 

We would usually start building our rocket by selecting a nose cone but for the sake of this guide click the Body tube icon in the Body components and fin sets section. This will then open up a configuration window that we'll use to edit the parameters of the body tube. 

==== The Body Tube’ Configuration Window ====

At this point you should see a new window titled Body tube configuration.

[[File:ConfigBody.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Configuration Window.]]

This window allows you to either select a preset for the component type you are choosing, or make your own. Let’s start by examining how to customize it ourselves. If you have a look at the Body tube configuration window you will see that at the top there is a Component name field. Here we can change the name of the current component to anything we choose. (Note that this name will then appear in the design tree seen in the Rocket Design panel of the main program window.) 

Just below Component name there are several tabs: 
- General: allows us to alter the basic attributes of the component. 
- Motor: allows us to make the body tube into a motor mount, and also edit the properties of the motor. 
- Override: allows us to manually set the mass or centre of gravity for the component. 
- Appearance: allows us to select colours, textures and other finishes. 
- Comment: allows us to enter any comments or notes about the component. 

It should be noted that these tabs are specific to the component being designed. For example, a nose cone will not have a motor tab, but will instead have a shoulder tab. It will also have a description panel to tell you a bit more about the component you are choosing. After you learn how to navigate around one component configuration panel, the others should be relatively self-explanatory. 

===== General Tab =====

The rest of the Body tube configuration window lists the different parameters for the current component type. As you can see, the General tab provides options to manually enter numbers, or you can also use the spin boxes (coarse control) or sliders (fine control) provided to adjust the parameter values. The Automatic checkbox will adjust the dimensions of the component automatically. Here you will also see a Filled checkbox. If this is checked you will notice that the inner diameter goes to zero, i.e., a filled (solid) tube. Note how the Component mass changes when this box is checked. 

On the right hand side of the window you will see the Component material and Component finish drop-down menus. If you click on these you will be presented with a list of various materials and finishes, each with their own weight and thickness. If you are using the same finish for the entire rocket you can click the Set for all button to make each component use the same finish. The last notable feature in this window is in the bottom left. There you will see a live display of the Component mass. This will update automatically as you change parameter values. Experiment with the sliders to see how the component changes in the design window.

You may have noticed that, apart from the mass, there is no noticeable difference when either the inner diameter or wall thickness parameters are changed. To see those changes reflected in the model you will have to switch to a different View Type, by selecting the desired view from the drop-down list at the left of the main OpenRocket program window.

===== Motor Tab =====

Next to the General tab is the Motor tab. If you click on it you will see that most parameters are grayed-out, with the exception of one checkbox. As the label mentions, this is for when you want the body tube component to also be a motor mount.
[[File:ConfigBodyMotor.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Motor tab of the Configuration Window.]]

Have a quick look at this if you wish, but we'll discuss changing flight configurations for a later section of the guide.

===== Override =====

We'll take a quick look at this tab, as it common to most components. For starting out though, you most likely will not need it.

[[File:ConfigBodyOverride.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Override tab of the Configuration Window.]]

This tab would be used when you specifically wanted to override the mass and centre of gravity (CG) of the component.

===== Appearance =====

Everyone likes something shiny, don’t they? This tab allows you edit the appearance of the component.

[[File:ConfigBodyAppearance.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Appearance tab of the Configuration Window.]]

There are two sections here, the Figure style section and the Appearance section. Figure style changes what the 2D figure looks like, whereas Appearance will change what the 3D model will look like. If you wish to use any custom textures or images in your rocket design, you can load those through the Texture drop-down menu.

===== Comment =====

This section does not really need much explanation. If you want to write any comments or notes about your component (why you chose the values you did, etc.), then this is the place to do it.

[[File:ConfigBodyComment.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Comment tab of the Configuration Window.]] 

Now that we have been through all of the tabs of the Body Tube component, click the Close button. You should now notice that the rest of the components are now unlocked in the top right of the Design window. This is because all component types can be added to a body tube. However, a Nose cone should be selected first if you are making your own rocket.

Let’s have a look at the full list of components. If you cannot click on the component type, try selecting the Body tube in the design window in the top left panel of OpenRocket.

=== Available Components ===

As previously mentioned, there are 16 component types to choose from within OpenRocket. These are split into three sections: 
- Body components and fin sets 
- Inner components 
- Mass objects 

[[File:ComponentSupertypes.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Component types menu.]] 

==== Body components and fin sets ====

Within Body components and fin sets we have 7 component types. These components make up the external and main body of the rocket; everything else is inside the rocket. As you will see in the image the component types are: 

- Nose Cone: The very tip of the rocket. Usually, you will select this component first. 
- Body Tube: As we have seen, the body tube makes up the main section of a stage. 
- Transition: A component that usually joins one body tube to another (normally larger) tube. 
- Trapezoidal fin: A fin set that is in the shape of a trapezoid. 
- Elliptical fin: A fin set that is in the shape of an ellipse. 
- Freeform fin: This special kind of fin takes any shape you want. If you add it to your model it will open up a design window for you to alter the shape as desired. 
- Launch Lug: This component usually goes on the outside of a body tube and is used while the rocket is on the launch pad. 

[[File:ComponentBodyAndFins.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Body components and fin sets submenu.]] 

==== Inner Components ====

Within Inner components we have 5 component types, and these components are all internal. As with Body components and fin sets we will now run through the list of components. 

- Inner tube: This component lets you add tubes to the inside of the main body tube. 
- Coupler: Used in multi-stage rockets, a coupler joins two sections together. 
- Centering ring: These can be used to support other components (e.g., a motor), in the centre of a larger tube. 
- Bulkhead: This is a block of material that forms a stop or barrier between two different areas. 
- Engine block: An engine block prevents the motor from moving forward in the motor mount tube. 

[[File:ComponentInner.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Inner Components submenu.]] 

==== Mass Objects ====

Within Mass objects we have 4 component types. They are:

- Parachute: Like any good parachute, this component will stop your rocket from becoming scrap. 
- Streamer: Another component for keeping your rocket safe, a streamer creates drag as your rocket falls down to earth. 
- Shock cord: A shock cord secures the nose cone to the body of the rocket so that it isn't lost when the nose is blown off to deploy the parachute/streamer. 
- Mass component: This is a block of mass used to adjust the rocket's Center of Gravity (CG). You can name it to whatever you want it to represent. 

[[File:ComponentMasses.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Mass Objects submenu.]] 

You have now had a brief run through the various components available for use in OpenRocket. The next section will deal with an example rocket. 

== A Simple Model Rocket Example ==

In this section we will look at the components used in the A simple model rocket example design. To get started, start OpenRocket and navigate to the main window. As a reminder it looks like this:

[[File:Main_window.png|thumb|800 px|center|The Openrocket main window.]] 

==== Opening Example Designs ====

We'll begin by looking at how to find and load the example rockets within OpenRocket. Recall that this was also covered in the Getting Started section of this guide, but as a refresher the steps for doing this are as follows: 
- In the main window, click on the File menu at the top left. 
- Scroll down to Open Examples... open, and expand that menu. Here you will see a list of the available rocket design examples. 
Your screen should now look like this:

[[File:OpenExample.png|thumb|800 px|center|Opening an example rocket ]] 

Click on first example, our Simple model rocket. A Rocket configuration window should appear, with the Design Name (A simple model Rocket) and Designer (Sampo Niskanen) fields populated. The Comments and Revision History fields will be blank. Click Close. You should now have successfully loaded the rocket and be able to see a 2D schematic in the Rocket Design window.

[[File:After_complete_design.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Bottom half of the Rocket design window.]] 

==== Components used in ‘A simple model rocket’ ====

Now we will have a quick look through the components used in the example rocket. If you look towards the top left of the Rocket Design window you will see that there is a tree of components shown. By default they should all be fully expanded. If not, do so now.

[[File:Structure.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Top left-hand portion of the Rocket design window.]]

This image shows A simple model rocket at the top, followed by the Sustainer, which is Stage 1 of the rocket. 

If we look at the first component in the Sustainer stage we see that it is the nose cone. Double click on that now. This will bring up the Nose cone configuration window.

[[File:ConfigNose.png|thumb|600 px|center|Nose Cone Configuration Window.]]

As we have already examined the configuration window we will not repeat ourselves here. However, you will see that in this example we have used an Ogive nose cone with a Shape parameter of 1.0. If you read the description of the component to the right in the configuration window, you will discover that a value of 1.0 produces a tangent ogive. 

Moving down the window, you will see that the Nose cone length has a value of 10, the Base diameter has a value of 2.5, and the Wall thickness has a value of 0.2. All of these parameters have been set, in this example, to use centimeters (cm) as their unit. You should also see that this component is using Polystyrene as its material with a Regular paint finish. As you can see, the material has a density of 1.05 grams per centimetre cubed, and the paint is 60.0 micrometers thick. In the bottom left, the component weight is currently 13.2 grams. Go ahead and play around with the sliders to see how the component changes, and then change them back when you are finished. 

If you move over to the Shoulder tab, you'll be able to see the size attributes of the shoulder. Again, you can play around with the sliders if you want--as long as you change them back to the original settings when you are finished. For reference these are 2.3, 2.0 and 0.2 centimeters, respectively. Also have a look through the rest of the tabs to see what has been selected. The only other thing to note is that the appearance has been customized. If you were to change to the 3D Finished view type, you will see how the finished model looks. 

Moving on to the Body tube, you can access its various attributes by double-clicking on it in the Rocket design window. Note how its various attributes have been set to create the current size. This is all fairly straightforward and as we have already looked into the various components earlier, we will not go into great detail here. 

Note the eight other components that have been placed onto the Body tube. In descending order these are: 
- Trapezoidal fin set 
- Inner Tube 
- Centering Ring 
- Centering Ring 
- Shock Cord 
- Parachute 
- Wadding 
- Launch lug 

The Inner Tube in this design is used as a motor mount. You will see this if you go to the Motor tab in the Inner Tube configuration window. This means that a motor has been fitting into this piece. Upon inspection we can see that the current motor name is displayed in the Flight configuration drop-down list, on the right side of the main OpenRocket window. You can open this drop-down menu to select other motors that are available for use in this simulation, as well as the other example simulations that you will see on the Flight simulation tab. 

The ninth component is place inside the inner tube. This is the engine block. If you look at the schematic of the rocket you will see that this is placed in front of the grey rectangle, which is the motor. To quickly address some of the other components, you will note that the recovery method used in this rocket is a Parachute: the red dashed rounded-rectangle near the nose cone of the rocket. Along with the parachute we have a Shock cord, which (as was discussed earlier) prevents loss of the nose cone upon deployment of the recovery system. This is shown as a long, black, dashed rounded-rectangle in the same general area as the parachute. The other black, dashed rounded-rectangle box is the Wadding, which is a mass component and is used here to bring the centre of gravity forward towards the nose. 

We have now looked through the components used within the simple model rocket example. If you would like to see other available components, see Appendix A. Now that we are familiar with what makes up the rocket we will go ahead and build one from scratch! 

== Building ‘A simple model rocket’ ==

In this section we will build up the example model from scratch. After you have completed this process, you should be able to apply what you've learned in order to make any basic rocket you want. So let’s begin... 

Open a new project window so that everything is blank. The following are the steps that you will follow to create the rocket. 

1) Select the nose cone. Change its type to Ogive, if that isn't already selected. Make sure that Shape parameter, Nose cone length, base diameter, and Wall thickness values are set to 1.0, 10.0, 2.5 and 0.2, respectively. The units are centimeters by default, so we should not need to change these. Finally, change the Component material to Polystyrene. 

2) Next, while still in the Nose cone configuration window, move to the Shoulder tab. Change the diameter to 2.3, the length to 2.0, and the thickness to 0.2. Also, check the End capped box. 

3) The last thing we have to do with the nose cone is to change its Appearance, so switch to that tab now. Leave the Figure style section unchanged but under the Appearance section, change the colour to one lighter than black. (Or to whatever you want, go crazy!) Then adjust the shine to 50%. That is all we need to change for now. 

You should now see this in the view area at the bottom of the main OpenRocket window:

[[File:NoseComplete.png|thumb|600 px|center|Nose Cone]] 

4) Next, add the Body tube. The measurements for length, outer diameter, inner diameter, and wall thickness are 30.0, 2.5, 2.3, 0.1, respectively. Note that it may be easier to enter the last two manually rather than use the spin boxes or sliders. Leave the Automatic and Filled boxes unchecked. The material should remain Cardboard and the finish should be Regular Paint. The only other thing you should change here is the appearance, but we'll leave that to you as an exercise. 

You should now have this: 

[[File:BodyComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Nose Cone and Body]] 

5) Moving on, we next need to add a Fin set. Make sure you have clicked on the Body tube so that it’s highlighted then click on the Trapezoidal component type. The Trapezoidal fin set configuration window will have appeared. Leave the left side of the window alone: the settings there are fine as-is. However, we will need to change some things on the right hand side. First, change the Fin cross section to Rounded. Also, reduce the Thickness to 0.2. That’s all we need to do in this tab. Now move to the Appearance tab and customize to your preference. 

[[File:FinsComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Nose Cone, Body, and Fins]] 

6) The next component we need to add is the Inner tube. Once again highlight the body tube and then click on the Inner tube component button. There are a couple of attributes we should change here. First, increase the Length value to 7.5. Also, increase the Plus value to 0.5. Leave everything else the same. 

Now go to the Motor tab. There are a few things we need to add here. To start, check the This component is a motor mount checkbox. This will allow us to add motors. The next few steps may seem complicated but do not be daunted by them. First, we will deal with the easy part: Increase the Motor overhang to 0.3. Now click Close button to close the Inner Tube configuration window. 

Now click on the Motors & Configuration tab towards the left upper corner of the main OpenRocket window, just under the menu bar. On the resulting page, note the Motors tab towards the left upper corner. Make sure the Inner T... box is checked, and then click on the New Configuration button in the top center portion of the upper panel. You should see that a new configuration has been added to the list of configuration. Left-click in the Inner Tube column, and then click the Select motor button just below the open panel on the right of the screen. The Select a rocket motor window now appears:

[[File:MotorConfigs.png|thumb|800 px|center|Motors & Configurations window (all motors configured)]] 

To make sure your window looks the same as the one above, follow these steps: 

- Make sure the Filter Motors tab is selected in the top right corner of the window. 
- Select only the Estes option in the Manufacturer list. 
- Make sure that the Total Impulse slider is positioned over A (all the way to the left). 
- Look for the A8 motor in list on the left side of the window. Click on it. 
- In the Ejection charge delay field at the top left, enter the value 3. 
- Now click the OK button at the lower right corner of the window. 

If everything went to plan, you have successfully added the Estes A8-3 motor to your rocket. Now repeat these steps for the following motors, using a New Configuration for each new motor you add: 
- Estes B4-4 
- Estes C6-3 
- Estes C6-5 
- Estes C6-7 

After you have added the rest of the motors, click back on the Rocket design tab just under the main menu. 

7) The next component we will add is the Engine Block. This time make sure that the Inner tube is highlighted and then add an engine block component. Change the Inner diameter to 1.2 and the Wall thickness to 0.3. Also, change the Position relative to: Top of the parent component. The last change we will make is to increase plus to 0.2. That is all we have to do for this component. 

Your rocket should now look like this: 

[[File:EngineBlockCompleted.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added the Engine Block]] 

8) We will now add two Centering Rings. Make sure the Body tube is highlighted in the list of components under Rocket design, then click on the Centering ring component type. The first one is fine as-is, so we will not make any changes. However, we will add the following line under the Comment tab: The centering ring automatically takes the outer diameter of the body tube and the inner diameter of the inner tube. 

Now click Close, select the body tube again and add another Centering ring. This time all we have to do is to change plus to -4.5. Also, add the same comment as for the first ring. 

[[File:CenteringRings.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Centering Rings]] 

9) The next component we will add is the Shock cord. As usual, make sure the Body tube is selected before adding the shock cord component. After it has been added change the Plus value to 2, Packed length to 5.2, and Packed diameter to 1.2. Again, we will add a comment to this component. Enter the following line to the Comment section: The shock cord does not need to be attached to anything in particular, as it functions only as a mass component.. Click the Close button to close the window, as the shock cord has now been completed. 

[[File:ShockCordComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Shock Cord]] 

10) Now we need to add the Parachute. With the body tube highlighted, add a parachute component. Change Plus to 3.2, Packed length to 4.2 and Packed diameter to 1.8. That is everything we need to do to the parachute. Click Close to close the window. You can see what your rocket should now look like below. 

[[File:ParachuteAdded.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Parachute]] 

11) The second-to-last component to add is a Mass Component. Go ahead and add one to the body tube now. Adjust the Mass to 2 grams (g), the Approximate density to 0.16 g/cm^3, the length to 3.0, the diameter to 2.3 and finally the Plus value to 8.0. It may be easier to enter these manually. The last thing you have to do is to rename it from ‘Unspecified’ to Wadding. Leave everything else as it is and click the Close button. 

[[File:AddedMass.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Mass]] 

12) Almost done! One final component left to add: the Launch lug. Add this to the body tube now. Change the Length to 3.5, the Outer diameter to 0.7, and the inner diameter to 0.5. Leave the Thickness as it is. Also, change the Radial position to 19 degrees. Click Close.

[[File:LaunchLugAdded.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Launch Lug]] 

And that’s all there is to it. You have just completed building your first rocket within OpenRocket! From here you can use what you know to create more rockets, or you can proceed to the next section of the User Guide: Advanced Rocket Design. Have fun!

----
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Basic Flight Simulation|← Basic Flight Simulation]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Advanced Rocket Design|Advanced Rocket Design →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

File:MotorConfigs.png

2015-09-13T21:25:47Z

Tcbetka:

File:FlightConfig.png

2015-09-13T21:23:13Z

Tcbetka: Tcbetka uploaded a new version of "File:FlightConfig.png"

Flight Configuration Window

File:FlightConfig.png

2015-09-13T21:21:43Z

Tcbetka: Tcbetka uploaded a new version of "File:FlightConfig.png"

Flight Configuration Window

Basic Rocket Design

2015-09-13T21:20:56Z

Tcbetka: Tweaked formatting

<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Basic Flight Simulation|← Basic Flight Simulation]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Advanced Rocket Design|Advanced Rocket Design →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

{{UserGuideHelp}}

==Basic Rocket Design==

__TOC__

In this section we'll look at how to design a basic rocket by examining the A simple model rocket design example. After reading this section you should have an understanding of how to start designing your own rockets. If you already know how to design your rocket, you can jump to the [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Basic_Flight_Simulation next section]. 

We will start with a brief discussion on the selection of available components, and then the components used in the A simple model rocket example. Then we'll build a rocket from scratch to see how it’s done. 

=== Component Configuration Window ===

There are several types of components available to you as a rocket designer, and you can either customize these to meet your specific needs, or simply load presets from the database. 

To start, let's begin a new project: File -> New. It doesn’t matter what we call it at the moment, but go ahead and save the design straight away: File -> Save your design. At this point you should be presented with a blank design window in the bottom half of the user interface.

[[File:Main_window.png|thumb|800 px|center|The OpenRocket main window.]] 

When you first start a new rocket design you will see that only three categories of components are available in the Add new component panel: 
- Body components and fin sets 
- Inner components 
- Mass objects 

We would usually start building our rocket by selecting a nose cone but for the sake of this guide click the Body tube icon in the Body components and fin sets section. This will then open up a configuration window that we'll use to edit the parameters of the body tube. 

==== The Body Tube’ Configuration Window ====

At this point you should see a new window titled Body tube configuration.

[[File:ConfigBody.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Configuration Window.]]

This window allows you to either select a preset for the component type you are choosing, or make your own. Let’s start by examining how to customize it ourselves. If you have a look at the Body tube configuration window you will see that at the top there is a Component name field. Here we can change the name of the current component to anything we choose. (Note that this name will then appear in the design tree seen in the Rocket Design panel of the main program window.) 

Just below Component name there are several tabs: 
- General: allows us to alter the basic attributes of the component. 
- Motor: allows us to make the body tube into a motor mount, and also edit the properties of the motor. 
- Override: allows us to manually set the mass or centre of gravity for the component. 
- Appearance: allows us to select colours, textures and other finishes. 
- Comment: allows us to enter any comments or notes about the component. 

It should be noted that these tabs are specific to the component being designed. For example, a nose cone will not have a motor tab, but will instead have a shoulder tab. It will also have a description panel to tell you a bit more about the component you are choosing. After you learn how to navigate around one component configuration panel, the others should be relatively self-explanatory. 

===== General Tab =====

The rest of the Body tube configuration window lists the different parameters for the current component type. As you can see, the General tab provides options to manually enter numbers, or you can also use the spin boxes (coarse control) or sliders (fine control) provided to adjust the parameter values. The Automatic checkbox will adjust the dimensions of the component automatically. Here you will also see a Filled checkbox. If this is checked you will notice that the inner diameter goes to zero, i.e., a filled (solid) tube. Note how the Component mass changes when this box is checked. 

On the right hand side of the window you will see the Component material and Component finish drop-down menus. If you click on these you will be presented with a list of various materials and finishes, each with their own weight and thickness. If you are using the same finish for the entire rocket you can click the Set for all button to make each component use the same finish. The last notable feature in this window is in the bottom left. There you will see a live display of the Component mass. This will update automatically as you change parameter values. Experiment with the sliders to see how the component changes in the design window.

You may have noticed that, apart from the mass, there is no noticeable difference when either the inner diameter or wall thickness parameters are changed. To see those changes reflected in the model you will have to switch to a different View Type, by selecting the desired view from the drop-down list at the left of the main OpenRocket program window.

===== Motor Tab =====

Next to the General tab is the Motor tab. If you click on it you will see that most parameters are grayed-out, with the exception of one checkbox. As the label mentions, this is for when you want the body tube component to also be a motor mount.
[[File:ConfigBodyMotor.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Motor tab of the Configuration Window.]]

Have a quick look at this if you wish, but we'll discuss changing flight configurations for a later section of the guide.

===== Override =====

We'll take a quick look at this tab, as it common to most components. For starting out though, you most likely will not need it.

[[File:ConfigBodyOverride.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Override tab of the Configuration Window.]]

This tab would be used when you specifically wanted to override the mass and centre of gravity (CG) of the component.

===== Appearance =====

Everyone likes something shiny, don’t they? This tab allows you edit the appearance of the component.

[[File:ConfigBodyAppearance.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Appearance tab of the Configuration Window.]]

There are two sections here, the Figure style section and the Appearance section. Figure style changes what the 2D figure looks like, whereas Appearance will change what the 3D model will look like. If you wish to use any custom textures or images in your rocket design, you can load those through the Texture drop-down menu.

===== Comment =====

This section does not really need much explanation. If you want to write any comments or notes about your component (why you chose the values you did, etc.), then this is the place to do it.

[[File:ConfigBodyComment.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Comment tab of the Configuration Window.]] 

Now that we have been through all of the tabs of the Body Tube component, click the Close button. You should now notice that the rest of the components are now unlocked in the top right of the Design window. This is because all component types can be added to a body tube. However, a Nose cone should be selected first if you are making your own rocket.

Let’s have a look at the full list of components. If you cannot click on the component type, try selecting the Body tube in the design window in the top left panel of OpenRocket.

=== Available Components ===

As previously mentioned, there are 16 component types to choose from within OpenRocket. These are split into three sections: 
- Body components and fin sets 
- Inner components 
- Mass objects 

[[File:ComponentSupertypes.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Component types menu.]] 

==== Body components and fin sets ====

Within Body components and fin sets we have 7 component types. These components make up the external and main body of the rocket; everything else is inside the rocket. As you will see in the image the component types are: 

- Nose Cone: The very tip of the rocket. Usually, you will select this component first. 
- Body Tube: As we have seen, the body tube makes up the main section of a stage. 
- Transition: A component that usually joins one body tube to another (normally larger) tube. 
- Trapezoidal fin: A fin set that is in the shape of a trapezoid. 
- Elliptical fin: A fin set that is in the shape of an ellipse. 
- Freeform fin: This special kind of fin takes any shape you want. If you add it to your model it will open up a design window for you to alter the shape as desired. 
- Launch Lug: This component usually goes on the outside of a body tube and is used while the rocket is on the launch pad. 

[[File:ComponentBodyAndFins.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Body components and fin sets submenu.]] 

==== Inner Components ====

Within Inner components we have 5 component types, and these components are all internal. As with Body components and fin sets we will now run through the list of components. 

- Inner tube: This component lets you add tubes to the inside of the main body tube. 
- Coupler: Used in multi-stage rockets, a coupler joins two sections together. 
- Centering ring: These can be used to support other components (e.g., a motor), in the centre of a larger tube. 
- Bulkhead: This is a block of material that forms a stop or barrier between two different areas. 
- Engine block: An engine block prevents the motor from moving forward in the motor mount tube. 

[[File:ComponentInner.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Inner Components submenu.]] 

==== Mass Objects ====

Within Mass objects we have 4 component types. They are:

- Parachute: Like any good parachute, this component will stop your rocket from becoming scrap. 
- Streamer: Another component for keeping your rocket safe, a streamer creates drag as your rocket falls down to earth. 
- Shock cord: A shock cord secures the nose cone to the body of the rocket so that it isn't lost when the nose is blown off to deploy the parachute/streamer. 
- Mass component: This is a block of mass used to adjust the rocket's Center of Gravity (CG). You can name it to whatever you want it to represent. 

[[File:ComponentMasses.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Mass Objects submenu.]] 

You have now had a brief run through the various components available for use in OpenRocket. The next section will deal with an example rocket. 

== A Simple Model Rocket Example ==

In this section we will look at the components used in the A simple model rocket example design. To get started, start OpenRocket and navigate to the main window. As a reminder it looks like this:

[[File:Main_window.png|thumb|800 px|center|The Openrocket main window.]] 

==== Opening Example Designs ====

We'll begin by looking at how to find and load the example rockets within OpenRocket. Recall that this was also covered in the Getting Started section of this guide, but as a refresher the steps for doing this are as follows: 
- In the main window, click on the File menu at the top left. 
- Scroll down to Open Examples... open, and expand that menu. Here you will see a list of the available rocket design examples. 
Your screen should now look like this:

[[File:OpenExample.png|thumb|800 px|center|Opening an example rocket ]] 

Click on first example, our Simple model rocket. A Rocket configuration window should appear, with the Design Name (A simple model Rocket) and Designer (Sampo Niskanen) fields populated. The Comments and Revision History fields will be blank. Click Close. You should now have successfully loaded the rocket and be able to see a 2D schematic in the Rocket Design window.

[[File:After_complete_design.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Bottom half of the Rocket design window.]] 

==== Components used in ‘A simple model rocket’ ====

Now we will have a quick look through the components used in the example rocket. If you look towards the top left of the Rocket Design window you will see that there is a tree of components shown. By default they should all be fully expanded. If not, do so now.

[[File:Structure.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Top left-hand portion of the Rocket design window.]]

This image shows A simple model rocket at the top, followed by the Sustainer, which is Stage 1 of the rocket. 

If we look at the first component in the Sustainer stage we see that it is the nose cone. Double click on that now. This will bring up the Nose cone configuration window.

[[File:ConfigNose.png|thumb|600 px|center|Nose Cone Configuration Window.]]

As we have already examined the configuration window we will not repeat ourselves here. However, you will see that in this example we have used an Ogive nose cone with a Shape parameter of 1.0. If you read the description of the component to the right in the configuration window, you will discover that a value of 1.0 produces a tangent ogive. 

Moving down the window, you will see that the Nose cone length has a value of 10, the Base diameter has a value of 2.5, and the Wall thickness has a value of 0.2. All of these parameters have been set, in this example, to use centimeters (cm) as their unit. You should also see that this component is using Polystyrene as its material with a Regular paint finish. As you can see, the material has a density of 1.05 grams per centimetre cubed, and the paint is 60.0 micrometers thick. In the bottom left, the component weight is currently 13.2 grams. Go ahead and play around with the sliders to see how the component changes, and then change them back when you are finished. 

If you move over to the Shoulder tab, you'll be able to see the size attributes of the shoulder. Again, you can play around with the sliders if you want--as long as you change them back to the original settings when you are finished. For reference these are 2.3, 2.0 and 0.2 centimeters, respectively. Also have a look through the rest of the tabs to see what has been selected. The only other thing to note is that the appearance has been customized. If you were to change to the 3D Finished view type, you will see how the finished model looks. 

Moving on to the Body tube, you can access its various attributes by double-clicking on it in the Rocket design window. Note how its various attributes have been set to create the current size. This is all fairly straightforward and as we have already looked into the various components earlier, we will not go into great detail here. 

Note the eight other components that have been placed onto the Body tube. In descending order these are: 
- Trapezoidal fin set 
- Inner Tube 
- Centering Ring 
- Centering Ring 
- Shock Cord 
- Parachute 
- Wadding 
- Launch lug 

The Inner Tube in this design is used as a motor mount. You will see this if you go to the Motor tab in the Inner Tube configuration window. This means that a motor has been fitting into this piece. Upon inspection we can see that the current motor name is displayed in the Flight configuration drop-down list, on the right side of the main OpenRocket window. You can open this drop-down menu to select other motors that are available for use in this simulation, as well as the other example simulations that you will see on the Flight simulation tab. 

The ninth component is place inside the inner tube. This is the engine block. If you look at the schematic of the rocket you will see that this is placed in front of the grey rectangle, which is the motor. To quickly address some of the other components, you will note that the recovery method used in this rocket is a Parachute: the red dashed rounded-rectangle near the nose cone of the rocket. Along with the parachute we have a Shock cord, which (as was discussed earlier) prevents loss of the nose cone upon deployment of the recovery system. This is shown as a long, black, dashed rounded-rectangle in the same general area as the parachute. The other black, dashed rounded-rectangle box is the Wadding, which is a mass component and is used here to bring the centre of gravity forward towards the nose. 

We have now looked through the components used within the simple model rocket example. If you would like to see other available components, see Appendix A. Now that we are familiar with what makes up the rocket we will go ahead and build one from scratch! 

== Building ‘A simple model rocket’ ==

In this section we will build up the example model from scratch. After you have completed this process, you should be able to apply what you've learned in order to make any basic rocket you want. So let’s begin... 

Open a new project window so that everything is blank. The following are the steps that you will follow to create the rocket. 

1) Select the nose cone. Change its type to Ogive, if that isn't already selected. Make sure that Shape parameter, Nose cone length, base diameter, and Wall thickness values are set to 1.0, 10.0, 2.5 and 0.2, respectively. The units are centimeters by default, so we should not need to change these. Finally, change the Component material to Polystyrene. 

2) Next, while still in the Nose cone configuration window, move to the Shoulder tab. Change the diameter to 2.3, the length to 2.0, and the thickness to 0.2. Also, check the End capped box. 

3) The last thing we have to do with the nose cone is to change its Appearance, so switch to that tab now. Leave the Figure style section unchanged but under the Appearance section, change the colour to one lighter than black. (Or to whatever you want, go crazy!) Then adjust the shine to 50%. That is all we need to change for now. 

You should now see this in the view area at the bottom of the main OpenRocket window:

[[File:NoseComplete.png|thumb|600 px|center|Nose Cone]] 

4) Next, add the Body tube. The measurements for length, outer diameter, inner diameter, and wall thickness are 30.0, 2.5, 2.3, 0.1, respectively. Note that it may be easier to enter the last two manually rather than use the spin boxes or sliders. Leave the Automatic and Filled boxes unchecked. The material should remain Cardboard and the finish should be Regular Paint. The only other thing you should change here is the appearance, but we'll leave that to you as an exercise. 

You should now have this: 

[[File:BodyComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Nose Cone and Body]] 

5) Moving on, we next need to add a Fin set. Make sure you have clicked on the Body tube so that it’s highlighted then click on the Trapezoidal component type. The Trapezoidal fin set configuration window will have appeared. Leave the left side of the window alone: the settings there are fine as-is. However, we will need to change some things on the right hand side. First, change the Fin cross section to Rounded. Also, reduce the Thickness to 0.2. That’s all we need to do in this tab. Now move to the Appearance tab and customize to your preference. 

[[File:FinsComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Nose Cone, Body, and Fins]] 

6) The next component we need to add is the Inner tube. Once again highlight the body tube and then click on the Inner tube component button. There are a couple of attributes we should change here. First, increase the Length value to 7.5. Also, increase the Plus value to 0.5. Leave everything else the same. 

Now go to the Motor tab. There are a few things we need to add here. To start, check the This component is a motor mount checkbox. This will allow us to add motors. The next few steps may seem complicated but do not be daunted by them. First, we will deal with the easy part: Increase the Motor overhang to 0.3. Now click Close button to close the Inner Tube configuration window. 

Now click on the Motors & Configuration tab towards the left upper corner of the main OpenRocket window, just under the menu bar. On the resulting page, note the Motors tab towards the left upper corner. Make sure the Inner T... box is checked, and then click on the New Configuration button in the top center portion of the upper panel. You should see that a new configuration has been added to the list of configuration. Left-click in the Inner Tube column, and then click the Select motor button just below the open panel on the right of the screen. The Select a rocket motor window now appears:

[[File:FlightConfig.png|thumb|800 px|center|Motors & Configurations window -- all motors configured]] 

To make sure your window looks the same as the one above, follow these steps: 

- Make sure the Filter Motors tab is selected in the top right corner of the window. 
- Select only the Estes option in the Manufacturer list. 
- Make sure that the Total Impulse slider is positioned over A (all the way to the left). 
- Look for the A8 motor in list on the left side of the window. Click on it. 
- In the Ejection charge delay field at the top left, enter the value 3. 
- Now click the OK button at the lower right corner of the window. 

If everything went to plan, you have successfully added the Estes A8-3 motor to your rocket. Now repeat these steps for the following motors, using a New Configuration for each new motor you add: 
- Estes B4-4 
- Estes C6-3 
- Estes C6-5 
- Estes C6-7 

After you have added the rest of the motors, click back on the Rocket design tab just under the main menu. 

7) The next component we will add is the Engine Block. This time make sure that the Inner tube is highlighted and then add an engine block component. Change the Inner diameter to 1.2 and the Wall thickness to 0.3. Also, change the Position relative to: Top of the parent component. The last change we will make is to increase plus to 0.2. That is all we have to do for this component. 

Your rocket should now look like this: 

[[File:EngineBlockCompleted.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added the Engine Block]] 

8) We will now add two Centering Rings. Make sure the Body tube is highlighted in the list of components under Rocket design, then click on the Centering ring component type. The first one is fine as-is, so we will not make any changes. However, we will add the following line under the Comment tab: The centering ring automatically takes the outer diameter of the body tube and the inner diameter of the inner tube. 

Now click Close, select the body tube again and add another Centering ring. This time all we have to do is to change plus to -4.5. Also, add the same comment as for the first ring. 

[[File:CenteringRings.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Centering Rings]] 

9) The next component we will add is the Shock cord. As usual, make sure the Body tube is selected before adding the shock cord component. After it has been added change the Plus value to 2, Packed length to 5.2, and Packed diameter to 1.2. Again, we will add a comment to this component. Enter the following line to the Comment section: The shock cord does not need to be attached to anything in particular, as it functions only as a mass component.. Click the Close button to close the window, as the shock cord has now been completed. 

[[File:ShockCordComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Shock Cord]] 

10) Now we need to add the Parachute. With the body tube highlighted, add a parachute component. Change Plus to 3.2, Packed length to 4.2 and Packed diameter to 1.8. That is everything we need to do to the parachute. Click Close to close the window. You can see what your rocket should now look like below. 

[[File:ParachuteAdded.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Parachute]] 

11) The second-to-last component to add is a Mass Component. Go ahead and add one to the body tube now. Adjust the Mass to 2 grams (g), the Approximate density to 0.16 g/cm^3, the length to 3.0, the diameter to 2.3 and finally the Plus value to 8.0. It may be easier to enter these manually. The last thing you have to do is to rename it from ‘Unspecified’ to Wadding. Leave everything else as it is and click the Close button. 

[[File:AddedMass.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Mass]] 

12) Almost done! One final component left to add: the Launch lug. Add this to the body tube now. Change the Length to 3.5, the Outer diameter to 0.7, and the inner diameter to 0.5. Leave the Thickness as it is. Also, change the Radial position to 19 degrees. Click Close.

[[File:LaunchLugAdded.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Launch Lug]] 

And that’s all there is to it. You have just completed building your first rocket within OpenRocket! From here you can use what you know to create more rockets, or you can proceed to the next section of the User Guide: Advanced Rocket Design. Have fun!

----
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Basic Flight Simulation|← Basic Flight Simulation]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Advanced Rocket Design|Advanced Rocket Design →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

Basic Rocket Design

2015-09-13T20:43:11Z

Tcbetka: Obtained a new screen capture from Debian (xfce), with the correct theme to match the existing screenshots.

<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Basic Flight Simulation|← Basic Flight Simulation]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Advanced Rocket Design|Advanced Rocket Design →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

{{UserGuideHelp}}

==Basic Rocket Design==

__TOC__

In this section we'll look at how to design a basic rocket by examining the A simple model rocket design example. After reading this section you should have an understanding of how to start designing your own rockets. If you already know how to design your rocket, you can jump to the [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Basic_Flight_Simulation next section]. 

We will start with a brief discussion on the selection of available components, and then the components used in the A simple model rocket example. Then we'll build a rocket from scratch to see how it’s done. 

=== Component Configuration Window ===

There are several types of components available to you as a rocket designer, and you can either customize these to meet your specific needs, or simply load presets from the database. 

To start, let's begin a new project: File -> New. It doesn’t matter what we call it at the moment, but go ahead and save the design straight away: File -> Save your design. At this point you should be presented with a blank design window in the bottom half of the user interface.

[[File:Main_window.png|thumb|800 px|center|The OpenRocket main window.]] 

When you first start a new rocket design you will see that only three categories of components are available in the Add new component panel: 
- Body components and fin sets 
- Inner components 
- Mass objects 

We would usually start building our rocket by selecting a nose cone but for the sake of this guide click the Body tube icon in the Body components and fin sets section. This will then open up a configuration window that we'll use to edit the parameters of the body tube. 

==== The Body Tube’ Configuration Window ====

At this point you should see a new window titled Body tube configuration.

[[File:ConfigBody.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Configuration Window.]]

This window allows you to either select a preset for the component type you are choosing, or make your own. Let’s start by examining how to customize it ourselves. If you have a look at the Body tube configuration window you will see that at the top there is a Component name field. Here we can change the name of the current component to anything we choose. (Note that this name will then appear in the design tree seen in the Rocket Design panel of the main program window.) 

Just below Component name there are several tabs: 
- General: allows us to alter the basic attributes of the component. 
- Motor: allows us to make the body tube into a motor mount, and also edit the properties of the motor. 
- Override: allows us to manually set the mass or centre of gravity for the component. 
- Appearance: allows us to select colours, textures and other finishes. 
- Comment: allows us to enter any comments or notes about the component. 

It should be noted that these tabs are specific to the component being designed. For example, a nose cone will not have a motor tab, but will instead have a shoulder tab. It will also have a description panel to tell you a bit more about the component you are choosing. After you learn how to navigate around one component configuration panel, the others should be relatively self-explanatory. 

===== General Tab =====

The rest of the Body tube configuration window lists the different parameters for the current component type. As you can see, the General tab provides options to manually enter numbers, or you can also use the spin boxes (coarse control) or sliders (fine control) provided to adjust the parameter values. The Automatic checkbox will adjust the dimensions of the component automatically. Here you will also see a Filled checkbox. If this is checked you will notice that the inner diameter goes to zero, i.e., a filled (solid) tube. Note how the Component mass changes when this box is checked. 

On the right hand side of the window you will see the Component material and Component finish drop-down menus. If you click on these you will be presented with a list of various materials and finishes, each with their own weight and thickness. If you are using the same finish for the entire rocket you can click the Set for all button to make each component use the same finish. The last notable feature in this window is in the bottom left. There you will see a live display of the Component mass. This will update automatically as you change parameter values. Experiment with the sliders to see how the component changes in the design window.

You may have noticed that, apart from the mass, there is no noticeable difference when either the inner diameter or wall thickness parameters are changed. To see those changes reflected in the model you will have to switch to a different View Type, by selecting the desired view from the drop-down list at the left of the main OpenRocket program window.

===== Motor Tab =====

Next to the General tab is the Motor tab. If you click on it you will see that most parameters are grayed-out, with the exception of one checkbox. As the label mentions, this is for when you want the body tube component to also be a motor mount.
[[File:ConfigBodyMotor.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Motor tab of the Configuration Window.]]

Have a quick look at this if you wish, but we'll discuss changing flight configurations for a later section of the guide.

===== Override =====

We'll take a quick look at this tab, as it common to most components. For starting out though, you most likely will not need it.

[[File:ConfigBodyOverride.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Override tab of the Configuration Window.]]

This tab would be used when you specifically wanted to override the mass and centre of gravity (CG) of the component.

===== Appearance =====

Everyone likes something shiny, don’t they? This tab allows you edit the appearance of the component.

[[File:ConfigBodyAppearance.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Appearance tab of the Configuration Window.]]

There are two sections here, the Figure style section and the Appearance section. Figure style changes what the 2D figure looks like, whereas Appearance will change what the 3D model will look like. If you wish to use any custom textures or images in your rocket design, you can load those through the Texture drop-down menu.

===== Comment =====

This section does not really need much explanation. If you want to write any comments or notes about your component (why you chose the values you did, etc.), then this is the place to do it.

[[File:ConfigBodyComment.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Comment tab of the Configuration Window.]] 

Now that we have been through all of the tabs of the Body Tube component, click the Close button. You should now notice that the rest of the components are now unlocked in the top right of the Design window. This is because all component types can be added to a body tube. However, a Nose cone should be selected first if you are making your own rocket.

Let’s have a look at the full list of components. If you cannot click on the component type, try selecting the Body tube in the design window in the top left panel of OpenRocket.

=== Available Components ===

As previously mentioned, there are 16 component types to choose from within OpenRocket. These are split into three sections: 
- Body components and fin sets 
- Inner components 
- Mass objects 

[[File:ComponentSupertypes.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Component types menu.]] 

==== Body components and fin sets ====

Within Body components and fin sets we have 7 component types. These components make up the external and main body of the rocket; everything else is inside the rocket. As you will see in the image the component types are: 

- Nose Cone: The very tip of the rocket. Usually, you will select this component first. 
- Body Tube: As we have seen, the body tube makes up the main section of a stage. 
- Transition: A component that usually joins one body tube to another (normally larger) tube. 
- Trapezoidal fin: A fin set that is in the shape of a trapezoid. 
- Elliptical fin: A fin set that is in the shape of an ellipse. 
- Freeform fin: This special kind of fin takes any shape you want. If you add it to your model it will open up a design window for you to alter the shape as desired. 
- Launch Lug: This component usually goes on the outside of a body tube and is used while the rocket is on the launch pad. 

[[File:ComponentBodyAndFins.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Body components and fin sets submenu.]] 

==== Inner Components ====

Within Inner components we have 5 component types, and these components are all internal. As with Body components and fin sets we will now run through the list of components. 

- Inner tube: This component lets you add tubes to the inside of the main body tube. 
- Coupler: Used in multi-stage rockets, a coupler joins two sections together. 
- Centering ring: These can be used to support other components (e.g., a motor), in the centre of a larger tube. 
- Bulkhead: This is a block of material that forms a stop or barrier between two different areas. 
- Engine block: An engine block prevents the motor from moving forward in the motor mount tube. 

[[File:ComponentInner.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Inner Components submenu.]] 

==== Mass Objects ====

Within Mass objects we have 4 component types. They are:

- Parachute: Like any good parachute, this component will stop your rocket from becoming scrap. 
- Streamer: Another component for keeping your rocket safe, a streamer creates drag as your rocket falls down to earth. 
- Shock cord: A shock cord secures the nose cone to the body of the rocket so that it isn't lost when the nose is blown off to deploy the parachute/streamer. 
- Mass component: This is a block of mass used to adjust the rocket's Center of Gravity (CG). You can name it to whatever you want it to represent. 

[[File:ComponentMasses.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Mass Objects submenu.]] 

You have now had a brief run through the various components available for use in OpenRocket. The next section will deal with an example rocket.

== A Simple Model Rocket Example ==

In this section we will look at the components used in the A simple model rocket example design. To get started, start OpenRocket and navigate to the main window. As a reminder it looks like this:

[[File:Main_window.png|thumb|800 px|center|The Openrocket main window.]] 

==== Opening Example Designs ====

We'll begin by looking at how to find and load the example rockets within OpenRocket. Recall that this was also covered in the Getting Started section of this guide, but as a refresher the steps for doing this are as follows: 
- In the main window, click on the File menu at the top left. 
- Scroll down to Open Examples... open, and expand that menu. Here you will see a list of the available rocket design examples. 
Your screen should now look like this:

[[File:OpenExample.png|thumb|800 px|center|Opening an example rocket ]] 

Click on first example, our Simple model rocket. A Rocket configuration window should appear, with the Design Name (A simple model Rocket) and Designer (Sampo Niskanen) fields populated. The Comments and Revision History fields will be blank. Click Close. You should now have successfully loaded the rocket and be able to see a 2D schematic in the Rocket Design window.

[[File:After_complete_design.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Bottom half of the Rocket design window.]] 

==== Components used in ‘A simple model rocket’ ====

Now we will have a quick look through the components used in the example rocket. If you look towards the top left of the Rocket Design window you will see that there is a tree of components shown. By default they should all be fully expanded. If not, do so now.

[[File:Structure.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Top left-hand portion of the Rocket design window.]]

This image shows A simple model rocket at the top, followed by the Sustainer, which is Stage 1 of the rocket. 

If we look at the first component in the Sustainer stage we see that it is the nose cone. Double click on that now. This will bring up the Nose cone configuration window.

[[File:ConfigNose.png|thumb|600 px|center|Nose Cone Configuration Window.]]

As we have already examined the configuration window we will not repeat ourselves here. However, you will see that in this example we have used an Ogive nose cone with a Shape parameter of 1.0. If you read the description of the component to the right in the configuration window, you will discover that a value of 1.0 produces a tangent ogive. 

Moving down the window, you will see that the Nose cone length has a value of 10, the Base diameter has a value of 2.5, and the Wall thickness has a value of 0.2. All of these parameters have been set, in this example, to use centimeters (cm) as their unit. You should also see that this component is using Polystyrene as its material with a Regular paint finish. As you can see, the material has a density of 1.05 grams per centimetre cubed, and the paint is 60.0 micrometers thick. In the bottom left, the component weight is currently 13.2 grams. Go ahead and play around with the sliders to see how the component changes, and then change them back when you are finished. 

If you move over to the Shoulder tab, you'll be able to see the size attributes of the shoulder. Again, you can play around with the sliders if you want--as long as you change them back to the original settings when you are finished. For reference these are 2.3, 2.0 and 0.2 centimeters, respectively. Also have a look through the rest of the tabs to see what has been selected. The only other thing to note is that the appearance has been customized. If you were to change to the 3D Finished view type, you will see how the finished model looks. 

Moving on to the Body tube, you can access its various attributes by double-clicking on it in the Rocket design window. Note how its various attributes have been set to create the current size. This is all fairly straightforward and as we have already looked into the various components earlier, we will not go into great detail here. 

Note the eight other components that have been placed onto the Body tube. In descending order these are: 
- Trapezoidal fin set 
- Inner Tube 
- Centering Ring 
- Centering Ring 
- Shock Cord 
- Parachute 
- Wadding 
- Launch lug 

The Inner Tube in this design is used as a motor mount. You will see this if you go to the Motor tab in the Inner Tube configuration window. This means that a motor has been fitting into this piece. Upon inspection we can see that the current motor name is displayed in the Flight configuration drop-down list, on the right side of the main OpenRocket window. You can open this drop-down menu to select other motors that are available for use in this simulation, as well as the other example simulations that you will see on the Flight simulation tab. 

The ninth component is place inside the inner tube. This is the engine block. If you look at the schematic of the rocket you will see that this is placed in front of the grey rectangle, which is the motor. To quickly address some of the other components, you will note that the recovery method used in this rocket is a Parachute: the red dashed rounded-rectangle near the nose cone of the rocket. Along with the parachute we have a Shock cord, which (as was discussed earlier) prevents loss of the nose cone upon deployment of the recovery system. This is shown as a long, black, dashed rounded-rectangle in the same general area as the parachute. The other black, dashed rounded-rectangle box is the Wadding, which is a mass component and is used here to bring the centre of gravity forward towards the nose. 

We have now looked through the components used within the simple model rocket example. If you would like to see other available components, see Appendix A. Now that we are familiar with what makes up the rocket we will go ahead and build one from scratch! 

== Building ‘A simple model rocket’ ==

In this section we will build up the example model from scratch. After you have completed this process, you should be able to apply what you've learned in order to make any basic rocket you want. So let’s begin... 

Open a new project window so that everything is blank. The following are the steps that you will follow to create the rocket. 

1) Select the nose cone. Change its type to Ogive, if that isn't already selected. Make sure that Shape parameter, Nose cone length, base diameter, and Wall thickness values are set to 1.0, 10.0, 2.5, and 0.2 cm, respectively. The units are centimeters by default, so we should not need to change these. Finally, change the Component material to Polystyrene. 

2) Next, while still in the Nose cone configuration window, move to the Shoulder tab. Change the diameter to 2.3, the length to 2.0, and the thickness to 0.2. Also, check the End capped box. 

3) The last thing we have to do with the nose cone is to change its Appearance, so switch to that tab now. Leave the Figure style section unchanged but under the Appearance section, change the colour to one lighter than black. (Or to whatever you want, go crazy!) Then adjust the shine to 50%. That is all we need to change for now. 

You should now see this in the view area at the bottom of the main OpenRocket window:

[[File:NoseComplete.png|thumb|600 px|center|Nose Cone]] 

4) Next, add the Body tube. The measurements for length, outer diameter, inner diameter, and wall thickness are 30.0, 2.5, 2.3, 0.1 centimeters, respectively. Note that it may be easier to enter the last two manually rather than use the spin boxes or sliders. Leave the Automatic and Filled boxes unchecked. The material should remain Cardboard and the finish should be Regular Paint. The only other thing you should change here is the appearance, but we'll leave that to you as an exercise. 

You should now have this: 

[[File:BodyComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Nose Cone and Body]] 

5) Moving on, we next need to add a Fin set. Make sure you have clicked on the Body tube so that it’s highlighted then click on the Trapezoidal component type. The Trapezoidal fin set configuration window will have appeared. Leave the left side of the window alone: the settings there are fine as-is. However, we will need to change some things on the right hand side. First, change the Fin cross section to Rounded. Also, reduce the Thickness to 0.2cm. That’s all we need to do in this tab. Now move to the Appearance tab and customize to your preference. 

[[File:FinsComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Nose Cone, Body, and Fins]] 

6) The next component we need to add is the Inner tube. Once again highlight the body tube and then click on the Inner tube component button. There are a couple of attributes we should change here. First, increase the Length value to 7.5cm. Also, increase the Plus value to 0.5cm. Leave everything else the same. 

Now go to the Motor tab. There are a few things we need to add here. To start, check the This component is a motor mount checkbox. This will allow us to add motors. The next few steps may seem complicated but do not be daunted by them. First, we will deal with the easy part: Increase the Motor overhang to 0.3cm. Now click Close button to close the Inner Tube configuration window. 

Now click on the Motors & Configuration tab towards the left upper corner of the main OpenRocket window, just under the menu bar. On the resulting page, note the Motors tab towards the left upper corner. Make sure the Inner T... box is checked, and then click on the New Configuration button in the top center portion of the upper panel. You should see that a new configuration has been added to the list of configuration. Left-click in the Inner Tube column, and then click the Select motor button just below the open panel on the right of the screen. The Select a rocket motor window now appears.

To make sure your window looks the same as the one above, follow these steps: 

- Make sure the Filter Motors tab is selected in the top right corner of the window. 
- Select only the Estes option in the Manufacturer list. 
- Make sure that the Total Impulse slider is positioned over A (all the way to the left). 
- Look for the A8 motor in list on the left side of the window. Click on it. 
- In the Ejection charge delay field at the top left, enter the value 3. 
- Now click the OK button at the lower right corner of the window. 

If everything went to plan, you have successfully added the Estes A8-3 motor to your rocket. Now repeat these steps for the following motors, using a New Configuration for each new motor you add: 
- Estes B4-4 
- Estes C6-3 
- Estes C6-5 
- Estes C6-7 

After you have added the rest of the motors, click back on the Rocket design tab just under the main menu. 

[[File:FlightConfig.png|thumb|800 px|center|Motors & Configurations window -- all motors configured]] 

Select the A8-3 Motor for now. That is all we have to do with the Inner tube apart from the Appearance but as usual I will let you paint it how you wish. 

The next component we will add is the Engine Block. This time make sure that the Inner tube is highlighted and then add an engine block component. Change the Inner diameter to 1.2 and the Wall thickness to 0.3. Also, change the Position relative to: Top of the parent component. The last change we will make is to increase plus to 0.2. That is all we have to do for this component. 

Your rocket should now look like this: 

[[File:EngineBlockCompleted.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added the Engine Block]] 

7) We will now add two Centering Rings. Make sure the Body tube is highlighted in the list of components under Rocket design, then click on the Centering ring component type. The first one is fine as-is, so we will not make any changes. However, we will add the following line under the Comment tab: The centering ring automatically takes the outer diameter of the body tube and the inner diameter of the inner tube. 

Now click Close, select the body tube again and add another Centering ring. This time all we have to do is to change plus to -4.5cm. Also, add the same comment as for the first ring. 

[[File:CenteringRings.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Centering Rings]] 

8) The next component we will add is the Shock cord. As usual, make sure the Body tube is selected before adding the shock cord component. After it has been added change the Plus value to 2cm, Packed length to 5.2, and Packed diameter to 1.2. Again, we will add a comment to this component. Enter the following line to the Comment section: The shock cord does not need to be attached to anything in particular, as it functions only as a mass component.. Click the Close button to close the window, as the shock cord has now been completed. 

[[File:ShockCordComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Shock Cord]] 

9) Now we need to add the Parachute. With the body tube highlighted, add a parachute component. Change Plus to 3.2cm, Packed length to 4.2cm and Packed diameter to 1.8cm. That is everything we need to do to the parachute. Click Close to close the window. You can see what your rocket should now look like below. 

[[File:ParachuteAdded.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Parachute]] 

10) The second-to-last component to add is a Mass Component. Go ahead and add one to the body tube now. Adjust the Mass to 2 grams (g), the Approximate density to 0.16 g/cm^3, the length to 3.0cm, the diameter to 2.3cm and finally the Plus value to 8.0cm. It may be easier to enter these manually. The last thing you have to do is to rename it from ‘Unspecified’ to Wadding. Leave everything else as it is and click the Close button. 

[[File:AddedMass.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Mass]] 

11) Almost done! One final component left to add: the Launch lug. Add this to the body tube now. Change the Length to 3.5cm, the Outer diameter to 0.7cm, and the inner diameter to 0.5cm. Leave the Thickness as it is. Also, change the Radial position to 19 degrees. Click Close.

[[File:LaunchLugAdded.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Launch Lug]] 

And that’s all there is to it. You have just completed building your first rocket within OpenRocket! From here you can use what you know to create more rockets, or you can proceed to the next section of the User Guide: Advanced Rocket Design. Have fun!

----
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Basic Flight Simulation|← Basic Flight Simulation]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Advanced Rocket Design|Advanced Rocket Design →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

File:FlightConfig.png

2015-09-13T20:41:08Z

Tcbetka: Tcbetka uploaded a new version of "File:FlightConfig.png"

Flight Configuration Window

File:FlightConfig Debian.png

2015-09-13T20:19:43Z

Tcbetka: Tcbetka uploaded a new version of "File:FlightConfig Debian.png"

Basic Rocket Design

2015-09-13T20:18:14Z

Tcbetka: /* TODO: New Windows-based image capture needed for v15.03 */

<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Basic Flight Simulation|← Basic Flight Simulation]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Advanced Rocket Design|Advanced Rocket Design →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

{{UserGuideHelp}}

==Basic Rocket Design==

__TOC__

In this section we'll look at how to design a basic rocket by examining the A simple model rocket design example. After reading this section you should have an understanding of how to start designing your own rockets. If you already know how to design your rocket, you can jump to the [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Basic_Flight_Simulation next section]. 

We will start with a brief discussion on the selection of available components, and then the components used in the A simple model rocket example. Then we'll build a rocket from scratch to see how it’s done. 

=== Component Configuration Window ===

There are several types of components available to you as a rocket designer, and you can either customize these to meet your specific needs, or simply load presets from the database. 

To start, let's begin a new project: File -> New. It doesn’t matter what we call it at the moment, but go ahead and save the design straight away: File -> Save your design. At this point you should be presented with a blank design window in the bottom half of the user interface.

[[File:Main_window.png|thumb|800 px|center|The OpenRocket main window.]] 

When you first start a new rocket design you will see that only three categories of components are available in the Add new component panel: 
- Body components and fin sets 
- Inner components 
- Mass objects 

We would usually start building our rocket by selecting a nose cone but for the sake of this guide click the Body tube icon in the Body components and fin sets section. This will then open up a configuration window that we'll use to edit the parameters of the body tube. 

==== The Body Tube’ Configuration Window ====

At this point you should see a new window titled Body tube configuration.

[[File:ConfigBody.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Configuration Window.]]

This window allows you to either select a preset for the component type you are choosing, or make your own. Let’s start by examining how to customize it ourselves. If you have a look at the Body tube configuration window you will see that at the top there is a Component name field. Here we can change the name of the current component to anything we choose. (Note that this name will then appear in the design tree seen in the Rocket Design panel of the main program window.) 

Just below Component name there are several tabs: 
- General: allows us to alter the basic attributes of the component. 
- Motor: allows us to make the body tube into a motor mount, and also edit the properties of the motor. 
- Override: allows us to manually set the mass or centre of gravity for the component. 
- Appearance: allows us to select colours, textures and other finishes. 
- Comment: allows us to enter any comments or notes about the component. 

It should be noted that these tabs are specific to the component being designed. For example, a nose cone will not have a motor tab, but will instead have a shoulder tab. It will also have a description panel to tell you a bit more about the component you are choosing. After you learn how to navigate around one component configuration panel, the others should be relatively self-explanatory. 

===== General Tab =====

The rest of the Body tube configuration window lists the different parameters for the current component type. As you can see, the General tab provides options to manually enter numbers, or you can also use the spin boxes (coarse control) or sliders (fine control) provided to adjust the parameter values. The Automatic checkbox will adjust the dimensions of the component automatically. Here you will also see a Filled checkbox. If this is checked you will notice that the inner diameter goes to zero, i.e., a filled (solid) tube. Note how the Component mass changes when this box is checked. 

On the right hand side of the window you will see the Component material and Component finish drop-down menus. If you click on these you will be presented with a list of various materials and finishes, each with their own weight and thickness. If you are using the same finish for the entire rocket you can click the Set for all button to make each component use the same finish. The last notable feature in this window is in the bottom left. There you will see a live display of the Component mass. This will update automatically as you change parameter values. Experiment with the sliders to see how the component changes in the design window.

You may have noticed that, apart from the mass, there is no noticeable difference when either the inner diameter or wall thickness parameters are changed. To see those changes reflected in the model you will have to switch to a different View Type, by selecting the desired view from the drop-down list at the left of the main OpenRocket program window.

===== Motor Tab =====

Next to the General tab is the Motor tab. If you click on it you will see that most parameters are grayed-out, with the exception of one checkbox. As the label mentions, this is for when you want the body tube component to also be a motor mount.
[[File:ConfigBodyMotor.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Motor tab of the Configuration Window.]]

Have a quick look at this if you wish, but we'll discuss changing flight configurations for a later section of the guide.

===== Override =====

We'll take a quick look at this tab, as it common to most components. For starting out though, you most likely will not need it.

[[File:ConfigBodyOverride.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Override tab of the Configuration Window.]]

This tab would be used when you specifically wanted to override the mass and centre of gravity (CG) of the component.

===== Appearance =====

Everyone likes something shiny, don’t they? This tab allows you edit the appearance of the component.

[[File:ConfigBodyAppearance.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Appearance tab of the Configuration Window.]]

There are two sections here, the Figure style section and the Appearance section. Figure style changes what the 2D figure looks like, whereas Appearance will change what the 3D model will look like. If you wish to use any custom textures or images in your rocket design, you can load those through the Texture drop-down menu.

===== Comment =====

This section does not really need much explanation. If you want to write any comments or notes about your component (why you chose the values you did, etc.), then this is the place to do it.

[[File:ConfigBodyComment.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Comment tab of the Configuration Window.]] 

Now that we have been through all of the tabs of the Body Tube component, click the Close button. You should now notice that the rest of the components are now unlocked in the top right of the Design window. This is because all component types can be added to a body tube. However, a Nose cone should be selected first if you are making your own rocket.

Let’s have a look at the full list of components. If you cannot click on the component type, try selecting the Body tube in the design window in the top left panel of OpenRocket.

=== Available Components ===

As previously mentioned, there are 16 component types to choose from within OpenRocket. These are split into three sections: 
- Body components and fin sets 
- Inner components 
- Mass objects 

[[File:ComponentSupertypes.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Component types menu.]] 

==== Body components and fin sets ====

Within Body components and fin sets we have 7 component types. These components make up the external and main body of the rocket; everything else is inside the rocket. As you will see in the image the component types are: 

- Nose Cone: The very tip of the rocket. Usually, you will select this component first. 
- Body Tube: As we have seen, the body tube makes up the main section of a stage. 
- Transition: A component that usually joins one body tube to another (normally larger) tube. 
- Trapezoidal fin: A fin set that is in the shape of a trapezoid. 
- Elliptical fin: A fin set that is in the shape of an ellipse. 
- Freeform fin: This special kind of fin takes any shape you want. If you add it to your model it will open up a design window for you to alter the shape as desired. 
- Launch Lug: This component usually goes on the outside of a body tube and is used while the rocket is on the launch pad. 

[[File:ComponentBodyAndFins.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Body components and fin sets submenu.]] 

==== Inner Components ====

Within Inner components we have 5 component types, and these components are all internal. As with Body components and fin sets we will now run through the list of components. 

- Inner tube: This component lets you add tubes to the inside of the main body tube. 
- Coupler: Used in multi-stage rockets, a coupler joins two sections together. 
- Centering ring: These can be used to support other components (e.g., a motor), in the centre of a larger tube. 
- Bulkhead: This is a block of material that forms a stop or barrier between two different areas. 
- Engine block: An engine block prevents the motor from moving forward in the motor mount tube. 

[[File:ComponentInner.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Inner Components submenu.]] 

==== Mass Objects ====

Within Mass objects we have 4 component types. They are:

- Parachute: Like any good parachute, this component will stop your rocket from becoming scrap. 
- Streamer: Another component for keeping your rocket safe, a streamer creates drag as your rocket falls down to earth. 
- Shock cord: A shock cord secures the nose cone to the body of the rocket so that it isn't lost when the nose is blown off to deploy the parachute/streamer. 
- Mass component: This is a block of mass used to adjust the rocket's Center of Gravity (CG). You can name it to whatever you want it to represent. 

[[File:ComponentMasses.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Mass Objects submenu.]] 

You have now had a brief run through the various components available for use in OpenRocket. The next section will deal with an example rocket.

== A Simple Model Rocket Example ==

In this section we will look at the components used in the A simple model rocket example design. To get started, start OpenRocket and navigate to the main window. As a reminder it looks like this:

[[File:Main_window.png|thumb|800 px|center|The Openrocket main window.]] 

==== Opening Example Designs ====

We'll begin by looking at how to find and load the example rockets within OpenRocket. Recall that this was also covered in the Getting Started section of this guide, but as a refresher the steps for doing this are as follows: 
- In the main window, click on the File menu at the top left. 
- Scroll down to Open Examples... open, and expand that menu. Here you will see a list of the available rocket design examples. 
Your screen should now look like this:

[[File:OpenExample.png|thumb|800 px|center|Opening an example rocket ]] 

Click on first example, our Simple model rocket. A Rocket configuration window should appear, with the Design Name (A simple model Rocket) and Designer (Sampo Niskanen) fields populated. The Comments and Revision History fields will be blank. Click Close. You should now have successfully loaded the rocket and be able to see a 2D schematic in the Rocket Design window.

[[File:After_complete_design.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Bottom half of the Rocket design window.]] 

==== Components used in ‘A simple model rocket’ ====

Now we will have a quick look through the components used in the example rocket. If you look towards the top left of the Rocket Design window you will see that there is a tree of components shown. By default they should all be fully expanded. If not, do so now.

[[File:Structure.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Top left-hand portion of the Rocket design window.]]

This image shows A simple model rocket at the top, followed by the Sustainer, which is Stage 1 of the rocket. 

If we look at the first component in the Sustainer stage we see that it is the nose cone. Double click on that now. This will bring up the Nose cone configuration window.

[[File:ConfigNose.png|thumb|600 px|center|Nose Cone Configuration Window.]]

As we have already examined the configuration window we will not repeat ourselves here. However, you will see that in this example we have used an Ogive nose cone with a Shape parameter of 1.0. If you read the description of the component to the right in the configuration window, you will discover that a value of 1.0 produces a tangent ogive. 

Moving down the window, you will see that the Nose cone length has a value of 10, the Base diameter has a value of 2.5, and the Wall thickness has a value of 0.2. All of these parameters have been set, in this example, to use centimeters (cm) as their unit. You should also see that this component is using Polystyrene as its material with a Regular paint finish. As you can see, the material has a density of 1.05 grams per centimetre cubed, and the paint is 60.0 micrometers thick. In the bottom left, the component weight is currently 13.2 grams. Go ahead and play around with the sliders to see how the component changes, and then change them back when you are finished. 

If you move over to the Shoulder tab, you'll be able to see the size attributes of the shoulder. Again, you can play around with the sliders if you want--as long as you change them back to the original settings when you are finished. For reference these are 2.3, 2.0 and 0.2 centimeters, respectively. Also have a look through the rest of the tabs to see what has been selected. The only other thing to note is that the appearance has been customized. If you were to change to the 3D Finished view type, you will see how the finished model looks. 

Moving on to the Body tube, you can access its various attributes by double-clicking on it in the Rocket design window. Note how its various attributes have been set to create the current size. This is all fairly straightforward and as we have already looked into the various components earlier, we will not go into great detail here. 

Note the eight other components that have been placed onto the Body tube. In descending order these are: 
- Trapezoidal fin set 
- Inner Tube 
- Centering Ring 
- Centering Ring 
- Shock Cord 
- Parachute 
- Wadding 
- Launch lug 

The Inner Tube in this design is used as a motor mount. You will see this if you go to the Motor tab in the Inner Tube configuration window. This means that a motor has been fitting into this piece. Upon inspection we can see that the current motor name is displayed in the Flight configuration drop-down list, on the right side of the main OpenRocket window. You can open this drop-down menu to select other motors that are available for use in this simulation, as well as the other example simulations that you will see on the Flight simulation tab. 

The ninth component is place inside the inner tube. This is the engine block. If you look at the schematic of the rocket you will see that this is placed in front of the grey rectangle, which is the motor. To quickly address some of the other components, you will note that the recovery method used in this rocket is a Parachute: the red dashed rounded-rectangle near the nose cone of the rocket. Along with the parachute we have a Shock cord, which (as was discussed earlier) prevents loss of the nose cone upon deployment of the recovery system. This is shown as a long, black, dashed rounded-rectangle in the same general area as the parachute. The other black, dashed rounded-rectangle box is the Wadding, which is a mass component and is used here to bring the centre of gravity forward towards the nose. 

We have now looked through the components used within the simple model rocket example. If you would like to see other available components, see Appendix A. Now that we are familiar with what makes up the rocket we will go ahead and build one from scratch! 

== Building ‘A simple model rocket’ ==

In this section we will build up the example model from scratch. After you have completed this process, you should be able to apply what you've learned in order to make any basic rocket you want. So let’s begin... 

Open a new project window so that everything is blank. The following are the steps that you will follow to create the rocket. 

1) Select the nose cone. Change its type to Ogive, if that isn't already selected. Make sure that Shape parameter, Nose cone length, base diameter, and Wall thickness values are set to 1.0, 10.0, 2.5, and 0.2 cm, respectively. The units are centimeters by default, so we should not need to change these. Finally, change the Component material to Polystyrene. 

2) Next, while still in the Nose cone configuration window, move to the Shoulder tab. Change the diameter to 2.3, the length to 2.0, and the thickness to 0.2. Also, check the End capped box. 

3) The last thing we have to do with the nose cone is to change its Appearance, so switch to that tab now. Leave the Figure style section unchanged but under the Appearance section, change the colour to one lighter than black. (Or to whatever you want, go crazy!) Then adjust the shine to 50%. That is all we need to change for now. 

You should now see this in the view area at the bottom of the main OpenRocket window:

[[File:NoseComplete.png|thumb|600 px|center|Nose Cone]] 

4) Next, add the Body tube. The measurements for length, outer diameter, inner diameter, and wall thickness are 30.0, 2.5, 2.3, 0.1 centimeters, respectively. Note that it may be easier to enter the last two manually rather than use the spin boxes or sliders. Leave the Automatic and Filled boxes unchecked. The material should remain Cardboard and the finish should be Regular Paint. The only other thing you should change here is the appearance, but we'll leave that to you as an exercise. 

You should now have this: 

[[File:BodyComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Nose Cone and Body]] 

5) Moving on, we next need to add a Fin set. Make sure you have clicked on the Body tube so that it’s highlighted then click on the Trapezoidal component type. The Trapezoidal fin set configuration window will have appeared. Leave the left side of the window alone: the settings there are fine as-is. However, we will need to change some things on the right hand side. First, change the Fin cross section to Rounded. Also, reduce the Thickness to 0.2cm. That’s all we need to do in this tab. Now move to the Appearance tab and customize to your preference. 

[[File:FinsComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Nose Cone, Body, and Fins]] 

6) The next component we need to add is the Inner tube. Once again highlight the body tube and then click on the Inner tube component button. There are a couple of attributes we should change here. First, increase the Length value to 7.5cm. Also, increase the Plus value to 0.5cm. Leave everything else the same. 

Now go to the Motor tab. There are a few things we need to add here. To start, check the This component is a motor mount checkbox. This will allow us to add motors. The next few steps may seem complicated but do not be daunted by them. First, we will deal with the easy part: Increase the Motor overhang to 0.3cm. Now click Close button to close the Inner Tube configuration window. 

Now click on the Motors & Configuration tab towards the left upper corner of the main OpenRocket window, just under the menu bar. On the resulting page, note the Motors tab towards the left upper corner. Make sure the Inner T... box is checked, and then click on the New Configuration button in the top center portion of the upper panel. You should see that a new configuration has been added to the list of configuration. Left-click in the Inner Tube column, and then click the Select motor button just below the open panel on the right of the screen. The Select a rocket motor window now appears.

To make sure your window looks the same as the one above, follow these steps: 

- Make sure the Filter Motors tab is selected in the top right corner of the window. 
- Select only the Estes option in the Manufacturer list. 
- Make sure that the Total Impulse slider is positioned over A (all the way to the left). 
- Look for the A8 motor in list on the left side of the window. Click on it. 
- In the Ejection charge delay field at the top left, enter the value 3. 
- Now click the OK button at the lower right corner of the window. 

If everything went to plan, you have successfully added the Estes A8-3 motor to your rocket. Now repeat these steps for the following motors, using a New Configuration for each new motor you add: 
- Estes B4-4 
- Estes C6-3 
- Estes C6-5 
- Estes C6-7 

After you have added the rest of the motors, click back on the Rocket design tab just under the main menu. 

====TODO: New Windows-based image capture needed for v15.03====

[[File:FlightConfig_Debian.png|thumb|800 px|center|Motors & Configurations window -- all motors configured]] 

Select the A8-3 Motor for now. That is all we have to do with the Inner tube apart from the Appearance but as usual I will let you paint it how you wish. 

The next component we will add is the Engine Block. This time make sure that the Inner tube is highlighted and then add an engine block component. Change the Inner diameter to 1.2 and the Wall thickness to 0.3. Also, change the Position relative to: Top of the parent component. The last change we will make is to increase plus to 0.2. That is all we have to do for this component. 

Your rocket should now look like this: 

[[File:EngineBlockCompleted.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added the Engine Block]] 

7) We will now add two Centering Rings. Make sure the Body tube is highlighted in the list of components under Rocket design, then click on the Centering ring component type. The first one is fine as-is, so we will not make any changes. However, we will add the following line under the Comment tab: The centering ring automatically takes the outer diameter of the body tube and the inner diameter of the inner tube. 

Now click Close, select the body tube again and add another Centering ring. This time all we have to do is to change plus to -4.5cm. Also, add the same comment as for the first ring. 

[[File:CenteringRings.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Centering Rings]] 

8) The next component we will add is the Shock cord. As usual, make sure the Body tube is selected before adding the shock cord component. After it has been added change the Plus value to 2cm, Packed length to 5.2, and Packed diameter to 1.2. Again, we will add a comment to this component. Enter the following line to the Comment section: The shock cord does not need to be attached to anything in particular, as it functions only as a mass component.. Click the Close button to close the window, as the shock cord has now been completed. 

[[File:ShockCordComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Shock Cord]] 

9) Now we need to add the Parachute. With the body tube highlighted, add a parachute component. Change Plus to 3.2cm, Packed length to 4.2cm and Packed diameter to 1.8cm. That is everything we need to do to the parachute. Click Close to close the window. You can see what your rocket should now look like below. 

[[File:ParachuteAdded.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Parachute]] 

10) The second-to-last component to add is a Mass Component. Go ahead and add one to the body tube now. Adjust the Mass to 2 grams (g), the Approximate density to 0.16 g/cm^3, the length to 3.0cm, the diameter to 2.3cm and finally the Plus value to 8.0cm. It may be easier to enter these manually. The last thing you have to do is to rename it from ‘Unspecified’ to Wadding. Leave everything else as it is and click the Close button. 

[[File:AddedMass.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Mass]] 

11) Almost done! One final component left to add: the Launch lug. Add this to the body tube now. Change the Length to 3.5cm, the Outer diameter to 0.7cm, and the inner diameter to 0.5cm. Leave the Thickness as it is. Also, change the Radial position to 19 degrees. Click Close.

[[File:LaunchLugAdded.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Launch Lug]] 

And that’s all there is to it. You have just completed building your first rocket within OpenRocket! From here you can use what you know to create more rockets, or you can proceed to the next section of the User Guide: Advanced Rocket Design. Have fun!

----
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Basic Flight Simulation|← Basic Flight Simulation]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Advanced Rocket Design|Advanced Rocket Design →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

Basic Rocket Design

2015-09-13T20:17:16Z

Tcbetka: /* TODO: New Windows-based image capture needed for v15.03 */

<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Basic Flight Simulation|← Basic Flight Simulation]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Advanced Rocket Design|Advanced Rocket Design →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

{{UserGuideHelp}}

==Basic Rocket Design==

__TOC__

In this section we'll look at how to design a basic rocket by examining the A simple model rocket design example. After reading this section you should have an understanding of how to start designing your own rockets. If you already know how to design your rocket, you can jump to the [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Basic_Flight_Simulation next section]. 

We will start with a brief discussion on the selection of available components, and then the components used in the A simple model rocket example. Then we'll build a rocket from scratch to see how it’s done. 

=== Component Configuration Window ===

There are several types of components available to you as a rocket designer, and you can either customize these to meet your specific needs, or simply load presets from the database. 

To start, let's begin a new project: File -> New. It doesn’t matter what we call it at the moment, but go ahead and save the design straight away: File -> Save your design. At this point you should be presented with a blank design window in the bottom half of the user interface.

[[File:Main_window.png|thumb|800 px|center|The OpenRocket main window.]] 

When you first start a new rocket design you will see that only three categories of components are available in the Add new component panel: 
- Body components and fin sets 
- Inner components 
- Mass objects 

We would usually start building our rocket by selecting a nose cone but for the sake of this guide click the Body tube icon in the Body components and fin sets section. This will then open up a configuration window that we'll use to edit the parameters of the body tube. 

==== The Body Tube’ Configuration Window ====

At this point you should see a new window titled Body tube configuration.

[[File:ConfigBody.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Configuration Window.]]

This window allows you to either select a preset for the component type you are choosing, or make your own. Let’s start by examining how to customize it ourselves. If you have a look at the Body tube configuration window you will see that at the top there is a Component name field. Here we can change the name of the current component to anything we choose. (Note that this name will then appear in the design tree seen in the Rocket Design panel of the main program window.) 

Just below Component name there are several tabs: 
- General: allows us to alter the basic attributes of the component. 
- Motor: allows us to make the body tube into a motor mount, and also edit the properties of the motor. 
- Override: allows us to manually set the mass or centre of gravity for the component. 
- Appearance: allows us to select colours, textures and other finishes. 
- Comment: allows us to enter any comments or notes about the component. 

It should be noted that these tabs are specific to the component being designed. For example, a nose cone will not have a motor tab, but will instead have a shoulder tab. It will also have a description panel to tell you a bit more about the component you are choosing. After you learn how to navigate around one component configuration panel, the others should be relatively self-explanatory. 

===== General Tab =====

The rest of the Body tube configuration window lists the different parameters for the current component type. As you can see, the General tab provides options to manually enter numbers, or you can also use the spin boxes (coarse control) or sliders (fine control) provided to adjust the parameter values. The Automatic checkbox will adjust the dimensions of the component automatically. Here you will also see a Filled checkbox. If this is checked you will notice that the inner diameter goes to zero, i.e., a filled (solid) tube. Note how the Component mass changes when this box is checked. 

On the right hand side of the window you will see the Component material and Component finish drop-down menus. If you click on these you will be presented with a list of various materials and finishes, each with their own weight and thickness. If you are using the same finish for the entire rocket you can click the Set for all button to make each component use the same finish. The last notable feature in this window is in the bottom left. There you will see a live display of the Component mass. This will update automatically as you change parameter values. Experiment with the sliders to see how the component changes in the design window.

You may have noticed that, apart from the mass, there is no noticeable difference when either the inner diameter or wall thickness parameters are changed. To see those changes reflected in the model you will have to switch to a different View Type, by selecting the desired view from the drop-down list at the left of the main OpenRocket program window.

===== Motor Tab =====

Next to the General tab is the Motor tab. If you click on it you will see that most parameters are grayed-out, with the exception of one checkbox. As the label mentions, this is for when you want the body tube component to also be a motor mount.
[[File:ConfigBodyMotor.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Motor tab of the Configuration Window.]]

Have a quick look at this if you wish, but we'll discuss changing flight configurations for a later section of the guide.

===== Override =====

We'll take a quick look at this tab, as it common to most components. For starting out though, you most likely will not need it.

[[File:ConfigBodyOverride.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Override tab of the Configuration Window.]]

This tab would be used when you specifically wanted to override the mass and centre of gravity (CG) of the component.

===== Appearance =====

Everyone likes something shiny, don’t they? This tab allows you edit the appearance of the component.

[[File:ConfigBodyAppearance.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Appearance tab of the Configuration Window.]]

There are two sections here, the Figure style section and the Appearance section. Figure style changes what the 2D figure looks like, whereas Appearance will change what the 3D model will look like. If you wish to use any custom textures or images in your rocket design, you can load those through the Texture drop-down menu.

===== Comment =====

This section does not really need much explanation. If you want to write any comments or notes about your component (why you chose the values you did, etc.), then this is the place to do it.

[[File:ConfigBodyComment.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Comment tab of the Configuration Window.]] 

Now that we have been through all of the tabs of the Body Tube component, click the Close button. You should now notice that the rest of the components are now unlocked in the top right of the Design window. This is because all component types can be added to a body tube. However, a Nose cone should be selected first if you are making your own rocket.

Let’s have a look at the full list of components. If you cannot click on the component type, try selecting the Body tube in the design window in the top left panel of OpenRocket.

=== Available Components ===

As previously mentioned, there are 16 component types to choose from within OpenRocket. These are split into three sections: 
- Body components and fin sets 
- Inner components 
- Mass objects 

[[File:ComponentSupertypes.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Component types menu.]] 

==== Body components and fin sets ====

Within Body components and fin sets we have 7 component types. These components make up the external and main body of the rocket; everything else is inside the rocket. As you will see in the image the component types are: 

- Nose Cone: The very tip of the rocket. Usually, you will select this component first. 
- Body Tube: As we have seen, the body tube makes up the main section of a stage. 
- Transition: A component that usually joins one body tube to another (normally larger) tube. 
- Trapezoidal fin: A fin set that is in the shape of a trapezoid. 
- Elliptical fin: A fin set that is in the shape of an ellipse. 
- Freeform fin: This special kind of fin takes any shape you want. If you add it to your model it will open up a design window for you to alter the shape as desired. 
- Launch Lug: This component usually goes on the outside of a body tube and is used while the rocket is on the launch pad. 

[[File:ComponentBodyAndFins.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Body components and fin sets submenu.]] 

==== Inner Components ====

Within Inner components we have 5 component types, and these components are all internal. As with Body components and fin sets we will now run through the list of components. 

- Inner tube: This component lets you add tubes to the inside of the main body tube. 
- Coupler: Used in multi-stage rockets, a coupler joins two sections together. 
- Centering ring: These can be used to support other components (e.g., a motor), in the centre of a larger tube. 
- Bulkhead: This is a block of material that forms a stop or barrier between two different areas. 
- Engine block: An engine block prevents the motor from moving forward in the motor mount tube. 

[[File:ComponentInner.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Inner Components submenu.]] 

==== Mass Objects ====

Within Mass objects we have 4 component types. They are:

- Parachute: Like any good parachute, this component will stop your rocket from becoming scrap. 
- Streamer: Another component for keeping your rocket safe, a streamer creates drag as your rocket falls down to earth. 
- Shock cord: A shock cord secures the nose cone to the body of the rocket so that it isn't lost when the nose is blown off to deploy the parachute/streamer. 
- Mass component: This is a block of mass used to adjust the rocket's Center of Gravity (CG). You can name it to whatever you want it to represent. 

[[File:ComponentMasses.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Mass Objects submenu.]] 

You have now had a brief run through the various components available for use in OpenRocket. The next section will deal with an example rocket.

== A Simple Model Rocket Example ==

In this section we will look at the components used in the A simple model rocket example design. To get started, start OpenRocket and navigate to the main window. As a reminder it looks like this:

[[File:Main_window.png|thumb|800 px|center|The Openrocket main window.]] 

==== Opening Example Designs ====

We'll begin by looking at how to find and load the example rockets within OpenRocket. Recall that this was also covered in the Getting Started section of this guide, but as a refresher the steps for doing this are as follows: 
- In the main window, click on the File menu at the top left. 
- Scroll down to Open Examples... open, and expand that menu. Here you will see a list of the available rocket design examples. 
Your screen should now look like this:

[[File:OpenExample.png|thumb|800 px|center|Opening an example rocket ]] 

Click on first example, our Simple model rocket. A Rocket configuration window should appear, with the Design Name (A simple model Rocket) and Designer (Sampo Niskanen) fields populated. The Comments and Revision History fields will be blank. Click Close. You should now have successfully loaded the rocket and be able to see a 2D schematic in the Rocket Design window.

[[File:After_complete_design.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Bottom half of the Rocket design window.]] 

==== Components used in ‘A simple model rocket’ ====

Now we will have a quick look through the components used in the example rocket. If you look towards the top left of the Rocket Design window you will see that there is a tree of components shown. By default they should all be fully expanded. If not, do so now.

[[File:Structure.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Top left-hand portion of the Rocket design window.]]

This image shows A simple model rocket at the top, followed by the Sustainer, which is Stage 1 of the rocket. 

If we look at the first component in the Sustainer stage we see that it is the nose cone. Double click on that now. This will bring up the Nose cone configuration window.

[[File:ConfigNose.png|thumb|600 px|center|Nose Cone Configuration Window.]]

As we have already examined the configuration window we will not repeat ourselves here. However, you will see that in this example we have used an Ogive nose cone with a Shape parameter of 1.0. If you read the description of the component to the right in the configuration window, you will discover that a value of 1.0 produces a tangent ogive. 

Moving down the window, you will see that the Nose cone length has a value of 10, the Base diameter has a value of 2.5, and the Wall thickness has a value of 0.2. All of these parameters have been set, in this example, to use centimeters (cm) as their unit. You should also see that this component is using Polystyrene as its material with a Regular paint finish. As you can see, the material has a density of 1.05 grams per centimetre cubed, and the paint is 60.0 micrometers thick. In the bottom left, the component weight is currently 13.2 grams. Go ahead and play around with the sliders to see how the component changes, and then change them back when you are finished. 

If you move over to the Shoulder tab, you'll be able to see the size attributes of the shoulder. Again, you can play around with the sliders if you want--as long as you change them back to the original settings when you are finished. For reference these are 2.3, 2.0 and 0.2 centimeters, respectively. Also have a look through the rest of the tabs to see what has been selected. The only other thing to note is that the appearance has been customized. If you were to change to the 3D Finished view type, you will see how the finished model looks. 

Moving on to the Body tube, you can access its various attributes by double-clicking on it in the Rocket design window. Note how its various attributes have been set to create the current size. This is all fairly straightforward and as we have already looked into the various components earlier, we will not go into great detail here. 

Note the eight other components that have been placed onto the Body tube. In descending order these are: 
- Trapezoidal fin set 
- Inner Tube 
- Centering Ring 
- Centering Ring 
- Shock Cord 
- Parachute 
- Wadding 
- Launch lug 

The Inner Tube in this design is used as a motor mount. You will see this if you go to the Motor tab in the Inner Tube configuration window. This means that a motor has been fitting into this piece. Upon inspection we can see that the current motor name is displayed in the Flight configuration drop-down list, on the right side of the main OpenRocket window. You can open this drop-down menu to select other motors that are available for use in this simulation, as well as the other example simulations that you will see on the Flight simulation tab. 

The ninth component is place inside the inner tube. This is the engine block. If you look at the schematic of the rocket you will see that this is placed in front of the grey rectangle, which is the motor. To quickly address some of the other components, you will note that the recovery method used in this rocket is a Parachute: the red dashed rounded-rectangle near the nose cone of the rocket. Along with the parachute we have a Shock cord, which (as was discussed earlier) prevents loss of the nose cone upon deployment of the recovery system. This is shown as a long, black, dashed rounded-rectangle in the same general area as the parachute. The other black, dashed rounded-rectangle box is the Wadding, which is a mass component and is used here to bring the centre of gravity forward towards the nose. 

We have now looked through the components used within the simple model rocket example. If you would like to see other available components, see Appendix A. Now that we are familiar with what makes up the rocket we will go ahead and build one from scratch! 

== Building ‘A simple model rocket’ ==

In this section we will build up the example model from scratch. After you have completed this process, you should be able to apply what you've learned in order to make any basic rocket you want. So let’s begin... 

Open a new project window so that everything is blank. The following are the steps that you will follow to create the rocket. 

1) Select the nose cone. Change its type to Ogive, if that isn't already selected. Make sure that Shape parameter, Nose cone length, base diameter, and Wall thickness values are set to 1.0, 10.0, 2.5, and 0.2 cm, respectively. The units are centimeters by default, so we should not need to change these. Finally, change the Component material to Polystyrene. 

2) Next, while still in the Nose cone configuration window, move to the Shoulder tab. Change the diameter to 2.3, the length to 2.0, and the thickness to 0.2. Also, check the End capped box. 

3) The last thing we have to do with the nose cone is to change its Appearance, so switch to that tab now. Leave the Figure style section unchanged but under the Appearance section, change the colour to one lighter than black. (Or to whatever you want, go crazy!) Then adjust the shine to 50%. That is all we need to change for now. 

You should now see this in the view area at the bottom of the main OpenRocket window:

[[File:NoseComplete.png|thumb|600 px|center|Nose Cone]] 

4) Next, add the Body tube. The measurements for length, outer diameter, inner diameter, and wall thickness are 30.0, 2.5, 2.3, 0.1 centimeters, respectively. Note that it may be easier to enter the last two manually rather than use the spin boxes or sliders. Leave the Automatic and Filled boxes unchecked. The material should remain Cardboard and the finish should be Regular Paint. The only other thing you should change here is the appearance, but we'll leave that to you as an exercise. 

You should now have this: 

[[File:BodyComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Nose Cone and Body]] 

5) Moving on, we next need to add a Fin set. Make sure you have clicked on the Body tube so that it’s highlighted then click on the Trapezoidal component type. The Trapezoidal fin set configuration window will have appeared. Leave the left side of the window alone: the settings there are fine as-is. However, we will need to change some things on the right hand side. First, change the Fin cross section to Rounded. Also, reduce the Thickness to 0.2cm. That’s all we need to do in this tab. Now move to the Appearance tab and customize to your preference. 

[[File:FinsComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Nose Cone, Body, and Fins]] 

6) The next component we need to add is the Inner tube. Once again highlight the body tube and then click on the Inner tube component button. There are a couple of attributes we should change here. First, increase the Length value to 7.5cm. Also, increase the Plus value to 0.5cm. Leave everything else the same. 

Now go to the Motor tab. There are a few things we need to add here. To start, check the This component is a motor mount checkbox. This will allow us to add motors. The next few steps may seem complicated but do not be daunted by them. First, we will deal with the easy part: Increase the Motor overhang to 0.3cm. Now click Close button to close the Inner Tube configuration window. 

Now click on the Motors & Configuration tab towards the left upper corner of the main OpenRocket window, just under the menu bar. On the resulting page, note the Motors tab towards the left upper corner. Make sure the Inner T... box is checked, and then click on the New Configuration button in the top center portion of the upper panel. You should see that a new configuration has been added to the list of configuration. Left-click in the Inner Tube column, and then click the Select motor button just below the open panel on the right of the screen. The Select a rocket motor window now appears.

To make sure your window looks the same as the one above, follow these steps: 

- Make sure the Filter Motors tab is selected in the top right corner of the window. 
- Select only the Estes option in the Manufacturer list. 
- Make sure that the Total Impulse slider is positioned over A (all the way to the left). 
- Look for the A8 motor in list on the left side of the window. Click on it. 
- In the Ejection charge delay field at the top left, enter the value 3. 
- Now click the OK button at the lower right corner of the window. 

If everything went to plan, you have successfully added the Estes A8-3 motor to your rocket. Now repeat these steps for the following motors, using a New Configuration for each new motor you add: 
- Estes B4-4 
- Estes C6-3 
- Estes C6-5 
- Estes C6-7 

After you have added the rest of the motors, click back on the Rocket design tab just under the main menu. 

====TODO: New Windows-based image capture needed for v15.03====

[[File:FlightConfig_Debian.png|thumb|800 px|center|Motors & Configurations Window]] 

Select the A8-3 Motor for now. That is all we have to do with the Inner tube apart from the Appearance but as usual I will let you paint it how you wish. 

The next component we will add is the Engine Block. This time make sure that the Inner tube is highlighted and then add an engine block component. Change the Inner diameter to 1.2 and the Wall thickness to 0.3. Also, change the Position relative to: Top of the parent component. The last change we will make is to increase plus to 0.2. That is all we have to do for this component. 

Your rocket should now look like this: 

[[File:EngineBlockCompleted.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added the Engine Block]] 

7) We will now add two Centering Rings. Make sure the Body tube is highlighted in the list of components under Rocket design, then click on the Centering ring component type. The first one is fine as-is, so we will not make any changes. However, we will add the following line under the Comment tab: The centering ring automatically takes the outer diameter of the body tube and the inner diameter of the inner tube. 

Now click Close, select the body tube again and add another Centering ring. This time all we have to do is to change plus to -4.5cm. Also, add the same comment as for the first ring. 

[[File:CenteringRings.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Centering Rings]] 

8) The next component we will add is the Shock cord. As usual, make sure the Body tube is selected before adding the shock cord component. After it has been added change the Plus value to 2cm, Packed length to 5.2, and Packed diameter to 1.2. Again, we will add a comment to this component. Enter the following line to the Comment section: The shock cord does not need to be attached to anything in particular, as it functions only as a mass component.. Click the Close button to close the window, as the shock cord has now been completed. 

[[File:ShockCordComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Shock Cord]] 

9) Now we need to add the Parachute. With the body tube highlighted, add a parachute component. Change Plus to 3.2cm, Packed length to 4.2cm and Packed diameter to 1.8cm. That is everything we need to do to the parachute. Click Close to close the window. You can see what your rocket should now look like below. 

[[File:ParachuteAdded.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Parachute]] 

10) The second-to-last component to add is a Mass Component. Go ahead and add one to the body tube now. Adjust the Mass to 2 grams (g), the Approximate density to 0.16 g/cm^3, the length to 3.0cm, the diameter to 2.3cm and finally the Plus value to 8.0cm. It may be easier to enter these manually. The last thing you have to do is to rename it from ‘Unspecified’ to Wadding. Leave everything else as it is and click the Close button. 

[[File:AddedMass.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Mass]] 

11) Almost done! One final component left to add: the Launch lug. Add this to the body tube now. Change the Length to 3.5cm, the Outer diameter to 0.7cm, and the inner diameter to 0.5cm. Leave the Thickness as it is. Also, change the Radial position to 19 degrees. Click Close.

[[File:LaunchLugAdded.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Launch Lug]] 

And that’s all there is to it. You have just completed building your first rocket within OpenRocket! From here you can use what you know to create more rockets, or you can proceed to the next section of the User Guide: Advanced Rocket Design. Have fun!

----
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Basic Flight Simulation|← Basic Flight Simulation]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Advanced Rocket Design|Advanced Rocket Design →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

Basic Rocket Design

2015-09-13T19:39:08Z

Tcbetka: /* TODO: New Windows-based image capture needed for v15.03 */

<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Basic Flight Simulation|← Basic Flight Simulation]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Advanced Rocket Design|Advanced Rocket Design →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

{{UserGuideHelp}}

==Basic Rocket Design==

__TOC__

In this section we'll look at how to design a basic rocket by examining the A simple model rocket design example. After reading this section you should have an understanding of how to start designing your own rockets. If you already know how to design your rocket, you can jump to the [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Basic_Flight_Simulation next section]. 

We will start with a brief discussion on the selection of available components, and then the components used in the A simple model rocket example. Then we'll build a rocket from scratch to see how it’s done. 

=== Component Configuration Window ===

There are several types of components available to you as a rocket designer, and you can either customize these to meet your specific needs, or simply load presets from the database. 

To start, let's begin a new project: File -> New. It doesn’t matter what we call it at the moment, but go ahead and save the design straight away: File -> Save your design. At this point you should be presented with a blank design window in the bottom half of the user interface.

[[File:Main_window.png|thumb|800 px|center|The OpenRocket main window.]] 

When you first start a new rocket design you will see that only three categories of components are available in the Add new component panel: 
- Body components and fin sets 
- Inner components 
- Mass objects 

We would usually start building our rocket by selecting a nose cone but for the sake of this guide click the Body tube icon in the Body components and fin sets section. This will then open up a configuration window that we'll use to edit the parameters of the body tube. 

==== The Body Tube’ Configuration Window ====

At this point you should see a new window titled Body tube configuration.

[[File:ConfigBody.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Configuration Window.]]

This window allows you to either select a preset for the component type you are choosing, or make your own. Let’s start by examining how to customize it ourselves. If you have a look at the Body tube configuration window you will see that at the top there is a Component name field. Here we can change the name of the current component to anything we choose. (Note that this name will then appear in the design tree seen in the Rocket Design panel of the main program window.) 

Just below Component name there are several tabs: 
- General: allows us to alter the basic attributes of the component. 
- Motor: allows us to make the body tube into a motor mount, and also edit the properties of the motor. 
- Override: allows us to manually set the mass or centre of gravity for the component. 
- Appearance: allows us to select colours, textures and other finishes. 
- Comment: allows us to enter any comments or notes about the component. 

It should be noted that these tabs are specific to the component being designed. For example, a nose cone will not have a motor tab, but will instead have a shoulder tab. It will also have a description panel to tell you a bit more about the component you are choosing. After you learn how to navigate around one component configuration panel, the others should be relatively self-explanatory. 

===== General Tab =====

The rest of the Body tube configuration window lists the different parameters for the current component type. As you can see, the General tab provides options to manually enter numbers, or you can also use the spin boxes (coarse control) or sliders (fine control) provided to adjust the parameter values. The Automatic checkbox will adjust the dimensions of the component automatically. Here you will also see a Filled checkbox. If this is checked you will notice that the inner diameter goes to zero, i.e., a filled (solid) tube. Note how the Component mass changes when this box is checked. 

On the right hand side of the window you will see the Component material and Component finish drop-down menus. If you click on these you will be presented with a list of various materials and finishes, each with their own weight and thickness. If you are using the same finish for the entire rocket you can click the Set for all button to make each component use the same finish. The last notable feature in this window is in the bottom left. There you will see a live display of the Component mass. This will update automatically as you change parameter values. Experiment with the sliders to see how the component changes in the design window.

You may have noticed that, apart from the mass, there is no noticeable difference when either the inner diameter or wall thickness parameters are changed. To see those changes reflected in the model you will have to switch to a different View Type, by selecting the desired view from the drop-down list at the left of the main OpenRocket program window.

===== Motor Tab =====

Next to the General tab is the Motor tab. If you click on it you will see that most parameters are grayed-out, with the exception of one checkbox. As the label mentions, this is for when you want the body tube component to also be a motor mount.
[[File:ConfigBodyMotor.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Motor tab of the Configuration Window.]]

Have a quick look at this if you wish, but we'll discuss changing flight configurations for a later section of the guide.

===== Override =====

We'll take a quick look at this tab, as it common to most components. For starting out though, you most likely will not need it.

[[File:ConfigBodyOverride.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Override tab of the Configuration Window.]]

This tab would be used when you specifically wanted to override the mass and centre of gravity (CG) of the component.

===== Appearance =====

Everyone likes something shiny, don’t they? This tab allows you edit the appearance of the component.

[[File:ConfigBodyAppearance.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Appearance tab of the Configuration Window.]]

There are two sections here, the Figure style section and the Appearance section. Figure style changes what the 2D figure looks like, whereas Appearance will change what the 3D model will look like. If you wish to use any custom textures or images in your rocket design, you can load those through the Texture drop-down menu.

===== Comment =====

This section does not really need much explanation. If you want to write any comments or notes about your component (why you chose the values you did, etc.), then this is the place to do it.

[[File:ConfigBodyComment.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Comment tab of the Configuration Window.]] 

Now that we have been through all of the tabs of the Body Tube component, click the Close button. You should now notice that the rest of the components are now unlocked in the top right of the Design window. This is because all component types can be added to a body tube. However, a Nose cone should be selected first if you are making your own rocket.

Let’s have a look at the full list of components. If you cannot click on the component type, try selecting the Body tube in the design window in the top left panel of OpenRocket.

=== Available Components ===

As previously mentioned, there are 16 component types to choose from within OpenRocket. These are split into three sections: 
- Body components and fin sets 
- Inner components 
- Mass objects 

[[File:ComponentSupertypes.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Component types menu.]] 

==== Body components and fin sets ====

Within Body components and fin sets we have 7 component types. These components make up the external and main body of the rocket; everything else is inside the rocket. As you will see in the image the component types are: 

- Nose Cone: The very tip of the rocket. Usually, you will select this component first. 
- Body Tube: As we have seen, the body tube makes up the main section of a stage. 
- Transition: A component that usually joins one body tube to another (normally larger) tube. 
- Trapezoidal fin: A fin set that is in the shape of a trapezoid. 
- Elliptical fin: A fin set that is in the shape of an ellipse. 
- Freeform fin: This special kind of fin takes any shape you want. If you add it to your model it will open up a design window for you to alter the shape as desired. 
- Launch Lug: This component usually goes on the outside of a body tube and is used while the rocket is on the launch pad. 

[[File:ComponentBodyAndFins.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Body components and fin sets submenu.]] 

==== Inner Components ====

Within Inner components we have 5 component types, and these components are all internal. As with Body components and fin sets we will now run through the list of components. 

- Inner tube: This component lets you add tubes to the inside of the main body tube. 
- Coupler: Used in multi-stage rockets, a coupler joins two sections together. 
- Centering ring: These can be used to support other components (e.g., a motor), in the centre of a larger tube. 
- Bulkhead: This is a block of material that forms a stop or barrier between two different areas. 
- Engine block: An engine block prevents the motor from moving forward in the motor mount tube. 

[[File:ComponentInner.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Inner Components submenu.]] 

==== Mass Objects ====

Within Mass objects we have 4 component types. They are:

- Parachute: Like any good parachute, this component will stop your rocket from becoming scrap. 
- Streamer: Another component for keeping your rocket safe, a streamer creates drag as your rocket falls down to earth. 
- Shock cord: A shock cord secures the nose cone to the body of the rocket so that it isn't lost when the nose is blown off to deploy the parachute/streamer. 
- Mass component: This is a block of mass used to adjust the rocket's Center of Gravity (CG). You can name it to whatever you want it to represent. 

[[File:ComponentMasses.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Mass Objects submenu.]] 

You have now had a brief run through the various components available for use in OpenRocket. The next section will deal with an example rocket.

== A Simple Model Rocket Example ==

In this section we will look at the components used in the A simple model rocket example design. To get started, start OpenRocket and navigate to the main window. As a reminder it looks like this:

[[File:Main_window.png|thumb|800 px|center|The Openrocket main window.]] 

==== Opening Example Designs ====

We'll begin by looking at how to find and load the example rockets within OpenRocket. Recall that this was also covered in the Getting Started section of this guide, but as a refresher the steps for doing this are as follows: 
- In the main window, click on the File menu at the top left. 
- Scroll down to Open Examples... open, and expand that menu. Here you will see a list of the available rocket design examples. 
Your screen should now look like this:

[[File:OpenExample.png|thumb|800 px|center|Opening an example rocket ]] 

Click on first example, our Simple model rocket. A Rocket configuration window should appear, with the Design Name (A simple model Rocket) and Designer (Sampo Niskanen) fields populated. The Comments and Revision History fields will be blank. Click Close. You should now have successfully loaded the rocket and be able to see a 2D schematic in the Rocket Design window.

[[File:After_complete_design.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Bottom half of the Rocket design window.]] 

==== Components used in ‘A simple model rocket’ ====

Now we will have a quick look through the components used in the example rocket. If you look towards the top left of the Rocket Design window you will see that there is a tree of components shown. By default they should all be fully expanded. If not, do so now.

[[File:Structure.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Top left-hand portion of the Rocket design window.]]

This image shows A simple model rocket at the top, followed by the Sustainer, which is Stage 1 of the rocket. 

If we look at the first component in the Sustainer stage we see that it is the nose cone. Double click on that now. This will bring up the Nose cone configuration window.

[[File:ConfigNose.png|thumb|600 px|center|Nose Cone Configuration Window.]]

As we have already examined the configuration window we will not repeat ourselves here. However, you will see that in this example we have used an Ogive nose cone with a Shape parameter of 1.0. If you read the description of the component to the right in the configuration window, you will discover that a value of 1.0 produces a tangent ogive. 

Moving down the window, you will see that the Nose cone length has a value of 10, the Base diameter has a value of 2.5, and the Wall thickness has a value of 0.2. All of these parameters have been set, in this example, to use centimeters (cm) as their unit. You should also see that this component is using Polystyrene as its material with a Regular paint finish. As you can see, the material has a density of 1.05 grams per centimetre cubed, and the paint is 60.0 micrometers thick. In the bottom left, the component weight is currently 13.2 grams. Go ahead and play around with the sliders to see how the component changes, and then change them back when you are finished. 

If you move over to the Shoulder tab, you'll be able to see the size attributes of the shoulder. Again, you can play around with the sliders if you want--as long as you change them back to the original settings when you are finished. For reference these are 2.3, 2.0 and 0.2 centimeters, respectively. Also have a look through the rest of the tabs to see what has been selected. The only other thing to note is that the appearance has been customized. If you were to change to the 3D Finished view type, you will see how the finished model looks. 

Moving on to the Body tube, you can access its various attributes by double-clicking on it in the Rocket design window. Note how its various attributes have been set to create the current size. This is all fairly straightforward and as we have already looked into the various components earlier, we will not go into great detail here. 

Note the eight other components that have been placed onto the Body tube. In descending order these are: 
- Trapezoidal fin set 
- Inner Tube 
- Centering Ring 
- Centering Ring 
- Shock Cord 
- Parachute 
- Wadding 
- Launch lug 

The Inner Tube in this design is used as a motor mount. You will see this if you go to the Motor tab in the Inner Tube configuration window. This means that a motor has been fitting into this piece. Upon inspection we can see that the current motor name is displayed in the Flight configuration drop-down list, on the right side of the main OpenRocket window. You can open this drop-down menu to select other motors that are available for use in this simulation, as well as the other example simulations that you will see on the Flight simulation tab. 

The ninth component is place inside the inner tube. This is the engine block. If you look at the schematic of the rocket you will see that this is placed in front of the grey rectangle, which is the motor. To quickly address some of the other components, you will note that the recovery method used in this rocket is a Parachute: the red dashed rounded-rectangle near the nose cone of the rocket. Along with the parachute we have a Shock cord, which (as was discussed earlier) prevents loss of the nose cone upon deployment of the recovery system. This is shown as a long, black, dashed rounded-rectangle in the same general area as the parachute. The other black, dashed rounded-rectangle box is the Wadding, which is a mass component and is used here to bring the centre of gravity forward towards the nose. 

We have now looked through the components used within the simple model rocket example. If you would like to see other available components, see Appendix A. Now that we are familiar with what makes up the rocket we will go ahead and build one from scratch! 

== Building ‘A simple model rocket’ ==

In this section we will build up the example model from scratch. After you have completed this process, you should be able to apply what you've learned in order to make any basic rocket you want. So let’s begin... 

Open a new project window so that everything is blank. The following are the steps that you will follow to create the rocket. 

1) Select the nose cone. Change its type to Ogive, if that isn't already selected. Make sure that Shape parameter, Nose cone length, base diameter, and Wall thickness values are set to 1.0, 10.0, 2.5, and 0.2 cm, respectively. The units are centimeters by default, so we should not need to change these. Finally, change the Component material to Polystyrene. 

2) Next, while still in the Nose cone configuration window, move to the Shoulder tab. Change the diameter to 2.3, the length to 2.0, and the thickness to 0.2. Also, check the End capped box. 

3) The last thing we have to do with the nose cone is to change its Appearance, so switch to that tab now. Leave the Figure style section unchanged but under the Appearance section, change the colour to one lighter than black. (Or to whatever you want, go crazy!) Then adjust the shine to 50%. That is all we need to change for now. 

You should now see this in the view area at the bottom of the main OpenRocket window:

[[File:NoseComplete.png|thumb|600 px|center|Nose Cone]] 

4) Next, add the Body tube. The measurements for length, outer diameter, inner diameter, and wall thickness are 30.0, 2.5, 2.3, 0.1 centimeters, respectively. Note that it may be easier to enter the last two manually rather than use the spin boxes or sliders. Leave the Automatic and Filled boxes unchecked. The material should remain Cardboard and the finish should be Regular Paint. The only other thing you should change here is the appearance, but we'll leave that to you as an exercise. 

You should now have this: 

[[File:BodyComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Nose Cone and Body]] 

5) Moving on, we next need to add a Fin set. Make sure you have clicked on the Body tube so that it’s highlighted then click on the Trapezoidal component type. The Trapezoidal fin set configuration window will have appeared. Leave the left side of the window alone: the settings there are fine as-is. However, we will need to change some things on the right hand side. First, change the Fin cross section to Rounded. Also, reduce the Thickness to 0.2cm. That’s all we need to do in this tab. Now move to the Appearance tab and customize to your preference. 

[[File:FinsComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Nose Cone, Body, and Fins]] 

6) The next component we need to add is the Inner tube. Once again highlight the body tube and then click on the Inner tube component button. There are a couple of attributes we should change here. First, increase the Length value to 7.5cm. Also, increase the Plus value to 0.5cm. Leave everything else the same. 

Now go to the Motor tab. There are a few things we need to add here. To start, check the This component is a motor mount checkbox. This will allow us to add motors. The next few steps may seem complicated but do not be daunted by them. First, we will deal with the easy part: Increase the Motor overhang to 0.3cm. Now click Close button to close the Inner Tube configuration window. 

Now click on the Motors & Configuration tab towards the left upper corner of the main OpenRocket window, just under the menu bar. On the resulting page, note the Motors tab towards the left upper corner. Make sure the Inner T... box is checked, and then click on the New Configuration button in the top center portion of the upper panel. You should see that a new configuration has been added to the list of configuration. Left-click in the Inner Tube column, and then click the Select motor button just below the open panel on the right of the screen. The Select a rocket motor window now appears.

To make sure your window looks the same as the one above, follow these steps: 

- Make sure the Filter Motors tab is selected in the top right corner of the window. 
- Select only the Estes option in the Manufacturer list. 
- Make sure that the Total Impulse slider is positioned over A (all the way to the left). 
- Look for the A8 motor in list on the left side of the window. Click on it. 
- In the Ejection charge delay field at the top left, enter the value 3. 
- Now click the OK button at the lower right corner of the window. 

If everything went to plan, you have successfully added the Estes A8-3 motor to your rocket. Now repeat these steps for the following motors, using a New Configuration for each new motor you add: 
- Estes B4-4 
- Estes C6-3 
- Estes C6-5 
- Estes C6-7 

After you have added the rest of the motors, click back on the Rocket design tab just under the main menu. 

====TODO: New Windows-based image capture needed for v15.03====

[[File:FlightConfig_Debian.png|thumb|800 px|center|Flight Configurations Window]] 

Select the A8-3 Motor for now. That is all we have to do with the Inner tube apart from the Appearance but as usual I will let you paint it how you wish. 

The next component we will add is the Engine Block. This time make sure that the Inner tube is highlighted and then add an engine block component. Change the Inner diameter to 1.2 and the Wall thickness to 0.3. Also, change the Position relative to: Top of the parent component. The last change we will make is to increase plus to 0.2. That is all we have to do for this component. 

Your rocket should now look like this: 

[[File:EngineBlockCompleted.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added the Engine Block]] 

7) We will now add two Centering Rings. Make sure the Body tube is highlighted in the list of components under Rocket design, then click on the Centering ring component type. The first one is fine as-is, so we will not make any changes. However, we will add the following line under the Comment tab: The centering ring automatically takes the outer diameter of the body tube and the inner diameter of the inner tube. 

Now click Close, select the body tube again and add another Centering ring. This time all we have to do is to change plus to -4.5cm. Also, add the same comment as for the first ring. 

[[File:CenteringRings.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Centering Rings]] 

8) The next component we will add is the Shock cord. As usual, make sure the Body tube is selected before adding the shock cord component. After it has been added change the Plus value to 2cm, Packed length to 5.2, and Packed diameter to 1.2. Again, we will add a comment to this component. Enter the following line to the Comment section: The shock cord does not need to be attached to anything in particular, as it functions only as a mass component.. Click the Close button to close the window, as the shock cord has now been completed. 

[[File:ShockCordComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Shock Cord]] 

9) Now we need to add the Parachute. With the body tube highlighted, add a parachute component. Change Plus to 3.2cm, Packed length to 4.2cm and Packed diameter to 1.8cm. That is everything we need to do to the parachute. Click Close to close the window. You can see what your rocket should now look like below. 

[[File:ParachuteAdded.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Parachute]] 

10) The second-to-last component to add is a Mass Component. Go ahead and add one to the body tube now. Adjust the Mass to 2 grams (g), the Approximate density to 0.16 g/cm^3, the length to 3.0cm, the diameter to 2.3cm and finally the Plus value to 8.0cm. It may be easier to enter these manually. The last thing you have to do is to rename it from ‘Unspecified’ to Wadding. Leave everything else as it is and click the Close button. 

[[File:AddedMass.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Mass]] 

11) Almost done! One final component left to add: the Launch lug. Add this to the body tube now. Change the Length to 3.5cm, the Outer diameter to 0.7cm, and the inner diameter to 0.5cm. Leave the Thickness as it is. Also, change the Radial position to 19 degrees. Click Close.

[[File:LaunchLugAdded.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Launch Lug]] 

And that’s all there is to it. You have just completed building your first rocket within OpenRocket! From here you can use what you know to create more rockets, or you can proceed to the next section of the User Guide: Advanced Rocket Design. Have fun!

----
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Basic Flight Simulation|← Basic Flight Simulation]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Advanced Rocket Design|Advanced Rocket Design →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

Basic Rocket Design

2015-09-13T19:31:20Z

Tcbetka: /* TODO: New image needed for v15.03 */

<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Basic Flight Simulation|← Basic Flight Simulation]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Advanced Rocket Design|Advanced Rocket Design →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

{{UserGuideHelp}}

==Basic Rocket Design==

__TOC__

In this section we'll look at how to design a basic rocket by examining the A simple model rocket design example. After reading this section you should have an understanding of how to start designing your own rockets. If you already know how to design your rocket, you can jump to the [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Basic_Flight_Simulation next section]. 

We will start with a brief discussion on the selection of available components, and then the components used in the A simple model rocket example. Then we'll build a rocket from scratch to see how it’s done. 

=== Component Configuration Window ===

There are several types of components available to you as a rocket designer, and you can either customize these to meet your specific needs, or simply load presets from the database. 

To start, let's begin a new project: File -> New. It doesn’t matter what we call it at the moment, but go ahead and save the design straight away: File -> Save your design. At this point you should be presented with a blank design window in the bottom half of the user interface.

[[File:Main_window.png|thumb|800 px|center|The OpenRocket main window.]] 

When you first start a new rocket design you will see that only three categories of components are available in the Add new component panel: 
- Body components and fin sets 
- Inner components 
- Mass objects 

We would usually start building our rocket by selecting a nose cone but for the sake of this guide click the Body tube icon in the Body components and fin sets section. This will then open up a configuration window that we'll use to edit the parameters of the body tube. 

==== The Body Tube’ Configuration Window ====

At this point you should see a new window titled Body tube configuration.

[[File:ConfigBody.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Configuration Window.]]

This window allows you to either select a preset for the component type you are choosing, or make your own. Let’s start by examining how to customize it ourselves. If you have a look at the Body tube configuration window you will see that at the top there is a Component name field. Here we can change the name of the current component to anything we choose. (Note that this name will then appear in the design tree seen in the Rocket Design panel of the main program window.) 

Just below Component name there are several tabs: 
- General: allows us to alter the basic attributes of the component. 
- Motor: allows us to make the body tube into a motor mount, and also edit the properties of the motor. 
- Override: allows us to manually set the mass or centre of gravity for the component. 
- Appearance: allows us to select colours, textures and other finishes. 
- Comment: allows us to enter any comments or notes about the component. 

It should be noted that these tabs are specific to the component being designed. For example, a nose cone will not have a motor tab, but will instead have a shoulder tab. It will also have a description panel to tell you a bit more about the component you are choosing. After you learn how to navigate around one component configuration panel, the others should be relatively self-explanatory. 

===== General Tab =====

The rest of the Body tube configuration window lists the different parameters for the current component type. As you can see, the General tab provides options to manually enter numbers, or you can also use the spin boxes (coarse control) or sliders (fine control) provided to adjust the parameter values. The Automatic checkbox will adjust the dimensions of the component automatically. Here you will also see a Filled checkbox. If this is checked you will notice that the inner diameter goes to zero, i.e., a filled (solid) tube. Note how the Component mass changes when this box is checked. 

On the right hand side of the window you will see the Component material and Component finish drop-down menus. If you click on these you will be presented with a list of various materials and finishes, each with their own weight and thickness. If you are using the same finish for the entire rocket you can click the Set for all button to make each component use the same finish. The last notable feature in this window is in the bottom left. There you will see a live display of the Component mass. This will update automatically as you change parameter values. Experiment with the sliders to see how the component changes in the design window.

You may have noticed that, apart from the mass, there is no noticeable difference when either the inner diameter or wall thickness parameters are changed. To see those changes reflected in the model you will have to switch to a different View Type, by selecting the desired view from the drop-down list at the left of the main OpenRocket program window.

===== Motor Tab =====

Next to the General tab is the Motor tab. If you click on it you will see that most parameters are grayed-out, with the exception of one checkbox. As the label mentions, this is for when you want the body tube component to also be a motor mount.
[[File:ConfigBodyMotor.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Motor tab of the Configuration Window.]]

Have a quick look at this if you wish, but we'll discuss changing flight configurations for a later section of the guide.

===== Override =====

We'll take a quick look at this tab, as it common to most components. For starting out though, you most likely will not need it.

[[File:ConfigBodyOverride.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Override tab of the Configuration Window.]]

This tab would be used when you specifically wanted to override the mass and centre of gravity (CG) of the component.

===== Appearance =====

Everyone likes something shiny, don’t they? This tab allows you edit the appearance of the component.

[[File:ConfigBodyAppearance.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Appearance tab of the Configuration Window.]]

There are two sections here, the Figure style section and the Appearance section. Figure style changes what the 2D figure looks like, whereas Appearance will change what the 3D model will look like. If you wish to use any custom textures or images in your rocket design, you can load those through the Texture drop-down menu.

===== Comment =====

This section does not really need much explanation. If you want to write any comments or notes about your component (why you chose the values you did, etc.), then this is the place to do it.

[[File:ConfigBodyComment.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Comment tab of the Configuration Window.]] 

Now that we have been through all of the tabs of the Body Tube component, click the Close button. You should now notice that the rest of the components are now unlocked in the top right of the Design window. This is because all component types can be added to a body tube. However, a Nose cone should be selected first if you are making your own rocket.

Let’s have a look at the full list of components. If you cannot click on the component type, try selecting the Body tube in the design window in the top left panel of OpenRocket.

=== Available Components ===

As previously mentioned, there are 16 component types to choose from within OpenRocket. These are split into three sections: 
- Body components and fin sets 
- Inner components 
- Mass objects 

[[File:ComponentSupertypes.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Component types menu.]] 

==== Body components and fin sets ====

Within Body components and fin sets we have 7 component types. These components make up the external and main body of the rocket; everything else is inside the rocket. As you will see in the image the component types are: 

- Nose Cone: The very tip of the rocket. Usually, you will select this component first. 
- Body Tube: As we have seen, the body tube makes up the main section of a stage. 
- Transition: A component that usually joins one body tube to another (normally larger) tube. 
- Trapezoidal fin: A fin set that is in the shape of a trapezoid. 
- Elliptical fin: A fin set that is in the shape of an ellipse. 
- Freeform fin: This special kind of fin takes any shape you want. If you add it to your model it will open up a design window for you to alter the shape as desired. 
- Launch Lug: This component usually goes on the outside of a body tube and is used while the rocket is on the launch pad. 

[[File:ComponentBodyAndFins.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Body components and fin sets submenu.]] 

==== Inner Components ====

Within Inner components we have 5 component types, and these components are all internal. As with Body components and fin sets we will now run through the list of components. 

- Inner tube: This component lets you add tubes to the inside of the main body tube. 
- Coupler: Used in multi-stage rockets, a coupler joins two sections together. 
- Centering ring: These can be used to support other components (e.g., a motor), in the centre of a larger tube. 
- Bulkhead: This is a block of material that forms a stop or barrier between two different areas. 
- Engine block: An engine block prevents the motor from moving forward in the motor mount tube. 

[[File:ComponentInner.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Inner Components submenu.]] 

==== Mass Objects ====

Within Mass objects we have 4 component types. They are:

- Parachute: Like any good parachute, this component will stop your rocket from becoming scrap. 
- Streamer: Another component for keeping your rocket safe, a streamer creates drag as your rocket falls down to earth. 
- Shock cord: A shock cord secures the nose cone to the body of the rocket so that it isn't lost when the nose is blown off to deploy the parachute/streamer. 
- Mass component: This is a block of mass used to adjust the rocket's Center of Gravity (CG). You can name it to whatever you want it to represent. 

[[File:ComponentMasses.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Mass Objects submenu.]] 

You have now had a brief run through the various components available for use in OpenRocket. The next section will deal with an example rocket.

== A Simple Model Rocket Example ==

In this section we will look at the components used in the A simple model rocket example design. To get started, start OpenRocket and navigate to the main window. As a reminder it looks like this:

[[File:Main_window.png|thumb|800 px|center|The Openrocket main window.]] 

==== Opening Example Designs ====

We'll begin by looking at how to find and load the example rockets within OpenRocket. Recall that this was also covered in the Getting Started section of this guide, but as a refresher the steps for doing this are as follows: 
- In the main window, click on the File menu at the top left. 
- Scroll down to Open Examples... open, and expand that menu. Here you will see a list of the available rocket design examples. 
Your screen should now look like this:

[[File:OpenExample.png|thumb|800 px|center|Opening an example rocket ]] 

Click on first example, our Simple model rocket. A Rocket configuration window should appear, with the Design Name (A simple model Rocket) and Designer (Sampo Niskanen) fields populated. The Comments and Revision History fields will be blank. Click Close. You should now have successfully loaded the rocket and be able to see a 2D schematic in the Rocket Design window.

[[File:After_complete_design.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Bottom half of the Rocket design window.]] 

==== Components used in ‘A simple model rocket’ ====

Now we will have a quick look through the components used in the example rocket. If you look towards the top left of the Rocket Design window you will see that there is a tree of components shown. By default they should all be fully expanded. If not, do so now.

[[File:Structure.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Top left-hand portion of the Rocket design window.]]

This image shows A simple model rocket at the top, followed by the Sustainer, which is Stage 1 of the rocket. 

If we look at the first component in the Sustainer stage we see that it is the nose cone. Double click on that now. This will bring up the Nose cone configuration window.

[[File:ConfigNose.png|thumb|600 px|center|Nose Cone Configuration Window.]]

As we have already examined the configuration window we will not repeat ourselves here. However, you will see that in this example we have used an Ogive nose cone with a Shape parameter of 1.0. If you read the description of the component to the right in the configuration window, you will discover that a value of 1.0 produces a tangent ogive. 

Moving down the window, you will see that the Nose cone length has a value of 10, the Base diameter has a value of 2.5, and the Wall thickness has a value of 0.2. All of these parameters have been set, in this example, to use centimeters (cm) as their unit. You should also see that this component is using Polystyrene as its material with a Regular paint finish. As you can see, the material has a density of 1.05 grams per centimetre cubed, and the paint is 60.0 micrometers thick. In the bottom left, the component weight is currently 13.2 grams. Go ahead and play around with the sliders to see how the component changes, and then change them back when you are finished. 

If you move over to the Shoulder tab, you'll be able to see the size attributes of the shoulder. Again, you can play around with the sliders if you want--as long as you change them back to the original settings when you are finished. For reference these are 2.3, 2.0 and 0.2 centimeters, respectively. Also have a look through the rest of the tabs to see what has been selected. The only other thing to note is that the appearance has been customized. If you were to change to the 3D Finished view type, you will see how the finished model looks. 

Moving on to the Body tube, you can access its various attributes by double-clicking on it in the Rocket design window. Note how its various attributes have been set to create the current size. This is all fairly straightforward and as we have already looked into the various components earlier, we will not go into great detail here. 

Note the eight other components that have been placed onto the Body tube. In descending order these are: 
- Trapezoidal fin set 
- Inner Tube 
- Centering Ring 
- Centering Ring 
- Shock Cord 
- Parachute 
- Wadding 
- Launch lug 

The Inner Tube in this design is used as a motor mount. You will see this if you go to the Motor tab in the Inner Tube configuration window. This means that a motor has been fitting into this piece. Upon inspection we can see that the current motor name is displayed in the Flight configuration drop-down list, on the right side of the main OpenRocket window. You can open this drop-down menu to select other motors that are available for use in this simulation, as well as the other example simulations that you will see on the Flight simulation tab. 

The ninth component is place inside the inner tube. This is the engine block. If you look at the schematic of the rocket you will see that this is placed in front of the grey rectangle, which is the motor. To quickly address some of the other components, you will note that the recovery method used in this rocket is a Parachute: the red dashed rounded-rectangle near the nose cone of the rocket. Along with the parachute we have a Shock cord, which (as was discussed earlier) prevents loss of the nose cone upon deployment of the recovery system. This is shown as a long, black, dashed rounded-rectangle in the same general area as the parachute. The other black, dashed rounded-rectangle box is the Wadding, which is a mass component and is used here to bring the centre of gravity forward towards the nose. 

We have now looked through the components used within the simple model rocket example. If you would like to see other available components, see Appendix A. Now that we are familiar with what makes up the rocket we will go ahead and build one from scratch! 

== Building ‘A simple model rocket’ ==

In this section we will build up the example model from scratch. After you have completed this process, you should be able to apply what you've learned in order to make any basic rocket you want. So let’s begin... 

Open a new project window so that everything is blank. The following are the steps that you will follow to create the rocket. 

1) Select the nose cone. Change its type to Ogive, if that isn't already selected. Make sure that Shape parameter, Nose cone length, base diameter, and Wall thickness values are set to 1.0, 10.0, 2.5, and 0.2 cm, respectively. The units are centimeters by default, so we should not need to change these. Finally, change the Component material to Polystyrene. 

2) Next, while still in the Nose cone configuration window, move to the Shoulder tab. Change the diameter to 2.3, the length to 2.0, and the thickness to 0.2. Also, check the End capped box. 

3) The last thing we have to do with the nose cone is to change its Appearance, so switch to that tab now. Leave the Figure style section unchanged but under the Appearance section, change the colour to one lighter than black. (Or to whatever you want, go crazy!) Then adjust the shine to 50%. That is all we need to change for now. 

You should now see this in the view area at the bottom of the main OpenRocket window:

[[File:NoseComplete.png|thumb|600 px|center|Nose Cone]] 

4) Next, add the Body tube. The measurements for length, outer diameter, inner diameter, and wall thickness are 30.0, 2.5, 2.3, 0.1 centimeters, respectively. Note that it may be easier to enter the last two manually rather than use the spin boxes or sliders. Leave the Automatic and Filled boxes unchecked. The material should remain Cardboard and the finish should be Regular Paint. The only other thing you should change here is the appearance, but we'll leave that to you as an exercise. 

You should now have this: 

[[File:BodyComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Nose Cone and Body]] 

5) Moving on, we next need to add a Fin set. Make sure you have clicked on the Body tube so that it’s highlighted then click on the Trapezoidal component type. The Trapezoidal fin set configuration window will have appeared. Leave the left side of the window alone: the settings there are fine as-is. However, we will need to change some things on the right hand side. First, change the Fin cross section to Rounded. Also, reduce the Thickness to 0.2cm. That’s all we need to do in this tab. Now move to the Appearance tab and customize to your preference. 

[[File:FinsComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Nose Cone, Body, and Fins]] 

6) The next component we need to add is the Inner tube. Once again highlight the body tube and then click on the Inner tube component button. There are a couple of attributes we should change here. First, increase the Length value to 7.5cm. Also, increase the Plus value to 0.5cm. Leave everything else the same. 

Now go to the Motor tab. There are a few things we need to add here. To start, check the This component is a motor mount checkbox. This will allow us to add motors. The next few steps may seem complicated but do not be daunted by them. First, we will deal with the easy part: Increase the Motor overhang to 0.3cm. Now click Close button to close the Inner Tube configuration window. 

Now click on the Motors & Configuration tab towards the left upper corner of the main OpenRocket window, just under the menu bar. On the resulting page, note the Motors tab towards the left upper corner. Make sure the Inner T... box is checked, and then click on the New Configuration button in the top center portion of the upper panel. You should see that a new configuration has been added to the list of configuration. Left-click in the Inner Tube column, and then click the Select motor button just below the open panel on the right of the screen. The Select a rocket motor window now appears.

====TODO: New Windows-based image capture needed for v15.03====

[[File:FlightConfig_Debian.png|thumb|500 px|center|Flight Configurations Window]]

Make sure your window looks the same as the one above. Follow these steps: 

- Make sure the Filter Motors tab is selected in the top right corner of the window. 
- Select only the Estes option in the Manufacturer list. 
- Make sure that the Total Impulse slider is positioned over A (all the way to the left). 
- Look for the A8 motor in list on the left side of the window. Click on it. 
- In the Ejection charge delay field at the top left, enter the value 3. 
- Now click the OK button at the lower right corner of the window. 

If everything went to plan, you have successfully added the Estes A8-3 motor to your rocket. Now repeat these steps for the following motors, using a New Configuration for each new motor you add: 
- Estes B4-4 
- Estes C6-3 
- Estes C6-5 
- Estes C6-7 

After you have added the rest of the motors, click back on the Rocket design tab just under the main menu. 

[[File:MotorsAdded.png|thumb|500 px|center|All Motors Added]]

Select the A8-3 Motor for now. That is all we have to do with the Inner tube apart from the Appearance but as usual I will let you paint it how you wish. 

The next component we will add is the Engine Block. This time make sure that the Inner tube is highlighted and then add an engine block component. Change the Inner diameter to 1.2 and the Wall thickness to 0.3. Also, change the Position relative to: Top of the parent component. The last change we will make is to increase plus to 0.2. That is all we have to do for this component. 

Your rocket should now look like this: 

[[File:EngineBlockCompleted.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added the Engine Block]] 

7) We will now add two Centering Rings. Make sure the Body tube is highlighted in the list of components under Rocket design, then click on the Centering ring component type. The first one is fine as-is, so we will not make any changes. However, we will add the following line under the Comment tab: The centering ring automatically takes the outer diameter of the body tube and the inner diameter of the inner tube. 

Now click Close, select the body tube again and add another Centering ring. This time all we have to do is to change plus to -4.5cm. Also, add the same comment as for the first ring. 

[[File:CenteringRings.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Centering Rings]] 

8) The next component we will add is the Shock cord. As usual, make sure the Body tube is selected before adding the shock cord component. After it has been added change the Plus value to 2cm, Packed length to 5.2, and Packed diameter to 1.2. Again, we will add a comment to this component. Enter the following line to the Comment section: The shock cord does not need to be attached to anything in particular, as it functions only as a mass component.. Click the Close button to close the window, as the shock cord has now been completed. 

[[File:ShockCordComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Shock Cord]] 

9) Now we need to add the Parachute. With the body tube highlighted, add a parachute component. Change Plus to 3.2cm, Packed length to 4.2cm and Packed diameter to 1.8cm. That is everything we need to do to the parachute. Click Close to close the window. You can see what your rocket should now look like below. 

[[File:ParachuteAdded.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Parachute]] 

10) The second-to-last component to add is a Mass Component. Go ahead and add one to the body tube now. Adjust the Mass to 2 grams (g), the Approximate density to 0.16 g/cm^3, the length to 3.0cm, the diameter to 2.3cm and finally the Plus value to 8.0cm. It may be easier to enter these manually. The last thing you have to do is to rename it from ‘Unspecified’ to Wadding. Leave everything else as it is and click the Close button. 

[[File:AddedMass.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Mass]] 

11) Almost done! One final component left to add: the Launch lug. Add this to the body tube now. Change the Length to 3.5cm, the Outer diameter to 0.7cm, and the inner diameter to 0.5cm. Leave the Thickness as it is. Also, change the Radial position to 19 degrees. Click Close.

[[File:LaunchLugAdded.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Launch Lug]] 

And that’s all there is to it. You have just completed building your first rocket within OpenRocket! From here you can use what you know to create more rockets, or you can proceed to the next section of the User Guide: Advanced Rocket Design. Have fun!

----
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Basic Flight Simulation|← Basic Flight Simulation]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Advanced Rocket Design|Advanced Rocket Design →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

Basic Rocket Design

2015-09-13T19:30:10Z

Tcbetka: Added a Debian-based screenshot for the Motors & Configuration page in v15.03

<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Basic Flight Simulation|← Basic Flight Simulation]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Advanced Rocket Design|Advanced Rocket Design →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

{{UserGuideHelp}}

==Basic Rocket Design==

__TOC__

In this section we'll look at how to design a basic rocket by examining the A simple model rocket design example. After reading this section you should have an understanding of how to start designing your own rockets. If you already know how to design your rocket, you can jump to the [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Basic_Flight_Simulation next section]. 

We will start with a brief discussion on the selection of available components, and then the components used in the A simple model rocket example. Then we'll build a rocket from scratch to see how it’s done. 

=== Component Configuration Window ===

There are several types of components available to you as a rocket designer, and you can either customize these to meet your specific needs, or simply load presets from the database. 

To start, let's begin a new project: File -> New. It doesn’t matter what we call it at the moment, but go ahead and save the design straight away: File -> Save your design. At this point you should be presented with a blank design window in the bottom half of the user interface.

[[File:Main_window.png|thumb|800 px|center|The OpenRocket main window.]] 

When you first start a new rocket design you will see that only three categories of components are available in the Add new component panel: 
- Body components and fin sets 
- Inner components 
- Mass objects 

We would usually start building our rocket by selecting a nose cone but for the sake of this guide click the Body tube icon in the Body components and fin sets section. This will then open up a configuration window that we'll use to edit the parameters of the body tube. 

==== The Body Tube’ Configuration Window ====

At this point you should see a new window titled Body tube configuration.

[[File:ConfigBody.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Configuration Window.]]

This window allows you to either select a preset for the component type you are choosing, or make your own. Let’s start by examining how to customize it ourselves. If you have a look at the Body tube configuration window you will see that at the top there is a Component name field. Here we can change the name of the current component to anything we choose. (Note that this name will then appear in the design tree seen in the Rocket Design panel of the main program window.) 

Just below Component name there are several tabs: 
- General: allows us to alter the basic attributes of the component. 
- Motor: allows us to make the body tube into a motor mount, and also edit the properties of the motor. 
- Override: allows us to manually set the mass or centre of gravity for the component. 
- Appearance: allows us to select colours, textures and other finishes. 
- Comment: allows us to enter any comments or notes about the component. 

It should be noted that these tabs are specific to the component being designed. For example, a nose cone will not have a motor tab, but will instead have a shoulder tab. It will also have a description panel to tell you a bit more about the component you are choosing. After you learn how to navigate around one component configuration panel, the others should be relatively self-explanatory. 

===== General Tab =====

The rest of the Body tube configuration window lists the different parameters for the current component type. As you can see, the General tab provides options to manually enter numbers, or you can also use the spin boxes (coarse control) or sliders (fine control) provided to adjust the parameter values. The Automatic checkbox will adjust the dimensions of the component automatically. Here you will also see a Filled checkbox. If this is checked you will notice that the inner diameter goes to zero, i.e., a filled (solid) tube. Note how the Component mass changes when this box is checked. 

On the right hand side of the window you will see the Component material and Component finish drop-down menus. If you click on these you will be presented with a list of various materials and finishes, each with their own weight and thickness. If you are using the same finish for the entire rocket you can click the Set for all button to make each component use the same finish. The last notable feature in this window is in the bottom left. There you will see a live display of the Component mass. This will update automatically as you change parameter values. Experiment with the sliders to see how the component changes in the design window.

You may have noticed that, apart from the mass, there is no noticeable difference when either the inner diameter or wall thickness parameters are changed. To see those changes reflected in the model you will have to switch to a different View Type, by selecting the desired view from the drop-down list at the left of the main OpenRocket program window.

===== Motor Tab =====

Next to the General tab is the Motor tab. If you click on it you will see that most parameters are grayed-out, with the exception of one checkbox. As the label mentions, this is for when you want the body tube component to also be a motor mount.
[[File:ConfigBodyMotor.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Motor tab of the Configuration Window.]]

Have a quick look at this if you wish, but we'll discuss changing flight configurations for a later section of the guide.

===== Override =====

We'll take a quick look at this tab, as it common to most components. For starting out though, you most likely will not need it.

[[File:ConfigBodyOverride.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Override tab of the Configuration Window.]]

This tab would be used when you specifically wanted to override the mass and centre of gravity (CG) of the component.

===== Appearance =====

Everyone likes something shiny, don’t they? This tab allows you edit the appearance of the component.

[[File:ConfigBodyAppearance.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Appearance tab of the Configuration Window.]]

There are two sections here, the Figure style section and the Appearance section. Figure style changes what the 2D figure looks like, whereas Appearance will change what the 3D model will look like. If you wish to use any custom textures or images in your rocket design, you can load those through the Texture drop-down menu.

===== Comment =====

This section does not really need much explanation. If you want to write any comments or notes about your component (why you chose the values you did, etc.), then this is the place to do it.

[[File:ConfigBodyComment.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Comment tab of the Configuration Window.]] 

Now that we have been through all of the tabs of the Body Tube component, click the Close button. You should now notice that the rest of the components are now unlocked in the top right of the Design window. This is because all component types can be added to a body tube. However, a Nose cone should be selected first if you are making your own rocket.

Let’s have a look at the full list of components. If you cannot click on the component type, try selecting the Body tube in the design window in the top left panel of OpenRocket.

=== Available Components ===

As previously mentioned, there are 16 component types to choose from within OpenRocket. These are split into three sections: 
- Body components and fin sets 
- Inner components 
- Mass objects 

[[File:ComponentSupertypes.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Component types menu.]] 

==== Body components and fin sets ====

Within Body components and fin sets we have 7 component types. These components make up the external and main body of the rocket; everything else is inside the rocket. As you will see in the image the component types are: 

- Nose Cone: The very tip of the rocket. Usually, you will select this component first. 
- Body Tube: As we have seen, the body tube makes up the main section of a stage. 
- Transition: A component that usually joins one body tube to another (normally larger) tube. 
- Trapezoidal fin: A fin set that is in the shape of a trapezoid. 
- Elliptical fin: A fin set that is in the shape of an ellipse. 
- Freeform fin: This special kind of fin takes any shape you want. If you add it to your model it will open up a design window for you to alter the shape as desired. 
- Launch Lug: This component usually goes on the outside of a body tube and is used while the rocket is on the launch pad. 

[[File:ComponentBodyAndFins.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Body components and fin sets submenu.]] 

==== Inner Components ====

Within Inner components we have 5 component types, and these components are all internal. As with Body components and fin sets we will now run through the list of components. 

- Inner tube: This component lets you add tubes to the inside of the main body tube. 
- Coupler: Used in multi-stage rockets, a coupler joins two sections together. 
- Centering ring: These can be used to support other components (e.g., a motor), in the centre of a larger tube. 
- Bulkhead: This is a block of material that forms a stop or barrier between two different areas. 
- Engine block: An engine block prevents the motor from moving forward in the motor mount tube. 

[[File:ComponentInner.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Inner Components submenu.]] 

==== Mass Objects ====

Within Mass objects we have 4 component types. They are:

- Parachute: Like any good parachute, this component will stop your rocket from becoming scrap. 
- Streamer: Another component for keeping your rocket safe, a streamer creates drag as your rocket falls down to earth. 
- Shock cord: A shock cord secures the nose cone to the body of the rocket so that it isn't lost when the nose is blown off to deploy the parachute/streamer. 
- Mass component: This is a block of mass used to adjust the rocket's Center of Gravity (CG). You can name it to whatever you want it to represent. 

[[File:ComponentMasses.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Mass Objects submenu.]] 

You have now had a brief run through the various components available for use in OpenRocket. The next section will deal with an example rocket.

== A Simple Model Rocket Example ==

In this section we will look at the components used in the A simple model rocket example design. To get started, start OpenRocket and navigate to the main window. As a reminder it looks like this:

[[File:Main_window.png|thumb|800 px|center|The Openrocket main window.]] 

==== Opening Example Designs ====

We'll begin by looking at how to find and load the example rockets within OpenRocket. Recall that this was also covered in the Getting Started section of this guide, but as a refresher the steps for doing this are as follows: 
- In the main window, click on the File menu at the top left. 
- Scroll down to Open Examples... open, and expand that menu. Here you will see a list of the available rocket design examples. 
Your screen should now look like this:

[[File:OpenExample.png|thumb|800 px|center|Opening an example rocket ]] 

Click on first example, our Simple model rocket. A Rocket configuration window should appear, with the Design Name (A simple model Rocket) and Designer (Sampo Niskanen) fields populated. The Comments and Revision History fields will be blank. Click Close. You should now have successfully loaded the rocket and be able to see a 2D schematic in the Rocket Design window.

[[File:After_complete_design.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Bottom half of the Rocket design window.]] 

==== Components used in ‘A simple model rocket’ ====

Now we will have a quick look through the components used in the example rocket. If you look towards the top left of the Rocket Design window you will see that there is a tree of components shown. By default they should all be fully expanded. If not, do so now.

[[File:Structure.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Top left-hand portion of the Rocket design window.]]

This image shows A simple model rocket at the top, followed by the Sustainer, which is Stage 1 of the rocket. 

If we look at the first component in the Sustainer stage we see that it is the nose cone. Double click on that now. This will bring up the Nose cone configuration window.

[[File:ConfigNose.png|thumb|600 px|center|Nose Cone Configuration Window.]]

As we have already examined the configuration window we will not repeat ourselves here. However, you will see that in this example we have used an Ogive nose cone with a Shape parameter of 1.0. If you read the description of the component to the right in the configuration window, you will discover that a value of 1.0 produces a tangent ogive. 

Moving down the window, you will see that the Nose cone length has a value of 10, the Base diameter has a value of 2.5, and the Wall thickness has a value of 0.2. All of these parameters have been set, in this example, to use centimeters (cm) as their unit. You should also see that this component is using Polystyrene as its material with a Regular paint finish. As you can see, the material has a density of 1.05 grams per centimetre cubed, and the paint is 60.0 micrometers thick. In the bottom left, the component weight is currently 13.2 grams. Go ahead and play around with the sliders to see how the component changes, and then change them back when you are finished. 

If you move over to the Shoulder tab, you'll be able to see the size attributes of the shoulder. Again, you can play around with the sliders if you want--as long as you change them back to the original settings when you are finished. For reference these are 2.3, 2.0 and 0.2 centimeters, respectively. Also have a look through the rest of the tabs to see what has been selected. The only other thing to note is that the appearance has been customized. If you were to change to the 3D Finished view type, you will see how the finished model looks. 

Moving on to the Body tube, you can access its various attributes by double-clicking on it in the Rocket design window. Note how its various attributes have been set to create the current size. This is all fairly straightforward and as we have already looked into the various components earlier, we will not go into great detail here. 

Note the eight other components that have been placed onto the Body tube. In descending order these are: 
- Trapezoidal fin set 
- Inner Tube 
- Centering Ring 
- Centering Ring 
- Shock Cord 
- Parachute 
- Wadding 
- Launch lug 

The Inner Tube in this design is used as a motor mount. You will see this if you go to the Motor tab in the Inner Tube configuration window. This means that a motor has been fitting into this piece. Upon inspection we can see that the current motor name is displayed in the Flight configuration drop-down list, on the right side of the main OpenRocket window. You can open this drop-down menu to select other motors that are available for use in this simulation, as well as the other example simulations that you will see on the Flight simulation tab. 

The ninth component is place inside the inner tube. This is the engine block. If you look at the schematic of the rocket you will see that this is placed in front of the grey rectangle, which is the motor. To quickly address some of the other components, you will note that the recovery method used in this rocket is a Parachute: the red dashed rounded-rectangle near the nose cone of the rocket. Along with the parachute we have a Shock cord, which (as was discussed earlier) prevents loss of the nose cone upon deployment of the recovery system. This is shown as a long, black, dashed rounded-rectangle in the same general area as the parachute. The other black, dashed rounded-rectangle box is the Wadding, which is a mass component and is used here to bring the centre of gravity forward towards the nose. 

We have now looked through the components used within the simple model rocket example. If you would like to see other available components, see Appendix A. Now that we are familiar with what makes up the rocket we will go ahead and build one from scratch! 

== Building ‘A simple model rocket’ ==

In this section we will build up the example model from scratch. After you have completed this process, you should be able to apply what you've learned in order to make any basic rocket you want. So let’s begin... 

Open a new project window so that everything is blank. The following are the steps that you will follow to create the rocket. 

1) Select the nose cone. Change its type to Ogive, if that isn't already selected. Make sure that Shape parameter, Nose cone length, base diameter, and Wall thickness values are set to 1.0, 10.0, 2.5, and 0.2 cm, respectively. The units are centimeters by default, so we should not need to change these. Finally, change the Component material to Polystyrene. 

2) Next, while still in the Nose cone configuration window, move to the Shoulder tab. Change the diameter to 2.3, the length to 2.0, and the thickness to 0.2. Also, check the End capped box. 

3) The last thing we have to do with the nose cone is to change its Appearance, so switch to that tab now. Leave the Figure style section unchanged but under the Appearance section, change the colour to one lighter than black. (Or to whatever you want, go crazy!) Then adjust the shine to 50%. That is all we need to change for now. 

You should now see this in the view area at the bottom of the main OpenRocket window:

[[File:NoseComplete.png|thumb|600 px|center|Nose Cone]] 

4) Next, add the Body tube. The measurements for length, outer diameter, inner diameter, and wall thickness are 30.0, 2.5, 2.3, 0.1 centimeters, respectively. Note that it may be easier to enter the last two manually rather than use the spin boxes or sliders. Leave the Automatic and Filled boxes unchecked. The material should remain Cardboard and the finish should be Regular Paint. The only other thing you should change here is the appearance, but we'll leave that to you as an exercise. 

You should now have this: 

[[File:BodyComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Nose Cone and Body]] 

5) Moving on, we next need to add a Fin set. Make sure you have clicked on the Body tube so that it’s highlighted then click on the Trapezoidal component type. The Trapezoidal fin set configuration window will have appeared. Leave the left side of the window alone: the settings there are fine as-is. However, we will need to change some things on the right hand side. First, change the Fin cross section to Rounded. Also, reduce the Thickness to 0.2cm. That’s all we need to do in this tab. Now move to the Appearance tab and customize to your preference. 

[[File:FinsComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Nose Cone, Body, and Fins]] 

6) The next component we need to add is the Inner tube. Once again highlight the body tube and then click on the Inner tube component button. There are a couple of attributes we should change here. First, increase the Length value to 7.5cm. Also, increase the Plus value to 0.5cm. Leave everything else the same. 

Now go to the Motor tab. There are a few things we need to add here. To start, check the This component is a motor mount checkbox. This will allow us to add motors. The next few steps may seem complicated but do not be daunted by them. First, we will deal with the easy part: Increase the Motor overhang to 0.3cm. Now click Close button to close the Inner Tube configuration window. 

Now click on the Motors & Configuration tab towards the left upper corner of the main OpenRocket window, just under the menu bar. On the resulting page, note the Motors tab towards the left upper corner. Make sure the Inner T... box is checked, and then click on the New Configuration button in the top center portion of the upper panel. You should see that a new configuration has been added to the list of configuration. Left-click in the Inner Tube column, and then click the Select motor button just below the open panel on the right of the screen. The Select a rocket motor window now appears.

====TODO: New image needed for v15.03====

[[File:FlightConfig_Debian.png|thumb|500 px|center|Flight Configurations Window]]

Make sure your window looks the same as the one above. Follow these steps: 

- Make sure the Filter Motors tab is selected in the top right corner of the window. 
- Select only the Estes option in the Manufacturer list. 
- Make sure that the Total Impulse slider is positioned over A (all the way to the left). 
- Look for the A8 motor in list on the left side of the window. Click on it. 
- In the Ejection charge delay field at the top left, enter the value 3. 
- Now click the OK button at the lower right corner of the window. 

If everything went to plan, you have successfully added the Estes A8-3 motor to your rocket. Now repeat these steps for the following motors, using a New Configuration for each new motor you add: 
- Estes B4-4 
- Estes C6-3 
- Estes C6-5 
- Estes C6-7 

After you have added the rest of the motors, click back on the Rocket design tab just under the main menu. 

[[File:MotorsAdded.png|thumb|500 px|center|All Motors Added]]

Select the A8-3 Motor for now. That is all we have to do with the Inner tube apart from the Appearance but as usual I will let you paint it how you wish. 

The next component we will add is the Engine Block. This time make sure that the Inner tube is highlighted and then add an engine block component. Change the Inner diameter to 1.2 and the Wall thickness to 0.3. Also, change the Position relative to: Top of the parent component. The last change we will make is to increase plus to 0.2. That is all we have to do for this component. 

Your rocket should now look like this: 

[[File:EngineBlockCompleted.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added the Engine Block]] 

7) We will now add two Centering Rings. Make sure the Body tube is highlighted in the list of components under Rocket design, then click on the Centering ring component type. The first one is fine as-is, so we will not make any changes. However, we will add the following line under the Comment tab: The centering ring automatically takes the outer diameter of the body tube and the inner diameter of the inner tube. 

Now click Close, select the body tube again and add another Centering ring. This time all we have to do is to change plus to -4.5cm. Also, add the same comment as for the first ring. 

[[File:CenteringRings.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Centering Rings]] 

8) The next component we will add is the Shock cord. As usual, make sure the Body tube is selected before adding the shock cord component. After it has been added change the Plus value to 2cm, Packed length to 5.2, and Packed diameter to 1.2. Again, we will add a comment to this component. Enter the following line to the Comment section: The shock cord does not need to be attached to anything in particular, as it functions only as a mass component.. Click the Close button to close the window, as the shock cord has now been completed. 

[[File:ShockCordComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Shock Cord]] 

9) Now we need to add the Parachute. With the body tube highlighted, add a parachute component. Change Plus to 3.2cm, Packed length to 4.2cm and Packed diameter to 1.8cm. That is everything we need to do to the parachute. Click Close to close the window. You can see what your rocket should now look like below. 

[[File:ParachuteAdded.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Parachute]] 

10) The second-to-last component to add is a Mass Component. Go ahead and add one to the body tube now. Adjust the Mass to 2 grams (g), the Approximate density to 0.16 g/cm^3, the length to 3.0cm, the diameter to 2.3cm and finally the Plus value to 8.0cm. It may be easier to enter these manually. The last thing you have to do is to rename it from ‘Unspecified’ to Wadding. Leave everything else as it is and click the Close button. 

[[File:AddedMass.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Mass]] 

11) Almost done! One final component left to add: the Launch lug. Add this to the body tube now. Change the Length to 3.5cm, the Outer diameter to 0.7cm, and the inner diameter to 0.5cm. Leave the Thickness as it is. Also, change the Radial position to 19 degrees. Click Close.

[[File:LaunchLugAdded.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Launch Lug]] 

And that’s all there is to it. You have just completed building your first rocket within OpenRocket! From here you can use what you know to create more rockets, or you can proceed to the next section of the User Guide: Advanced Rocket Design. Have fun!

----
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Basic Flight Simulation|← Basic Flight Simulation]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Advanced Rocket Design|Advanced Rocket Design →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

File:FlightConfig Debian.png

2015-09-13T19:28:45Z

Tcbetka: Tcbetka uploaded a new version of "File:FlightConfig Debian.png"

User's Guide

2015-09-13T19:23:24Z

Tcbetka: /* User's Guide (Work In Progress) */

{{Access}}

== FAQ and HOWTO ==
Basically responses to FAQs or brief HOWTOs for specific tasks.

* [[FAQ]] - contains information on many common tasks with OpenRocket

== User's Guide (Work In Progress) ==

{{UserGuideHelp}}

=== '''Contents''' ===

1. [[Introduction]]

2. [[Downloading & Installing]]

3. [[Getting Started]]

4. [[Basic Flight Simulation]]

5. [[Basic Rocket Design]]

6. [[Advanced Rocket Design]]

7. [[Advanced Flight Simulation]]

8. [[Rocket Analysis]]

9. [[Custom Expressions]]

10. [[Simulation Listeners]]

11. [[Other Stuff]]

Appendices:

A. [[Component Details]]

File:FlightConfig Debian.png

2015-09-13T19:21:49Z

Tcbetka:

Basic Rocket Design

2015-09-13T19:11:27Z

Tcbetka: Multiple changes to spelling, grammar and formatting. New screenshot images will be needed for the OpenRocket version (15.03) current at the time of these edits.

<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Basic Flight Simulation|← Basic Flight Simulation]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Advanced Rocket Design|Advanced Rocket Design →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

{{UserGuideHelp}}

==Basic Rocket Design==

__TOC__

In this section we'll look at how to design a basic rocket by examining the A simple model rocket design example. After reading this section you should have an understanding of how to start designing your own rockets. If you already know how to design your rocket, you can jump to the [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Basic_Flight_Simulation next section]. 

We will start with a brief discussion on the selection of available components, and then the components used in the A simple model rocket example. Then we'll build a rocket from scratch to see how it’s done. 

=== Component Configuration Window ===

There are several types of components available to you as a rocket designer, and you can either customize these to meet your specific needs, or simply load presets from the database. 

To start, let's begin a new project: File -> New. It doesn’t matter what we call it at the moment, but go ahead and save the design straight away: File -> Save your design. At this point you should be presented with a blank design window in the bottom half of the user interface.

[[File:Main_window.png|thumb|800 px|center|The OpenRocket main window.]] 

When you first start a new rocket design you will see that only three categories of components are available in the Add new component panel: 
- Body components and fin sets 
- Inner components 
- Mass objects 

We would usually start building our rocket by selecting a nose cone but for the sake of this guide click the Body tube icon in the Body components and fin sets section. This will then open up a configuration window that we'll use to edit the parameters of the body tube. 

==== The Body Tube’ Configuration Window ====

At this point you should see a new window titled Body tube configuration.

[[File:ConfigBody.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Configuration Window.]]

This window allows you to either select a preset for the component type you are choosing, or make your own. Let’s start by examining how to customize it ourselves. If you have a look at the Body tube configuration window you will see that at the top there is a Component name field. Here we can change the name of the current component to anything we choose. (Note that this name will then appear in the design tree seen in the Rocket Design panel of the main program window.) 

Just below Component name there are several tabs: 
- General: allows us to alter the basic attributes of the component. 
- Motor: allows us to make the body tube into a motor mount, and also edit the properties of the motor. 
- Override: allows us to manually set the mass or centre of gravity for the component. 
- Appearance: allows us to select colours, textures and other finishes. 
- Comment: allows us to enter any comments or notes about the component. 

It should be noted that these tabs are specific to the component being designed. For example, a nose cone will not have a motor tab, but will instead have a shoulder tab. It will also have a description panel to tell you a bit more about the component you are choosing. After you learn how to navigate around one component configuration panel, the others should be relatively self-explanatory. 

===== General Tab =====

The rest of the Body tube configuration window lists the different parameters for the current component type. As you can see, the General tab provides options to manually enter numbers, or you can also use the spin boxes (coarse control) or sliders (fine control) provided to adjust the parameter values. The Automatic checkbox will adjust the dimensions of the component automatically. Here you will also see a Filled checkbox. If this is checked you will notice that the inner diameter goes to zero, i.e., a filled (solid) tube. Note how the Component mass changes when this box is checked. 

On the right hand side of the window you will see the Component material and Component finish drop-down menus. If you click on these you will be presented with a list of various materials and finishes, each with their own weight and thickness. If you are using the same finish for the entire rocket you can click the Set for all button to make each component use the same finish. The last notable feature in this window is in the bottom left. There you will see a live display of the Component mass. This will update automatically as you change parameter values. Experiment with the sliders to see how the component changes in the design window.

You may have noticed that, apart from the mass, there is no noticeable difference when either the inner diameter or wall thickness parameters are changed. To see those changes reflected in the model you will have to switch to a different View Type, by selecting the desired view from the drop-down list at the left of the main OpenRocket program window.

===== Motor Tab =====

Next to the General tab is the Motor tab. If you click on it you will see that most parameters are grayed-out, with the exception of one checkbox. As the label mentions, this is for when you want the body tube component to also be a motor mount.
[[File:ConfigBodyMotor.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Motor tab of the Configuration Window.]]

Have a quick look at this if you wish, but we'll discuss changing flight configurations for a later section of the guide.

===== Override =====

We'll take a quick look at this tab, as it common to most components. For starting out though, you most likely will not need it.

[[File:ConfigBodyOverride.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Override tab of the Configuration Window.]]

This tab would be used when you specifically wanted to override the mass and centre of gravity (CG) of the component.

===== Appearance =====

Everyone likes something shiny, don’t they? This tab allows you edit the appearance of the component.

[[File:ConfigBodyAppearance.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Appearance tab of the Configuration Window.]]

There are two sections here, the Figure style section and the Appearance section. Figure style changes what the 2D figure looks like, whereas Appearance will change what the 3D model will look like. If you wish to use any custom textures or images in your rocket design, you can load those through the Texture drop-down menu.

===== Comment =====

This section does not really need much explanation. If you want to write any comments or notes about your component (why you chose the values you did, etc.), then this is the place to do it.

[[File:ConfigBodyComment.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Comment tab of the Configuration Window.]] 

Now that we have been through all of the tabs of the Body Tube component, click the Close button. You should now notice that the rest of the components are now unlocked in the top right of the Design window. This is because all component types can be added to a body tube. However, a Nose cone should be selected first if you are making your own rocket.

Let’s have a look at the full list of components. If you cannot click on the component type, try selecting the Body tube in the design window in the top left panel of OpenRocket.

=== Available Components ===

As previously mentioned, there are 16 component types to choose from within OpenRocket. These are split into three sections: 
- Body components and fin sets 
- Inner components 
- Mass objects 

[[File:ComponentSupertypes.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Component types menu.]] 

==== Body components and fin sets ====

Within Body components and fin sets we have 7 component types. These components make up the external and main body of the rocket; everything else is inside the rocket. As you will see in the image the component types are: 

- Nose Cone: The very tip of the rocket. Usually, you will select this component first. 
- Body Tube: As we have seen, the body tube makes up the main section of a stage. 
- Transition: A component that usually joins one body tube to another (normally larger) tube. 
- Trapezoidal fin: A fin set that is in the shape of a trapezoid. 
- Elliptical fin: A fin set that is in the shape of an ellipse. 
- Freeform fin: This special kind of fin takes any shape you want. If you add it to your model it will open up a design window for you to alter the shape as desired. 
- Launch Lug: This component usually goes on the outside of a body tube and is used while the rocket is on the launch pad. 

[[File:ComponentBodyAndFins.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Body components and fin sets submenu.]] 

==== Inner Components ====

Within Inner components we have 5 component types, and these components are all internal. As with Body components and fin sets we will now run through the list of components. 

- Inner tube: This component lets you add tubes to the inside of the main body tube. 
- Coupler: Used in multi-stage rockets, a coupler joins two sections together. 
- Centering ring: These can be used to support other components (e.g., a motor), in the centre of a larger tube. 
- Bulkhead: This is a block of material that forms a stop or barrier between two different areas. 
- Engine block: An engine block prevents the motor from moving forward in the motor mount tube. 

[[File:ComponentInner.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Inner Components submenu.]] 

==== Mass Objects ====

Within Mass objects we have 4 component types. They are:

- Parachute: Like any good parachute, this component will stop your rocket from becoming scrap. 
- Streamer: Another component for keeping your rocket safe, a streamer creates drag as your rocket falls down to earth. 
- Shock cord: A shock cord secures the nose cone to the body of the rocket so that it isn't lost when the nose is blown off to deploy the parachute/streamer. 
- Mass component: This is a block of mass used to adjust the rocket's Center of Gravity (CG). You can name it to whatever you want it to represent. 

[[File:ComponentMasses.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Mass Objects submenu.]] 

You have now had a brief run through the various components available for use in OpenRocket. The next section will deal with an example rocket.

== A Simple Model Rocket Example ==

In this section we will look at the components used in the A simple model rocket example design. To get started, start OpenRocket and navigate to the main window. As a reminder it looks like this:

[[File:Main_window.png|thumb|800 px|center|The Openrocket main window.]] 

==== Opening Example Designs ====

We'll begin by looking at how to find and load the example rockets within OpenRocket. Recall that this was also covered in the Getting Started section of this guide, but as a refresher the steps for doing this are as follows: 
- In the main window, click on the File menu at the top left. 
- Scroll down to Open Examples... open, and expand that menu. Here you will see a list of the available rocket design examples. 
Your screen should now look like this:

[[File:OpenExample.png|thumb|800 px|center|Opening an example rocket ]] 

Click on first example, our Simple model rocket. A Rocket configuration window should appear, with the Design Name (A simple model Rocket) and Designer (Sampo Niskanen) fields populated. The Comments and Revision History fields will be blank. Click Close. You should now have successfully loaded the rocket and be able to see a 2D schematic in the Rocket Design window.

[[File:After_complete_design.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Bottom half of the Rocket design window.]] 

==== Components used in ‘A simple model rocket’ ====

Now we will have a quick look through the components used in the example rocket. If you look towards the top left of the Rocket Design window you will see that there is a tree of components shown. By default they should all be fully expanded. If not, do so now.

[[File:Structure.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Top left-hand portion of the Rocket design window.]]

This image shows A simple model rocket at the top, followed by the Sustainer, which is Stage 1 of the rocket. 

If we look at the first component in the Sustainer stage we see that it is the nose cone. Double click on that now. This will bring up the Nose cone configuration window.

[[File:ConfigNose.png|thumb|600 px|center|Nose Cone Configuration Window.]]

As we have already examined the configuration window we will not repeat ourselves here. However, you will see that in this example we have used an Ogive nose cone with a Shape parameter of 1.0. If you read the description of the component to the right in the configuration window, you will discover that a value of 1.0 produces a tangent ogive. 

Moving down the window, you will see that the Nose cone length has a value of 10, the Base diameter has a value of 2.5, and the Wall thickness has a value of 0.2. All of these parameters have been set, in this example, to use centimeters (cm) as their unit. You should also see that this component is using Polystyrene as its material with a Regular paint finish. As you can see, the material has a density of 1.05 grams per centimetre cubed, and the paint is 60.0 micrometers thick. In the bottom left, the component weight is currently 13.2 grams. Go ahead and play around with the sliders to see how the component changes, and then change them back when you are finished. 

If you move over to the Shoulder tab, you'll be able to see the size attributes of the shoulder. Again, you can play around with the sliders if you want--as long as you change them back to the original settings when you are finished. For reference these are 2.3, 2.0 and 0.2 centimeters, respectively. Also have a look through the rest of the tabs to see what has been selected. The only other thing to note is that the appearance has been customized. If you were to change to the 3D Finished view type, you will see how the finished model looks. 

Moving on to the Body tube, you can access its various attributes by double-clicking on it in the Rocket design window. Note how its various attributes have been set to create the current size. This is all fairly straightforward and as we have already looked into the various components earlier, we will not go into great detail here. 

Note the eight other components that have been placed onto the Body tube. In descending order these are: 
- Trapezoidal fin set 
- Inner Tube 
- Centering Ring 
- Centering Ring 
- Shock Cord 
- Parachute 
- Wadding 
- Launch lug 

The Inner Tube in this design is used as a motor mount. You will see this if you go to the Motor tab in the Inner Tube configuration window. This means that a motor has been fitting into this piece. Upon inspection we can see that the current motor name is displayed in the Flight configuration drop-down list, on the right side of the main OpenRocket window. You can open this drop-down menu to select other motors that are available for use in this simulation, as well as the other example simulations that you will see on the Flight simulation tab. 

The ninth component is place inside the inner tube. This is the engine block. If you look at the schematic of the rocket you will see that this is placed in front of the grey rectangle, which is the motor. To quickly address some of the other components, you will note that the recovery method used in this rocket is a Parachute: the red dashed rounded-rectangle near the nose cone of the rocket. Along with the parachute we have a Shock cord, which (as was discussed earlier) prevents loss of the nose cone upon deployment of the recovery system. This is shown as a long, black, dashed rounded-rectangle in the same general area as the parachute. The other black, dashed rounded-rectangle box is the Wadding, which is a mass component and is used here to bring the centre of gravity forward towards the nose. 

We have now looked through the components used within the simple model rocket example. If you would like to see other available components, see Appendix A. Now that we are familiar with what makes up the rocket we will go ahead and build one from scratch! 

== Building ‘A simple model rocket’ ==

In this section we will build up the example model from scratch. After you have completed this process, you should be able to apply what you've learned in order to make any basic rocket you want. So let’s begin... 

Open a new project window so that everything is blank. The following are the steps that you will follow to create the rocket. 

1) Select the nose cone. Change its type to Ogive, if that isn't already selected. Make sure that Shape parameter, Nose cone length, base diameter, and Wall thickness values are set to 1.0, 10.0, 2.5, and 0.2 cm, respectively. The units are centimeters by default, so we should not need to change these. Finally, change the Component material to Polystyrene. 

2) Next, while still in the Nose cone configuration window, move to the Shoulder tab. Change the diameter to 2.3, the length to 2.0, and the thickness to 0.2. Also, check the End capped box. 

3) The last thing we have to do with the nose cone is to change its Appearance, so switch to that tab now. Leave the Figure style section unchanged but under the Appearance section, change the colour to one lighter than black. (Or to whatever you want, go crazy!) Then adjust the shine to 50%. That is all we need to change for now. 

You should now see this in the view area at the bottom of the main OpenRocket window:

[[File:NoseComplete.png|thumb|600 px|center|Nose Cone]] 

4) Next, add the Body tube. The measurements for length, outer diameter, inner diameter, and wall thickness are 30.0, 2.5, 2.3, 0.1 centimeters, respectively. Note that it may be easier to enter the last two manually rather than use the spin boxes or sliders. Leave the Automatic and Filled boxes unchecked. The material should remain Cardboard and the finish should be Regular Paint. The only other thing you should change here is the appearance, but we'll leave that to you as an exercise. 

You should now have this: 

[[File:BodyComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Nose Cone and Body]] 

5) Moving on, we next need to add a Fin set. Make sure you have clicked on the Body tube so that it’s highlighted then click on the Trapezoidal component type. The Trapezoidal fin set configuration window will have appeared. Leave the left side of the window alone: the settings there are fine as-is. However, we will need to change some things on the right hand side. First, change the Fin cross section to Rounded. Also, reduce the Thickness to 0.2cm. That’s all we need to do in this tab. Now move to the Appearance tab and customize to your preference. 

[[File:FinsComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Nose Cone, Body, and Fins]] 

6) The next component we need to add is the Inner tube. Once again highlight the body tube and then click on the Inner tube component button. There are a couple of attributes we should change here. First, increase the Length value to 7.5cm. Also, increase the Plus value to 0.5cm. Leave everything else the same. 

Now go to the Motor tab. There are a few things we need to add here. To start, check the This component is a motor mount checkbox. This will allow us to add motors. The next few steps may seem complicated but do not be daunted by them. First, we will deal with the easy part: Increase the Motor overhang to 0.3cm. Now click Close button to close the Inner Tube configuration window. 

Now click on the Motors & Configuration tab towards the left upper corner of the main OpenRocket window, just under the menu bar. On the resulting page, note the Motors tab towards the left upper corner. Make sure the Inner T... box is checked, and then click on the New Configuration button in the top center portion of the upper panel. You should see that a new configuration has been added to the list of configuration. Left-click in the Inner Tube column, and then click the Select motor button just below the open panel on the right of the screen. The Select a rocket motor window now appears.

====TODO: New image needed for v15.03====

[[File:FlightConfig.png|thumb|500 px|center|Flight Configurations Window]]

Make sure your window looks the same as the one above. Follow these steps: 

- Make sure the Filter Motors tab is selected in the top right corner of the window. 
- Select only the Estes option in the Manufacturer list. 
- Make sure that the Total Impulse slider is positioned over A (all the way to the left). 
- Look for the A8 motor in list on the left side of the window. Click on it. 
- In the Ejection charge delay field at the top left, enter the value 3. 
- Now click the OK button at the lower right corner of the window. 

If everything went to plan, you have successfully added the Estes A8-3 motor to your rocket. Now repeat these steps for the following motors, using a New Configuration for each new motor you add: 
- Estes B4-4 
- Estes C6-3 
- Estes C6-5 
- Estes C6-7 

After you have added the rest of the motors, click back on the Rocket design tab just under the main menu. 

[[File:MotorsAdded.png|thumb|500 px|center|All Motors Added]]

Select the A8-3 Motor for now. That is all we have to do with the Inner tube apart from the Appearance but as usual I will let you paint it how you wish. 

The next component we will add is the Engine Block. This time make sure that the Inner tube is highlighted and then add an engine block component. Change the Inner diameter to 1.2 and the Wall thickness to 0.3. Also, change the Position relative to: Top of the parent component. The last change we will make is to increase plus to 0.2. That is all we have to do for this component. 

Your rocket should now look like this: 

[[File:EngineBlockCompleted.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added the Engine Block]] 

7) We will now add two Centering Rings. Make sure the Body tube is highlighted in the list of components under Rocket design, then click on the Centering ring component type. The first one is fine as-is, so we will not make any changes. However, we will add the following line under the Comment tab: The centering ring automatically takes the outer diameter of the body tube and the inner diameter of the inner tube. 

Now click Close, select the body tube again and add another Centering ring. This time all we have to do is to change plus to -4.5cm. Also, add the same comment as for the first ring. 

[[File:CenteringRings.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Centering Rings]] 

8) The next component we will add is the Shock cord. As usual, make sure the Body tube is selected before adding the shock cord component. After it has been added change the Plus value to 2cm, Packed length to 5.2, and Packed diameter to 1.2. Again, we will add a comment to this component. Enter the following line to the Comment section: The shock cord does not need to be attached to anything in particular, as it functions only as a mass component.. Click the Close button to close the window, as the shock cord has now been completed. 

[[File:ShockCordComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Shock Cord]] 

9) Now we need to add the Parachute. With the body tube highlighted, add a parachute component. Change Plus to 3.2cm, Packed length to 4.2cm and Packed diameter to 1.8cm. That is everything we need to do to the parachute. Click Close to close the window. You can see what your rocket should now look like below. 

[[File:ParachuteAdded.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Parachute]] 

10) The second-to-last component to add is a Mass Component. Go ahead and add one to the body tube now. Adjust the Mass to 2 grams (g), the Approximate density to 0.16 g/cm^3, the length to 3.0cm, the diameter to 2.3cm and finally the Plus value to 8.0cm. It may be easier to enter these manually. The last thing you have to do is to rename it from ‘Unspecified’ to Wadding. Leave everything else as it is and click the Close button. 

[[File:AddedMass.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Mass]] 

11) Almost done! One final component left to add: the Launch lug. Add this to the body tube now. Change the Length to 3.5cm, the Outer diameter to 0.7cm, and the inner diameter to 0.5cm. Leave the Thickness as it is. Also, change the Radial position to 19 degrees. Click Close.

[[File:LaunchLugAdded.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Launch Lug]] 

And that’s all there is to it. You have just completed building your first rocket within OpenRocket! From here you can use what you know to create more rockets, or you can proceed to the next section of the User Guide: Advanced Rocket Design. Have fun!

----
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Basic Flight Simulation|← Basic Flight Simulation]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Advanced Rocket Design|Advanced Rocket Design →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

Basic Rocket Design

2015-09-13T19:01:31Z

Tcbetka: Incremental edit--page reload

<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Basic Flight Simulation|← Basic Flight Simulation]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Advanced Rocket Design|Advanced Rocket Design →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

{{UserGuideHelp}}

==Basic Rocket Design==

__TOC__

In this section we'll look at how to design a basic rocket by examining the A simple model rocket design example. After reading this section you should have an understanding of how to start designing your own rockets. If you already know how to design your rocket, you can jump to the [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Basic_Flight_Simulation next section]. 

We will start with a brief discussion on the selection of available components, and then the components used in the A simple model rocket example. Then we'll build a rocket from scratch to see how it’s done. 

=== Component Configuration Window ===

There are several types of components available to you as a rocket designer, and you can either customize these to meet your specific needs, or simply load presets from the database. 

To start, let's begin a new project: File -> New. It doesn’t matter what we call it at the moment, but go ahead and save the design straight away: File -> Save your design. At this point you should be presented with a blank design window in the bottom half of the user interface.

[[File:Main_window.png|thumb|800 px|center|The OpenRocket main window.]] 

When you first start a new rocket design you will see that only three categories of components are available in the Add new component panel: 
- Body components and fin sets 
- Inner components 
- Mass objects 

We would usually start building our rocket by selecting a nose cone but for the sake of this guide click the Body tube icon in the Body components and fin sets section. This will then open up a configuration window that we'll use to edit the parameters of the body tube. 

==== The Body Tube’ Configuration Window ====

At this point you should see a new window titled Body tube configuration.

[[File:ConfigBody.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Configuration Window.]]

This window allows you to either select a preset for the component type you are choosing, or make your own. Let’s start by examining how to customize it ourselves. If you have a look at the Body tube configuration window you will see that at the top there is a Component name field. Here we can change the name of the current component to anything we choose. (Note that this name will then appear in the design tree seen in the Rocket Design panel of the main program window.) 

Just below Component name there are several tabs: 
- General: allows us to alter the basic attributes of the component. 
- Motor: allows us to make the body tube into a motor mount, and also edit the properties of the motor. 
- Override: allows us to manually set the mass or centre of gravity for the component. 
- Appearance: allows us to select colours, textures and other finishes. 
- Comment: allows us to enter any comments or notes about the component. 

It should be noted that these tabs are specific to the component being designed. For example, a nose cone will not have a motor tab, but will instead have a shoulder tab. It will also have a description panel to tell you a bit more about the component you are choosing. After you learn how to navigate around one component configuration panel, the others should be relatively self-explanatory. 

===== General Tab =====

The rest of the Body tube configuration window lists the different parameters for the current component type. As you can see, the General tab provides options to manually enter numbers, or you can also use the spin boxes (coarse control) or sliders (fine control) provided to adjust the parameter values. The Automatic checkbox will adjust the dimensions of the component automatically. Here you will also see a Filled checkbox. If this is checked you will notice that the inner diameter goes to zero, i.e., a filled (solid) tube. Note how the Component mass changes when this box is checked. 

On the right hand side of the window you will see the Component material and Component finish drop-down menus. If you click on these you will be presented with a list of various materials and finishes, each with their own weight and thickness. If you are using the same finish for the entire rocket you can click the Set for all button to make each component use the same finish. The last notable feature in this window is in the bottom left. There you will see a live display of the Component mass. This will update automatically as you change parameter values. Experiment with the sliders to see how the component changes in the design window.

You may have noticed that, apart from the mass, there is no noticeable difference when either the inner diameter or wall thickness parameters are changed. To see those changes reflected in the model you will have to switch to a different View Type, by selecting the desired view from the drop-down list at the left of the main OpenRocket program window.

===== Motor Tab =====

Next to the General tab is the Motor tab. If you click on it you will see that most parameters are grayed-out, with the exception of one checkbox. As the label mentions, this is for when you want the body tube component to also be a motor mount.
[[File:ConfigBodyMotor.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Motor tab of the Configuration Window.]]

Have a quick look at this if you wish, but we'll discuss changing flight configurations for a later section of the guide.

===== Override =====

We'll take a quick look at this tab, as it common to most components. For starting out though, you most likely will not need it.

[[File:ConfigBodyOverride.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Override tab of the Configuration Window.]]

This tab would be used when you specifically wanted to override the mass and centre of gravity (CG) of the component.

===== Appearance =====

Everyone likes something shiny, don’t they? This tab allows you edit the appearance of the component.

[[File:ConfigBodyAppearance.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Appearance tab of the Configuration Window.]]

There are two sections here, the Figure style section and the Appearance section. Figure style changes what the 2D figure looks like, whereas Appearance will change what the 3D model will look like. If you wish to use any custom textures or images in your rocket design, you can load those through the Texture drop-down menu.

===== Comment =====

This section does not really need much explanation. If you want to write any comments or notes about your component (why you chose the values you did, etc.), then this is the place to do it.

[[File:ConfigBodyComment.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Comment tab of the Configuration Window.]] 

Now that we have been through all of the tabs of the Body Tube component, click the Close button. You should now notice that the rest of the components are now unlocked in the top right of the Design window. This is because all component types can be added to a body tube. However, a Nose cone should be selected first if you are making your own rocket.

Let’s have a look at the full list of components. If you cannot click on the component type, try selecting the Body tube in the design window in the top left panel of OpenRocket.

=== Available Components ===

As previously mentioned, there are 16 component types to choose from within OpenRocket. These are split into three sections: 
- Body components and fin sets 
- Inner components 
- Mass objects 

[[File:ComponentSupertypes.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Component types menu.]] 

==== Body components and fin sets ====

Within Body components and fin sets we have 7 component types. These components make up the external and main body of the rocket; everything else is inside the rocket. As you will see in the image the component types are: 

- Nose Cone: The very tip of the rocket. Usually, you will select this component first. 
- Body Tube: As we have seen, the body tube makes up the main section of a stage. 
- Transition: A component that usually joins one body tube to another (normally larger) tube. 
- Trapezoidal fin: A fin set that is in the shape of a trapezoid. 
- Elliptical fin: A fin set that is in the shape of an ellipse. 
- Freeform fin: This special kind of fin takes any shape you want. If you add it to your model it will open up a design window for you to alter the shape as desired. 
- Launch Lug: This component usually goes on the outside of a body tube and is used while the rocket is on the launch pad. 

[[File:ComponentBodyAndFins.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Body components and fin sets submenu.]] 

==== Inner Components ====

Within Inner components we have 5 component types, and these components are all internal. As with Body components and fin sets we will now run through the list of components. 

- Inner tube: This component lets you add tubes to the inside of the main body tube. 
- Coupler: Used in multi-stage rockets, a coupler joins two sections together. 
- Centering ring: These can be used to support other components (e.g., a motor), in the centre of a larger tube. 
- Bulkhead: This is a block of material that forms a stop or barrier between two different areas. 
- Engine block: An engine block prevents the motor from moving forward in the motor mount tube. 

[[File:ComponentInner.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Inner Components submenu.]] 

==== Mass Objects ====

Within Mass objects we have 4 component types. They are:

- Parachute: Like any good parachute, this component will stop your rocket from becoming scrap. 
- Streamer: Another component for keeping your rocket safe, a streamer creates drag as your rocket falls down to earth. 
- Shock cord: A shock cord secures the nose cone to the body of the rocket so that it isn't lost when the nose is blown off to deploy the parachute/streamer. 
- Mass component: This is a block of mass used to adjust the rocket's Center of Gravity (CG). You can name it to whatever you want it to represent. 

[[File:ComponentMasses.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Mass Objects submenu.]] 

You have now had a brief run through the various components available for use in OpenRocket. The next section will deal with an example rocket.

== A Simple Model Rocket Example ==

In this section we will look at the components used in the A simple model rocket example design. To get started, start OpenRocket and navigate to the main window. As a reminder it looks like this:

[[File:Main_window.png|thumb|800 px|center|The Openrocket main window.]] 

==== Opening Example Designs ====

We'll begin by looking at how to find and load the example rockets within OpenRocket. Recall that this was also covered in the Getting Started section of this guide, but as a refresher the steps for doing this are as follows: 
- In the main window, click on the File menu at the top left. 
- Scroll down to Open Examples... open, and expand that menu. Here you will see a list of the available rocket design examples. 
Your screen should now look like this:

[[File:OpenExample.png|thumb|800 px|center|Opening an example rocket ]] 

Click on first example, our Simple model rocket. A Rocket configuration window should appear, with the Design Name (A simple model Rocket) and Designer (Sampo Niskanen) fields populated. The Comments and Revision History fields will be blank. Click Close. You should now have successfully loaded the rocket and be able to see a 2D schematic in the Rocket Design window.

[[File:After_complete_design.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Bottom half of the Rocket design window.]] 

==== Components used in ‘A simple model rocket’ ====

Now we will have a quick look through the components used in the example rocket. If you look towards the top left of the Rocket Design window you will see that there is a tree of components shown. By default they should all be fully expanded. If not, do so now.

[[File:Structure.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Top left-hand portion of the Rocket design window.]]

This image shows A simple model rocket at the top, followed by the Sustainer, which is Stage 1 of the rocket. 

If we look at the first component in the Sustainer stage we see that it is the nose cone. Double click on that now. This will bring up the Nose cone configuration window.

[[File:ConfigNose.png|thumb|600 px|center|Nose Cone Configuration Window.]]

As we have already examined the configuration window we will not repeat ourselves here. However, you will see that in this example we have used an Ogive nose cone with a Shape parameter of 1.0. If you read the description of the component to the right in the configuration window, you will discover that a value of 1.0 produces a tangent ogive. 

Moving down the window, you will see that the Nose cone length has a value of 10, the Base diameter has a value of 2.5, and the Wall thickness has a value of 0.2. All of these parameters have been set, in this example, to use centimeters (cm) as their unit. You should also see that this component is using Polystyrene as its material with a Regular paint finish. As you can see, the material has a density of 1.05 grams per centimetre cubed, and the paint is 60.0 micrometers thick. In the bottom left, the component weight is currently 13.2 grams. Go ahead and play around with the sliders to see how the component changes, and then change them back when you are finished. 

If you move over to the Shoulder tab, you'll be able to see the size attributes of the shoulder. Again, you can play around with the sliders if you want--as long as you change them back to the original settings when you are finished. For reference these are 2.3, 2.0 and 0.2 centimeters, respectively. Also have a look through the rest of the tabs to see what has been selected. The only other thing to note is that the appearance has been customized. If you were to change to the 3D Finished view type, you will see how the finished model looks. 

Moving on to the Body tube, you can access its various attributes by double-clicking on it in the Rocket design window. Note how its various attributes have been set to create the current size. This is all fairly straightforward and as we have already looked into the various components earlier, we will not go into great detail here. 

Note the eight other components that have been placed onto the Body tube. In descending order these are: 
- Trapezoidal fin set 
- Inner Tube 
- Centering Ring 
- Centering Ring 
- Shock Cord 
- Parachute 
- Wadding 
- Launch lug 

The Inner Tube in this design is used as a motor mount. You will see this if you go to the Motor tab in the Inner Tube configuration window. This means that a motor has been fitting into this piece. Upon inspection we can see that the current motor name is displayed in the Flight configuration drop-down list, on the right side of the main OpenRocket window. You can open this drop-down menu to select other motors that are available for use in this simulation, as well as the other example simulations that you will see on the Flight simulation tab. 

The ninth component is place inside the inner tube. This is the engine block. If you look at the schematic of the rocket you will see that this is placed in front of the grey rectangle, which is the motor. To quickly address some of the other components, you will note that the recovery method used in this rocket is a Parachute: the red dashed rounded-rectangle near the nose cone of the rocket. Along with the parachute we have a Shock cord, which (as was discussed earlier) prevents loss of the nose cone upon deployment of the recovery system. This is shown as a long, black, dashed rounded-rectangle in the same general area as the parachute. The other black, dashed rounded-rectangle box is the Wadding, which is a mass component and is used here to bring the centre of gravity forward towards the nose. 

We have now looked through the components used within the simple model rocket example. If you would like to see other available components, see Appendix A. Now that we are familiar with what makes up the rocket we will go ahead and build one from scratch! 

== Building ‘A simple model rocket’ ==

In this section we will build up the example model from scratch. After you have completed this process, you should be able to apply what you've learned in order to make any basic rocket you want. So let’s begin... 

Open a new project window so that everything is blank. The following are the steps that you will follow to create the rocket. 

1) Select the nose cone. Change its type to Ogive, if that isn't already selected. Make sure that Shape parameter, Nose cone length, base diameter, and Wall thickness values are set to 1.0, 10.0, 2.5, and 0.2 cm, respectively. The units are centimeters by default, so we should not need to change these. Finally, change the Component material to Polystyrene. 

2) Next, while still in the Nose cone configuration window, move to the Shoulder tab. Change the diameter to 2.3, the length to 2.0, and the thickness to 0.2. Also, check the End capped box. 

3) The last thing we have to do with the nose cone is to change its Appearance, so switch to that tab now. Leave the Figure style section unchanged but under the Appearance section, change the colour to one lighter than black. (Or to whatever you want, go crazy!) Then adjust the shine to 50%. That is all we need to change for now. 

You should now see this in the view area at the bottom of the main OpenRocket window:

[[File:NoseComplete.png|thumb|600 px|center|Nose Cone]] 

4) Next, add the Body tube. The measurements for length, outer diameter, inner diameter, and wall thickness are 30.0, 2.5, 2.3, 0.1 centimeters, respectively. Note that it may be easier to enter the last two manually rather than use the spin boxes or sliders. Leave the Automatic and Filled boxes unchecked. The material should remain Cardboard and the finish should be Regular Paint. The only other thing you should change here is the appearance, but we'll leave that to you as an exercise. 

You should now have this: 

[[File:BodyComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Nose Cone and Body]] 

5) Moving on, we next need to add a Fin set. Make sure you have clicked on the Body tube so that it’s highlighted then click on the Trapezoidal component type. The Trapezoidal fin set configuration window will have appeared. Leave the left side of the window alone: the settings there are fine as-is. However, we will need to change some things on the right hand side. First, change the Fin cross section to Rounded. Also, reduce the Thickness to 0.2cm. That’s all we need to do in this tab. Now move to the Appearance tab and customize to your preference. 

[[File:FinsComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Nose Cone, Body, and Fins]] 

6) The next component we need to add is the Inner tube. Once again highlight the body tube and then click on the Inner tube component button. There are a couple of attributes we should change here. First, increase the Length value to 7.5cm. Also, increase the Plus value to 0.5cm. Leave everything else the same. 

Now go to the Motor tab. There are a few things we need to add here. To start, check the This component is a motor mount checkbox. This will allow us to add motors. The next few steps may seem complicated but do not be daunted by them. First, we will deal with the easy part: Increase the Motor overhang to 0.3cm. Now click Close button to close the Inner Tube configuration window. 

Now click on the Motors & Configuration tab towards the left upper corner of the main OpenRocket window, just under the menu bar. On the resulting page, note the Motors tab towards the left upper corner. Make sure the Inner T... box is checked, and then click on the New Configuration button in the top center portion of the upper panel. You should see that a new configuration has been added to the list of configuration. Left-click in the Inner Tube column, and then click the Select motor button just below the open panel on the right of the screen. The Select a rocket motor window now appears.

====TODO: New image needed for v15.03====

[[File:FlightConfig.png|thumb|500 px|center|Flight Configurations Window]]

Make sure your window looks the same as the one above. Follow these steps: 

- Make sure the Filter Motors tab is selected in the top right corner of the window. 
- Select only the Estes option in the Manufacturer list. 
- Make sure that the Total Impulse slider is positioned over A (all the way to the left). 
- Look for the A8 motor in list on the left side of the window. Click on it. 
- In the Ejection charge delay field at the top left, enter the value 3. 
- Now click the OK button at the lower right corner of the window. 

If everything went to plan, you have successfully added the Estes A8-3 motor to your rocket. Now repeat these steps for the following motors, using a New Configuration for each new motor you add: 
- Estes B4-4 
- Estes C6-3 
- Estes C6-5 
- Estes C6-7 

After you have added the rest of the motors, click back on the Rocket design tab just under the main menu. 

[[File:MotorsAdded.png|thumb|500 px|center|All Motors Added]]

Select the A8-3 Motor for now. That is all we have to do with the Inner tube apart from the Appearance but as usual I will let you paint it how you wish. 

The next component we will add is the Engine Block. This time make sure that the Inner tube is highlighted and then add an engine block component. Change the Inner diameter to 1.2 and the Wall thickness to 0.3. Also, change the Position relative to: Top of the parent component. The last change we will make is to increase plus to 0.2. That is all we have to do for this component. 

Your rocket should now look like this: 

[[File:EngineBlockCompleted.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added the Engine Block]] 

7) We will now add two Centering Rings. Make sure the Body tube is highlighted in the list of components under Rocket design, then click on the Centering ring component type. The first one is fine as-is, so we will not make any changes. However, we will add the following line under the Comment tab: The centering ring automatically takes the outer diameter of the body tube and the inner diameter of the inner tube. 

Now click Close, select the body tube again and add another Centering ring. This time all we have to do is to change plus to -4.5cm. Also, add the same comment as for the first ring. 

[[File:CenteringRings.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Centering Rings]] 

8) The next component we will add is the Shock cord. As usual, make sure the Body tube is selected before adding the shock cord component. After it has been added change the Plus value to 2cm, Packed length to 5.2, and Packed diameter to 1.2. Again, we will add a comment to this component. Enter the following line to the Comment section: The shock cord does not need to be attached to anything in particular, as it functions only as a mass component.. Click the Close button to close the window, as the shock cord has now been completed. 

[[File:ShockCordComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Shock Cord]] 

9) Now we have to add the Parachute. With the body tube highlighted, add a parachute component. Change plus to 3.2, Packed length to 4.2 and Packed diameter to 1.8. That is everything we need to do to the parachute. You can see what your rocket should now look like below. 

[[File:ParachuteAdded.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Parachute]]

The second last component to add is a Mass Component. Go ahead and add one to the body tube now. Adjust the Mass to 2g, the Approximate density to 0.16, the length to 3.0, the diameter to 2.3 and finally plus to 8.0. It may be easier to enter these manually. The last thing you have to do is to rename it from ‘Mass component’ to Wadding. Leave everything else as it is. 

[[File:AddedMass.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Mass]]

Almost done! One component left to add: the Launch Lug. Add this to the body tube now. Change the Length to 3.5, the Outer diameter to 0.7, and the inner diameter to 0.5. Leave the Thickness as it is. Also, change the Radial position to 19 degrees.

[[File:LaunchLugAdded.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Launch Lug]]

 
And that’s all there is to it, you have just completed building your first rocket within OpenRocket. From here you can use what you know to create more rockets or you can proceed to the next section of the User Guide: Basic Flight Simulation. Have fun!

----
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Basic Flight Simulation|← Basic Flight Simulation]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Advanced Rocket Design|Advanced Rocket Design →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

Basic Rocket Design

2015-09-13T18:49:00Z

Tcbetka: Incremental edit--page reload. Need additional images for v15.03 motor configuration GUI.

<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Basic Flight Simulation|← Basic Flight Simulation]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Advanced Rocket Design|Advanced Rocket Design →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

{{UserGuideHelp}}

==Basic Rocket Design==

__TOC__

In this section we'll look at how to design a basic rocket by examining the A simple model rocket design example. After reading this section you should have an understanding of how to start designing your own rockets. If you already know how to design your rocket, you can jump to the [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Basic_Flight_Simulation next section]. 

We will start with a brief discussion on the selection of available components, and then the components used in the A simple model rocket example. Then we'll build a rocket from scratch to see how it’s done. 

=== Component Configuration Window ===

There are several types of components available to you as a rocket designer, and you can either customize these to meet your specific needs, or simply load presets from the database. 

To start, let's begin a new project: File -> New. It doesn’t matter what we call it at the moment, but go ahead and save the design straight away: File -> Save your design. At this point you should be presented with a blank design window in the bottom half of the user interface.

[[File:Main_window.png|thumb|800 px|center|The OpenRocket main window.]] 

When you first start a new rocket design you will see that only three categories of components are available in the Add new component panel: 
- Body components and fin sets 
- Inner components 
- Mass objects 

We would usually start building our rocket by selecting a nose cone but for the sake of this guide click the Body tube icon in the Body components and fin sets section. This will then open up a configuration window that we'll use to edit the parameters of the body tube. 

==== The Body Tube’ Configuration Window ====

At this point you should see a new window titled Body tube configuration.

[[File:ConfigBody.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Configuration Window.]]

This window allows you to either select a preset for the component type you are choosing, or make your own. Let’s start by examining how to customize it ourselves. If you have a look at the Body tube configuration window you will see that at the top there is a Component name field. Here we can change the name of the current component to anything we choose. (Note that this name will then appear in the design tree seen in the Rocket Design panel of the main program window.) 

Just below Component name there are several tabs: 
- General: allows us to alter the basic attributes of the component. 
- Motor: allows us to make the body tube into a motor mount, and also edit the properties of the motor. 
- Override: allows us to manually set the mass or centre of gravity for the component. 
- Appearance: allows us to select colours, textures and other finishes. 
- Comment: allows us to enter any comments or notes about the component. 

It should be noted that these tabs are specific to the component being designed. For example, a nose cone will not have a motor tab, but will instead have a shoulder tab. It will also have a description panel to tell you a bit more about the component you are choosing. After you learn how to navigate around one component configuration panel, the others should be relatively self-explanatory. 

===== General Tab =====

The rest of the Body tube configuration window lists the different parameters for the current component type. As you can see, the General tab provides options to manually enter numbers, or you can also use the spin boxes (coarse control) or sliders (fine control) provided to adjust the parameter values. The Automatic checkbox will adjust the dimensions of the component automatically. Here you will also see a Filled checkbox. If this is checked you will notice that the inner diameter goes to zero, i.e., a filled (solid) tube. Note how the Component mass changes when this box is checked. 

On the right hand side of the window you will see the Component material and Component finish drop-down menus. If you click on these you will be presented with a list of various materials and finishes, each with their own weight and thickness. If you are using the same finish for the entire rocket you can click the Set for all button to make each component use the same finish. The last notable feature in this window is in the bottom left. There you will see a live display of the Component mass. This will update automatically as you change parameter values. Experiment with the sliders to see how the component changes in the design window.

You may have noticed that, apart from the mass, there is no noticeable difference when either the inner diameter or wall thickness parameters are changed. To see those changes reflected in the model you will have to switch to a different View Type, by selecting the desired view from the drop-down list at the left of the main OpenRocket program window.

===== Motor Tab =====

Next to the General tab is the Motor tab. If you click on it you will see that most parameters are grayed-out, with the exception of one checkbox. As the label mentions, this is for when you want the body tube component to also be a motor mount.
[[File:ConfigBodyMotor.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Motor tab of the Configuration Window.]]

Have a quick look at this if you wish, but we'll discuss changing flight configurations for a later section of the guide.

===== Override =====

We'll take a quick look at this tab, as it common to most components. For starting out though, you most likely will not need it.

[[File:ConfigBodyOverride.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Override tab of the Configuration Window.]]

This tab would be used when you specifically wanted to override the mass and centre of gravity (CG) of the component.

===== Appearance =====

Everyone likes something shiny, don’t they? This tab allows you edit the appearance of the component.

[[File:ConfigBodyAppearance.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Appearance tab of the Configuration Window.]]

There are two sections here, the Figure style section and the Appearance section. Figure style changes what the 2D figure looks like, whereas Appearance will change what the 3D model will look like. If you wish to use any custom textures or images in your rocket design, you can load those through the Texture drop-down menu.

===== Comment =====

This section does not really need much explanation. If you want to write any comments or notes about your component (why you chose the values you did, etc.), then this is the place to do it.

[[File:ConfigBodyComment.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Comment tab of the Configuration Window.]] 

Now that we have been through all of the tabs of the Body Tube component, click the Close button. You should now notice that the rest of the components are now unlocked in the top right of the Design window. This is because all component types can be added to a body tube. However, a Nose cone should be selected first if you are making your own rocket.

Let’s have a look at the full list of components. If you cannot click on the component type, try selecting the Body tube in the design window in the top left panel of OpenRocket.

=== Available Components ===

As previously mentioned, there are 16 component types to choose from within OpenRocket. These are split into three sections: 
- Body components and fin sets 
- Inner components 
- Mass objects 

[[File:ComponentSupertypes.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Component types menu.]] 

==== Body components and fin sets ====

Within Body components and fin sets we have 7 component types. These components make up the external and main body of the rocket; everything else is inside the rocket. As you will see in the image the component types are: 

- Nose Cone: The very tip of the rocket. Usually, you will select this component first. 
- Body Tube: As we have seen, the body tube makes up the main section of a stage. 
- Transition: A component that usually joins one body tube to another (normally larger) tube. 
- Trapezoidal fin: A fin set that is in the shape of a trapezoid. 
- Elliptical fin: A fin set that is in the shape of an ellipse. 
- Freeform fin: This special kind of fin takes any shape you want. If you add it to your model it will open up a design window for you to alter the shape as desired. 
- Launch Lug: This component usually goes on the outside of a body tube and is used while the rocket is on the launch pad. 

[[File:ComponentBodyAndFins.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Body components and fin sets submenu.]] 

==== Inner Components ====

Within Inner components we have 5 component types, and these components are all internal. As with Body components and fin sets we will now run through the list of components. 

- Inner tube: This component lets you add tubes to the inside of the main body tube. 
- Coupler: Used in multi-stage rockets, a coupler joins two sections together. 
- Centering ring: These can be used to support other components (e.g., a motor), in the centre of a larger tube. 
- Bulkhead: This is a block of material that forms a stop or barrier between two different areas. 
- Engine block: An engine block prevents the motor from moving forward in the motor mount tube. 

[[File:ComponentInner.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Inner Components submenu.]] 

==== Mass Objects ====

Within Mass objects we have 4 component types. They are:

- Parachute: Like any good parachute, this component will stop your rocket from becoming scrap. 
- Streamer: Another component for keeping your rocket safe, a streamer creates drag as your rocket falls down to earth. 
- Shock cord: A shock cord secures the nose cone to the body of the rocket so that it isn't lost when the nose is blown off to deploy the parachute/streamer. 
- Mass component: This is a block of mass used to adjust the rocket's Center of Gravity (CG). You can name it to whatever you want it to represent. 

[[File:ComponentMasses.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Mass Objects submenu.]] 

You have now had a brief run through the various components available for use in OpenRocket. The next section will deal with an example rocket.

== A Simple Model Rocket Example ==

In this section we will look at the components used in the A simple model rocket example design. To get started, start OpenRocket and navigate to the main window. As a reminder it looks like this:

[[File:Main_window.png|thumb|800 px|center|The Openrocket main window.]] 

==== Opening Example Designs ====

We'll begin by looking at how to find and load the example rockets within OpenRocket. Recall that this was also covered in the Getting Started section of this guide, but as a refresher the steps for doing this are as follows: 
- In the main window, click on the File menu at the top left. 
- Scroll down to Open Examples... open, and expand that menu. Here you will see a list of the available rocket design examples. 
Your screen should now look like this:

[[File:OpenExample.png|thumb|800 px|center|Opening an example rocket ]] 

Click on first example, our Simple model rocket. A Rocket configuration window should appear, with the Design Name (A simple model Rocket) and Designer (Sampo Niskanen) fields populated. The Comments and Revision History fields will be blank. Click Close. You should now have successfully loaded the rocket and be able to see a 2D schematic in the Rocket Design window.

[[File:After_complete_design.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Bottom half of the Rocket design window.]] 

==== Components used in ‘A simple model rocket’ ====

Now we will have a quick look through the components used in the example rocket. If you look towards the top left of the Rocket Design window you will see that there is a tree of components shown. By default they should all be fully expanded. If not, do so now.

[[File:Structure.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Top left-hand portion of the Rocket design window.]]

This image shows A simple model rocket at the top, followed by the Sustainer, which is Stage 1 of the rocket. 

If we look at the first component in the Sustainer stage we see that it is the nose cone. Double click on that now. This will bring up the Nose cone configuration window.

[[File:ConfigNose.png|thumb|600 px|center|Nose Cone Configuration Window.]]

As we have already examined the configuration window we will not repeat ourselves here. However, you will see that in this example we have used an Ogive nose cone with a Shape parameter of 1.0. If you read the description of the component to the right in the configuration window, you will discover that a value of 1.0 produces a tangent ogive. 

Moving down the window, you will see that the Nose cone length has a value of 10, the Base diameter has a value of 2.5, and the Wall thickness has a value of 0.2. All of these parameters have been set, in this example, to use centimeters (cm) as their unit. You should also see that this component is using Polystyrene as its material with a Regular paint finish. As you can see, the material has a density of 1.05 grams per centimetre cubed, and the paint is 60.0 micrometers thick. In the bottom left, the component weight is currently 13.2 grams. Go ahead and play around with the sliders to see how the component changes, and then change them back when you are finished. 

If you move over to the Shoulder tab, you'll be able to see the size attributes of the shoulder. Again, you can play around with the sliders if you want--as long as you change them back to the original settings when you are finished. For reference these are 2.3, 2.0 and 0.2 centimeters, respectively. Also have a look through the rest of the tabs to see what has been selected. The only other thing to note is that the appearance has been customized. If you were to change to the 3D Finished view type, you will see how the finished model looks. 

Moving on to the Body tube, you can access its various attributes by double-clicking on it in the Rocket design window. Note how its various attributes have been set to create the current size. This is all fairly straightforward and as we have already looked into the various components earlier, we will not go into great detail here. 

Note the eight other components that have been placed onto the Body tube. In descending order these are: 
- Trapezoidal fin set 
- Inner Tube 
- Centering Ring 
- Centering Ring 
- Shock Cord 
- Parachute 
- Wadding 
- Launch lug 

The Inner Tube in this design is used as a motor mount. You will see this if you go to the Motor tab in the Inner Tube configuration window. This means that a motor has been fitting into this piece. Upon inspection we can see that the current motor name is displayed in the Flight configuration drop-down list, on the right side of the main OpenRocket window. You can open this drop-down menu to select other motors that are available for use in this simulation, as well as the other example simulations that you will see on the Flight simulation tab. 

The ninth component is place inside the inner tube. This is the engine block. If you look at the schematic of the rocket you will see that this is placed in front of the grey rectangle, which is the motor. To quickly address some of the other components, you will note that the recovery method used in this rocket is a Parachute: the red dashed rounded-rectangle near the nose cone of the rocket. Along with the parachute we have a Shock cord, which (as was discussed earlier) prevents loss of the nose cone upon deployment of the recovery system. This is shown as a long, black, dashed rounded-rectangle in the same general area as the parachute. The other black, dashed rounded-rectangle box is the Wadding, which is a mass component and is used here to bring the centre of gravity forward towards the nose. 

We have now looked through the components used within the simple model rocket example. If you would like to see other available components, see Appendix A. Now that we are familiar with what makes up the rocket we will go ahead and build one from scratch! 

== Building ‘A simple model rocket’ ==

In this section we will build up the example model from scratch. After you have completed this process, you should be able to apply what you've learned in order to make any basic rocket you want. So let’s begin... 

Open a new project window so that everything is blank. The following are the steps that you will follow to create the rocket. 

1) Select the nose cone. Change its type to Ogive, if that isn't already selected. Make sure that Shape parameter, Nose cone length, base diameter, and Wall thickness values are set to 1.0, 10.0, 2.5, and 0.2 cm, respectively. The units are centimeters by default, so we should not need to change these. Finally, change the Component material to Polystyrene. 

2) Next, while still in the Nose cone configuration window, move to the Shoulder tab. Change the diameter to 2.3, the length to 2.0, and the thickness to 0.2. Also, check the End capped box. 

3) The last thing we have to do with the nose cone is to change its Appearance, so switch to that tab now. Leave the Figure style section unchanged but under the Appearance section, change the colour to one lighter than black. (Or to whatever you want, go crazy!) Then adjust the shine to 50%. That is all we need to change for now. 

You should now see this in the view area at the bottom of the main OpenRocket window:

[[File:NoseComplete.png|thumb|600 px|center|Nose Cone]] 

4) Next, add the Body tube. The measurements for length, outer diameter, inner diameter, and wall thickness are 30.0, 2.5, 2.3, 0.1 centimeters, respectively. Note that it may be easier to enter the last two manually rather than use the spin boxes or sliders. Leave the Automatic and Filled boxes unchecked. The material should remain Cardboard and the finish should be Regular Paint. The only other thing you should change here is the appearance, but we'll leave that to you as an exercise. 

You should now have this: 

[[File:BodyComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Nose Cone and Body]] 

5) Moving on, we next need to add a Fin set. Make sure you have clicked on the Body tube so that it’s highlighted then click on the Trapezoidal component type. The Trapezoidal fin set configuration window will have appeared. Leave the left side of the window alone: the settings there are fine as-is. However, we will need to change some things on the right hand side. First, change the Fin cross section to Rounded. Also, reduce the Thickness to 0.2cm. That’s all we need to do in this tab. Now move to the Appearance tab and customize to your preference. 

[[File:FinsComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Nose Cone, Body, and Fins]] 

6) The next component we need to add is the Inner tube. Once again highlight the body tube and then click on the Inner tube component button. There are a couple of attributes we should change here. First, increase the Length value to 7.5cm. Also, increase the Plus value to 0.5cm. Leave everything else the same. 

Now go to the Motor tab. There are a few things we need to add here. To start, check the This component is a motor mount checkbox. This will allow us to add motors. The next few steps may seem complicated but do not be daunted by them. First, we will deal with the easy part: Increase the Motor overhang to 0.3cm. Now click Close button to close the Inner Tube configuration window. 

Now click on the Motors & Configuration tab towards the left upper corner of the main OpenRocket window, just under the menu bar. On the resulting page, note the Motors tab towards the left upper corner. Make sure the Inner T... box is checked, and then click on the New Configuration button in the top center portion of the upper panel. You should see that a new configuration has been added to the list of configuration. Left-click in the Inner Tube column, and then click the Select motor button just below the open panel on the right of the screen. The Select a rocket motor window now appears.

****<TODO: New image needed for v15.03>****

[[File:FlightConfig.png|thumb|500 px|center|Flight Configurations Window]]

Make sure your window looks the same as the one above. Follow these steps: 

- Make sure the Filter Motors tab is selected in the top right corner of the window. 
- Select only the Estes option in the Manufacturer list. 
- Make sure that the Total Impulse slider is positioned over A (all the way to the left). 
- Look for the A8 motor in list on the left side of the window. Click on it. 
- In the Ejection charge delay field at the top left, enter the value 3. 
- Now click the OK button at the lower right corner of the window. 

If everything went to plan, you have successfully added the Estes A8-3 motor to your rocket. Now repeat these steps for the following motors, using a New Configuration for each new motor you add: 
- Estes B4-4 
- Estes C6-3 
- Estes C6-5 
- Estes C6-7 

After you have added the rest of the motors, click back on the Rocket design tab just under the main menu. 

[[File:MotorsAdded.png|thumb|500 px|center|All Motors Added]]

Select the A8-3 Motor for now. That is all we have to do with the Inner tube apart from the Appearance but as usual I will let you paint it how you wish. 

The next component we will add is the Engine Block. This time make sure that the Inner tube is highlighted and then add an engine block component. Change the Inner diameter to 1.2 and the Wall thickness to 0.3. Also, change the Position relative to: Top of the parent component. The last change we will make is to increase plus to 0.2. That is all we have to do for this component. 

Your rocket should now look like this: 

[[File:EngineBlockCompleted.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added the Engine Block]]
We shall now add the two Centering Rings. Make sure the body tube is highlighted, then click on the Centering ring component type. The first one is fine as it is, we will not make any changes. However, we will add the following line to the comment tab: The centering ring automatically takes the outer diameter of the body tube and the inner diameter of the inner tube. 

Click close, select the body tube again and add another Centering ring. This time all we have to do is to change plus to -4.5. Also, add the comment again. 

[[File:CenteringRings.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Centering Rings]]

The next component we will add is the Shock cord. As usual, make sure the body tube is selected before adding the shock cord component. After it has been added change plus to 2, Packed length to 5.2, and Packed diameter to 1.2. Again, we will add a comment to this component. Enter the following line to the Comment tab: The shock cord does not need to be attached to anything in particular, as it functions only as a mass component.. The shock cord has now been completed. 

[[File:ShockCordComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Shock Cord]]

Now we have to add the Parachute. With the body tube highlighted, add a parachute component. Change plus to 3.2, Packed length to 4.2 and Packed diameter to 1.8. That is everything we need to do to the parachute. You can see what your rocket should now look like below. 

[[File:ParachuteAdded.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Parachute]]

The second last component to add is a Mass Component. Go ahead and add one to the body tube now. Adjust the Mass to 2g, the Approximate density to 0.16, the length to 3.0, the diameter to 2.3 and finally plus to 8.0. It may be easier to enter these manually. The last thing you have to do is to rename it from ‘Mass component’ to Wadding. Leave everything else as it is. 

[[File:AddedMass.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Mass]]

Almost done! One component left to add: the Launch Lug. Add this to the body tube now. Change the Length to 3.5, the Outer diameter to 0.7, and the inner diameter to 0.5. Leave the Thickness as it is. Also, change the Radial position to 19 degrees.

[[File:LaunchLugAdded.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Launch Lug]]

 
And that’s all there is to it, you have just completed building your first rocket within OpenRocket. From here you can use what you know to create more rockets or you can proceed to the next section of the User Guide: Basic Flight Simulation. Have fun!

----
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Basic Flight Simulation|← Basic Flight Simulation]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Advanced Rocket Design|Advanced Rocket Design →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

Basic Rocket Design

2015-09-13T16:34:55Z

Tcbetka: Incremental edit--page reload

<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Basic Flight Simulation|← Basic Flight Simulation]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Advanced Rocket Design|Advanced Rocket Design →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

{{UserGuideHelp}}

==Basic Rocket Design==

__TOC__

In this section we'll look at how to design a basic rocket by examining the A simple model rocket design example. After reading this section you should have an understanding of how to start designing your own rockets. If you already know how to design your rocket, you can jump to the [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Basic_Flight_Simulation next section]. 

We will start with a brief discussion on the selection of available components, and then the components used in the A simple model rocket example. Then we'll build a rocket from scratch to see how it’s done. 

=== Component Configuration Window ===

There are several types of components available to you as a rocket designer, and you can either customize these to meet your specific needs, or simply load presets from the database. 

To start, let's begin a new project: File -> New. It doesn’t matter what we call it at the moment, but go ahead and save the design straight away: File -> Save your design. At this point you should be presented with a blank design window in the bottom half of the user interface.

[[File:Main_window.png|thumb|800 px|center|The OpenRocket main window.]] 

When you first start a new rocket design you will see that only three categories of components are available in the Add new component panel: 
- Body components and fin sets 
- Inner components 
- Mass objects 

We would usually start building our rocket by selecting a nose cone but for the sake of this guide click the Body tube icon in the Body components and fin sets section. This will then open up a configuration window that we'll use to edit the parameters of the body tube. 

==== The Body Tube’ Configuration Window ====

At this point you should see a new window titled Body tube configuration.

[[File:ConfigBody.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Configuration Window.]]

This window allows you to either select a preset for the component type you are choosing, or make your own. Let’s start by examining how to customize it ourselves. If you have a look at the Body tube configuration window you will see that at the top there is a Component name field. Here we can change the name of the current component to anything we choose. (Note that this name will then appear in the design tree seen in the Rocket Design panel of the main program window.) 

Just below Component name there are several tabs: 
- General: allows us to alter the basic attributes of the component. 
- Motor: allows us to make the body tube into a motor mount, and also edit the properties of the motor. 
- Override: allows us to manually set the mass or centre of gravity for the component. 
- Appearance: allows us to select colours, textures and other finishes. 
- Comment: allows us to enter any comments or notes about the component. 

It should be noted that these tabs are specific to the component being designed. For example, a nose cone will not have a motor tab, but will instead have a shoulder tab. It will also have a description panel to tell you a bit more about the component you are choosing. After you learn how to navigate around one component configuration panel, the others should be relatively self-explanatory. 

===== General Tab =====

The rest of the Body tube configuration window lists the different parameters for the current component type. As you can see, the General tab provides options to manually enter numbers, or you can also use the spin boxes (coarse control) or sliders (fine control) provided to adjust the parameter values. The Automatic checkbox will adjust the dimensions of the component automatically. Here you will also see a Filled checkbox. If this is checked you will notice that the inner diameter goes to zero, i.e., a filled (solid) tube. Note how the Component mass changes when this box is checked. 

On the right hand side of the window you will see the Component material and Component finish drop-down menus. If you click on these you will be presented with a list of various materials and finishes, each with their own weight and thickness. If you are using the same finish for the entire rocket you can click the Set for all button to make each component use the same finish. The last notable feature in this window is in the bottom left. There you will see a live display of the Component mass. This will update automatically as you change parameter values. Experiment with the sliders to see how the component changes in the design window.

You may have noticed that, apart from the mass, there is no noticeable difference when either the inner diameter or wall thickness parameters are changed. To see those changes reflected in the model you will have to switch to a different View Type, by selecting the desired view from the drop-down list at the left of the main OpenRocket program window.

===== Motor Tab =====

Next to the General tab is the Motor tab. If you click on it you will see that most parameters are grayed-out, with the exception of one checkbox. As the label mentions, this is for when you want the body tube component to also be a motor mount.
[[File:ConfigBodyMotor.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Motor tab of the Configuration Window.]]

Have a quick look at this if you wish, but we'll discuss changing flight configurations for a later section of the guide.

===== Override =====

We'll take a quick look at this tab, as it common to most components. For starting out though, you most likely will not need it.

[[File:ConfigBodyOverride.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Override tab of the Configuration Window.]]

This tab would be used when you specifically wanted to override the mass and centre of gravity (CG) of the component.

===== Appearance =====

Everyone likes something shiny, don’t they? This tab allows you edit the appearance of the component.

[[File:ConfigBodyAppearance.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Appearance tab of the Configuration Window.]]

There are two sections here, the Figure style section and the Appearance section. Figure style changes what the 2D figure looks like, whereas Appearance will change what the 3D model will look like. If you wish to use any custom textures or images in your rocket design, you can load those through the Texture drop-down menu.

===== Comment =====

This section does not really need much explanation. If you want to write any comments or notes about your component (why you chose the values you did, etc.), then this is the place to do it.

[[File:ConfigBodyComment.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Comment tab of the Configuration Window.]] 

Now that we have been through all of the tabs of the Body Tube component, click the Close button. You should now notice that the rest of the components are now unlocked in the top right of the Design window. This is because all component types can be added to a body tube. However, a Nose cone should be selected first if you are making your own rocket.

Let’s have a look at the full list of components. If you cannot click on the component type, try selecting the Body tube in the design window in the top left panel of OpenRocket.

=== Available Components ===

As previously mentioned, there are 16 component types to choose from within OpenRocket. These are split into three sections: 
- Body components and fin sets 
- Inner components 
- Mass objects 

[[File:ComponentSupertypes.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Component types menu.]] 

==== Body components and fin sets ====

Within Body components and fin sets we have 7 component types. These components make up the external and main body of the rocket; everything else is inside the rocket. As you will see in the image the component types are: 

- Nose Cone: The very tip of the rocket. Usually, you will select this component first. 
- Body Tube: As we have seen, the body tube makes up the main section of a stage. 
- Transition: A component that usually joins one body tube to another (normally larger) tube. 
- Trapezoidal fin: A fin set that is in the shape of a trapezoid. 
- Elliptical fin: A fin set that is in the shape of an ellipse. 
- Freeform fin: This special kind of fin takes any shape you want. If you add it to your model it will open up a design window for you to alter the shape as desired. 
- Launch Lug: This component usually goes on the outside of a body tube and is used while the rocket is on the launch pad. 

[[File:ComponentBodyAndFins.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Body components and fin sets submenu.]] 

==== Inner Components ====

Within Inner components we have 5 component types, and these components are all internal. As with Body components and fin sets we will now run through the list of components. 

- Inner tube: This component lets you add tubes to the inside of the main body tube. 
- Coupler: Used in multi-stage rockets, a coupler joins two sections together. 
- Centering ring: These can be used to support other components (e.g., a motor), in the centre of a larger tube. 
- Bulkhead: This is a block of material that forms a stop or barrier between two different areas. 
- Engine block: An engine block prevents the motor from moving forward in the motor mount tube. 

[[File:ComponentInner.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Inner Components submenu.]] 

==== Mass Objects ====

Within Mass objects we have 4 component types. They are:

- Parachute: Like any good parachute, this component will stop your rocket from becoming scrap. 
- Streamer: Another component for keeping your rocket safe, a streamer creates drag as your rocket falls down to earth. 
- Shock cord: A shock cord secures the nose cone to the body of the rocket so that it isn't lost when the nose is blown off to deploy the parachute/streamer. 
- Mass component: This is a block of mass used to adjust the rocket's Center of Gravity (CG). You can name it to whatever you want it to represent. 

[[File:ComponentMasses.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Mass Objects submenu.]] 

You have now had a brief run through the various components available for use in OpenRocket. The next section will deal with an example rocket.

== A Simple Model Rocket Example ==

In this section we will look at the components used in the A simple model rocket example design. To get started, start OpenRocket and navigate to the main window. As a reminder it looks like this:

[[File:Main_window.png|thumb|800 px|center|The Openrocket main window.]] 

==== Opening Example Designs ====

We'll begin by looking at how to find and load the example rockets within OpenRocket. Recall that this was also covered in the Getting Started section of this guide, but as a refresher the steps for doing this are as follows: 
- In the main window, click on the File menu at the top left. 
- Scroll down to Open Examples... open, and expand that menu. Here you will see a list of the available rocket design examples. 
Your screen should now look like this:

[[File:OpenExample.png|thumb|800 px|center|Opening an example rocket ]] 

Click on first example, our Simple model rocket. A Rocket configuration window should appear, with the Design Name (A simple model Rocket) and Designer (Sampo Niskanen) fields populated. The Comments and Revision History fields will be blank. Click Close. You should now have successfully loaded the rocket and be able to see a 2D schematic in the Rocket Design window.

[[File:After_complete_design.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Bottom half of the Rocket design window.]] 

==== Components used in ‘A simple model rocket’ ====

Now we will have a quick look through the components used in the example rocket. If you look towards the top left of the Rocket Design window you will see that there is a tree of components shown. By default they should all be fully expanded. If not, do so now.

[[File:Structure.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Top left-hand portion of the Rocket design window.]]

This image shows A simple model rocket at the top, followed by the Sustainer, which is Stage 1 of the rocket. 

If we look at the first component in the Sustainer stage we see that it is the nose cone. Double click on that now. This will bring up the Nose cone configuration window.

[[File:ConfigNose.png|thumb|600 px|center|Nose Cone Configuration Window.]]

As we have already examined the configuration window we will not repeat ourselves here. However, you will see that in this example we have used an Ogive nose cone with a Shape parameter of 1.0. If you read the description of the component to the right in the configuration window, you will discover that a value of 1.0 produces a tangent ogive. 

Moving down the window, you will see that the Nose cone length has a value of 10, the Base diameter has a value of 2.5, and the Wall thickness has a value of 0.2. All of these parameters have been set, in this example, to use centimeters (cm) as their unit. You should also see that this component is using Polystyrene as its material with a Regular paint finish. As you can see, the material has a density of 1.05 grams per centimetre cubed, and the paint is 60.0 micrometers thick. In the bottom left, the component weight is currently 13.2 grams. Go ahead and play around with the sliders to see how the component changes, and then change them back when you are finished. 

If you move over to the Shoulder tab, you'll be able to see the size attributes of the shoulder. Again, you can play around with the sliders if you want--as long as you change them back to the original settings when you are finished. For reference these are 2.3, 2.0 and 0.2 centimeters, respectively. Also have a look through the rest of the tabs to see what has been selected. The only other thing to note is that the appearance has been customized. If you were to change to the 3D Finished view type, you will see how the finished model looks. 

Moving on to the Body tube, you can access its various attributes by double-clicking on it in the Rocket design window. Note how its various attributes have been set to create the current size. This is all fairly straightforward and as we have already looked into the various components earlier, we will not go into great detail here. 

Note the eight other components that have been placed onto the Body tube. In descending order these are: 
- Trapezoidal fin set 
- Inner Tube 
- Centering Ring 
- Centering Ring 
- Shock Cord 
- Parachute 
- Wadding 
- Launch lug 

The Inner Tube in this design is used as a motor mount. You will see this if you go to the Motor tab in the Inner Tube configuration window. This means that a motor has been fitting into this piece. Upon inspection we can see that the current motor name is displayed in the Flight configuration drop-down list, on the right side of the main OpenRocket window. You can open this drop-down menu to select other motors that are available for use in this simulation, as well as the other example simulations that you will see on the Flight simulation tab. 

The ninth component is place inside the inner tube. This is the engine block. If you look at the schematic of the rocket you will see that this is placed in front of the grey rectangle, which is the motor. To quickly address some of the other components, you will note that the recovery method used in this rocket is a Parachute: the red dashed rounded-rectangle near the nose cone of the rocket. Along with the parachute we have a Shock cord, which (as was discussed earlier) prevents loss of the nose cone upon deployment of the recovery system. This is shown as a long, black, dashed rounded-rectangle in the same general area as the parachute. The other black, dashed rounded-rectangle box is the Wadding, which is a mass component and is used here to bring the centre of gravity forward towards the nose. 

We have now looked through the components used within the simple model rocket example. If you would like to see other available components, see Appendix A. Now that we are familiar with what makes up the rocket we will go ahead and build one from scratch! 

== Building ‘A simple model rocket’ ==

In this section we will build up the example model from scratch. After you have completed this process, you should be able to apply what you've learned in order to make any basic rocket you want. So let’s begin... 

Open a new project window so that everything is blank. The following are the steps that you will follow to create the rocket. 

1) Select the nose cone. Change its type to Ogive, if that isn't already selected. Make sure that Shape parameter, Nose cone length, base diameter, and Wall thickness values are set to 1.0, 10.0, 2.5, and 0.2 cm, respectively. The units are centimeters by default, so we should not need to change these. Finally, change the Component material to Polystyrene. 

2) Next, while still in the Nose cone configuration window, move to the Shoulder tab. Change the diameter to 2.3, the length to 2.0, and the thickness to 0.2. Also, check the End capped box. 

3) The last thing we have to do with the nose cone is to change its Appearance, so switch to that tab now. Leave the Figure style section unchanged but under the Appearance section, change the colour to one lighter than black. (Or to whatever you want, go crazy!) Then adjust the shine to 50%. That is all we need to change for now. 

You should now see this in the view area at the bottom of the main OpenRocket window:

[[File:NoseComplete.png|thumb|600 px|center|Nose Cone]]

4) Next, add the Body tube. The measurements for length, outer diameter, inner diameter, and wall thickness are 30.0, 2.5, 2.3, 0.1 respectively. It may be easier to type the last two in manually rather than use the sliders. Leave automatic checked and Filled unchecked. The material will remain Cardboard and the finish will be Regular Paint. The only other thing you should change here is the appearance but I will leave that as an exercise for yourself. 

You should now have this: 

[[File:BodyComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Nose Cone and Body]]

Moving on, we need to add a fin set. Make sure you have clicked on the body tube so that it’s highlighted then click on the Trapezoidal component type. The configuration window will have appeared. Leave the left side of the window alone: the setting there are fin as is. However, we will need to change some things on the right hand side. Firstly, change the Fin cross section to Rounded. Also, reduce the Thickness to 0.2. That’s all we need to do in this tab. Now move to the Appearance tab and customise as you will. 
[[File:FinsComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Nose Cone, Body, and Fins]]

The next component we need to add is the Inner tube. Once again highlight the body tube and then click the inner tube component. There are a couple of attributes we should change here. Firstly, increase Length to 7.5. Also, increase plus to 0.5. Leave everything else the same. Now go to the Motor tab. 

There are a few things we need to add here. To start, check the This component is a motor mount checkbox. This will allow us to add motors. The next few steps may look complicated but do not be daunted by them. First, we will deal with the easy bit. Increase the Motor overhang to 0.3. Now, where it says Flight Configuration we can see two buttons: New and Edit. Click Edit. This will bring up the Edit flight configurations window. 

[[File:FlightConfig.png|thumb|500 px|center|Flight Configurations Window]]

Make sure your window looks the same as the one above. Follow these steps: 

- Click on New at the top. 
- Click on Inner Tube. 
- Click Select motor at the bottom. This will bring up a large list of Motors. 
- Click on Designation to sort by the motor’s designation. 
- Look for the A8 by Estes. Click on it. 
- In the top right where it says Ejection charge delay change that to 3. 
- Now click ok. 

If everything went to plan, you have successfully added the Estes A8-3 motor to your rocket. 
Now repeat these steps for the following motors: 
- Estes B4-4 
- Estes C6-3 
- Estes C6-5 
- Estes C6-7 

After you have added the rest of the motors, click close. If you were to expand the Flight configuration drop-down menu you should see this: 

[[File:MotorsAdded.png|thumb|500 px|center|All Motors Added]]

Select the A8-3 Motor for now. That is all we have to do with the Inner tube apart from the Appearance but as usual I will let you paint it how you wish. 

The next component we will add is the Engine Block. This time make sure that the Inner tube is highlighted and then add an engine block component. Change the Inner diameter to 1.2 and the Wall thickness to 0.3. Also, change the Position relative to: Top of the parent component. The last change we will make is to increase plus to 0.2. That is all we have to do for this component. 

Your rocket should now look like this: 

[[File:EngineBlockCompleted.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added the Engine Block]]
We shall now add the two Centering Rings. Make sure the body tube is highlighted, then click on the Centering ring component type. The first one is fine as it is, we will not make any changes. However, we will add the following line to the comment tab: The centering ring automatically takes the outer diameter of the body tube and the inner diameter of the inner tube. 

Click close, select the body tube again and add another Centering ring. This time all we have to do is to change plus to -4.5. Also, add the comment again. 

[[File:CenteringRings.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Centering Rings]]

The next component we will add is the Shock cord. As usual, make sure the body tube is selected before adding the shock cord component. After it has been added change plus to 2, Packed length to 5.2, and Packed diameter to 1.2. Again, we will add a comment to this component. Enter the following line to the Comment tab: The shock cord does not need to be attached to anything in particular, as it functions only as a mass component.. The shock cord has now been completed. 

[[File:ShockCordComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Shock Cord]]

Now we have to add the Parachute. With the body tube highlighted, add a parachute component. Change plus to 3.2, Packed length to 4.2 and Packed diameter to 1.8. That is everything we need to do to the parachute. You can see what your rocket should now look like below. 

[[File:ParachuteAdded.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Parachute]]

The second last component to add is a Mass Component. Go ahead and add one to the body tube now. Adjust the Mass to 2g, the Approximate density to 0.16, the length to 3.0, the diameter to 2.3 and finally plus to 8.0. It may be easier to enter these manually. The last thing you have to do is to rename it from ‘Mass component’ to Wadding. Leave everything else as it is. 

[[File:AddedMass.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Mass]]

Almost done! One component left to add: the Launch Lug. Add this to the body tube now. Change the Length to 3.5, the Outer diameter to 0.7, and the inner diameter to 0.5. Leave the Thickness as it is. Also, change the Radial position to 19 degrees.

[[File:LaunchLugAdded.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Launch Lug]]

 
And that’s all there is to it, you have just completed building your first rocket within OpenRocket. From here you can use what you know to create more rockets or you can proceed to the next section of the User Guide: Basic Flight Simulation. Have fun!

----
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Basic Flight Simulation|← Basic Flight Simulation]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Advanced Rocket Design|Advanced Rocket Design →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

Basic Rocket Design

2015-09-13T16:18:05Z

Tcbetka: Incremental edit--page reload

<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Basic Flight Simulation|← Basic Flight Simulation]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Advanced Rocket Design|Advanced Rocket Design →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

{{UserGuideHelp}}

==Basic Rocket Design==

__TOC__

In this section we'll look at how to design a basic rocket by examining the A simple model rocket design example. After reading this section you should have an understanding of how to start designing your own rockets. If you already know how to design your rocket, you can jump to the [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Basic_Flight_Simulation next section]. 

We will start with a brief discussion on the selection of available components, and then the components used in the A simple model rocket example. Then we'll build a rocket from scratch to see how it’s done. 

=== Component Configuration Window ===

There are several types of components available to you as a rocket designer, and you can either customize these to meet your specific needs, or simply load presets from the database. 

To start, let's begin a new project: File -> New. It doesn’t matter what we call it at the moment, but go ahead and save the design straight away: File -> Save your design. At this point you should be presented with a blank design window in the bottom half of the user interface.

[[File:Main_window.png|thumb|800 px|center|The OpenRocket main window.]] 

When you first start a new rocket design you will see that only three categories of components are available in the Add new component panel: 
- Body components and fin sets 
- Inner components 
- Mass objects 

We would usually start building our rocket by selecting a nose cone but for the sake of this guide click the Body tube icon in the Body components and fin sets section. This will then open up a configuration window that we'll use to edit the parameters of the body tube. 

==== The Body Tube’ Configuration Window ====

At this point you should see a new window titled Body tube configuration.

[[File:ConfigBody.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Configuration Window.]]

This window allows you to either select a preset for the component type you are choosing, or make your own. Let’s start by examining how to customize it ourselves. If you have a look at the Body tube configuration window you will see that at the top there is a Component name field. Here we can change the name of the current component to anything we choose. (Note that this name will then appear in the design tree seen in the Rocket Design panel of the main program window.) 

Just below Component name there are several tabs: 
- General: allows us to alter the basic attributes of the component. 
- Motor: allows us to make the body tube into a motor mount, and also edit the properties of the motor. 
- Override: allows us to manually set the mass or centre of gravity for the component. 
- Appearance: allows us to select colours, textures and other finishes. 
- Comment: allows us to enter any comments or notes about the component. 

It should be noted that these tabs are specific to the component being designed. For example, a nose cone will not have a motor tab, but will instead have a shoulder tab. It will also have a description panel to tell you a bit more about the component you are choosing. After you learn how to navigate around one component configuration panel, the others should be relatively self-explanatory. 

===== General Tab =====

The rest of the Body tube configuration window lists the different parameters for the current component type. As you can see, the General tab provides options to manually enter numbers, or you can also use the spin boxes (coarse control) or sliders (fine control) provided to adjust the parameter values. The Automatic checkbox will adjust the dimensions of the component automatically. Here you will also see a Filled checkbox. If this is checked you will notice that the inner diameter goes to zero, i.e., a filled (solid) tube. Note how the Component mass changes when this box is checked. 

On the right hand side of the window you will see the Component material and Component finish drop-down menus. If you click on these you will be presented with a list of various materials and finishes, each with their own weight and thickness. If you are using the same finish for the entire rocket you can click the Set for all button to make each component use the same finish. The last notable feature in this window is in the bottom left. There you will see a live display of the Component mass. This will update automatically as you change parameter values. Experiment with the sliders to see how the component changes in the design window.

You may have noticed that, apart from the mass, there is no noticeable difference when either the inner diameter or wall thickness parameters are changed. To see those changes reflected in the model you will have to switch to a different View Type, by selecting the desired view from the drop-down list at the left of the main OpenRocket program window.

===== Motor Tab =====

Next to the General tab is the Motor tab. If you click on it you will see that most parameters are grayed-out, with the exception of one checkbox. As the label mentions, this is for when you want the body tube component to also be a motor mount.
[[File:ConfigBodyMotor.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Motor tab of the Configuration Window.]]

Have a quick look at this if you wish, but we'll discuss changing flight configurations for a later section of the guide.

===== Override =====

We'll take a quick look at this tab, as it common to most components. For starting out though, you most likely will not need it.

[[File:ConfigBodyOverride.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Override tab of the Configuration Window.]]

This tab would be used when you specifically wanted to override the mass and centre of gravity (CG) of the component.

===== Appearance =====

Everyone likes something shiny, don’t they? This tab allows you edit the appearance of the component.

[[File:ConfigBodyAppearance.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Appearance tab of the Configuration Window.]]

There are two sections here, the Figure style section and the Appearance section. Figure style changes what the 2D figure looks like, whereas Appearance will change what the 3D model will look like. If you wish to use any custom textures or images in your rocket design, you can load those through the Texture drop-down menu.

===== Comment =====

This section does not really need much explanation. If you want to write any comments or notes about your component (why you chose the values you did, etc.), then this is the place to do it.

[[File:ConfigBodyComment.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Comment tab of the Configuration Window.]] 

Now that we have been through all of the tabs of the Body Tube component, click the Close button. You should now notice that the rest of the components are now unlocked in the top right of the Design window. This is because all component types can be added to a body tube. However, a Nose cone should be selected first if you are making your own rocket.

Let’s have a look at the full list of components. If you cannot click on the component type, try selecting the Body tube in the design window in the top left panel of OpenRocket.

=== Available Components ===

As previously mentioned, there are 16 component types to choose from within OpenRocket. These are split into three sections: 
- Body components and fin sets 
- Inner components 
- Mass objects 

[[File:ComponentSupertypes.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Component types menu.]] 

==== Body components and fin sets ====

Within Body components and fin sets we have 7 component types. These components make up the external and main body of the rocket; everything else is inside the rocket. As you will see in the image the component types are: 

- Nose Cone: The very tip of the rocket. Usually, you will select this component first. 
- Body Tube: As we have seen, the body tube makes up the main section of a stage. 
- Transition: A component that usually joins one body tube to another (normally larger) tube. 
- Trapezoidal fin: A fin set that is in the shape of a trapezoid. 
- Elliptical fin: A fin set that is in the shape of an ellipse. 
- Freeform fin: This special kind of fin takes any shape you want. If you add it to your model it will open up a design window for you to alter the shape as desired. 
- Launch Lug: This component usually goes on the outside of a body tube and is used while the rocket is on the launch pad. 

[[File:ComponentBodyAndFins.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Body components and fin sets submenu.]] 

==== Inner Components ====

Within Inner components we have 5 component types, and these components are all internal. As with Body components and fin sets we will now run through the list of components. 

- Inner tube: This component lets you add tubes to the inside of the main body tube. 
- Coupler: Used in multi-stage rockets, a coupler joins two sections together. 
- Centering ring: These can be used to support other components (e.g., a motor), in the centre of a larger tube. 
- Bulkhead: This is a block of material that forms a stop or barrier between two different areas. 
- Engine block: An engine block prevents the motor from moving forward in the motor mount tube. 

[[File:ComponentInner.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Inner Components submenu.]] 

==== Mass Objects ====

Within Mass objects we have 4 component types. They are:

- Parachute: Like any good parachute, this component will stop your rocket from becoming scrap. 
- Streamer: Another component for keeping your rocket safe, a streamer creates drag as your rocket falls down to earth. 
- Shock cord: A shock cord secures the nose cone to the body of the rocket so that it isn't lost when the nose is blown off to deploy the parachute/streamer. 
- Mass component: This is a block of mass used to adjust the rocket's Center of Gravity (CG). You can name it to whatever you want it to represent. 

[[File:ComponentMasses.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Mass Objects submenu.]] 

You have now had a brief run through the various components available for use in OpenRocket. The next section will deal with an example rocket.

== A Simple Model Rocket Example ==

In this section we will look at the components used in the A simple model rocket example design. To get started, start OpenRocket and navigate to the main window. As a reminder it looks like this:

[[File:Main_window.png|thumb|800 px|center|The Openrocket main window.]] 

==== Opening Example Designs ====

We'll begin by looking at how to find and load the example rockets within OpenRocket. Recall that this was also covered in the Getting Started section of this guide, but as a refresher the steps for doing this are as follows: 
- In the main window, click on the File menu at the top left. 
- Scroll down to Open Examples... open, and expand that menu. Here you will see a list of the available rocket design examples. 
Your screen should now look like this:

[[File:OpenExample.png|thumb|800 px|center|Opening an example rocket ]] 

Click on first example, our Simple model rocket. A Rocket configuration window should appear, with the Design Name (A simple model Rocket) and Designer (Sampo Niskanen) fields populated. The Comments and Revision History fields will be blank. Click Close. You should now have successfully loaded the rocket and be able to see a 2D schematic in the Rocket Design window.

[[File:After_complete_design.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Bottom half of the Rocket design window.]] 

==== Components used in ‘A simple model rocket’ ====

Now we will have a quick look through the components used in the example rocket. If you look towards the top left of the Rocket Design window you will see that there is a tree of components shown. By default they should all be fully expanded. If not, do so now.

[[File:Structure.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Top left-hand portion of the Rocket design window.]]

This image shows A simple model rocket at the top, followed by the Sustainer, which is Stage 1 of the rocket. 

If we look at the first component in the Sustainer stage we see that it is the nose cone. Double click on that now. This will bring up the Nose cone configuration window.

[[File:ConfigNose.png|thumb|600 px|center|Nose Cone Configuration Window.]]

As we have already examined the configuration window we will not repeat ourselves here. However, you will see that in this example we have used an Ogive nose cone with a Shape parameter of 1.0. If you read the description of the component to the right in the configuration window, you will discover that a value of 1.0 produces a tangent ogive. 

Moving down the window, you will see that the Nose cone length has a value of 10, the Base diameter has a value of 2.5, and the Wall thickness has a value of 0.2. All of these parameters have been set, in this example, to use centimeters (cm) as their unit. You should also see that this component is using Polystyrene as its material with a Regular paint finish. As you can see, the material has a density of 1.05 grams per centimetre cubed, and the paint is 60.0 micrometers thick. In the bottom left, the component weight is currently 13.2 grams. Go ahead and play around with the sliders to see how the component changes, and then change them back when you are finished. 

If you move over to the Shoulder tab, you'll be able to see the size attributes of the shoulder. Again, you can play around with the sliders if you want--as long as you change them back to the original settings when you are finished. For reference these are 2.3, 2.0 and 0.2 centimeters, respectively. Also have a look through the rest of the tabs to see what has been selected. The only other thing to note is that the appearance has been customized. If you were to change to the 3D Finished view type, you will see how the finished model looks. 

Moving on to the Body tube, you can access its various attributes by double-clicking on it in the Rocket design window. Note how its various attributes have been set to create the current size. This is all fairly straightforward and as we have already looked into the various components earlier, we will not go into great detail here. 

Note the eight other components that have been placed onto the Body tube. In descending order these are: 
- Trapezoidal fin set 
- Inner Tube 
- Centering Ring 
- Centering Ring 
- Shock Cord 
- Parachute 
- Wadding 
- Launch lug 

The Inner Tube in this design is used as a motor mount. You will see this if you go to the Motor tab in the Inner Tube configuration window. This means that a motor has been fitting into this piece. Upon inspection we can see that the current motor name is displayed in the Flight configuration drop-down list, on the right side of the main OpenRocket window. You can open this drop-down menu to select other motors that are available for use in this simulation, as well as the other example simulations that you will see on the Flight simulation tab. 

The ninth component is place inside the inner tube. This is the engine block. If you look at the schematic of the rocket you will see that this is placed in front of the grey rectangle, which is the motor. To quickly address some of the other components, you will note that the recovery method used in this rocket is a Parachute: the red dashed rounded-rectangle near the nose cone of the rocket. Along with the parachute we have a Shock cord, which (as was discussed earlier) prevents loss of the nose cone upon deployment of the recovery system. This is shown as a long, black, dashed rounded-rectangle in the same general area as the parachute. The other black, dashed rounded-rectangle box is the Wadding, which is a mass component and is used here to bring the centre of gravity forward towards the nose. 

We have now looked through the components used within the simple model rocket example. If you would like to see other available components, see Appendix A. Now that we are familiar with what makes up the rocket we will go ahead and build one from scratch! 

== Building ‘A simple model rocket’ ==

In this section we will build the example model up from scratch. After you have completed this you should be able to apply what you know to make any basic rocket you want. So let’s begin. 

Open a new project window so that everything is blank. The following are the steps that you will need to take to create the rocket. 

Select the nose cone. change its type to Ogive. Make sure that Shape parameter, Nose cone length, base diameter, and Wall thickness are set to 1.0, 10.0, 2.5, and 0.2 respectively. The units are cm by default so we do not need to change these. Do not forget to change the Component material to Polystyrene. 

Next, still within nose cone, move to the shoulder tab and change the diameter to 2.3, the length to 2.0, and the thickness to 0.2. Also, check the End Capped checkbox. 

The last thing we have to do with the nose cone is change the appearance so switch to that tab now. Leave the figure section alone but under Appearance change the colour to one lighter that black. (Or to whatever you want, go crazy.) Then adjust the shine to 50%. That is all we need to change for now. 

You should now see this:

[[File:NoseComplete.png|thumb|600 px|center|Nose Cone]]

Next, add the Body tube. The measurements for length, outer diameter, inner diameter, and wall thickness are 30.0, 2.5, 2.3, 0.1 respectively. It may be easier to type the last two in manually rather than use the sliders. Leave automatic checked and Filled unchecked. The material will remain Cardboard and the finish will be Regular Paint. The only other thing you should change here is the appearance but I will leave that as an exercise for yourself. 

You should now have this: 

[[File:BodyComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Nose Cone and Body]]

Moving on, we need to add a fin set. Make sure you have clicked on the body tube so that it’s highlighted then click on the Trapezoidal component type. The configuration window will have appeared. Leave the left side of the window alone: the setting there are fin as is. However, we will need to change some things on the right hand side. Firstly, change the Fin cross section to Rounded. Also, reduce the Thickness to 0.2. That’s all we need to do in this tab. Now move to the Appearance tab and customise as you will. 
[[File:FinsComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Nose Cone, Body, and Fins]]

The next component we need to add is the Inner tube. Once again highlight the body tube and then click the inner tube component. There are a couple of attributes we should change here. Firstly, increase Length to 7.5. Also, increase plus to 0.5. Leave everything else the same. Now go to the Motor tab. 

There are a few things we need to add here. To start, check the This component is a motor mount checkbox. This will allow us to add motors. The next few steps may look complicated but do not be daunted by them. First, we will deal with the easy bit. Increase the Motor overhang to 0.3. Now, where it says Flight Configuration we can see two buttons: New and Edit. Click Edit. This will bring up the Edit flight configurations window. 

[[File:FlightConfig.png|thumb|500 px|center|Flight Configurations Window]]

Make sure your window looks the same as the one above. Follow these steps: 

- Click on New at the top. 
- Click on Inner Tube. 
- Click Select motor at the bottom. This will bring up a large list of Motors. 
- Click on Designation to sort by the motor’s designation. 
- Look for the A8 by Estes. Click on it. 
- In the top right where it says Ejection charge delay change that to 3. 
- Now click ok. 

If everything went to plan, you have successfully added the Estes A8-3 motor to your rocket. 
Now repeat these steps for the following motors: 
- Estes B4-4 
- Estes C6-3 
- Estes C6-5 
- Estes C6-7 

After you have added the rest of the motors, click close. If you were to expand the Flight configuration drop-down menu you should see this: 

[[File:MotorsAdded.png|thumb|500 px|center|All Motors Added]]

Select the A8-3 Motor for now. That is all we have to do with the Inner tube apart from the Appearance but as usual I will let you paint it how you wish. 

The next component we will add is the Engine Block. This time make sure that the Inner tube is highlighted and then add an engine block component. Change the Inner diameter to 1.2 and the Wall thickness to 0.3. Also, change the Position relative to: Top of the parent component. The last change we will make is to increase plus to 0.2. That is all we have to do for this component. 

Your rocket should now look like this: 

[[File:EngineBlockCompleted.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added the Engine Block]]
We shall now add the two Centering Rings. Make sure the body tube is highlighted, then click on the Centering ring component type. The first one is fine as it is, we will not make any changes. However, we will add the following line to the comment tab: The centering ring automatically takes the outer diameter of the body tube and the inner diameter of the inner tube. 

Click close, select the body tube again and add another Centering ring. This time all we have to do is to change plus to -4.5. Also, add the comment again. 

[[File:CenteringRings.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Centering Rings]]

The next component we will add is the Shock cord. As usual, make sure the body tube is selected before adding the shock cord component. After it has been added change plus to 2, Packed length to 5.2, and Packed diameter to 1.2. Again, we will add a comment to this component. Enter the following line to the Comment tab: The shock cord does not need to be attached to anything in particular, as it functions only as a mass component.. The shock cord has now been completed. 

[[File:ShockCordComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Shock Cord]]

Now we have to add the Parachute. With the body tube highlighted, add a parachute component. Change plus to 3.2, Packed length to 4.2 and Packed diameter to 1.8. That is everything we need to do to the parachute. You can see what your rocket should now look like below. 

[[File:ParachuteAdded.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Parachute]]

The second last component to add is a Mass Component. Go ahead and add one to the body tube now. Adjust the Mass to 2g, the Approximate density to 0.16, the length to 3.0, the diameter to 2.3 and finally plus to 8.0. It may be easier to enter these manually. The last thing you have to do is to rename it from ‘Mass component’ to Wadding. Leave everything else as it is. 

[[File:AddedMass.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Mass]]

Almost done! One component left to add: the Launch Lug. Add this to the body tube now. Change the Length to 3.5, the Outer diameter to 0.7, and the inner diameter to 0.5. Leave the Thickness as it is. Also, change the Radial position to 19 degrees.

[[File:LaunchLugAdded.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Launch Lug]]

 
And that’s all there is to it, you have just completed building your first rocket within OpenRocket. From here you can use what you know to create more rockets or you can proceed to the next section of the User Guide: Basic Flight Simulation. Have fun!

----
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Basic Flight Simulation|← Basic Flight Simulation]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Advanced Rocket Design|Advanced Rocket Design →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

Basic Rocket Design

2015-09-13T15:35:56Z

Tcbetka: Incremental edit--page reload

<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Basic Flight Simulation|← Basic Flight Simulation]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Advanced Rocket Design|Advanced Rocket Design →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

{{UserGuideHelp}}

==Basic Rocket Design==

__TOC__

In this section we'll look at how to design a basic rocket by examining the A simple model rocket design example. After reading this section you should have an understanding of how to start designing your own rockets. If you already know how to design your rocket, you can jump to the [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Basic_Flight_Simulation next section]. 

We will start with a brief discussion on the selection of available components, and then the components used in the A simple model rocket example. Then we'll build a rocket from scratch to see how it’s done. 

=== Component Configuration Window ===

There are several types of components available to you as a rocket designer, and you can either customize these to meet your specific needs, or simply load presets from the database. 

To start, let's begin a new project: File -> New. It doesn’t matter what we call it at the moment, but go ahead and save the design straight away: File -> Save your design. At this point you should be presented with a blank design window in the bottom half of the user interface.

[[File:Main_window.png|thumb|800 px|center|The OpenRocket main window.]] 

When you first start a new rocket design you will see that only three categories of components are available in the Add new component panel: 
- Body components and fin sets 
- Inner components 
- Mass objects 

We would usually start building our rocket by selecting a nose cone but for the sake of this guide click the Body tube icon in the Body components and fin sets section. This will then open up a configuration window that we'll use to edit the parameters of the body tube. 

==== The Body Tube’ Configuration Window ====

At this point you should see a new window titled Body tube configuration.

[[File:ConfigBody.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Configuration Window.]]

This window allows you to either select a preset for the component type you are choosing, or make your own. Let’s start by examining how to customize it ourselves. If you have a look at the Body tube configuration window you will see that at the top there is a Component name field. Here we can change the name of the current component to anything we choose. (Note that this name will then appear in the design tree seen in the Rocket Design panel of the main program window.) 

Just below Component name there are several tabs: 
- General: allows us to alter the basic attributes of the component. 
- Motor: allows us to make the body tube into a motor mount, and also edit the properties of the motor. 
- Override: allows us to manually set the mass or centre of gravity for the component. 
- Appearance: allows us to select colours, textures and other finishes. 
- Comment: allows us to enter any comments or notes about the component. 

It should be noted that these tabs are specific to the component being designed. For example, a nose cone will not have a motor tab, but will instead have a shoulder tab. It will also have a description panel to tell you a bit more about the component you are choosing. After you learn how to navigate around one component configuration panel, the others should be relatively self-explanatory. 

===== General Tab =====

The rest of the Body tube configuration window lists the different parameters for the current component type. As you can see, the General tab provides options to manually enter numbers, or you can also use the spin boxes (coarse control) or sliders (fine control) provided to adjust the parameter values. The Automatic checkbox will adjust the dimensions of the component automatically. Here you will also see a Filled checkbox. If this is checked you will notice that the inner diameter goes to zero, i.e., a filled (solid) tube. Note how the Component mass changes when this box is checked. 

On the right hand side of the window you will see the Component material and Component finish drop-down menus. If you click on these you will be presented with a list of various materials and finishes, each with their own weight and thickness. If you are using the same finish for the entire rocket you can click the Set for all button to make each component use the same finish. The last notable feature in this window is in the bottom left. There you will see a live display of the Component mass. This will update automatically as you change parameter values. Experiment with the sliders to see how the component changes in the design window.

You may have noticed that, apart from the mass, there is no noticeable difference when either the inner diameter or wall thickness parameters are changed. To see those changes reflected in the model you will have to switch to a different View Type, by selecting the desired view from the drop-down list at the left of the main OpenRocket program window.

===== Motor Tab =====

Next to the General tab is the Motor tab. If you click on it you will see that most parameters are grayed-out, with the exception of one checkbox. As the label mentions, this is for when you want the body tube component to also be a motor mount.
[[File:ConfigBodyMotor.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Motor tab of the Configuration Window.]]

Have a quick look at this if you wish, but we'll discuss changing flight configurations for a later section of the guide.

===== Override =====

We'll take a quick look at this tab, as it common to most components. For starting out though, you most likely will not need it.

[[File:ConfigBodyOverride.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Override tab of the Configuration Window.]]

This tab would be used when you specifically wanted to override the mass and centre of gravity (CG) of the component.

===== Appearance =====

Everyone likes something shiny, don’t they? This tab allows you edit the appearance of the component.

[[File:ConfigBodyAppearance.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Appearance tab of the Configuration Window.]]

There are two sections here, the Figure style section and the Appearance section. Figure style changes what the 2D figure looks like, whereas Appearance will change what the 3D model will look like. If you wish to use any custom textures or images in your rocket design, you can load those through the Texture drop-down menu.

===== Comment =====

This section does not really need much explanation. If you want to write any comments or notes about your component (why you chose the values you did, etc.), then this is the place to do it.

[[File:ConfigBodyComment.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Comment tab of the Configuration Window.]] 

Now that we have been through all of the tabs of the Body Tube component, click the Close button. You should now notice that the rest of the components are now unlocked in the top right of the Design window. This is because all component types can be added to a body tube. However, a Nose cone should be selected first if you are making your own rocket.

Let’s have a look at the full list of components. If you cannot click on the component type, try selecting the Body tube in the design window in the top left panel of OpenRocket.

=== Available Components ===

As previously mentioned, there are 16 component types to choose from within OpenRocket. These are split into three sections: 
- Body components and fin sets 
- Inner components 
- Mass objects 

[[File:ComponentSupertypes.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Component types menu.]] 

==== Body components and fin sets ====

Within Body components and fin sets we have 7 component types. These components make up the external and main body of the rocket; everything else is inside the rocket. As you will see in the image the component types are: 

- Nose Cone: The very tip of the rocket. Usually, you will select this component first. 
- Body Tube: As we have seen, the body tube makes up the main section of a stage. 
- Transition: A component that usually joins one body tube to another (normally larger) tube. 
- Trapezoidal fin: A fin set that is in the shape of a trapezoid. 
- Elliptical fin: A fin set that is in the shape of an ellipse. 
- Freeform fin: This special kind of fin takes any shape you want. If you add it to your model it will open up a design window for you to alter the shape as desired. 
- Launch Lug: This component usually goes on the outside of a body tube and is used while the rocket is on the launch pad. 

[[File:ComponentBodyAndFins.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Body components and fin sets submenu.]] 

==== Inner Components ====

Within Inner components we have 5 component types, and these components are all internal. As with Body components and fin sets we will now run through the list of components. 

- Inner tube: This component lets you add tubes to the inside of the main body tube. 
- Coupler: Used in multi-stage rockets, a coupler joins two sections together. 
- Centering ring: These can be used to support other components (e.g., a motor), in the centre of a larger tube. 
- Bulkhead: This is a block of material that forms a stop or barrier between two different areas. 
- Engine block: An engine block prevents the motor from moving forward in the motor mount tube. 

[[File:ComponentInner.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Inner Components submenu.]] 

==== Mass Objects ====

Within Mass objects we have 4 component types. They are:

- Parachute: Like any good parachute, this component will stop your rocket from becoming scrap. 
- Streamer: Another component for keeping your rocket safe, a streamer creates drag as your rocket falls down to earth. 
- Shock cord: A shock cord secures the nose cone to the body of the rocket so that it isn't lost when the nose is blown off to deploy the parachute/streamer. 
- Mass component: This is a block of mass used to adjust the rocket's Center of Gravity (CG). You can name it to whatever you want it to represent. 

[[File:ComponentMasses.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Mass Objects submenu.]] 

You have now had a brief run through the various components available for use in OpenRocket. The next section will deal with an example rocket.

== A Simple Model Rocket Example ==

In this section we will look at the components used in the A simple model rocket example design. To get started, start OpenRocket and navigate to the main window. As a reminder it looks like this:

[[File:Main_window.png|thumb|800 px|center|The Openrocket main window.]] 

==== Opening Example Designs ====

We'll begin by looking at how to find and load the example rockets within OpenRocket. Recall that this was also covered in the Getting Started section of this guide, but as a refresher the steps for doing this are as follows: 
- In the main window, click on the File menu at the top left. 
- Scroll down to Open Examples... open, and expand that menu. Here you will see a list of the available rocket design examples. 
Your screen should now look like this:

[[File:OpenExample.png|thumb|800 px|center|Opening an example rocket ]] 

Click on first example, our Simple model rocket. A Rocket configuration window should appear, with the Design Name (A simple model Rocket) and Designer (Sampo Niskanen) fields populated. The Comments and Revision History fields will be blank. Click Close. You should now have successfully loaded the rocket and be able to see a 2D schematic in the Rocket Design window.

[[File:After_complete_design.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Bottom half of the Rocket design window.]] 

==== Components used in ‘A simple model rocket’ ====

Now we will have a quick look through the components used in the example rocket. 

If you look towards the top left of the Rocket Design window you will see that there is a tree of components shown. By default they should all be fully expanded. If not, do so now.

[[File:Structure.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Top left-hand portion of the Rocket design window.]]

This image shows A simple model rocket at the top, followed by the Sustainer, which is Stage 1 of the rocket. 

If we look at the first component in the sustainer stage we see that it is the nose cone. Double click on that now. This will bring up the configuration window.

[[File:ConfigNose.png|thumb|600 px|center|Nose Cone Configuration Window.]]

As we have already examined the configuration window we will not repeat ourselves here. However, you will see that in this example we have used an Ogive nose cone with a shape parameter of 1.0. If you read the description of the component to the right of the configuration window you will discover that a value of 1.0 produces a tangent ogive. 

Moving down the window, you will see that the Nose cone length has a value of 10, the Base diameter has a value of 2.5, and the Wall thickness has a value of 0.2. All of these parameters have been set, in this example, to use cm as their unit. You should also see that this component is using Polystyrene as its material with a Regular paint finish. As you can see, the material has a weight of 1.05 grams per centimetre cubed and the paint is 60.0 micrometers thick. In the bottom left, the component weight is currently 13.2g. Go ahead and play around with the sliders to see how the component changes. Change them back when you are done. 

If you move onto the Shoulder tab we will be able to see the size attributes of the shoulder. Again, you can play around with the sliders if you want as long as you change them back to the original settings when you are finished. For reference these are 2.3, 2.0 and 0.2 respectively. 

Have a look through the rest of the tabs to see what has been selected. The only other thing of note is that the appearance has been customised. If you were to change to 3D finished view you will see how the model looks. 

Moving on to the body tube you will see that, if you double click on it that the various attributes have been set to create the current size. This is all fairly straight forward and we have already looked into body tube components earlier so I will not go into great detail here. 

Onto the body tube we have placed 8 other components. In descending order these are: 
- Trapezoidal fin set 
- Inner Tube 
- Centring Ring 
- Centring Ring 
- Shock Cord 
- Parachute 
- Wadding 
- Launch lug 
The inner tube in this design is used as a motor mount. You will see this if you go to the motor tab in its configuration window. This means that a motor has been fitting into this piece. Upon inspection we can see that the current motor name is displayed under the flight configuration tab. You can open that drop-down menu to select other motors that are used in the example simulations that you will see in Basic Flight Simulation. 

The ninth component is place inside the inner tube. This is the engine block. If you look at the schematic of the rocket you will see that this is placed in front of the grey rectangle, which is the motor. To quickly address some of the other components you will see that the recovery method used in this rocket is a parachute: the red dotted box near the tip of the rocket. To go with the parachute we have a shock cord, which as we discovered earlier, stops us from losing the nose cone upon recovery method deployment. This is shown as a long, black-dotted rectangle around the same area as the parachute. The other black, dotted box is the wadding, which is a mass component and is used here to bring the centre of gravity towards the nose. 

We have now looked through the components used within A simple model rocket. If you would like to see more components available, see Appendix A. Now that we are familiar with what makes up the rocket we will go ahead and build it from scratch. 

== Building ‘A simple model rocket’ ==

In this section we will build the example model up from scratch. After you have completed this you should be able to apply what you know to make any basic rocket you want. So let’s begin. 

Open a new project window so that everything is blank. The following are the steps that you will need to take to create the rocket. 

Select the nose cone. change its type to Ogive. Make sure that Shape parameter, Nose cone length, base diameter, and Wall thickness are set to 1.0, 10.0, 2.5, and 0.2 respectively. The units are cm by default so we do not need to change these. Do not forget to change the Component material to Polystyrene. 

Next, still within nose cone, move to the shoulder tab and change the diameter to 2.3, the length to 2.0, and the thickness to 0.2. Also, check the End Capped checkbox. 

The last thing we have to do with the nose cone is change the appearance so switch to that tab now. Leave the figure section alone but under Appearance change the colour to one lighter that black. (Or to whatever you want, go crazy.) Then adjust the shine to 50%. That is all we need to change for now. 

You should now see this:

[[File:NoseComplete.png|thumb|600 px|center|Nose Cone]]

Next, add the Body tube. The measurements for length, outer diameter, inner diameter, and wall thickness are 30.0, 2.5, 2.3, 0.1 respectively. It may be easier to type the last two in manually rather than use the sliders. Leave automatic checked and Filled unchecked. The material will remain Cardboard and the finish will be Regular Paint. The only other thing you should change here is the appearance but I will leave that as an exercise for yourself. 

You should now have this: 

[[File:BodyComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Nose Cone and Body]]

Moving on, we need to add a fin set. Make sure you have clicked on the body tube so that it’s highlighted then click on the Trapezoidal component type. The configuration window will have appeared. Leave the left side of the window alone: the setting there are fin as is. However, we will need to change some things on the right hand side. Firstly, change the Fin cross section to Rounded. Also, reduce the Thickness to 0.2. That’s all we need to do in this tab. Now move to the Appearance tab and customise as you will. 
[[File:FinsComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Nose Cone, Body, and Fins]]

The next component we need to add is the Inner tube. Once again highlight the body tube and then click the inner tube component. There are a couple of attributes we should change here. Firstly, increase Length to 7.5. Also, increase plus to 0.5. Leave everything else the same. Now go to the Motor tab. 

There are a few things we need to add here. To start, check the This component is a motor mount checkbox. This will allow us to add motors. The next few steps may look complicated but do not be daunted by them. First, we will deal with the easy bit. Increase the Motor overhang to 0.3. Now, where it says Flight Configuration we can see two buttons: New and Edit. Click Edit. This will bring up the Edit flight configurations window. 

[[File:FlightConfig.png|thumb|500 px|center|Flight Configurations Window]]

Make sure your window looks the same as the one above. Follow these steps: 

- Click on New at the top. 
- Click on Inner Tube. 
- Click Select motor at the bottom. This will bring up a large list of Motors. 
- Click on Designation to sort by the motor’s designation. 
- Look for the A8 by Estes. Click on it. 
- In the top right where it says Ejection charge delay change that to 3. 
- Now click ok. 

If everything went to plan, you have successfully added the Estes A8-3 motor to your rocket. 
Now repeat these steps for the following motors: 
- Estes B4-4 
- Estes C6-3 
- Estes C6-5 
- Estes C6-7 

After you have added the rest of the motors, click close. If you were to expand the Flight configuration drop-down menu you should see this: 

[[File:MotorsAdded.png|thumb|500 px|center|All Motors Added]]

Select the A8-3 Motor for now. That is all we have to do with the Inner tube apart from the Appearance but as usual I will let you paint it how you wish. 

The next component we will add is the Engine Block. This time make sure that the Inner tube is highlighted and then add an engine block component. Change the Inner diameter to 1.2 and the Wall thickness to 0.3. Also, change the Position relative to: Top of the parent component. The last change we will make is to increase plus to 0.2. That is all we have to do for this component. 

Your rocket should now look like this: 

[[File:EngineBlockCompleted.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added the Engine Block]]
We shall now add the two Centering Rings. Make sure the body tube is highlighted, then click on the Centering ring component type. The first one is fine as it is, we will not make any changes. However, we will add the following line to the comment tab: The centering ring automatically takes the outer diameter of the body tube and the inner diameter of the inner tube. 

Click close, select the body tube again and add another Centering ring. This time all we have to do is to change plus to -4.5. Also, add the comment again. 

[[File:CenteringRings.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Centering Rings]]

The next component we will add is the Shock cord. As usual, make sure the body tube is selected before adding the shock cord component. After it has been added change plus to 2, Packed length to 5.2, and Packed diameter to 1.2. Again, we will add a comment to this component. Enter the following line to the Comment tab: The shock cord does not need to be attached to anything in particular, as it functions only as a mass component.. The shock cord has now been completed. 

[[File:ShockCordComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Shock Cord]]

Now we have to add the Parachute. With the body tube highlighted, add a parachute component. Change plus to 3.2, Packed length to 4.2 and Packed diameter to 1.8. That is everything we need to do to the parachute. You can see what your rocket should now look like below. 

[[File:ParachuteAdded.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Parachute]]

The second last component to add is a Mass Component. Go ahead and add one to the body tube now. Adjust the Mass to 2g, the Approximate density to 0.16, the length to 3.0, the diameter to 2.3 and finally plus to 8.0. It may be easier to enter these manually. The last thing you have to do is to rename it from ‘Mass component’ to Wadding. Leave everything else as it is. 

[[File:AddedMass.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Mass]]

Almost done! One component left to add: the Launch Lug. Add this to the body tube now. Change the Length to 3.5, the Outer diameter to 0.7, and the inner diameter to 0.5. Leave the Thickness as it is. Also, change the Radial position to 19 degrees.

[[File:LaunchLugAdded.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Launch Lug]]

 
And that’s all there is to it, you have just completed building your first rocket within OpenRocket. From here you can use what you know to create more rockets or you can proceed to the next section of the User Guide: Basic Flight Simulation. Have fun!

----
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Basic Flight Simulation|← Basic Flight Simulation]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Advanced Rocket Design|Advanced Rocket Design →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

Basic Rocket Design

2015-09-13T15:04:21Z

Tcbetka: Incremental edit--page reload

<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Basic Flight Simulation|← Basic Flight Simulation]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Advanced Rocket Design|Advanced Rocket Design →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

{{UserGuideHelp}}

==Basic Rocket Design==

__TOC__

In this section we'll look at how to design a basic rocket by examining the A simple model rocket design example. After reading this section you should have an understanding of how to start designing your own rockets. If you already know how to design your rocket, you can jump to the [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Basic_Flight_Simulation next section]. 

We will start with a brief discussion on the selection of available components, and then the components used in the A simple model rocket example. Then we'll build a rocket from scratch to see how it’s done. 

=== Component Configuration Window ===

There are several types of components available to you as a rocket designer, and you can either customize these to meet your specific needs, or simply load presets from the database. 

To start, let's begin a new project: File -> New. It doesn’t matter what we call it at the moment, but go ahead and save the design straight away: File -> Save your design. At this point you should be presented with a blank design window in the bottom half of the user interface.

[[File:Main_window.png|thumb|800 px|center|The OpenRocket main window.]] 

When you first start a new rocket design you will see that only three categories of components are available in the Add new component panel: 
- Body components and fin sets 
- Inner components 
- Mass objects 

We would usually start building our rocket by selecting a nose cone but for the sake of this guide click the Body tube icon in the Body components and fin sets section. This will then open up a configuration window that we'll use to edit the parameters of the body tube. 

==== The Body Tube’ Configuration Window ====

At this point you should see a new window titled Body tube configuration.

[[File:ConfigBody.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Configuration Window.]]

This window allows you to either select a preset for the component type you are choosing, or make your own. Let’s start by examining how to customize it ourselves. If you have a look at the Body tube configuration window you will see that at the top there is a Component name field. Here we can change the name of the current component to anything we choose. (Note that this name will then appear in the design tree seen in the Rocket Design panel of the main program window.) 

Just below Component name there are several tabs: 
- General: allows us to alter the basic attributes of the component. 
- Motor: allows us to make the body tube into a motor mount, and also edit the properties of the motor. 
- Override: allows us to manually set the mass or centre of gravity for the component. 
- Appearance: allows us to select colours, textures and other finishes. 
- Comment: allows us to enter any comments or notes about the component. 

It should be noted that these tabs are specific to the component being designed. For example, a nose cone will not have a motor tab, but will instead have a shoulder tab. It will also have a description panel to tell you a bit more about the component you are choosing. After you learn how to navigate around one component configuration panel, the others should be relatively self-explanatory. 

===== General Tab =====

The rest of the Body tube configuration window lists the different parameters for the current component type. As you can see, the General tab provides options to manually enter numbers, or you can also use the spin boxes (coarse control) or sliders (fine control) provided to adjust the parameter values. The Automatic checkbox will adjust the dimensions of the component automatically. Here you will also see a Filled checkbox. If this is checked you will notice that the inner diameter goes to zero, i.e., a filled (solid) tube. Note how the Component mass changes when this box is checked. 

On the right hand side of the window you will see the Component material and Component finish drop-down menus. If you click on these you will be presented with a list of various materials and finishes, each with their own weight and thickness. If you are using the same finish for the entire rocket you can click the Set for all button to make each component use the same finish. The last notable feature in this window is in the bottom left. There you will see a live display of the Component mass. This will update automatically as you change parameter values. Experiment with the sliders to see how the component changes in the design window.

You may have noticed that, apart from the mass, there is no noticeable difference when either the inner diameter or wall thickness parameters are changed. To see those changes reflected in the model you will have to switch to a different View Type, by selecting the desired view from the drop-down list at the left of the main OpenRocket program window.

===== Motor Tab =====

Next to the General tab is the Motor tab. If you click on it you will see that most parameters are grayed-out, with the exception of one checkbox. As the label mentions, this is for when you want the body tube component to also be a motor mount.
[[File:ConfigBodyMotor.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Motor tab of the Configuration Window.]]

Have a quick look at this if you wish, but we'll discuss changing flight configurations for a later section of the guide.

===== Override =====

We'll take a quick look at this tab, as it common to most components. For starting out though, you most likely will not need it.

[[File:ConfigBodyOverride.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Override tab of the Configuration Window.]]

This tab would be used when you specifically wanted to override the mass and centre of gravity (CG) of the component.

===== Appearance =====

Everyone likes something shiny, don’t they? This tab allows you edit the appearance of the component.

[[File:ConfigBodyAppearance.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Appearance tab of the Configuration Window.]]

There are two sections here, the Figure style section and the Appearance section. Figure style changes what the 2D figure looks like, whereas Appearance will change what the 3D model will look like. If you wish to use any custom textures or images in your rocket design, you can load those through the Texture drop-down menu.

===== Comment =====

This section does not really need much explanation. If you want to write any comments or notes about your component (why you chose the values you did, etc.), then this is the place to do it.

[[File:ConfigBodyComment.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Comment tab of the Configuration Window.]] 

Now that we have been through all of the tabs of the Body Tube component, click the Close button. You should now notice that the rest of the components are now unlocked in the top right of the Design window. This is because all component types can be added to a body tube. However, a Nose cone should be selected first if you are making your own rocket.

Let’s have a look at the full list of components. If you cannot click on the component type, try selecting the Body tube in the design window in the top left panel of OpenRocket.

=== Available Components ===

As previously mentioned, there are 16 component types to choose from within OpenRocket. These are split into three sections: 
- Body components and fin sets 
- Inner components 
- Mass objects 

[[File:ComponentSupertypes.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Component types menu.]] 

==== Body components and fin sets ====

Within Body components and fin sets we have 7 component types. These components make up the external and main body of the rocket; everything else is inside the rocket. As you will see in the image the component types are: 

- Nose Cone: The very tip of the rocket. Usually, you will select this component first. 
- Body Tube: As we have seen, the body tube makes up the main section of a stage. 
- Transition: A component that usually joins one body tube to another (normally larger) tube. 
- Trapezoidal fin: A fin set that is in the shape of a trapezoid. 
- Elliptical fin: A fin set that is in the shape of an ellipse. 
- Freeform fin: This special kind of fin takes any shape you want. If you add it to your model it will open up a design window for you to alter the shape as desired. 
- Launch Lug: This component usually goes on the outside of a body tube and is used while the rocket is on the launch pad. 

[[File:ComponentBodyAndFins.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Body components and fin sets submenu.]] 

==== Inner Components ====

Within Inner components we have 5 component types, and these components are all internal. As with Body components and fin sets we will now run through the list of components. 

- Inner tube: This component lets you add tubes to the inside of the main body tube. 
- Coupler: Used in multi-stage rockets, a coupler joins two sections together. 
- Centering ring: These can be used to support other components (e.g., a motor), in the centre of a larger tube. 
- Bulkhead: This is a block of material that forms a stop or barrier between two different areas. 
- Engine block: An engine block prevents the motor from moving forward in the motor mount tube. 

[[File:ComponentInner.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Inner Components submenu.]] 

==== Mass Objects ====

Within Mass objects we have 4 component types. They are:

- Parachute: Like any good parachute, this component will stop your rocket from becoming scrap. 
- Streamer: Another component for keeping your rocket safe, a streamer creates drag as your rocket falls down to earth. 
- Shock cord: A shock cord secures the nose cone to the body of the rocket so that it isn't lost when the nose is blown off to deploy the parachute/streamer. 
- Mass component: This is a block of mass used to adjust the rocket's Center of Gravity (CG). You can name it to whatever you want it to represent. 

[[File:ComponentMasses.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Mass Objects submenu.]] 

You have now had a brief run through the various components available for use in OpenRocket. The next section will deal with an example rocket.

== A Simple Model Rocket Example ==

In this section we will look at what components are used in the example: A simple model rocket. To get started, open up OpenRocket and navigate to the main window. As a reminder it looks like this:

[[File:Main_window.png|thumb|800 px|center|The Openrocket main window.]]

==== Opening Example Designs ====

Now, we will begin by looking at how to find and open the example rockets within OpenRocket. If you have read the Getting Started section of the guide then you should already know how to do this. The steps for doing this are as follows: 
- In the main window, click on the file menu at the top left. 
- Scroll down to Open Examples... and expand that menu. Here you will see a list of example rockets available to look at. 
Your screen should now look like this:

[[File:OpenExample.png|thumb|800 px|center|Opening an example rocket ]]

-Go ahead and click on first example, our simple model rocket.
-The rocket configuration window should appear with the Design Name, A simple model Rocket, and the Designer, Sampo Niskanen, filled in. Comments and Revision History will be blank. Click close.
-You should now have successfully loaded the rocket and be able to see a 2D schematic in the Rocket Design window.

[[File:After_complete_design.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Bottom half of the Rocket design window.]]

==== Components used in ‘a simple model rocket’ ====

Now we will have a quick look through the components used in the example rocket. 

If you look towards the top left of the Rocket Design window you will see that there is a tree of components shown. By default they should all be fully expanded. If not, do so now.

[[File:Structure.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Top left-hand portion of the Rocket design window.]]

This image shows A simple model rocket at the top, followed by the Sustainer, which is Stage 1 of the rocket. 

If we look at the first component in the sustainer stage we see that it is the nose cone. Double click on that now. This will bring up the configuration window.

[[File:ConfigNose.png|thumb|600 px|center|Nose Cone Configuration Window.]]

As we have already examined the configuration window we will not repeat ourselves here. However, you will see that in this example we have used an Ogive nose cone with a shape parameter of 1.0. If you read the description of the component to the right of the configuration window you will discover that a value of 1.0 produces a tangent ogive. 

Moving down the window, you will see that the Nose cone length has a value of 10, the Base diameter has a value of 2.5, and the Wall thickness has a value of 0.2. All of these parameters have been set, in this example, to use cm as their unit. You should also see that this component is using Polystyrene as its material with a Regular paint finish. As you can see, the material has a weight of 1.05 grams per centimetre cubed and the paint is 60.0 micrometers thick. In the bottom left, the component weight is currently 13.2g. Go ahead and play around with the sliders to see how the component changes. Change them back when you are done. 

If you move onto the Shoulder tab we will be able to see the size attributes of the shoulder. Again, you can play around with the sliders if you want as long as you change them back to the original settings when you are finished. For reference these are 2.3, 2.0 and 0.2 respectively. 

Have a look through the rest of the tabs to see what has been selected. The only other thing of note is that the appearance has been customised. If you were to change to 3D finished view you will see how the model looks. 

Moving on to the body tube you will see that, if you double click on it that the various attributes have been set to create the current size. This is all fairly straight forward and we have already looked into body tube components earlier so I will not go into great detail here. 

Onto the body tube we have placed 8 other components. In descending order these are: 
- Trapezoidal fin set 
- Inner Tube 
- Centring Ring 
- Centring Ring 
- Shock Cord 
- Parachute 
- Wadding 
- Launch lug 
The inner tube in this design is used as a motor mount. You will see this if you go to the motor tab in its configuration window. This means that a motor has been fitting into this piece. Upon inspection we can see that the current motor name is displayed under the flight configuration tab. You can open that drop-down menu to select other motors that are used in the example simulations that you will see in Basic Flight Simulation. 

The ninth component is place inside the inner tube. This is the engine block. If you look at the schematic of the rocket you will see that this is placed in front of the grey rectangle, which is the motor. To quickly address some of the other components you will see that the recovery method used in this rocket is a parachute: the red dotted box near the tip of the rocket. To go with the parachute we have a shock cord, which as we discovered earlier, stops us from losing the nose cone upon recovery method deployment. This is shown as a long, black-dotted rectangle around the same area as the parachute. The other black, dotted box is the wadding, which is a mass component and is used here to bring the centre of gravity towards the nose. 

We have now looked through the components used within A simple model rocket. If you would like to see more components available, see Appendix A. Now that we are familiar with what makes up the rocket we will go ahead and build it from scratch. 

== Building ‘A simple model rocket’ ==

In this section we will build the example model up from scratch. After you have completed this you should be able to apply what you know to make any basic rocket you want. So let’s begin. 

Open a new project window so that everything is blank. The following are the steps that you will need to take to create the rocket. 

Select the nose cone. change its type to Ogive. Make sure that Shape parameter, Nose cone length, base diameter, and Wall thickness are set to 1.0, 10.0, 2.5, and 0.2 respectively. The units are cm by default so we do not need to change these. Do not forget to change the Component material to Polystyrene. 

Next, still within nose cone, move to the shoulder tab and change the diameter to 2.3, the length to 2.0, and the thickness to 0.2. Also, check the End Capped checkbox. 

The last thing we have to do with the nose cone is change the appearance so switch to that tab now. Leave the figure section alone but under Appearance change the colour to one lighter that black. (Or to whatever you want, go crazy.) Then adjust the shine to 50%. That is all we need to change for now. 

You should now see this:

[[File:NoseComplete.png|thumb|600 px|center|Nose Cone]]

Next, add the Body tube. The measurements for length, outer diameter, inner diameter, and wall thickness are 30.0, 2.5, 2.3, 0.1 respectively. It may be easier to type the last two in manually rather than use the sliders. Leave automatic checked and Filled unchecked. The material will remain Cardboard and the finish will be Regular Paint. The only other thing you should change here is the appearance but I will leave that as an exercise for yourself. 

You should now have this: 

[[File:BodyComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Nose Cone and Body]]

Moving on, we need to add a fin set. Make sure you have clicked on the body tube so that it’s highlighted then click on the Trapezoidal component type. The configuration window will have appeared. Leave the left side of the window alone: the setting there are fin as is. However, we will need to change some things on the right hand side. Firstly, change the Fin cross section to Rounded. Also, reduce the Thickness to 0.2. That’s all we need to do in this tab. Now move to the Appearance tab and customise as you will. 
[[File:FinsComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Nose Cone, Body, and Fins]]

The next component we need to add is the Inner tube. Once again highlight the body tube and then click the inner tube component. There are a couple of attributes we should change here. Firstly, increase Length to 7.5. Also, increase plus to 0.5. Leave everything else the same. Now go to the Motor tab. 

There are a few things we need to add here. To start, check the This component is a motor mount checkbox. This will allow us to add motors. The next few steps may look complicated but do not be daunted by them. First, we will deal with the easy bit. Increase the Motor overhang to 0.3. Now, where it says Flight Configuration we can see two buttons: New and Edit. Click Edit. This will bring up the Edit flight configurations window. 

[[File:FlightConfig.png|thumb|500 px|center|Flight Configurations Window]]

Make sure your window looks the same as the one above. Follow these steps: 

- Click on New at the top. 
- Click on Inner Tube. 
- Click Select motor at the bottom. This will bring up a large list of Motors. 
- Click on Designation to sort by the motor’s designation. 
- Look for the A8 by Estes. Click on it. 
- In the top right where it says Ejection charge delay change that to 3. 
- Now click ok. 

If everything went to plan, you have successfully added the Estes A8-3 motor to your rocket. 
Now repeat these steps for the following motors: 
- Estes B4-4 
- Estes C6-3 
- Estes C6-5 
- Estes C6-7 

After you have added the rest of the motors, click close. If you were to expand the Flight configuration drop-down menu you should see this: 

[[File:MotorsAdded.png|thumb|500 px|center|All Motors Added]]

Select the A8-3 Motor for now. That is all we have to do with the Inner tube apart from the Appearance but as usual I will let you paint it how you wish. 

The next component we will add is the Engine Block. This time make sure that the Inner tube is highlighted and then add an engine block component. Change the Inner diameter to 1.2 and the Wall thickness to 0.3. Also, change the Position relative to: Top of the parent component. The last change we will make is to increase plus to 0.2. That is all we have to do for this component. 

Your rocket should now look like this: 

[[File:EngineBlockCompleted.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added the Engine Block]]
We shall now add the two Centering Rings. Make sure the body tube is highlighted, then click on the Centering ring component type. The first one is fine as it is, we will not make any changes. However, we will add the following line to the comment tab: The centering ring automatically takes the outer diameter of the body tube and the inner diameter of the inner tube. 

Click close, select the body tube again and add another Centering ring. This time all we have to do is to change plus to -4.5. Also, add the comment again. 

[[File:CenteringRings.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Centering Rings]]

The next component we will add is the Shock cord. As usual, make sure the body tube is selected before adding the shock cord component. After it has been added change plus to 2, Packed length to 5.2, and Packed diameter to 1.2. Again, we will add a comment to this component. Enter the following line to the Comment tab: The shock cord does not need to be attached to anything in particular, as it functions only as a mass component.. The shock cord has now been completed. 

[[File:ShockCordComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Shock Cord]]

Now we have to add the Parachute. With the body tube highlighted, add a parachute component. Change plus to 3.2, Packed length to 4.2 and Packed diameter to 1.8. That is everything we need to do to the parachute. You can see what your rocket should now look like below. 

[[File:ParachuteAdded.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Parachute]]

The second last component to add is a Mass Component. Go ahead and add one to the body tube now. Adjust the Mass to 2g, the Approximate density to 0.16, the length to 3.0, the diameter to 2.3 and finally plus to 8.0. It may be easier to enter these manually. The last thing you have to do is to rename it from ‘Mass component’ to Wadding. Leave everything else as it is. 

[[File:AddedMass.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Mass]]

Almost done! One component left to add: the Launch Lug. Add this to the body tube now. Change the Length to 3.5, the Outer diameter to 0.7, and the inner diameter to 0.5. Leave the Thickness as it is. Also, change the Radial position to 19 degrees.

[[File:LaunchLugAdded.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Launch Lug]]

 
And that’s all there is to it, you have just completed building your first rocket within OpenRocket. From here you can use what you know to create more rockets or you can proceed to the next section of the User Guide: Basic Flight Simulation. Have fun!

----
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Basic Flight Simulation|← Basic Flight Simulation]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Advanced Rocket Design|Advanced Rocket Design →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

Basic Rocket Design

2015-09-13T14:35:06Z

Tcbetka: Incremental edit--page reload

<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Basic Flight Simulation|← Basic Flight Simulation]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Advanced Rocket Design|Advanced Rocket Design →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

{{UserGuideHelp}}

==Basic Rocket Design==

__TOC__

In this section we'll look at how to design a basic rocket by examining the A simple model rocket design example. After reading this section you should have an understanding of how to start designing your own rockets. If you already know how to design your rocket, you can jump to the [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Basic_Flight_Simulation next section]. 

We will start with a brief discussion on the selection of available components, and then the components used in the A simple model rocket example. Then we'll build a rocket from scratch to see how it’s done. 

=== Component Configuration Window ===

There are several types of components available to you as a rocket designer, and you can either customize these to meet your specific needs, or simply load presets from the database. 

To start, let's begin a new project: File -> New. It doesn’t matter what we call it at the moment, but go ahead and save the design straight away: File -> Save your design. At this point you should be presented with a blank design window in the bottom half of the user interface.

[[File:Main_window.png|thumb|800 px|center|The OpenRocket main window.]] 

When you first start a new rocket design you will see that only three categories of components are available in the Add new component panel: 
- Body components and fin sets 
- Inner components 
- Mass objects 

We would usually start building our rocket by selecting a nose cone but for the sake of this guide click the Body tube icon in the Body components and fin sets section. This will then open up a configuration window that we'll use to edit the parameters of the body tube. 

==== The Body Tube’ Configuration Window ====

At this point you should see a new window titled Body tube configuration.

[[File:ConfigBody.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Configuration Window.]]

This window allows you to either select a preset for the component type you are choosing, or make your own. Let’s start by examining how to customize it ourselves. If you have a look at the Body tube configuration window you will see that at the top there is a Component name field. Here we can change the name of the current component to anything we choose. (Note that this name will then appear in the design tree seen in the Rocket Design panel of the main program window.) 

Just below Component name there are several tabs: 
- General: allows us to alter the basic attributes of the component. 
- Motor: allows us to make the body tube into a motor mount, and also edit the properties of the motor. 
- Override: allows us to manually set the mass or centre of gravity for the component. 
- Appearance: allows us to select colours, textures and other finishes. 
- Comment: allows us to enter any comments or notes about the component. 

It should be noted that these tabs are specific to the component being designed. For example, a nose cone will not have a motor tab, but will instead have a shoulder tab. It will also have a description panel to tell you a bit more about the component you are choosing. After you learn how to navigate around one component configuration panel, the others should be relatively self-explanatory. 

===== General Tab =====

The rest of the Body tube configuration window lists the different parameters for the current component type. As you can see, the General tab provides options to manually enter numbers, or you can also use the spin boxes and/or the sliders provided to adjust the parameter values. The automatic checkbox will adjust the dimensions of the component automatically. Here you will also see a Filled checkbox. If this is checked you will notice that the inner diameter goes to zero, i.e., a filled (solid) tube. Note how the Component mass changes when this box is checked. 

On the right hand side of the window you will see the Component material and Component finish drop-down menus. If you click on these you will be presented with a list of various materials and finishes, each with their own weight and thickness. If you are using the same finish for the entire rocket you can click the Set for all button to make each component use the same finish. The last notable feature in this window is in the bottom left. There you will see a live display of the Component mass. This will update automatically as you change parameter values. Experiment with the sliders to see how the component changes in the design window.

You may have noticed that, apart from the mass, there is no noticeable difference when either the inner diameter or wall thickness parameters are changed. To see those changes reflected in the model you will have to switch to a different View Type, by selecting the desired view from the drop-down list at the left of the main OpenRocket program window.

===== Motor Tab =====

The Body Tube type has a motor tab. If you click on it you will see a mostly greyed out window, bar one checkbox. As the label mentions, this is for when you want the component to be a motor mount.
[[File:ConfigBodyMotor.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Motor tab of the Configuration Window.]]

Have a quick look at this if you wish but I will leave changing flight configurations for a later section of the guide.

===== Override =====

We will have a quick look at this tab as most components have this tab available. For starting out though, you most likely will not need it.

[[File:ConfigBodyOverride.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Override tab of the Configuration Window.]]

This tab would be used when you specifically wanted to override the mass and centre of gravity of the component.

===== Appearance =====

Everyone likes something shiny, don’t they? This tab allows you edit the appearance of the component.

[[File:ConfigBodyAppearance.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Appearance tab of the Configuration Window.]]

There are two sections here, the Figure style section and the Appearance section. Figure style changes what the 2d figure looks like whereas Appearance will change what the 3D model will look like. If you have any custom textures or images you can load those through the texture drop-down menu.

===== Comment =====

This section does not really need much explanation. If you want to write any comments about your component (why you chose the values you did etc.) then this is the place to do it.

[[File:ConfigBodyComment.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Comment tab of the Configuration Window.]]

Now that we have been through all of the tabs of the Body Tube component, click close. You should now notice that the top right of the Design window has unlocked the rest of the components for us to select. This is because all component types can be added to a body tube. However, a nose cone should be selected first if you are making your own rocket.

Let’s have a look at the full list of components. (If you cannot click on the component type, try selecting the body tube in the design window.)

=== Available Components ===

There are 16 component types to choose from within OpenRocket, split into three sections: 
- Body components and fin sets 
- Inner components 
- Mass objects 

[[File:ComponentSupertypes.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Component types menu.]]

==== Body components and fin sets ====

Within Body components and fin sets we have 7 component types. These components make up the external and main body of the rocket, everything else is inside the rocket. As you will see in the image the component types are: 

- Nose Cone: The very tip of the rocket. Usually, you will select this component first. 
- Body Tube: As we have seen, the body tube makes up the main section of a stage. 
- Transition: A component that usually joins one body tube to another, normally larger, tube. 
- Trapezoidal fin: A fin set that is in the shape of a trapeze. 
- Elliptical fin: A fin set that is in the shape of an ellipse. 
- Freeform fin: This special kind of fin takes any shape you want. If you add it to your model it will open up a design window for you to alter the shape as you wish. 
- Launch Lug: This component usually goes on the outside of a body tube and is used while the rocket is on the launch pad. 

[[File:ComponentBodyAndFins.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Body components and fin sets submenu.]]

==== Inner Components ====

Within Inner components we have 5 component types. These components are all internal. As with Body components and fin sets we will now run through the list of components. 

- Inner tube: This component lets you add tubes to the inside of the main body tube. 
- Coupler: Used in multi-stage rockets, a coupler joins two sections together. 
- Centering ring: These can be used to support other components, e.g. a motor, in the centre of a larger tube. 
- Bulkhead: This is a block of material that forms a stop between two different areas. 
- Engine block: An engine block stops the motor moving forward in the motor mount tube. 

[[File:ComponentInner.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Inner Components submenu.]]

==== Mass Objects ====

Within Mass objects we have 4 component types. They are:

- Parachute: Like any good parachute, this component will stop your rocket from becoming scrap. 
- Streamer: Another component for keeping your rocket safe, a streamer creates drag as your rocket falls down to earth. 
- Shock cord: A shock cord attaches the nose cone to the body of the rocket so that when the nose is blown off to deploy the parachute/streamer it isn’t lost. 
- Mass component: This is a block of mass. You can name it whatever you want it to be representative of. This is used to adjust the rocket’s center of gravity. 

[[File:ComponentMasses.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Mass Objects submenu.]]

You have now had a brief run through the various components available to use in OpenRocket. The next section will deal with an example rocket.

== A Simple Model Rocket Example ==

In this section we will look at what components are used in the example: A simple model rocket. To get started, open up OpenRocket and navigate to the main window. As a reminder it looks like this:

[[File:Main_window.png|thumb|800 px|center|The Openrocket main window.]]

==== Opening Example Designs ====

Now, we will begin by looking at how to find and open the example rockets within OpenRocket. If you have read the Getting Started section of the guide then you should already know how to do this. The steps for doing this are as follows: 
- In the main window, click on the file menu at the top left. 
- Scroll down to Open Examples... and expand that menu. Here you will see a list of example rockets available to look at. 
Your screen should now look like this:

[[File:OpenExample.png|thumb|800 px|center|Opening an example rocket ]]

-Go ahead and click on first example, our simple model rocket.
-The rocket configuration window should appear with the Design Name, A simple model Rocket, and the Designer, Sampo Niskanen, filled in. Comments and Revision History will be blank. Click close.
-You should now have successfully loaded the rocket and be able to see a 2D schematic in the Rocket Design window.

[[File:After_complete_design.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Bottom half of the Rocket design window.]]

==== Components used in ‘a simple model rocket’ ====

Now we will have a quick look through the components used in the example rocket. 

If you look towards the top left of the Rocket Design window you will see that there is a tree of components shown. By default they should all be fully expanded. If not, do so now.

[[File:Structure.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Top left-hand portion of the Rocket design window.]]

This image shows A simple model rocket at the top, followed by the Sustainer, which is Stage 1 of the rocket. 

If we look at the first component in the sustainer stage we see that it is the nose cone. Double click on that now. This will bring up the configuration window.

[[File:ConfigNose.png|thumb|600 px|center|Nose Cone Configuration Window.]]

As we have already examined the configuration window we will not repeat ourselves here. However, you will see that in this example we have used an Ogive nose cone with a shape parameter of 1.0. If you read the description of the component to the right of the configuration window you will discover that a value of 1.0 produces a tangent ogive. 

Moving down the window, you will see that the Nose cone length has a value of 10, the Base diameter has a value of 2.5, and the Wall thickness has a value of 0.2. All of these parameters have been set, in this example, to use cm as their unit. You should also see that this component is using Polystyrene as its material with a Regular paint finish. As you can see, the material has a weight of 1.05 grams per centimetre cubed and the paint is 60.0 micrometers thick. In the bottom left, the component weight is currently 13.2g. Go ahead and play around with the sliders to see how the component changes. Change them back when you are done. 

If you move onto the Shoulder tab we will be able to see the size attributes of the shoulder. Again, you can play around with the sliders if you want as long as you change them back to the original settings when you are finished. For reference these are 2.3, 2.0 and 0.2 respectively. 

Have a look through the rest of the tabs to see what has been selected. The only other thing of note is that the appearance has been customised. If you were to change to 3D finished view you will see how the model looks. 

Moving on to the body tube you will see that, if you double click on it that the various attributes have been set to create the current size. This is all fairly straight forward and we have already looked into body tube components earlier so I will not go into great detail here. 

Onto the body tube we have placed 8 other components. In descending order these are: 
- Trapezoidal fin set 
- Inner Tube 
- Centring Ring 
- Centring Ring 
- Shock Cord 
- Parachute 
- Wadding 
- Launch lug 
The inner tube in this design is used as a motor mount. You will see this if you go to the motor tab in its configuration window. This means that a motor has been fitting into this piece. Upon inspection we can see that the current motor name is displayed under the flight configuration tab. You can open that drop-down menu to select other motors that are used in the example simulations that you will see in Basic Flight Simulation. 

The ninth component is place inside the inner tube. This is the engine block. If you look at the schematic of the rocket you will see that this is placed in front of the grey rectangle, which is the motor. To quickly address some of the other components you will see that the recovery method used in this rocket is a parachute: the red dotted box near the tip of the rocket. To go with the parachute we have a shock cord, which as we discovered earlier, stops us from losing the nose cone upon recovery method deployment. This is shown as a long, black-dotted rectangle around the same area as the parachute. The other black, dotted box is the wadding, which is a mass component and is used here to bring the centre of gravity towards the nose. 

We have now looked through the components used within A simple model rocket. If you would like to see more components available, see Appendix A. Now that we are familiar with what makes up the rocket we will go ahead and build it from scratch. 

== Building ‘A simple model rocket’ ==

In this section we will build the example model up from scratch. After you have completed this you should be able to apply what you know to make any basic rocket you want. So let’s begin. 

Open a new project window so that everything is blank. The following are the steps that you will need to take to create the rocket. 

Select the nose cone. change its type to Ogive. Make sure that Shape parameter, Nose cone length, base diameter, and Wall thickness are set to 1.0, 10.0, 2.5, and 0.2 respectively. The units are cm by default so we do not need to change these. Do not forget to change the Component material to Polystyrene. 

Next, still within nose cone, move to the shoulder tab and change the diameter to 2.3, the length to 2.0, and the thickness to 0.2. Also, check the End Capped checkbox. 

The last thing we have to do with the nose cone is change the appearance so switch to that tab now. Leave the figure section alone but under Appearance change the colour to one lighter that black. (Or to whatever you want, go crazy.) Then adjust the shine to 50%. That is all we need to change for now. 

You should now see this:

[[File:NoseComplete.png|thumb|600 px|center|Nose Cone]]

Next, add the Body tube. The measurements for length, outer diameter, inner diameter, and wall thickness are 30.0, 2.5, 2.3, 0.1 respectively. It may be easier to type the last two in manually rather than use the sliders. Leave automatic checked and Filled unchecked. The material will remain Cardboard and the finish will be Regular Paint. The only other thing you should change here is the appearance but I will leave that as an exercise for yourself. 

You should now have this: 

[[File:BodyComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Nose Cone and Body]]

Moving on, we need to add a fin set. Make sure you have clicked on the body tube so that it’s highlighted then click on the Trapezoidal component type. The configuration window will have appeared. Leave the left side of the window alone: the setting there are fin as is. However, we will need to change some things on the right hand side. Firstly, change the Fin cross section to Rounded. Also, reduce the Thickness to 0.2. That’s all we need to do in this tab. Now move to the Appearance tab and customise as you will. 
[[File:FinsComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Nose Cone, Body, and Fins]]

The next component we need to add is the Inner tube. Once again highlight the body tube and then click the inner tube component. There are a couple of attributes we should change here. Firstly, increase Length to 7.5. Also, increase plus to 0.5. Leave everything else the same. Now go to the Motor tab. 

There are a few things we need to add here. To start, check the This component is a motor mount checkbox. This will allow us to add motors. The next few steps may look complicated but do not be daunted by them. First, we will deal with the easy bit. Increase the Motor overhang to 0.3. Now, where it says Flight Configuration we can see two buttons: New and Edit. Click Edit. This will bring up the Edit flight configurations window. 

[[File:FlightConfig.png|thumb|500 px|center|Flight Configurations Window]]

Make sure your window looks the same as the one above. Follow these steps: 

- Click on New at the top. 
- Click on Inner Tube. 
- Click Select motor at the bottom. This will bring up a large list of Motors. 
- Click on Designation to sort by the motor’s designation. 
- Look for the A8 by Estes. Click on it. 
- In the top right where it says Ejection charge delay change that to 3. 
- Now click ok. 

If everything went to plan, you have successfully added the Estes A8-3 motor to your rocket. 
Now repeat these steps for the following motors: 
- Estes B4-4 
- Estes C6-3 
- Estes C6-5 
- Estes C6-7 

After you have added the rest of the motors, click close. If you were to expand the Flight configuration drop-down menu you should see this: 

[[File:MotorsAdded.png|thumb|500 px|center|All Motors Added]]

Select the A8-3 Motor for now. That is all we have to do with the Inner tube apart from the Appearance but as usual I will let you paint it how you wish. 

The next component we will add is the Engine Block. This time make sure that the Inner tube is highlighted and then add an engine block component. Change the Inner diameter to 1.2 and the Wall thickness to 0.3. Also, change the Position relative to: Top of the parent component. The last change we will make is to increase plus to 0.2. That is all we have to do for this component. 

Your rocket should now look like this: 

[[File:EngineBlockCompleted.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added the Engine Block]]
We shall now add the two Centering Rings. Make sure the body tube is highlighted, then click on the Centering ring component type. The first one is fine as it is, we will not make any changes. However, we will add the following line to the comment tab: The centering ring automatically takes the outer diameter of the body tube and the inner diameter of the inner tube. 

Click close, select the body tube again and add another Centering ring. This time all we have to do is to change plus to -4.5. Also, add the comment again. 

[[File:CenteringRings.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Centering Rings]]

The next component we will add is the Shock cord. As usual, make sure the body tube is selected before adding the shock cord component. After it has been added change plus to 2, Packed length to 5.2, and Packed diameter to 1.2. Again, we will add a comment to this component. Enter the following line to the Comment tab: The shock cord does not need to be attached to anything in particular, as it functions only as a mass component.. The shock cord has now been completed. 

[[File:ShockCordComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Shock Cord]]

Now we have to add the Parachute. With the body tube highlighted, add a parachute component. Change plus to 3.2, Packed length to 4.2 and Packed diameter to 1.8. That is everything we need to do to the parachute. You can see what your rocket should now look like below. 

[[File:ParachuteAdded.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Parachute]]

The second last component to add is a Mass Component. Go ahead and add one to the body tube now. Adjust the Mass to 2g, the Approximate density to 0.16, the length to 3.0, the diameter to 2.3 and finally plus to 8.0. It may be easier to enter these manually. The last thing you have to do is to rename it from ‘Mass component’ to Wadding. Leave everything else as it is. 

[[File:AddedMass.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Mass]]

Almost done! One component left to add: the Launch Lug. Add this to the body tube now. Change the Length to 3.5, the Outer diameter to 0.7, and the inner diameter to 0.5. Leave the Thickness as it is. Also, change the Radial position to 19 degrees.

[[File:LaunchLugAdded.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Launch Lug]]

 
And that’s all there is to it, you have just completed building your first rocket within OpenRocket. From here you can use what you know to create more rockets or you can proceed to the next section of the User Guide: Basic Flight Simulation. Have fun!

----
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Basic Flight Simulation|← Basic Flight Simulation]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Advanced Rocket Design|Advanced Rocket Design →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

Basic Rocket Design

2015-09-13T13:44:26Z

Tcbetka: Incremental edit--page reload

<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Basic Flight Simulation|← Basic Flight Simulation]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Advanced Rocket Design|Advanced Rocket Design →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

{{UserGuideHelp}}

==Basic Rocket Design==

__TOC__

In this section we'll look at how to design a basic rocket by examining the A simple model rocket design example. After reading this section you should have an understanding of how to start designing your own rockets. If you already know how to design your rocket, you can jump to the [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Basic_Flight_Simulation next section]. 

We will start with a brief discussion on the selection of available components, and then the components used in the A simple model rocket example. Then we'll build a rocket from scratch to see how it’s done. 

=== Component Configuration Window ===

There are several types of components available to you as a rocket designer, and you can either customize these to meet your specific needs, or simply load presets from the database. 

To start, begin a new project: File -> New. It doesn’t matter what we call it at the moment, but go ahead and Save your design. At this point you should be presented with a blank design window in the bottom half of the user interface.

[[File:Main_window.png|thumb|800 px|center|The OpenRocket main window.]]

When we first start a new rocket you will see that only 3 categories of components are available for us to select under Add new component: 
- the Body components and fin sets type. 
- the Inner components type. 
- the Mass objects type. 

We would usually start building our rocket by selecting a nose cone but for the sake of this guide we will by clicking the Body tube icon in the Body components and fin sets section. This will then open up a configuration window that will be used to edit the parameters of the body tube. 

==== The Body Tube’ Configuration Window ====

Now that you have done that a new window should have appeared. This is the Configuration Window.

[[File:ConfigBody.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Configuration Window.]]

This window allows you to either select a preset for the component type you are choosing or make your own. Let’s start by examining how to customise it ourselves. If you have a look at the configuration window you will see that at the top there is a Component name field. Here we can change the name of the current component to anything we wish. This will be reflected in the top left of the Rocket Design Window. 

Just below component name there are several tabs: 
- General: allows us to alter the basic attributes of the component. 
- Motor: allows us to make the body tube a motor mount and edit the properties of the motor. 
- Override: allows us to manually set the mass or centre of gravity. 
- Appearance: allows us to select colours, textures and other finishes. 
- Comment: allows us to enter any comments about the component. 

It should be noted that these tabs can be specific to the component. i.e. a nose cone will not have a motor tab but instead it has a shoulder tab. It also has a description panel to tell you a bit more about the type of component you are choosing. After you learn how to navigate around one configuration panel the others should all be relatively self explanatory. 

===== General Tab =====

The rest of the window lists the different parameters for the current component type. As you can see, in the General tab, you have the option of manually entering numbers or using the sliders to adjust parameter values. The automatic checkbox will adjust the dimensions of the component automatically. Here you will also see a filled checkbox. If this is checked you will notice that the inner diameter goes to zero, i.e. a filled tube. 

On the right hand side of the window you will see the Component material drop-down menu and the Component finish drop-down menu. If you click on each of these you will be presented with a list of various materials and finishes, each with their own weight and thickness. If you are using the same finish for the entire rocket you can click the Set for all button to make each component use the same finish. The last notable feature in this window is in the bottom left. There you will see a live display of the Component mass. This will update automatically as you change parameter values. Have a play around with the sliders to see how the component changes in the design window.

You may have noticed that there is no noticeable difference when change the inner diameter and wall thickness parameters apart from the mass. To see those changes reflected in the model you will have to switch to a different View Type. You should know how to do this from the earlier guides.

===== Motor Tab =====

The Body Tube type has a motor tab. If you click on it you will see a mostly greyed out window, bar one checkbox. As the label mentions, this is for when you want the component to be a motor mount.
[[File:ConfigBodyMotor.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Motor tab of the Configuration Window.]]

Have a quick look at this if you wish but I will leave changing flight configurations for a later section of the guide.

===== Override =====

We will have a quick look at this tab as most components have this tab available. For starting out though, you most likely will not need it.

[[File:ConfigBodyOverride.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Override tab of the Configuration Window.]]

This tab would be used when you specifically wanted to override the mass and centre of gravity of the component.

===== Appearance =====

Everyone likes something shiny, don’t they? This tab allows you edit the appearance of the component.

[[File:ConfigBodyAppearance.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Appearance tab of the Configuration Window.]]

There are two sections here, the Figure style section and the Appearance section. Figure style changes what the 2d figure looks like whereas Appearance will change what the 3D model will look like. If you have any custom textures or images you can load those through the texture drop-down menu.

===== Comment =====

This section does not really need much explanation. If you want to write any comments about your component (why you chose the values you did etc.) then this is the place to do it.

[[File:ConfigBodyComment.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Comment tab of the Configuration Window.]]

Now that we have been through all of the tabs of the Body Tube component, click close. You should now notice that the top right of the Design window has unlocked the rest of the components for us to select. This is because all component types can be added to a body tube. However, a nose cone should be selected first if you are making your own rocket.

Let’s have a look at the full list of components. (If you cannot click on the component type, try selecting the body tube in the design window.)

=== Available Components ===

There are 16 component types to choose from within OpenRocket, split into three sections: 
- Body components and fin sets 
- Inner components 
- Mass objects 

[[File:ComponentSupertypes.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Component types menu.]]

==== Body components and fin sets ====

Within Body components and fin sets we have 7 component types. These components make up the external and main body of the rocket, everything else is inside the rocket. As you will see in the image the component types are: 

- Nose Cone: The very tip of the rocket. Usually, you will select this component first. 
- Body Tube: As we have seen, the body tube makes up the main section of a stage. 
- Transition: A component that usually joins one body tube to another, normally larger, tube. 
- Trapezoidal fin: A fin set that is in the shape of a trapeze. 
- Elliptical fin: A fin set that is in the shape of an ellipse. 
- Freeform fin: This special kind of fin takes any shape you want. If you add it to your model it will open up a design window for you to alter the shape as you wish. 
- Launch Lug: This component usually goes on the outside of a body tube and is used while the rocket is on the launch pad. 

[[File:ComponentBodyAndFins.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Body components and fin sets submenu.]]

==== Inner Components ====

Within Inner components we have 5 component types. These components are all internal. As with Body components and fin sets we will now run through the list of components. 

- Inner tube: This component lets you add tubes to the inside of the main body tube. 
- Coupler: Used in multi-stage rockets, a coupler joins two sections together. 
- Centering ring: These can be used to support other components, e.g. a motor, in the centre of a larger tube. 
- Bulkhead: This is a block of material that forms a stop between two different areas. 
- Engine block: An engine block stops the motor moving forward in the motor mount tube. 

[[File:ComponentInner.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Inner Components submenu.]]

==== Mass Objects ====

Within Mass objects we have 4 component types. They are:

- Parachute: Like any good parachute, this component will stop your rocket from becoming scrap. 
- Streamer: Another component for keeping your rocket safe, a streamer creates drag as your rocket falls down to earth. 
- Shock cord: A shock cord attaches the nose cone to the body of the rocket so that when the nose is blown off to deploy the parachute/streamer it isn’t lost. 
- Mass component: This is a block of mass. You can name it whatever you want it to be representative of. This is used to adjust the rocket’s center of gravity. 

[[File:ComponentMasses.png|thumb|800 px|centre|The Mass Objects submenu.]]

You have now had a brief run through the various components available to use in OpenRocket. The next section will deal with an example rocket.

== A Simple Model Rocket Example ==

In this section we will look at what components are used in the example: A simple model rocket. To get started, open up OpenRocket and navigate to the main window. As a reminder it looks like this:

[[File:Main_window.png|thumb|800 px|center|The Openrocket main window.]]

==== Opening Example Designs ====

Now, we will begin by looking at how to find and open the example rockets within OpenRocket. If you have read the Getting Started section of the guide then you should already know how to do this. The steps for doing this are as follows: 
- In the main window, click on the file menu at the top left. 
- Scroll down to Open Examples... and expand that menu. Here you will see a list of example rockets available to look at. 
Your screen should now look like this:

[[File:OpenExample.png|thumb|800 px|center|Opening an example rocket ]]

-Go ahead and click on first example, our simple model rocket.
-The rocket configuration window should appear with the Design Name, A simple model Rocket, and the Designer, Sampo Niskanen, filled in. Comments and Revision History will be blank. Click close.
-You should now have successfully loaded the rocket and be able to see a 2D schematic in the Rocket Design window.

[[File:After_complete_design.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Bottom half of the Rocket design window.]]

==== Components used in ‘a simple model rocket’ ====

Now we will have a quick look through the components used in the example rocket. 

If you look towards the top left of the Rocket Design window you will see that there is a tree of components shown. By default they should all be fully expanded. If not, do so now.

[[File:Structure.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Top left-hand portion of the Rocket design window.]]

This image shows A simple model rocket at the top, followed by the Sustainer, which is Stage 1 of the rocket. 

If we look at the first component in the sustainer stage we see that it is the nose cone. Double click on that now. This will bring up the configuration window.

[[File:ConfigNose.png|thumb|600 px|center|Nose Cone Configuration Window.]]

As we have already examined the configuration window we will not repeat ourselves here. However, you will see that in this example we have used an Ogive nose cone with a shape parameter of 1.0. If you read the description of the component to the right of the configuration window you will discover that a value of 1.0 produces a tangent ogive. 

Moving down the window, you will see that the Nose cone length has a value of 10, the Base diameter has a value of 2.5, and the Wall thickness has a value of 0.2. All of these parameters have been set, in this example, to use cm as their unit. You should also see that this component is using Polystyrene as its material with a Regular paint finish. As you can see, the material has a weight of 1.05 grams per centimetre cubed and the paint is 60.0 micrometers thick. In the bottom left, the component weight is currently 13.2g. Go ahead and play around with the sliders to see how the component changes. Change them back when you are done. 

If you move onto the Shoulder tab we will be able to see the size attributes of the shoulder. Again, you can play around with the sliders if you want as long as you change them back to the original settings when you are finished. For reference these are 2.3, 2.0 and 0.2 respectively. 

Have a look through the rest of the tabs to see what has been selected. The only other thing of note is that the appearance has been customised. If you were to change to 3D finished view you will see how the model looks. 

Moving on to the body tube you will see that, if you double click on it that the various attributes have been set to create the current size. This is all fairly straight forward and we have already looked into body tube components earlier so I will not go into great detail here. 

Onto the body tube we have placed 8 other components. In descending order these are: 
- Trapezoidal fin set 
- Inner Tube 
- Centring Ring 
- Centring Ring 
- Shock Cord 
- Parachute 
- Wadding 
- Launch lug 
The inner tube in this design is used as a motor mount. You will see this if you go to the motor tab in its configuration window. This means that a motor has been fitting into this piece. Upon inspection we can see that the current motor name is displayed under the flight configuration tab. You can open that drop-down menu to select other motors that are used in the example simulations that you will see in Basic Flight Simulation. 

The ninth component is place inside the inner tube. This is the engine block. If you look at the schematic of the rocket you will see that this is placed in front of the grey rectangle, which is the motor. To quickly address some of the other components you will see that the recovery method used in this rocket is a parachute: the red dotted box near the tip of the rocket. To go with the parachute we have a shock cord, which as we discovered earlier, stops us from losing the nose cone upon recovery method deployment. This is shown as a long, black-dotted rectangle around the same area as the parachute. The other black, dotted box is the wadding, which is a mass component and is used here to bring the centre of gravity towards the nose. 

We have now looked through the components used within A simple model rocket. If you would like to see more components available, see Appendix A. Now that we are familiar with what makes up the rocket we will go ahead and build it from scratch. 

== Building ‘A simple model rocket’ ==

In this section we will build the example model up from scratch. After you have completed this you should be able to apply what you know to make any basic rocket you want. So let’s begin. 

Open a new project window so that everything is blank. The following are the steps that you will need to take to create the rocket. 

Select the nose cone. change its type to Ogive. Make sure that Shape parameter, Nose cone length, base diameter, and Wall thickness are set to 1.0, 10.0, 2.5, and 0.2 respectively. The units are cm by default so we do not need to change these. Do not forget to change the Component material to Polystyrene. 

Next, still within nose cone, move to the shoulder tab and change the diameter to 2.3, the length to 2.0, and the thickness to 0.2. Also, check the End Capped checkbox. 

The last thing we have to do with the nose cone is change the appearance so switch to that tab now. Leave the figure section alone but under Appearance change the colour to one lighter that black. (Or to whatever you want, go crazy.) Then adjust the shine to 50%. That is all we need to change for now. 

You should now see this:

[[File:NoseComplete.png|thumb|600 px|center|Nose Cone]]

Next, add the Body tube. The measurements for length, outer diameter, inner diameter, and wall thickness are 30.0, 2.5, 2.3, 0.1 respectively. It may be easier to type the last two in manually rather than use the sliders. Leave automatic checked and Filled unchecked. The material will remain Cardboard and the finish will be Regular Paint. The only other thing you should change here is the appearance but I will leave that as an exercise for yourself. 

You should now have this: 

[[File:BodyComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Nose Cone and Body]]

Moving on, we need to add a fin set. Make sure you have clicked on the body tube so that it’s highlighted then click on the Trapezoidal component type. The configuration window will have appeared. Leave the left side of the window alone: the setting there are fin as is. However, we will need to change some things on the right hand side. Firstly, change the Fin cross section to Rounded. Also, reduce the Thickness to 0.2. That’s all we need to do in this tab. Now move to the Appearance tab and customise as you will. 
[[File:FinsComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Nose Cone, Body, and Fins]]

The next component we need to add is the Inner tube. Once again highlight the body tube and then click the inner tube component. There are a couple of attributes we should change here. Firstly, increase Length to 7.5. Also, increase plus to 0.5. Leave everything else the same. Now go to the Motor tab. 

There are a few things we need to add here. To start, check the This component is a motor mount checkbox. This will allow us to add motors. The next few steps may look complicated but do not be daunted by them. First, we will deal with the easy bit. Increase the Motor overhang to 0.3. Now, where it says Flight Configuration we can see two buttons: New and Edit. Click Edit. This will bring up the Edit flight configurations window. 

[[File:FlightConfig.png|thumb|500 px|center|Flight Configurations Window]]

Make sure your window looks the same as the one above. Follow these steps: 

- Click on New at the top. 
- Click on Inner Tube. 
- Click Select motor at the bottom. This will bring up a large list of Motors. 
- Click on Designation to sort by the motor’s designation. 
- Look for the A8 by Estes. Click on it. 
- In the top right where it says Ejection charge delay change that to 3. 
- Now click ok. 

If everything went to plan, you have successfully added the Estes A8-3 motor to your rocket. 
Now repeat these steps for the following motors: 
- Estes B4-4 
- Estes C6-3 
- Estes C6-5 
- Estes C6-7 

After you have added the rest of the motors, click close. If you were to expand the Flight configuration drop-down menu you should see this: 

[[File:MotorsAdded.png|thumb|500 px|center|All Motors Added]]

Select the A8-3 Motor for now. That is all we have to do with the Inner tube apart from the Appearance but as usual I will let you paint it how you wish. 

The next component we will add is the Engine Block. This time make sure that the Inner tube is highlighted and then add an engine block component. Change the Inner diameter to 1.2 and the Wall thickness to 0.3. Also, change the Position relative to: Top of the parent component. The last change we will make is to increase plus to 0.2. That is all we have to do for this component. 

Your rocket should now look like this: 

[[File:EngineBlockCompleted.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added the Engine Block]]
We shall now add the two Centering Rings. Make sure the body tube is highlighted, then click on the Centering ring component type. The first one is fine as it is, we will not make any changes. However, we will add the following line to the comment tab: The centering ring automatically takes the outer diameter of the body tube and the inner diameter of the inner tube. 

Click close, select the body tube again and add another Centering ring. This time all we have to do is to change plus to -4.5. Also, add the comment again. 

[[File:CenteringRings.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Centering Rings]]

The next component we will add is the Shock cord. As usual, make sure the body tube is selected before adding the shock cord component. After it has been added change plus to 2, Packed length to 5.2, and Packed diameter to 1.2. Again, we will add a comment to this component. Enter the following line to the Comment tab: The shock cord does not need to be attached to anything in particular, as it functions only as a mass component.. The shock cord has now been completed. 

[[File:ShockCordComplete.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Shock Cord]]

Now we have to add the Parachute. With the body tube highlighted, add a parachute component. Change plus to 3.2, Packed length to 4.2 and Packed diameter to 1.8. That is everything we need to do to the parachute. You can see what your rocket should now look like below. 

[[File:ParachuteAdded.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Parachute]]

The second last component to add is a Mass Component. Go ahead and add one to the body tube now. Adjust the Mass to 2g, the Approximate density to 0.16, the length to 3.0, the diameter to 2.3 and finally plus to 8.0. It may be easier to enter these manually. The last thing you have to do is to rename it from ‘Mass component’ to Wadding. Leave everything else as it is. 

[[File:AddedMass.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Mass]]

Almost done! One component left to add: the Launch Lug. Add this to the body tube now. Change the Length to 3.5, the Outer diameter to 0.7, and the inner diameter to 0.5. Leave the Thickness as it is. Also, change the Radial position to 19 degrees.

[[File:LaunchLugAdded.png|thumb|800 px|center|Added Launch Lug]]

 
And that’s all there is to it, you have just completed building your first rocket within OpenRocket. From here you can use what you know to create more rockets or you can proceed to the next section of the User Guide: Basic Flight Simulation. Have fun!

----
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Basic Flight Simulation|← Basic Flight Simulation]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Advanced Rocket Design|Advanced Rocket Design →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

Basic Flight Simulation

2015-09-13T13:17:36Z

Tcbetka: Minor tweaks to previous edits.

<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Getting Started|← Getting Started]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Basic Rocket Design|Basic Rocket Design →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

{{UserGuideHelp}}

==4. Basic Flight Simulation==

''Since we have included pre-made example designs with which to experiment, it is entirely possible to start your OpenRocket experience by running simulations instead of designing rockets. However as the program is quite intuitive, it would probably work well either way. If you do decide to start by running a simulation, we recommend you start with the 'A simple model rocket' example. Use this design to work through the Flight Simulations tab, where you can either edit an existing or add a new simulation to the list of those already included. Note also that the Motors & Configuration tab will allow you to observe the effects of changing thrust parameters on rocket design and performance.''

----
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Getting Started|← Getting Started]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Basic Rocket Design|Basic Rocket Design →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

Basic Flight Simulation

2015-09-13T13:11:49Z

Tcbetka: Altered grammar and punctuation, and reformatted the overall layout of this section. Removed the reference to the Launch Conditions tab, which no longer seems to be present in the current version (15.03).

<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Getting Started|← Getting Started]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Basic Rocket Design|Basic Rocket Design →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

{{UserGuideHelp}}

==4. Basic Flight Simulation==

''Since we have included pre-made example designs with which to experiment, it is entirely possible to start your OpenRocket experience by running simulations instead of designing rockets. However as the program is quite intuitive, it would probably work well either way. If you do decide to start by running a simulation, we recommend you start with the 'A simple model rocket' example. Use this design to work through the Flight Simulations tab, where you can either edit an existing simulation, or add a new simulation to the list of those already included. Also, the Motors & Configuration tab will allow you to see the effects of changing thrust parameters on rocket design and performance.''

----
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Getting Started|← Getting Started]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Basic Rocket Design|Basic Rocket Design →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

Getting Started

2015-09-13T12:40:55Z

Tcbetka: Added a forgotten page break.

<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Downloading & Installing|← Downloading & Installing]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Basic Flight Simulation|Basic Flight Simulation →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

{{UserGuideHelp}}

__TOC__

In this section we have a look at how OpenRocket is organized, by analyzing in detail the structure of the user interface. We will also briefly mention the Example projects that are accessible from the File menu. After reading this section you will have a thorough understanding of how OpenRocket is structured, and will be ready to start designing a rocket of your own. If you already know how this program is organized, feel free to jump to the [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Basic_Rocket_Design next section].

= The User interface =

In this subsection we first briefly discuss the Rocket Configuration window, and then OpenRocket's main window and the main window's four menus. 

== The Rocket Configuration window ==

When you start a new project, you will be prompted with the following window:

[[File:Rocket_configuration.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Rocket Configuration window.]]

Fill in the four fields (or you can leave all, except the Design name, blank if you wish), and click the close button. 

== OpenRocket's main window ==

You now have access to the OpenRocket main window.

[[File:Main_window.png|thumb|800 px|center|The OpenRocket main window.]]

Notice there are two tabs in the top-left corner of the window, just under the menu options. These tabs allow you to switch between the Rocket design and Flight simulations windows. 

=== The Rocket design window ===

For the moment, let's focus on the Rocket design window. This window is organized in the following way: 
- in the bottom half of the window there is a large white space. This is where a 2D image of the rocket you are designing will appear. 
- in the top-left part of the window, the rocket's stages and components are shown. When you start a new project, the rocket contains only one stage (i.e.; the sustainer) but no components. 
- in the top-right part of the window, all the body components and fin sets, inner components, and mass objects that you can add to the rocket are shown. Notice that it's not possible to add all of these object to the rocket at any particular stage of the rocket design. Exactly which components can be added when will be explained later in this guide. 

Now let's have a closer look at the bottom half of the Rocket design window. When you add a component to your rocket, it will be immediately displayed, as shown below:

[[File:After_first_component.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Bottom half of the Rocket design window after adding a nose cone.]]

Notice the rulers around the borders. These give you an idea of the dimensions of your rocket. 

As you can see, in addition to the appearance of your rocket, the Rocket design window also shows some other useful information as well. This includes the rocket's dimensions, mass, apogee, max. velocity, max. acceleration, stability, center of gravity (CG), and center of pressure (CP). 

In the top left-hand corner of the previous image there are two buttons: Side view and Back view. These allow you to visualize the rocket from two different positions. Next to these buttons you can find the zoom-regulation commands and then one Stage i button for each Stage in your rocket. Selecting/deselecting each of these allows you to include or exclude each stage from the picture. On the left of the previous image you can also see a scroll bar that allows you to rotate the rocket up to 360°. 

Finally, notice the drop-down list in the top right-hand corner of the previous image. This allows you to choose which of your motor configurations to apply to the rocket you have designed (more on this later). The image below shows how the bottom half of the Rocket design window appears after the rocket design has been completed.

[[File:After_complete_design.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Bottom half of the Rocket design window after completing the rocket's design (taken from the A simple model rocket example design).]]

In this image, the rocket's body components and fin sets are represented with a continuous blue line; the rocket's inner components are represented with a continuous red line (the inner tube is also filled in with a grey background); and the mass objects are represented with either black or red dotted lines. It is also possible to customize the colour in which each part is represented, as will be shown later on. The image below shows how the top left-hand portion of the Rocket design window looks after the rocket design has been completed.

[[File:Structure.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Top left-hand portion of the Rocket design window after completing the rocket's design (taken from the A simple model rocket example design).]]

As you can see, the rocket's components have a tree-like structure: 
- the Rocket, called A simple model rocket, has only one stage: the Sustainer. 
- the Sustainer contains two body components: a Nose cone and a Body tube. 
- the Body tube contains a fin set (in particular a Trapezoidal fin set), a Launch lug, three inner components (an Inner Tube and two Centering rings), and three mass objects (a Shock cord, a Parachute, and a Wadding). 
- the Inner tube contains an Engine block. 
This tree-like structure will be discussed further later in this guide. 

The buttons visible on the left in the previous image have pretty straightforward functions. By selecting one of the rocket's components you can change its position in the list of components (but not its position in the rocket) by using the Move up and Move down buttons. You can also edit its characteristics (e.g., dimensions, material, mass, colour used to represent it within the rocket) by using the Edit button--or you can delete it from the rocket completely using the Delete button. Notice that none of these buttons is active in the above image, since no component has been selected. 

You can also add an extra stage to your rocket by clicking the New stage button.

=== The Flight simulations window ===

Now we have a look at the Flight simulations window, which you can access by selecting the Flight simulations tab in the top left-hand corner of the OpenRocket main window. Before designing your rocket or running any flight simulation, the Flight simulations window looks like this:

[[File:Empty_simulations.png|thumb|800 px|center|The Flight simulations window before designing the rocket and running any simulation.]]

Notice that the bottom part of the window does not change when switching from the Rocket Design window to the Flight simulations window. Hence we only need to analyze the top part of the window. Here, most of the space is occupied by a currently blank space, where the technical details about your simulations will appear. Above this space there are five buttons, which allow you to program a new simulation (New simulation), edit a selected simulation (Edit simulation), for example by changing motor configuration or some atmospheric condition, run all the simulations you have programmed (Run simulations), remove the selected simulations (Remove simulations), or either plot or export some of the results of a selected simulation(Plot/export). (More on exporting simulation results in [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Rocket_Analysis Section 8].) 

The image below shows how the top part of the Rocket Design window looks after you have designed your rocket, programmed some simulations and run them.

[[File:Simulations.png|thumb|1000 px|center|The top half of the Flight simulations window after having programmed and run some simulations (taken from the A simple model rocket example design).]]
 
Notice that five of the six simulations that have been run have a green tick on the left: this means that the simulation has been completed without any warnings. Conversely, if the simulation has generated some warning while being run, a red exclamation mark is shown (as for the third simulation in the image above). To find out the more about the warning, mouse-over the simulation (without clicking) as shown in the image below.

[[File:Warning.png|thumb|1000 px|center|More information about warnings in the Flight simulations window.]]
 
It is possible to change the position of the columns containing the various technical simulation data by simply dragging any column left or right, as shown below:

[[File:Columns.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Moving columns in the Flight simulations window.]]

== The main window's menus ==

We now analyze the four main window's menus, briefly explaining the function of each of the menus' options.

=== The File menu ===

The image below shows the options offered by the File menu, located in the top left-hand corner of OpenRocket's main window.

[[File:File.png|thumb|1000 px|center|The File menu.]]

The function of each option in the File menu is pretty straightforward to understand: 
- New allows you to start a new project, without closing the project that is currently open. 
- Open... allows you to open a *.ork file that you have saved on your computer. 
- Open example... allows you to open one of the example projects (more on these later). 
- Save saves the changes you have made to a previously-saved project. 
- Save as... allows you to save the project you are working on to a new *.ork file. 
- Print/Export PDF opens a window like the one shown below (if you have already completed your rocket's design). From here you can select what to include in your print/PDF file; such as technical details of your rocket's components, templates of your rocket's fin sets or even the design of your rocket. We suggest you try this option with one of the example projects to understand how each of these is represented when printing/exporting to PDF. More on printing and exporting to PDF in [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Rocket_Analysis Section 8].
 
- Close closes the current project (after asking for confirmation if there are unsaved changes). This will also exit the application if there was only one project open. 
- Quit exits the application, checking that you have saved all open projects.

[[File:PDF.png|thumb|800 px|center|The window that opens when Print/Export PDF is selected.]]

=== The Edit menu ===

The image below shows the options offered by the Edit menu.

[[File:Edit.png|thumb|1000 px|center|The Edit menu.]]

These options are mostly the classic editing options: undo/redo some action (Undo/Redo) and cut/copy/paste/delete some element (Cut/Copy/Paste/Delete). We also have the following options: 
- Scale... opens the window shown below. Here you can choose to scale your rocket's size by some percentage (you can select from a range of 25% to 400%), starting from a specified dimension that can either be the one the rocket currently has or one you specify. By checking or unchecking the Update explicit mass values box, you can also decide whether or not the rocket's mass should be updated when scaling its volume.

[[File:Scale.png|thumb|1000 px|center|The Scale window.]]

- Preferences opens the Preferences window, as shown below. At the top of this window there are three tabs which allow you to switch between Units, Materials, and Options. We will first consider the Units tab (shown in the picture below). Here you can set the units for each individual physical quantity, or set all units either to the Default metric or to the Default imperial settings.

[[File:Preferences.png|thumb|1000 px|center|The Units tab of the Preferences window.]]

The picture below shows the Materials tab of the Preferences window. Here you can manage all of the available materials for the rocket component, by either editing the characteristics of the materials (i.e., their name and density) through the Edit button, or you can delete a material through the Delete button. You can also add new materials if you wish, by clicking the New button and setting the material's name, type and density.

[[File:Materials.png|thumb|1000 px|center|The Materials tab of the Preferences window.]]

Finally, the picture below shows the Options tab of the Preferences window. Using the provided drop-down lists you can set the application's language, determine where to insert new rocket components, choose whether or not to ask for confirmation when deleting simulations, or load some of your own thrust curves.

[[File:Options.png|thumb|1000 px|center|The Options tab of the Preferences window.]]

=== The Analyze menu ===

The image below shows the options offered by the Analyze menu.

[[File:Analyze.png|thumb|1000 px|center|The Analyze menu.]]

- The Component analysis option opens a window like the one shown below. Here, technical information for the rocket's external components and fin sets is displayed. Using the scroll bars in the top half of the window you can also change some parameters, such as wind direction, angle of attachment, mach number and roll rate. More on the component analysis window in [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Rocket_Analysis Section 8].

[[File:Component analysis.png|thumb|1000 px|center|The Component analysis window, opened from the A simple model rocket example design.]]

- The Rocket optimization option opens a window like the one shown below. From here you can optimize the performance of your rocket by selecting exactly which performance to optimize from the Optimized drop-down list. More on the rocket optimization window in [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Rocket_Analysis Section 8].

[[File:Optimization.png|thumb|800 px|center|The Optimization window, opened from the A simple model rocket example design.]]

=== The Help menu ===

The image below shows the options offered by the Help menu.

[[File:Help.png|thumb|1000 px|center|The Help menu.]]

NOTE: The guided tour option is a planned feature, but is not yet implemented in OpenRocket. Therefore for the moment you will not find it in the Help menu. 
The functions of the options in the Help menu are as follow: 
- License opens a window containing OpenRocket's license. 
- Bug report opens a bug report form that you can complete and submit to the developers. 
- Debug log opens the OpenRocket debug log. 
- About opens a window containing summary information about this project. 

= The Example projects =

By now you should have a good idea of how OpenRocket's user interface is structured, so you might feel ready to start designing your own rocket (see next section)--and probably you are indeed ready. Nonetheless we suggest you have a look at some pre-designed example rockets that we have provided. To do this, simply select File -> Open example... and the window shown in the image below will appear.

[[File:Example.png|thumb|1000 px|center|The Open example design window.]]

Select one or more of the listed rockets (we suggest that you start with A simple model rocket), then click Open. Now have a closer look at the various windows discussed in this section, and note how they change when you choose another example project. This should give you an idea of how to best use this application, and maybe even give you some new ideas for your future rockets! 

Now that you know how this program is structured, you can start using OpenRocket to design your own rockets. How to do this will be the topic of the [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Basic_Rocket_Design next section].

----
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Downloading & Installing|← Downloading & Installing]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Basic Flight Simulation|Basic Flight Simulation →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

Getting Started

2015-09-13T05:56:05Z

Tcbetka: Changes made to grammar, punctuation and I've also standardized the use of "OpenRocket" instead of the mix of this and Openrocket," as per the official website. I also fixed the formatting in a few areas.

<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Downloading & Installing|← Downloading & Installing]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Basic Flight Simulation|Basic Flight Simulation →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>

{{UserGuideHelp}}

__TOC__

In this section we have a look at how OpenRocket is organized, by analyzing in detail the structure of the user interface. We will also briefly mention the Example projects that are accessible from the File menu. After reading this section you will have a thorough understanding of how OpenRocket is structured, and will be ready to start designing a rocket of your own. If you already know how this program is organized, feel free to jump to the [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Basic_Rocket_Design next section].

= The User interface =

In this subsection we first briefly discuss the Rocket Configuration window, and then OpenRocket's main window and the main window's four menus. 

== The Rocket Configuration window ==

When you start a new project, you will be prompted with the following window:

[[File:Rocket_configuration.png|thumb|600 px|center|The Rocket Configuration window.]]

Fill in the four fields (or you can leave all, except the Design name, blank if you wish), and click the close button. 

== OpenRocket's main window ==

You now have access to the OpenRocket main window.

[[File:Main_window.png|thumb|800 px|center|The OpenRocket main window.]]

Notice there are two tabs in the top-left corner of the window, just under the menu options. These tabs allow you to switch between the Rocket design and Flight simulations windows. 

=== The Rocket design window ===

For the moment, let's focus on the Rocket design window. This window is organized in the following way: 
- in the bottom half of the window there is a large white space. This is where a 2D image of the rocket you are designing will appear. 
- in the top-left part of the window, the rocket's stages and components are shown. When you start a new project, the rocket contains only one stage (i.e.; the sustainer) but no components. 
- in the top-right part of the window, all the body components and fin sets, inner components, and mass objects that you can add to the rocket are shown. Notice that it's not possible to add all of these object to the rocket at any particular stage of the rocket design. Exactly which components can be added when will be explained later in this guide. 

Now let's have a closer look at the bottom half of the Rocket design window. When you add a component to your rocket, it will be immediately displayed, as shown below:

[[File:After_first_component.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Bottom half of the Rocket design window after adding a nose cone.]]

Notice the rulers around the borders. These give you an idea of the dimensions of your rocket. 

As you can see, in addition to the appearance of your rocket, the Rocket design window also shows some other useful information as well. This includes the rocket's dimensions, mass, apogee, max. velocity, max. acceleration, stability, center of gravity (CG), and center of pressure (CP). 

In the top left-hand corner of the previous image there are two buttons: Side view and Back view. These allow you to visualize the rocket from two different positions. Next to these buttons you can find the zoom-regulation commands and then one Stage i button for each Stage in your rocket. Selecting/deselecting each of these allows you to include or exclude each stage from the picture. On the left of the previous image you can also see a scroll bar that allows you to rotate the rocket up to 360°. 

Finally, notice the drop-down list in the top right-hand corner of the previous image. This allows you to choose which of your motor configurations to apply to the rocket you have designed (more on this later). The image below shows how the bottom half of the Rocket design window appears after the rocket design has been completed.

[[File:After_complete_design.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Bottom half of the Rocket design window after completing the rocket's design (taken from the A simple model rocket example design).]]

In this image, the rocket's body components and fin sets are represented with a continuous blue line; the rocket's inner components are represented with a continuous red line (the inner tube is also filled in with a grey background); and the mass objects are represented with either black or red dotted lines. It is also possible to customize the colour in which each part is represented, as will be shown later on. The image below shows how the top left-hand portion of the Rocket design window looks after the rocket design has been completed.

[[File:Structure.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Top left-hand portion of the Rocket design window after completing the rocket's design (taken from the A simple model rocket example design).]]

As you can see, the rocket's components have a tree-like structure: 
- the Rocket, called A simple model rocket, has only one stage: the Sustainer. 
- the Sustainer contains two body components: a Nose cone and a Body tube. 
- the Body tube contains a fin set (in particular a Trapezoidal fin set), a Launch lug, three inner components (an Inner Tube and two Centering rings), and three mass objects (a Shock cord, a Parachute, and a Wadding). 
- the Inner tube contains an Engine block. 
This tree-like structure will be discussed further later in this guide. 

The buttons visible on the left in the previous image have pretty straightforward functions. By selecting one of the rocket's components you can change its position in the list of components (but not its position in the rocket) by using the Move up and Move down buttons. You can also edit its characteristics (e.g., dimensions, material, mass, colour used to represent it within the rocket) by using the Edit button--or you can delete it from the rocket completely using the Delete button. Notice that none of these buttons is active in the above image, since no component has been selected. 

You can also add an extra stage to your rocket by clicking the New stage button.

=== The Flight simulations window ===

Now we have a look at the Flight simulations window, which you can access by selecting the Flight simulations tab in the top left-hand corner of the OpenRocket main window. Before designing your rocket or running any flight simulation, the Flight simulations window looks like this:

[[File:Empty_simulations.png|thumb|800 px|center|The Flight simulations window before designing the rocket and running any simulation.]]

Notice that the bottom part of the window does not change when switching from the Rocket Design window to the Flight simulations window. Hence we only need to analyze the top part of the window. Here, most of the space is occupied by a currently blank space, where the technical details about your simulations will appear. Above this space there are five buttons, which allow you to program a new simulation (New simulation), edit a selected simulation (Edit simulation), for example by changing motor configuration or some atmospheric condition, run all the simulations you have programmed (Run simulations), remove the selected simulations (Remove simulations), or either plot or export some of the results of a selected simulation(Plot/export). (More on exporting simulation results in [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Rocket_Analysis Section 8].) 

The image below shows how the top part of the Rocket Design window looks after you have designed your rocket, programmed some simulations and run them.

[[File:Simulations.png|thumb|1000 px|center|The top half of the Flight simulations window after having programmed and run some simulations (taken from the A simple model rocket example design).]]
 
Notice that five of the six simulations that have been run have a green tick on the left: this means that the simulation has been completed without any warnings. Conversely, if the simulation has generated some warning while being run, a red exclamation mark is shown (as for the third simulation in the image above). To find out the more about the warning, mouse-over the simulation (without clicking) as shown in the image below.

[[File:Warning.png|thumb|1000 px|center|More information about warnings in the Flight simulations window.]]
 
It is possible to change the position of the columns containing the various technical simulation data by simply dragging any column left or right, as shown below:

[[File:Columns.png|thumb|1000 px|center|Moving columns in the Flight simulations window.]]

== The main window's menus ==

We now analyze the four main window's menus, briefly explaining the function of each of the menus' options.

=== The File menu ===

The image below shows the options offered by the File menu, located in the top left-hand corner of OpenRocket's main window.

[[File:File.png|thumb|1000 px|center|The File menu.]]

The function of each option in the File menu is pretty straightforward to understand: 
- New allows you to start a new project, without closing the project that is currently open. 
- Open... allows you to open a *.ork file that you have saved on your computer. 
- Open example... allows you to open one of the example projects (more on these later). 
- Save saves the changes you have made to a previously-saved project. 
- Save as... allows you to save the project you are working on to a new *.ork file. 
- Print/Export PDF opens a window like the one shown below (if you have already completed your rocket's design). From here you can select what to include in your print/PDF file; such as technical details of your rocket's components, templates of your rocket's fin sets or even the design of your rocket. We suggest you try this option with one of the example projects to understand how each of these is represented when printing/exporting to PDF. More on printing and exporting to PDF in [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Rocket_Analysis Section 8].
 
- Close closes the current project (after asking for confirmation if there are unsaved changes). This will also exit the application if there was only one project open. 
- Quit exits the application, checking that you have saved all open projects.

[[File:PDF.png|thumb|800 px|center|The window that opens when Print/Export PDF is selected.]]

=== The Edit menu ===

The image below shows the options offered by the Edit menu.

[[File:Edit.png|thumb|1000 px|center|The Edit menu.]]

These options are mostly the classic editing options: undo/redo some action (Undo/Redo) and cut/copy/paste/delete some element (Cut/Copy/Paste/Delete). We also have the following options: 
- Scale... opens the window shown below. Here you can choose to scale your rocket's size by some percentage (you can select from a range of 25% to 400%), starting from a specified dimension that can either be the one the rocket currently has or one you specify. By checking or unchecking the Update explicit mass values box, you can also decide whether or not the rocket's mass should be updated when scaling its volume.

[[File:Scale.png|thumb|1000 px|center|The Scale window.]]

- Preferences opens the Preferences window, as shown below. At the top of this window there are three tabs which allow you to switch between Units, Materials, and Options. We will first consider the Units tab (shown in the picture below). Here you can set the units for each individual physical quantity, or set all units either to the Default metric or to the Default imperial settings.

[[File:Preferences.png|thumb|1000 px|center|The Units tab of the Preferences window.]]

The picture below shows the Materials tab of the Preferences window. Here you can manage all of the available materials for the rocket component, by either editing the characteristics of the materials (i.e., their name and density) through the Edit button, or you can delete a material through the Delete button. You can also add new materials if you wish, by clicking the New button and setting the material's name, type and density.

[[File:Materials.png|thumb|1000 px|center|The Materials tab of the Preferences window.]]

Finally, the picture below shows the Options tab of the Preferences window. Using the provided drop-down lists you can set the application's language, determine where to insert new rocket components, choose whether or not to ask for confirmation when deleting simulations, or load some of your own thrust curves.

[[File:Options.png|thumb|1000 px|center|The Options tab of the Preferences window.]]

=== The Analyze menu ===

The image below shows the options offered by the Analyze menu.

[[File:Analyze.png|thumb|1000 px|center|The Analyze menu.]]

- The Component analysis option opens a window like the one shown below. Here, technical information for the rocket's external components and fin sets is displayed. Using the scroll bars in the top half of the window you can also change some parameters, such as wind direction, angle of attachment, mach number and roll rate. More on the component analysis window in [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Rocket_Analysis Section 8].

[[File:Component analysis.png|thumb|1000 px|center|The Component analysis window, opened from the A simple model rocket example design.]]

- The Rocket optimization option opens a window like the one shown below. From here you can optimize the performance of your rocket by selecting exactly which performance to optimize from the Optimized drop-down list. More on the rocket optimization window in [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Rocket_Analysis Section 8].

[[File:Optimization.png|thumb|800 px|center|The Optimization window, opened from the A simple model rocket example design.]]

=== The Help menu ===

The image below shows the options offered by the Help menu.

[[File:Help.png|thumb|1000 px|center|The Help menu.]]

NOTE: The guided tour option is a planned feature, but is not yet implemented in OpenRocket. Therefore for the moment you will not find it in the Help menu. 
The functions of the options in the Help menu are as follow: 
- License opens a window containing OpenRocket's license. 
- Bug report opens a bug report form that you can complete and submit to the developers. 
- Debug log opens the OpenRocket debug log. 
- About opens a window containing summary information about this project. 

= The Example projects =

By now you should have a good idea of how OpenRocket's user interface is structured, so you might feel ready to start designing your own rocket (see next section)--and probably you are indeed ready. Nonetheless we suggest you have a look at some pre-designed example rockets that we have provided. To do this, simply select File -> Open example... and the window shown in the image below will appear.

[[File:Example.png|thumb|1000 px|center|The Open example design window.]]

Select one or more of the listed rockets (we suggest that you start with A simple model rocket), then click Open. Now have a closer look at the various windows discussed in this section, and note how they change when you choose another example project. This should give you an idea of how to best use this application, and maybe even give you some new ideas for your future rockets! 

Now that you know how this program is structured, you can start using OpenRocket to design your own rockets. How to do this will be the topic of the [https://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/openrocket/index.php?title=Basic_Rocket_Design next section].

----
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="float: left;">[[Downloading & Installing|← Downloading & Installing]]</div>
<div style="float: right;">[[Basic Flight Simulation|Basic Flight Simulation →]]</div>
[[User's Guide|↑ Back to Contents]]
</div>