Mach-Up is a free, web-based conceptual design tool. Because it's web-based, you can access it anytime from anywhere.
Check it out here: www.mach-up.com
Key Features:
- Quickly design airframes
- Create beautiful images
- Share your designs with others
- Interface with other CAD software
Works on Mac, PC, iPad, iPhone, and Android.
This is an idea I've had for several years. Just had to do it and get it out there.
Enjoy!
Comments
MachUp 2 will be available in just under 2 weeks! New features include:
- linear aerodynamics,
- control surfaces,
- performance derivatives,
- aerodynamic center prediction,
- stall prediction
and more. We believe this will be the best tool available for fixed-wing drone design. Watch the countdown at www.blucraft.com.
@Curt: Your software sounds really useful. It may be worthwhile to collaborate in the future and make a compatible file format to pass from one code to the next. Just an idea. We can chat more if you're interested.
@Nick: Thanks - One of the purposes of this project is to introduce students to aircraft design. We've actually 3D printed a small wing off of an stl from Mach-Up. What features would be needed to make 3D printing from Mach-Up more practical?
If anyone is interested in taking this basic design process (for a wing) and generating a classic built up rib and spar style construction, I have been working on a tool called "madesigner". It's similar in that you simply input your wing dimensions, airfoil, characteristics, etc. and it spits out all the exact ribs with cutouts for spars, stringers, lightening holes if you ask for them, sheeting, control surfaces, build tabs, etc. It outputs plans and part layout sheets in svg format so the svg files could be sent to a laser cutter or desktop cnc router to create all the shaped parts. Madesigner produces a 3d visualization of the specific frameworks structure you've built (at the very end of the process), it doesn't have a life updating 3d screen at this point. So this isn't a competitor to Mach-Up, but if someone wanted to then build their design using traditional frame up techniques ... it wouldn't take too long to punch all those same dimensions into the madesigner interface and generate all your wing ribs and plans: http://madesigner.flightgear.org
This is a great direction, I hope you keep adding to this. I'm looking for easy to use tools for K-12 STEM education designing UAV airframes, this might work great. Goal would be to bring these designs into a 3D printer.
Gary - yes - feel free to share. And if you'd like to submit a design, we'll put it in our gallery with a link to your page.
Really nice looking program Blucraft,
If you don't mind I would very much like to reference and link to it form my dronesarefun.com websites.
Best Regards,
Gary
Aaaand the number of drone Kickstarters just quadrupled!
Just kidding, this looks great - nice work!