Use Stallion 3D & OpenVSP in Your Aerodynamics Toolchain 🛠️

NASA OpenVSP and Stallion 3D are two powerful software tools that can be used together to design and analyze aircraft. OpenVSP is a parametric geometry modeler that can be used to create 3D models of aircraft and other aerospace vehicles. Stallion 3D is a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software tool that can be used to analyze the aerodynamics of aircraft and other aerospace vehicles.

Using OpenVSP for design and Stallion 3D for aerodynamics has a number of advantages. First, it allows engineers to iterate quickly on their designs. OpenVSP makes it easy to modify the geometry of an aircraft, and Stallion 3D can be used to quickly analyze the aerodynamic impact of those changes. Second, it allows engineers to perform more accurate aerodynamic analysis than would be possible with simpler tools. Stallion 3D uses the Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations to simulate airflow around an aircraft. This allows engineers to account for effects such as turbulence and boundary layers, which can have a significant impact on the aerodynamics of an aircraft.

Here is a specific example of how OpenVSP and Stallion 3D can be used together to design and analyze an aircraft:

• An engineer uses OpenVSP to create a 3D model of a new aircraft design.
• The engineer exports the 3D model from OpenVSP to Stallion 3D.)
• In Stallion 3D, the engineer specifies the flight conditions for the aircraft, such as the altitude, speed, and angle of attack.
• Stallion 3D then simulates the airflow around the aircraft and calculates the aerodynamic forces and moments.
• The engineer reviews the results of the CFD simulation to identify any areas where the design can be improved.
• The engineer then makes changes to the design in OpenVSP and repeats the process.
• Stallion 3D analyzes the actual geometry and you do not have to defeature your design.

By using OpenVSP for design and Stallion 3D for aerodynamics, engineers can develop aircraft designs that are more aerodynamically efficient and have better performance.