Studying continuous transitions between hinge configurations (e.g., wing folding) – beyond variable presets?

[Carla Conejero Amarilla]

Hello everyone,

I'm studying how to model and analyze the transition between different configurations using hinges and variable presets in OpenVSP. For example, I have a wing that folds from 0° to 90°.

Using variable presets, I can define two discrete states (unfolded vs. folded). But I want to study the entire continuous transition – for instance, to export the geometry at intermediate angles (10°, 20°, etc.) or to understand how aerodynamic or mass properties change during folding.

Is there a way in OpenVSP to:

1. Animate or step through a hinge variable smoothly between two preset values?

2. Export multiple geometries automatically at different hinge angles (e.g., using a script or a built-in tool)?

3. Run VSPAERO or mass properties analysis for a sequence of angles without manually changing the variable each time?

I've seen the "Variable Preset" and "Hinge" features, but they seem designed for discrete configurations. Is there a recommended workflow for continuous parameter sweeps?

Thank you for any pointers or script examples!

[Rob McDonald]

Use a hinge.  The hinge has a continuous angle parameter that can position the moving parts at any point along the sweep.

You can use scripting -- either vspscript or Python scripting to create animations.  Look at the 'testanimate.vspscript' script in the examples folder.

You can use scripting to update the hinge angle parameter and export a file at each angle.  You could also script this to run VSPAERO or any other OpenVSP analysis.

Rob

[Brandon Litherland]

I had a look at Swept Volume in Geometry Analysis thinking that it would sweep the Hinge motion but it looks to be linear only at the moment.  Did I miss something there, Rob?

[Rob McDonald]

The swept volume will only do linear motion at present.

If you configure your Hinge to actually act as a slider, then the Swept Volume will use that to define the motion.

Rotational swept volume is a tougher nut to crack.  I haven't gotten that working yet and it isn't a priority for the projects I'm working on.  However, it would have a lot of applicability, so I'm not giving up on it.

Rob