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Frausing

Active Member
Joined
Aug 8, 2022
Messages
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Location
Østjylland, Hinnerup, Denmark
I am new to rocket software, and mid power rockets
I want to try OpenRocket and was thinking that some must have made a lot of designs.
Is there a place (Website) where there is designs to download ?
And then adapt it to my rocket :)
I have build a Aerotech Initiator (not mega) and I know that it is an rocket there have been on the marked for many years.
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So many thanks
I had been looking for an hour on google

Do verify the design against your measurements, particularly outer dimensions and total mass. I've found many of the files to be incomplete, possibly not a fully successful conversion from .rkt format, or modified with aditional mass components and such for an individual's rocket.
 
I am new to rocket software, and mid power rockets
I want to try OpenRocket and was thinking that some must have made a lot of designs.
Is there a place (Website) where there is designs to download ?
And then adapt it to my rocket :)
I have build a Aerotech Initiator (not mega) and I know that it is an rocket there have been on the marked for many years.
View attachment 536088

FWIW: The best way, IMO, is to start with one of the Open Rocket Examples, save it to your directory with a new name, and then start modifying it. Measure the parts, weigh the parts and then input the data.

You'll start building a database of rocket simulations made by @Frausing and can start using those as your baselines.

@K'Tesh has some great Open Rocket Models and you can learn a lot from those.

I've found though that everybody does simulations differently and often times it takes longer to check their designs than it does to just make your own.
 
I will go through all the measurements and weights
After I assembled and painted the rocket it is already 86g more than the kit says.
Now I need to find the center of pressure and find the engine to fly it.
So I know if I need to add nose weight.
And then I will do a swing test.
I found a file to my rocket, and I will start to look at how it is made in the OpenRocket program, and yes I also think it will be a good idea to start a new from scratch.
Thanks all, now I have a good start.
 
I hadn't come across that site before -- interesting! I would caution people that the version of OR they are distributing is seriously antique, and their information about the project itself is similarly out of date.

As an example... here's an Estes Interceptor Open Rocket Simulation from the Rocket model Designs lib site... yikes.

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I look forward to a full Interceptor model done with the new OR version. Just the decal work should keep someone busy for a long time. :)
Sounds like a fun project. I'm not a "buy a kit" guy anymore.... but that's one model I've always wanted to build.
 
8.81mph off the rail... what could go wrong?

So I guess someone had described the rocket to them, but they'd never actually seen it?
LOL.

The whole thing is not really that bad, other than the rather, um, "puzzling" cockpit bump in the middle of the airframe. But clearly a new Interceptor model is called for. If I had all the relevant info I'd consider doing it myself (which is another way of saying, if someone wants to send me all the info I'll start putting it together).

(where, "all the info" means scans of all the fins and pod parts)
 
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As an example... here's an Estes Interceptor Open Rocket Simulation from the Rocket model Designs lib site... yikes.

View attachment 536248

It's not a stock Interceptor, but not too far off, either. Fix the wings, remove the canopy and you're close enough for govt work for a sim. For someone with little or no OR experience, it's a fine starting point.
 
It's not a stock Interceptor, but not too far off, either. Fix the wings, remove the canopy and you're close enough for govt work for a sim. For someone with little or no OR experience, it's a fine starting point.

Garbage in, Garbage out. By the time you erase parts and check parts, you could have rebuilt the model and be confident things are done correctly.
 
Garbage in, Garbage out. By the time you erase parts and check parts, you could have rebuilt the model and be confident things are done correctly.

That's a very haughty attitude to take, like saying that someone should quit if they can't do better.

Keep in mind- not everyone does CAD for a living. Starting with an existing design like that might be the best someone can do with their current skill set, age, mental capacity, or time available. Besides, it's close enough to give a reasonably accurate CP, and with a simple mass override, I'd wager it's more accurate than the thrust curve chosen with its 20% tolerance.

Not long ago, someone posted a picture of their rocket here asking for help. It didn't look great and wasn't a great design, and they were raked over the coals for everything down to poor appearance.

Turns out it was a young boy building his first rocket, from scratch, with no budget, and doing what he could with what he had. It was a shame no one took a moment to look at his age and skill set before criticizing his abilities.

Whoever drew that Interceptor up in OR might be reading this right now, and very proud of their efforts. Or at least they were proud.
 
My #1 ask of any sim program or file is an as accurate a CP location as possible. Everything else is gravy. So, accurate nose cone shape, airframe dimensions, and fin size and placement are key. And if I find this in a file among the references posted I'm a happy camper. YMMV
 
I will go through all the measurements and weights
After I assembled and painted the rocket it is already 86g more than the kit says.
Now I need to find the center of pressure and find the engine to fly it.
So I know if I need to add nose weight.
And then I will do a swing test.
I found a file to my rocket, and I will start to look at how it is made in the OpenRocket program, and yes I also think it will be a good idea to start a new from scratch.
Thanks all, now I have a good start.
go to rocket reviews and see if there is a file. The initiator can be considered the original.mid power kit that has been around since 1990s.
 
I did find a design, but there was a lot og unfinished stuff.
No shoulder on the nosecone, no shock cord, no motor retainer, weigh of the nose cone was 80g and mine is 100, and so on. (small stuff)
I think I got most of it :)
And the center of gravity is close to what I did find whitout the motor in the rocket. (mine is like 2-3cm further back, at the start of the Launch lug)
Next rocket I build, I will weigh all before I build it. LOL
Now I will try to build it from scratch. And then find the right motor setup.

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That's a very haughty attitude to take, like saying that someone should quit if they can't do better.

Don't quit... simply use the examples in Open Rocket, and go from there.

Whoever drew that Interceptor up in OR might be reading this right now, and very proud of their efforts. Or at least they were proud.

It's posted on the internet for others to use and it is a horrible simulation.
 
I did find a design, but there was a lot og unfinished stuff.
No shoulder on the nosecone, no shock cord, no motor retainer, weigh of the nose cone was 80g and mine is 100, and so on. (small stuff)
I think I got most of it :)
And the center of gravity is close to what I did find whitout the motor in the rocket. (mine is like 2-3cm further back, at the start of the Launch lug)
Next rocket I build, I will weigh all before I build it. LOL
Now I will try to build it from scratch. And then find the right motor setup.

View attachment 536361
View attachment 536364
View attachment 536365
so just override his weight with your weight. As most rocketeers state, kits are stable , so as long as you override the weight and include the motor you anticipate using the SIM will give you it's prospectus flight
 
I've been using RockSim, but am currently building an SBR rocket (3" Fusion) that doesn't have a .rkt file. Scott (SBR owner) kindly sent me the open rocket file for this rocket, but when I went to download OR, I got an error message (Mac) saying that the software couldn't be certified as malware-fee and thus couldn't be downloaded. Suggestions on getting around this?
 

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Another way to find designs is to search EMRR and Rocksim. That should take you to the old site’s Rocksim library. Download whatever you like and convert the files into OpenRocket files.🚀
 
Thanks! Downloaded and working great. Question (not finding it readily in the software): how do you set your preferences (mph, feet, meters, etc) for the launch simulation data (also launch altitude, longitude and latitude) so that it saves it for every launch? I've tried entering the info and clicking 'save as default', but the next launch reverts back to other units and what's displayed isn't in the units I prefer (I can hear my high school math teacher saying to just get used to metric.......PTSD!).
 
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