OpenVSP Component Sets
These tutorials will guide you through OpenVSP Sets and how to leverage these component groups for analysis, visualization, modification, and export.
Encyclopedia
Updated Sep 29, 2025
Introduction and Editor
This topic will introduce Sets to the user and illustrate how to leverage the Set Editor to select which components will belong to any given Set. Sets are a great way to choose which components or features to include in an analysis, file export, assembly group, or configuration. For example, users can choose to include only the lifting surfaces in the model for a VSPAERO Vortex-Lattice analysis without having to hide all other components in the model.
Sets are a key capability in OpenVSP that enable different combinations or groups of components to be considered collectively. They also allow you to quickly select groups of components for different kinds of analyses.
Brandon Litherland
Aerospace Engineer
Sets for Analyses
In this tutorial, we will demonstrate how to use Sets for analyses in OpenVSP. In each case, the analysis menu will show a dropdown selection for the set you wish to operate on. Once a set is chosen, you can execute the analysis as usual and only those components included in the set will be considered. Note that OpenVSP has three named sets that are always present and represent all components in the model (All), the visible components (Shown), or the hidden components (Not Shown).
Be careful when using the built-in All, Shown, or Not Shown sets in analyses or other operations. In some cases, Shown components in particular can change visibility if an operation switches component status. This can lead to undesirable behavior in analyses. It's much better to use a named set.
Brandon Litherland
Aerospace Engineer
Sets for Group Isolation
In addition to isolating components for various analyses in OpenVSP, Sets are a great way to quickly switch between configurations or assembly groups. For example, you can have multiple different versions of a vehicle in the same model and only include particular configurations in a Set. One configuration may have a highly swept wing and V-tail while another may have a low aspect ratio wing with no sweep and a cruciform tail. This is different than leveraging Variable Presets to alter the overall parametric shape of a component for a design change and intended more for significant configurations changes. Similarly, Sets may be used to show only specific groups or assemblies so the user can focus on a particular element or region of the model. Hiding everything in a model except for the engines or propellers is one such use case. Your modeling efficiency and speed are greatly improved by leveraging Sets for group isolation in these ways.
Grouping components by Sets is completely independent of how your components are organized in the model tree. For example, even if your tails and wing are attached to different components, you can group them together in a Set. Selecting a Set enables group modification such as changing wireframe color, shaded color, or scale.
Brandon Litherland
Aerospace Engineer
Exporting Sets
Similar to isolating OpenVSP components in Sets for analyses or visual grouping, you can also define specific sets of components to be included or excluded in a file export. For example, if you have many internal components that serve as masses or for cabin layout it is unlikely that you want all of these included in an outer mold line for aerodynamics, 3D printing, meshing, etc. Simply place the relevant components into a new Set and export by choosing that Set from the dropdown menu (File > Export… > Normal Set menu).
Component Sets may also be saved as a new OpenVSP model with an important caveat. The component hierarchy in the Model Tree must be preserved for the model to save the Set, meaning that the individual components and ALL relevant ancestor/parent components must also be included in the saved Set.
In addition to including Sets in analyses and the subsequent writing of those result files, any file export operation will ask you to define a Set. Only the Set members will be included in the export operation.
Brandon Litherland
Aerospace Engineer