From the NASA website:
Sounds similar to finding the center of gravity right?
Essentially what I do is perform a "3d cutout" of the rocket I modeled (without any internal features) and use SolidWorks' mass properties to find the COG of that cutout. Pretty simple, huh?
Mechanically determining cp
For a model rocket, there is a simple mechanical way to determine the center of pressure for each component or for the entire rocket. Make a two dimensional tracing of the shape of the component, or rocket, on a piece of cardboard and cut out the shape. Hang the cut out shape by a string, and determine the point at which it balances. This is just like balancing a pencil with a string! The point at which the component, or rocket, is balanced is the center of pressure. You obviously could not use this procedure for a very large rocket like the Space Shuttle. But it works quite well for a model.
Sounds similar to finding the center of gravity right?
Essentially what I do is perform a "3d cutout" of the rocket I modeled (without any internal features) and use SolidWorks' mass properties to find the COG of that cutout. Pretty simple, huh?