In Britain back in the 50's there was a publication called The Eagle that was sort of a Boy's Life Magazine but not for Scouts (although I'm sure Scouts read it, too!). The main feature in every issue was the 'Dan Dare- Pilot of the Future' comic stories, depicting a mix of futuristic flights of technological fantasy within a then modern British environment. Lots of neat rocketships were conceived during the run of the stories, including one of my favorites, depicted below.

No telling what those boxes on the fins would do to flightworthiness, but I'm willing to give it a go if you guys (and gals?) are willing to not laugh too hard at any foolhardiness on my part when you read here of the aftermath...

-Brain
Aim for the sucker holes.

Attached Thumbnails

 

One of the members of LUNAR (Livermore, CA) was a Dan Dare fan and built many rockets based on the series.

I don't recall if this specific design was among them.

The sheer size of the fins suggests it should be stable.

I actually READ the adventure in question . . . "The Man From Nowhere!" I picked up a cheap reprint book a few years back.

Brain,

When you post your design images to this section, be sure to post the RKT file along with it. We need something to look at to show us how you came up with the image. It's great to know we can create 3D images of rocket models, but RockSim is primarily a design simulation tool. We should be able to build these models and fly them if we can model them in the computer.

Good design ideas! Keep them coming, but please remember to post the RKT file along with the 3D image from here out.

__________________
Craig McGraw

BARCLONE Rocketry -- http://barclone.rocketshoppe.com
BARCLONE Blogsite -- http://barclone.wordpress.com
BARCLONE Forum -- BARCLONE Forum

BARs helping BARs

SAM 0044
AMA 352635

Um... maybe I missed something, but where does it mention in this section that these concepts need to be backed by a .rkt file? Here's a header from the title page:

"A dedicated "think tank" forum provided for the development of new model rocket designs and rocketry-related projects."

RockSim mention?

And, isn't this all a means to an end anyway? That end being building and launching rockets? I can play armchair rocket scientist only so far, but I want to actually go out and do it. And have. TWICE in the last month...

And what "rocketry-related projects" that aren't rocket designs are there that RockSim is useful for?

So, in other words I'm not allowed in here? At least until I learn the somewhat unwieldy UI of RockSim? Which I want to learn, but I haven't yet, in the, oh, month I've been back at this? And if I had a RockSim file, what else could other users do with it for me? Ultimately this is about the visual appeal first, is it not?

-Brain
Aim for the sucker holes.

Well, it could be in the form of a RKT file, which is the most-common computer format used for model design, but we also support the OpenRocket "ORK" format for those trying this new package out.

When I initiated the BARCLONE area, the general idea was to share designs that were either original, or updates and upscales/downscales of existing designs. Typically, this would include some form of "plan view", showing how the model was assembled, and a parts list. BARCLONE is meant to be an "open source" type of forum, where the ideas presented are meant to be copied, built, modified, and shared again. Having a 3D view is great, and if that's the extent a design can be offered, so be it. But having a plan view and a parts list, or a RKT file, or an ORK file, is better, because we can build from those.

This is a modeler's forum, and that tends to imply that builders will be viewing these entries. Most of us here are BARs, and we're enjoying the current "Golden Age" of model rocketry where we have an abundance of components available to work with. We're able to do things today we couldn't do 30 and 40 years ago. What we've been without for so long is a library of buildable designs that did not originate with Estes or Centuri. BARCLONE is meant to fill that niche.

It's not to say that RKT or ORK are the only formats we accept. If you have JPGs, PNGs, or TIFs showing the parts and a general assembly idea, that should work, too. Even pencil-on-lined-paper will work, if it gives us the layout that we can build from. Fin patterns are a must! We need to know the actual shape and size of fins. Really important!

RockSim is a convenience tool, and we use it a lot. Virtually every design found in the BARCLONE area has a RKT file associated with it. When you look through our "catalog" thread, each entry is linked to a message where the RKT file is posted. We want anyone browsing through our forum to be able to build a design just as the designer intended, even if that person decides to modify the design later.

OpenRocket is a new program, and is Open Source. You can download the program and, if you can figure out the code, you can modify it yourself as desired. Some of us here are programmers, so this fits with our forum philosophy. It's still being developed, so it may take some time to become a second 'standard', but we're hoping it catches on with users. Time will tell.

I'm not trying to jump down anyone's throat about this, but from a visitor's perspective, it's frustrating to see a brilliant design rendered in 3D and not be able to quickly duplicate it because there's no plan, or RKT file, or something, to work from. Model design is a discipline, and the skill to do it well comes with practice. RockSim is simply our current tool-of-choice for the simulation ability it offers, and it takes a certain amount of time spent with it to learn it well. I've been using the program for some time now, and still find features I didn't realize it had. One day, another program will supplant it, and the learning curve will start all over again.

__________________
Craig McGraw

BARCLONE Rocketry -- http://barclone.rocketshoppe.com
BARCLONE Blogsite -- http://barclone.wordpress.com
BARCLONE Forum -- BARCLONE Forum

BARs helping BARs

SAM 0044
AMA 352635

OK, but if you are all that about rocketry design and execution, why do you HAVE to have plans? I am a newbie for sure, but I imagine I could work my way through processing what would be needed to build certain designs, and if that's the case the rest of you have me by the short hairs!

Isn't that part of the fun?

-Brain
Aim for the sucker holes.

While most of us here can probably figure out the basic construction of most rockets in our sleep, we also try to make our designs easy to understand for those who are just getting started in rocketry, and for everyone else in between. Thanks to the large number of ARF and RTF rockets in circulation, there are people who have flown rockets and like it, but they've never built one before. As simple as our rockets are, it still takes some getting used to. There is a skill set associated with the construction methods.

We're not designing just for experienced builders. The idea is to make rocket designs that anyone can read and understand. RockSim has become the 'great equalizer'. Anyone can download a demo of RockSim and try it out with our designs, and see how our models are constructed. With RockSim, they also have the benefit of getting the fin patterns in a printable form, without having to go through the process of figuring out plot points.

OpenRocket should be able to do the same, if not in the current form then certainly in a future version.
Like I said, it's still under development.

I took a look at the programs you mentioned in another post, Wings3D and Swift3D. These may have some potential in connection with our RockSim images. I've been looking for a 3D rendering engine that's not as complex as Blender -- I don't have a cluster yet to set up a render farm, but I'm 'collecting' suitable fodder...

You've got the creativity. And you've already learned how to use a few computer tools to accomplish your goals. Congratulations! Now it's a matter of learning the tools used by most of us here. Once you get comfortable with them, everyone else here can more fully appreciate that creativity. It's not being elitist, it's just working with a tool that the majority have a familiarity with.

__________________
Craig McGraw

BARCLONE Rocketry -- http://barclone.rocketshoppe.com
BARCLONE Blogsite -- http://barclone.wordpress.com
BARCLONE Forum -- BARCLONE Forum

BARs helping BARs

SAM 0044
AMA 352635

Wings3D has some sort of open source situation, if you can code in Erlang. It is also one heck of a modeler. I love it and it's FREE.

Swift3D has its own modeler, but I use it to import models from Wings3D and texture-map them and render them. It doesn't render superphotorealistically but you can also animate in it, so it's a useful all-around tool.

You may have already noticed that I posted an OpenRocket file on the 'Dead Ringer' thread. You mentioned this prog and I DL'ed it, and found it to be somewhat more accessible. If nothing else it might help me over the RockSim learning curve. I just hope either one of these progs can produce some of the more exotic designs I have in mind. Which is why I had asked earlier about importing models into RockSim... perhaps some of those construction skills you mentioned can include fabrication of components, and it would be neat if RockSim or OpenRocket could deal with imported components. THAT would be a tool.

Appreciate the conversation!

-Brain
Aim for the sucker holes.

Acually, myself and several others built very similar designs for the First EMRR Design this Spaceship contest. The link is to my entry which flew beautifully on a 24mm Estes D12-5. The entries that used 18mm had trouble gaining altitude.

The pods really don't seem to effect the flight, at least not on my build anyway. Although my pods are not as large as the ones on the picture you have. Now I understand where the artist for the EMRR contest got the inspiration. I say build it. It will fly.

I'm kind of curious as to how this rocket was touted as a Klingon design...???!!! If anyone had gotten THIS close to the design of a Dan Dare rocketship, did they NOT know what it was they were designing from?

BTW: Awesome reference on that page you provided. I guess I won't have to do quite so much guesswork. Thanks!

-Brain
Aim for the sucker holes.