Advanced Aircraft Design tool

Discussion in 'Architecture & Engineering' started by Thoreau, May 27, 2010.

  1. Thoreau Valued Senior Member

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    I'm looking for an online Aircraft design tool (preferrably free if possible). I've done a few google searches and have only come up with VERY basic results. I'm looking for something pretty advanced.
     
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  3. Dywyddyr Penguinaciously duckalicious. Valued Senior Member

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    "Real" aircraft?
    Or flying models?
    Or flight sim?
     
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  5. Thoreau Valued Senior Member

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    All three if possible.
     
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  7. Dywyddyr Penguinaciously duckalicious. Valued Senior Member

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    Don't want much, do you?

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    I have a feeling (and this is just a feeling - backed up by years of trying to find something on the net AND pestering people like SAAB and British Aerospace

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    ) that you won't find the first anywhere.
    For the third option ( I don't "do" flying models) there's an old programme called Aircraft Factory - it may be abandonware now. IIRC (it's a while since I've used it) you design your aircraft and then you can import it into Microsoft Flight Sim and/ or Combat Flight Sim. But the couple of times I tried (I was more interested in the mechanics of designing) I got an invisible aircraft...
     
  8. Danny G "Listen.. you smell something" Registered Senior Member

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    The best advice i can offer you is to get hold of X-Plane, its a flight simulator that lets you create your own aircraft (down to the last detail should you wish)
    You have to pay for it, but what you get is a flight model software so advanced that the CAA actually have certified it for use training commercial pilots.

    You can create any shape Plane, Chopper, rocket or whatever you wish in X-Plane, but if the aerodynamics are off, it wont fly.

    Stay away from Microsoft Flightsim, the flight models are that bad, you can make a tree go supersonic if you want to, just by editing the config file for that plane.

    HERE is the Link
    http://www.x-plane.com/

    I hope you have many hours of fun with it, i have.
    (oh btw... its not free, but its worth the cost)
     
    Last edited: May 27, 2010
  9. Danny G "Listen.. you smell something" Registered Senior Member

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    I forgot to mention that the Aircraft design tool comes with the simulator, it also features an airfoil design tool aswell, but i dont fully understand that part yet.
     
  10. draqon Banned Banned

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    CATIA is used a lot w/ aircraft designs on pro. level.

    Microsoft Flight Simulator X to learn to fly aircraft on pro level.

    DarCorporation has a very nice versatile for aircraft from scratch to final design software.

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  11. Danny G "Listen.. you smell something" Registered Senior Member

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    Really... No its not.

    MSFS10 is a bad simulation if your into real world flight physics, as mentioned in my previous post.
     
  12. Dywyddyr Penguinaciously duckalicious. Valued Senior Member

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    No, CATIA is used to do the drawings and get the engineering sorted out. The actual design is done beforehand. And hardly falls under the heading of "preferably free". SolidWorks is a "watered-down" version of CATIA and that costs ~£4.5K for a personal licence.

    And does that come under "(preferrably free if possible)". Their website doesn't even list the price, which indicates to me that it's beyond the reach of most individuals unless they're tremendously geeky and/ or rich.
     
    Last edited: May 27, 2010
  13. John99 Banned Banned

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    You may be better off getting 3d software for the design. Just make sure you can export into an other software you use.

    Edit: Just saw the link. Not sure if X PLane allows importing models.
     
  14. Dywyddyr Penguinaciously duckalicious. Valued Senior Member

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    See my comments above regarding CATIA. The design work of an aircraft doesn't require 3D software (until the shape is more or less finalised and then you need a CFD package as well).

    If you'd also read the post with the link you'd have seen that X-Plane allows you to design the aircraft in the sim itself. There's no need to import it..
     
  15. John99 Banned Banned

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    He is probably more interested in the design phase.
     
  16. Dywyddyr Penguinaciously duckalicious. Valued Senior Member

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    If you assume that why did you mention a 3D package?
     
  17. Dywyddyr Penguinaciously duckalicious. Valued Senior Member

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    Ha!
    MZ, I just remembered a free version!
    Rick Robinson did an Excel spreadsheet that does a tremendous amount of work (he's the guy that developed Springsharp - for "designing" warships).
    If you go here and scroll down to "Aircraft Specification Simulator" you can download the zip file with the spreadsheet and "manual" (Rick tends to expect his users to have some idea of what they're doing so the manual isn't exactly a step-by-step guide).
     
  18. Thoreau Valued Senior Member

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    Danke
     
  19. domesticated om Stickler for details Valued Senior Member

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