OpenVSP Interface
Learning how to interact with OpenVSP efficiently is the key to quick and confident modeling. The tutorials in this section will demonstrate the primary features and capabilities of the OpenVSP interface.
Encyclopedia
Updated Sep 18, 2025
Contents
- Main Workspace
- Working with Files
- Adjusting the Workspace
- Changing the Background
- Standard Views
- Changing the View Center of Reference
- Setting Custom Views
- Manually Adjusting the Current View
- Clipboard, Selection, and View States
- Model Surface Representations
- Viewing Degenerate Geometries
- Adjusting Parameters with Sliders and Inputs
- Parameter Details and Drag-and-Drop
- Cross-Section Viewer Window
- Group Modification
Main Workspace
The main window is the workspace that you will use to visualize your model and select various operations from the menu bar. In this window you can alter the current model view and see the active component selected. From the menu bar, you can choose from a variety of operations and analyses that will assist you in your design.
The OpenVSP workspace is your primary window for visualizing and interacting with your model. Familiarize yourself with all of the many features within these tutorials and you'll be surprised how quickly you will be able to navigate and design.
Brandon Litherland
Aerospace Engineer
Working with Files
This tutorial will walk you through how to interact with OpenVSP’s file navigation system. If you prefer to use your system file explorer instead, you may change the file navigation by clicking File > Preferences… and then selecting “Native” instead of “OpenVSP Default” as the file chooser. You may switch between these navigation options at any time.
Whether you prefer the OpenVSP file chooser or your system's native viewer, each has their benefits. You may find that you switch between the two options depending on your current modeling process.
Brandon Litherland
Aerospace Engineer
Adjusting the Workspace
The main workspace can be resized and partitioned to view your model from multiple angles at once. This is also useful for creating attractive figures for publications.
Leverage all of your options to adjust the workspace to your model's needs. Splitting the window is a feature that not only enables simultaneous perspectives but also allows you to adjust fine details while keeping the overall aircraft in view.
Brandon Litherland
Aerospace Engineer
Changing the Background
The workspace background color may be changed to your preference and can also display an image of your choice. Placing images in the background is useful for overlaying models to aircraft drawings or pictures or for creating your own scenes for graphics.
Try placing an interesting background behind your model to grab a snapshot for publications or highlights.
Brandon Litherland
Aerospace Engineer
Standard Views
OpenVSP includes standard views that you can quickly switch between to orient your model to a common view such as Top, Front, or Isometric.
Standard views are great for creating three-view images of your model. The function hot keys will make snapping between these quick and easy.
Brandon Litherland
Aerospace Engineer
Changing the View Center of Reference
You can easily change the center of reference or rotation to center an active part of your model and focus your attention around a specific point. Picking a new center of rotation immediately snaps the chosen point to the center of the workspace.
Of all the workspace shortcuts and features, I likely use Center, Fit, and Rotation Center the most. Being able to snap to a specific point in the model and quickly get back to work is a massive time-saver.
Brandon Litherland
Aerospace Engineer
Setting Custom Views
Up to four custom views may be saved in OpenVSP. This is useful in a variety of ways including quickly switching between focus areas in a model and using the same view as a comparison between designs.
Unfortunately, your custom views don't save with your model. This means you have to readjust and save every time you open your model. If you need to match a very specific view , for example with publication figures, it would be better use use the View > Adjust window to manually fix the values so you know it's right every time.
Brandon Litherland
Aerospace Engineer
Manually Adjusting the Current View
The workspace view orientation and placement can be manually adjusted to finely control the camera view.
When you absolutely need fine view control or a certain perspective, the view adjustment controls are your best friend. An advanced technique is to save your Adjust parameters as Design Variables and reload them each time. The Adjust window has to be open for this to work correctly!
Brandon Litherland
Aerospace Engineer
Clipboard, Selection, and View States
This topic covers using the Geometry Browser clipboard, selecting components, and changing view states in your model from shown to hidden.
NOTE: Recent versions of OpenVSP include new view state features and controls which have been recorded from the 2025 OpenVSP Workshop. This video demonstrates the new features while a dedicated Ground School video is being created.
When it doubt, cut a component instead of deleting. You can paste a cut geom but delete is gone forever.
Brandon Litherland
Aerospace Engineer
Model Surface Representations
The component surface representation can be changed from the default Wireframe to an opaque, tessellated surface to a shaded or textured surface. You can change the surface representation of your model components individually or as a group.
The different surface representations are great for inspecting your model. The Shaded view in particular will indicate regions where the surface is "pinched" or "folded" in such a way that can cause problems for solvers.
Brandon Litherland
Aerospace Engineer
Viewing Degenerate Geometries
The degenerate geometry representation of individual or groups of components can be previewed using the controls in the Geometry Browser. These representations are useful for checking the geometry types that feed into the various analysis tools.
Different degenerate geometries will be used for different analyses, solvers, and exports. Viewing these formats prior to execution will save you time and effort.
Brandon Litherland
Aerospace Engineer
Adjusting Parameters with Sliders and Inputs
The component parameters can each be changed by dragging the parameter slider or by entering a value into the input field next to the parameter. OpenVSP version 3.20.0 or higher also includes a “Smart Input” feature which allows you to perform basic calculations within the input field.
These controls are meant to be very intuitive and easy for users. However, it's common for the ranges to be excessively small or large depending on your model units. Expand or collapse the range to change the behavior. The input field "smart" feature is excellent for exact conversions or expressions and follow order of operations.
Brandon Litherland
Aerospace Engineer
Parameter Details and Drag-and-Drop
OpenVSP maintains uniqueness for all parameters in all components of every model. You can quickly view the details of every accessible parameter in your model by clicking on the name (button) of that parameter in the GUI box. For example, to view the Span parameter of a Wing component, click “Span” in the Sect tab. You can use the information shown to identify the Name, Group, Max/Min, etc. as well as Links and Advanced Links for that parameter. OpenVSP also allows you to quickly populate variable selection areas by dragging-and-dropping the variables. You only need to click and drag the variable name (button) to the variable selection or add region and then drop. VSP will either automatically select or add the parameter depending on where you drop. This feature is exceptionally useful for variable selection operations within Design Variables, Variable Presets, Fit Model, and Linking.
Drag-and-Drop is perhaps one of the more overlooked features in OpenVSP. Grabbing a parameter and automatically filling your variable fields is exceptionally powerful and will save you hours of work. For those hunting for variable details in scripting or the API, clicking the parameter name button will show you the information you need.
Brandon Litherland
Aerospace Engineer
Cross-Section Viewer Window
The Cross-Section Viewer window enables visualization of a normalized representation of the cross-section profile you have selected. In some cases, this is useful for verifying that the model representation on the screen is true to the underlying curve. This feature is also very useful for matching known cross-section profiles to your designed curves.
Note that you can change the color of the cross-section line and also insert images into the XSec View background to closely match known sections or photos.
The simple click-to-view feature for XSecs enables you to match known section drawings with ease.
Brandon Litherland
Aerospace Engineer
Group Modification
This tutorial explains how to apply Gen or XForm parameters such as scale, material, and color to multiple OpenVSP components at once using the Group Modification window. Simply select multiple components by using Select All, ctrl + click, or click-and-drag to access this feature.
Although it seems obvious, the ability to collectively modify multiple components is extremely powerful. Combining group modification with Set Selection enables very fast changes to categorized groups instead of selecting one at a time.
Brandon Litherland
Aerospace Engineer