Nasaco Vehicle Sketch Pad User manual

User Manual
Vehicle Sketch Pad
Version 1.7.92

VSP User Manual 2Version 1.7.92
About VSP
Vehicle Sketch Pad (VSP) is developed and provided free of charge by NASA Langley
Research Center.
VSP, and any related codes that might be obtained from NASA, are solely for internal
use at locations with an active Software User’s Agreement. Neither individuals nor
institutions shall disseminate any software or documentation in any fashion without
NASA’s expressed consent. Further, this software and support documentation are for use
only in the United States, by United States entities. Foreign nationals shall not be
allowed copy access to these materials.
Please visit our website for more information: http://vspmanual.webs.com
To obtain a software usage agreement for VSP, please contact:
Mark Moore
Aeronautics Systems Analysis Branch
Mail Stop 442
1 North Dryden St.
NASA-Langley Research Center
Hampton, VA 23681-0001
OpenVSP is a parametric aircraft geometry tool. OpenVSP allows the user to create a 3D model of an
aircraft defined by common engineering parameters. This model can be processed into formats suitable for
engineering analysis.
The predecessors to OpenVSP have been developed by JR Gloudemans and others for NASA since the
early 1990's. In January 2012, OpenVSP was released as an open source project available to everyone free
of charge.
www.openvsp.org
OpenVSP is available under the terms of the NASA Open Source Agreement (NOSA) version 1.3. The
complete terms of the license are specified in the LICENSE file which accompanies this program.
Copyright (c) 2012 United States Government as represented by the Administrator for The National
Aeronautics and Space Administration. All Rights Reserved.

VSP User Manual 3Version 1.7.92
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 Getting Started
Quick Start...................................................................................................................... 6
Things to Know............................................................................................................... 6
File Extension ............................................................................................................. 6
Figure 3: Navigating between folders......................................................................... 7
Main Screen................................................................................................................ 8
Geom Browser............................................................................................................ 8
Basics.............................................................................................................................. 9
Mouse Buttons............................................................................................................ 9
View Keys................................................................................................................... 9
Chapter 2 Intro to Modeling in VSP
Adding a Part ................................................................................................................ 10
Modifying a Part........................................................................................................... 11
All Parts ........................................................................................................................ 11
General Parameters (Gen) Tab.................................................................................. 11
Cross Section Formation (XForm) Tab .................................................................... 13
Chapter 3 Designing a Pod
Design tab ..................................................................................................................... 15
Chapter 4 Designing Wings
All Wings...................................................................................................................... 16
Planform (Plan) Tab.................................................................................................. 16
Foil Tab..................................................................................................................... 17
Multi-Section (MS) Wings ........................................................................................... 18
Section (Sect) Tab..................................................................................................... 18
Dihedral Angle of Planes (Dihed)............................................................................. 19
Hybrid Wing Bodies (HWB)........................................................................................ 21
Section (Sect) Tab..................................................................................................... 21
Fillet Tab................................................................................................................... 22
Exercises....................................................................................................................... 24
Ring Wing................................................................................................................. 24
Turning Pipe.............................................................................................................. 25
Chapter 5 Designing the Fuselage
Shape Tab...................................................................................................................... 27
Profile Tab .................................................................................................................... 28
Cross Section (XSec) Tab............................................................................................. 29
Chapter 6 Introduction to HAVOC
Definition...................................................................................................................... 31

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VSP User Manual 4Version 1.7.92
Chapter 7 Additional Parts
External Store (Ext_Store)............................................................................................ 32
Design....................................................................................................................... 32
Blank............................................................................................................................. 33
Definition.................................................................................................................. 33
Duct............................................................................................................................... 33
Definition.................................................................................................................. 33
Shape Tab.................................................................................................................. 33
Foil Tab..................................................................................................................... 34
Propeller (Prop)............................................................................................................. 35
Shape Tab.................................................................................................................. 35
Station Tab................................................................................................................ 36
Foil Tab..................................................................................................................... 37
Engine........................................................................................................................... 37
Definition.................................................................................................................. 37
Engine (Eng)/Nozzle (Noz)/ Duct Tab..................................................................... 37
Inlet tab ..................................................................................................................... 39
Chapter 8 Main Toolbar Features
File Menu...................................................................................................................... 41
Insert ......................................................................................................................... 41
Import........................................................................................................................ 41
Export........................................................................................................................ 41
Window Menu .............................................................................................................. 42
Window Split............................................................................................................ 42
Background Picture................................................................................................... 42
Lighting..................................................................................................................... 43
Labels........................................................................................................................ 44
View Menu.................................................................................................................... 44
Preset Views.............................................................................................................. 44
Adjust........................................................................................................................ 45
Alias/Antialias Lines................................................................................................. 45
Texture...................................................................................................................... 46
Geometry Tools (Geom) Menu..................................................................................... 47
Modify....................................................................................................................... 47
Component Geometry (CompGeom)........................................................................ 47
Mesh.......................................................................................................................... 48
CFD Mesh................................................................................................................. 48
AWAVE Slicing (Awave Slice) ............................................................................... 52
Mass Properties (Mass Prop).................................................................................... 54
Aero Reference (Aero Ref)....................................................................................... 55
Structural Modeling.................................................................................................. 56
Script............................................................................................................................. 62
Script Window.......................................................................................................... 62
Script Output............................................................................................................. 63
Vorview......................................................................................................................... 63

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VSP User Manual 5Version 1.7.92
Edit............................................................................................................................ 63
Input 1 Tab................................................................................................................ 63
Input 2 Tab................................................................................................................ 67
Slice Tab ................................................................................................................... 69
Control Tab............................................................................................................... 71
Execute Tab .............................................................................................................. 72
Revert............................................................................................................................ 74
Help............................................................................................................................... 74
About......................................................................................................................... 74
Chapter 9 Modeling Example
Wing.............................................................................................................................. 75
Tails............................................................................................................................... 75
Fuselage Layout............................................................................................................ 76
Editing Cross Sections.............................................................................................. 76
Prop............................................................................................................................... 77
Landing Gear ................................................................................................................ 78
Finishing touches.......................................................................................................... 78
Chapter 10 Tips and Troubleshooting
Tips ............................................................................................................................... 79
Glossary ......................................................................................................................... 80

VSP User Manual 6Version 1.7.92
Chapter 1 Getting Started
Quick Start
This section provides a basic understanding of Vehicle Sketch Pad (VSP), and is
intended to give a rudimentary understanding of how to use the program. Users are
advised to read the manual in its entirety to gain a more complete understanding of VSP.
Note: The Glossary (pg. 80) provided at the end of this document is
available to clarify any confusing terms.
Things to Know
File Extension
Vehicle Sketch Pad uses the .XML extension for its files. VSP can read .RAM files,
however the .XML extension should be used if files are to be edited.
Saving Files
Figure 1: Save options under the File Menu
When a new file is created, the Save As command should be used for the first
save. If a new file is saved with the Save command rather than the Save As command, it
will save as “VspAircraft.XML” in the directory of the vsp.exe program. After doing the
first save as, every successive Save will save the file under the name specified by the
user. Also, as with many other programs, users are highly encouraged to save their work
often.

Chapter 1: Getting Started
VSP User Manual 7Version 1.7.92
Opening Files
Whenever you are prompted to open/import a file, a window similar to the one
shown below will appear.
Figure 2: Example of window to open a file
The type of file that is being displayed can be managed next to “Show” by using
the drop down menu. For this example, only .af file extensions will be shown. This will
help to condense the amount of information that appears in the main window.
In order to search for specific files, click on the periods placed before the
backslash, which is usually positioned at the top of the list. It is outlined in red below.
Click on specific folder names placed before the backslash to open a folder.
Figure 3: Navigating between folders

Chapter 1: Getting Started
VSP User Manual 8Version 1.7.92
Main Screen
Rotate model
Left mouse button
Translate model
Right mouse button
Zoom model
Center mouse button (or click scroll wheel)
(or left and right buttons together for two-button
mouse)
Center model in screen
“c” or View/Center Menu
User Select views
F1 to F4: Hold Shift and Function Key to set, press
Function Key to view again.
Preset Views
F5 to F12: Top, Front, Left Isometric, etc.
Geom Browser
Add a Part
Select the part from the drop down list at the top of the
Geom Browser Window, then click Add.
Delete a Part
Select Part from Part list, then click “Cut.”
Modify a Part
Select Part from Part List. The Part Window will
appear.
Wire View
Select Part from Part List or Select All, (“Sel All”)
then click “Wire.” (See Glossary)
Hidden View
Select Part from Part List or Select All, (“Sel All”)
then click “Hidden.” (See Glossary)
Shaded View
Select Part from Part List or Select All, (“Sel All”)
then click “Shade.” (See Glossary)
Show or No Show
Select Part from Part List, then click “Show” or “No
Show” (See Glossary)
Selecting All Children
Hold down “Alt” while choosing a parent and the
children of this parent will be selected.

Chapter 1: Getting Started
VSP User Manual 9Version 1.7.92
Basics
Mouse Buttons
The first and most important thing to learn about VSP is how to use the mouse.
Click and hold each mouse button to engage that button’s function, and release the button
to disengage the function. For example, the left button rotates the model around in the
Main Screen; as the left mouse button remains held and the user drags the mouse, the
model will continue to rotate in the Main Screen towards the direction that the mouse is
being dragged.
The middle button on the mouse controls zoom. Note that only moving the
mouse forward or backward will activate the zoom; when the zoom button(s) are pressed,
moving the mouse side to side will have no effect. For mice with a scroll wheel, click
and hold the scroll wheel to activate the middle button functions.
The right mouse button translates the model around the screen.
View Keys
The Function Keys at the top of the key board are for preset views. F1 through F4
are user-defined views. To set a user-defined view, adjust the model on the Main Screen,
then hold the Shift key and push the desired function key. To come back to that view
later, simply push that function key.
The preset views in VSP are as follows:
Key
Preset View
F5
Top
F6
Front
F7
Left
F8
Left Isometric
F9
Bottom
F10
Back
F11
Right
F12
Right Isometric
The “c” key has two functions: the first is to center the model in the Main Screen;
the second is to resize the view from the F5 through F12 keys. For instance, a fuselage is
added (and its default size is 30) for a small UAV. Pressing one of the function keys for
a preset view will give a view that is zoomed out too far to see any detail of the aircraft.
When the “c” key is pressed, VSP automatically zooms in to fill the Main Screen with the
model.
Note: The function keys (F1-F12) can only be used when the main screen
is selected or if the mouse is hovering over the main screen.

VSP User Manual 10 Version 1.7.92
Chapter 2 Intro to Modeling in VSP
Adding a Part
Let’s get into building a model. The first step is to add a part. At the top of the
Geom Browser Window, select the part type from the pull-down list. For the following
example, select POD. Then click the Add button to the left of the Parts window to insert
the part. Figure 1 below shows the Geom window and the list of available parts:
Figure 4: Geom window and list of available parts.
The selected part will appear in the Main Screen, and the Part Window will open.
The Part Window allows the designer to change all of the parameters of the given part.
Note: If the specific part is deselected by clicking anywhere else in the
Active window, the Part Window will disappear. To have the Part
Window appear again, just click on the part name in the Part List.
To remove a part, select the part from the list under the Active label and click Cut.