Export Actuator Disc Surface as Ngons?

[Christopher Smith]

Hello,

I'm trying to analyze the effect of actuator discs in other panel method software that uses the .vspgeom files generated from the VSAERO-->Prepare Solver workflow. When I use VSAERO-->Prepare Solver with the actuator discs present the actuator discs I had in the model disappear while the other surfaces are meshed and trimmed properly .  However, when I run CompGeom the actuator discs remain.  Discs are simple to build manually in a mesh, so it isn't a showstopper for me, but it would be nice to have the discs included in the .vspgeom file when building the Ngon mesh like they are in the CompGeom version.  Is this a bug, or the new process moving forward?  You guys do amazing work, thank you!

-Chris Smith

[Brandon Litherland]

VSPAERO doesn't use the actuator disks as surfaces in the solver.  The components are there for visual representation and to provide dimensions and settings to the solver.

As a work-around, you could make a zero length Stack with circular cross section (you can cut all but two XSec and have a point or hole and a circle, and turn off skinning), then this should mesh in the Thin set as a flat surface.  Your code will have to detect the name of the geom and make that an actuator disk.

[Rob McDonald]

As Brandon said, actuator disks are dropped from the geometry processing for VSPAERO because it does not use the mesh of the disks, just the center point, orientation vector, and diameter.

If you run CompGeom with the Prop in Disk mode and in the 'Normal' Set (your other components can be in a mix of Normal and Degen Sets, the CompGeom will run.

Then, select the MeshGeom that was created from the process.  Click on the 'Other' tab.  Then, press the button to 'Convert to NGon Mesh'.

Finally, go to File...  Export... and export as a *.vspgeom file.

I'm very curious to learn about what other panel method is using the VSPGEOM file format.  I'm excited to learn of this as I think it is a great idea.  The NGon data written to the *.vspgeom format has a lot of unique characteristics that aren't offered in other formats that I know of.

Rob

[Christopher Smith]

Thanks Brandon and Rob!  I had been searching for the "convert to Ngon" button, but was unable to find it, so I was using the workflow in the VSPAERO dialogue.  The CompGeom and converting to Ngons is working well!

[Rob McDonald]

Glad to hear it.

I don't think the 'Convert to NGons' action is available through the API, so you'll just have to do this manually for now.  It was never meant to be a feature, it was just something to help me debug during development.  Then I just never took it out.

If this becomes a problem, we can look at adding something to the API.

Like I said in my earlier message, I'd love to hear more about the panel code you're working on to make work with *.vspaero files.

Rob