Questions regarding mesh control, VSPAERO settings, and best practices for drag/performance analysis

[Shakil Salim]

Dear OpenVSP Community,

I am currently working in VSPAERO  and i would appreciate some guidance on optimizing my analysis in VSPAERO. I have a few questions regarding mesh generation and simulation parameters:

1. Mesh Control: How can I better control the grid/mesh point distribution on surfaces? Specifically, what is the best approach for balancing density to ensure accurate results without excessive solve times?

2. Parameters (Gen Tab): Could you explain the NumU and NumW parameters? I understand they influence tessellation, but what is the recommended workflow for adjusting these to improve drag/flow results?

3. Wake Parameters: How do the wake settings affect the final simulation outcome? What are the "best" settings for typical aerodynamic studies?

4. Solver/CPU usage: What do the various CPU settings mean, and are there specific considerations for running VSPAERO on high-core-count machines?

5. Tecplot Files: When should I use/export Tecplot files, and how do they benefit the post-processing phase?

Additionally, could you please point me toward any recommended publications, white papers, or advanced documentation that deep-dives into these topics?

Thank you for your time and expertise!

[Koaib Kaleem]

I am looking for answers to these questions too, for mesh convergence studies, (by tessalations) you can refer to these resources, was trying to attach but have large sze.

  Evaluation of VSPAERO Analysis Capabilities for Conceptual Design of Aircraft with Propeller-Blown Wings

Master thesis: Software testing VSPAERO   

The workshop lectures also have some thumbrules (best practices) too. I found the 2021 and 2025 lectures useful.