OpenVSP VSPAERO Basics
This content provides high-level guidance into the use and operation of the VSPAERO aerodynamics solver distributed with OpenVSP. Topics include capabilities, setting up a run, examining pressure and wake solutions, and reviewing results.
Encyclopedia
Updated Sep 30, 2025
Disclaimer
OpenVSP v3.45 released major changes to the VSPAERO solver with version 7. Tutorials and guides covering the latest version will be created for the Ground School site but will be unavailable in the near-term. Please reach out to the OpenVSP Google Group community for specific guidance and troubleshooting related to the new version.
Introduction
VSPAERO is a potential flow aerodynamics tool developed by David Kinney at NASA Ames. The solver was designed from the ground up to leverage OpenVSP geometries and the DegenGeom thin-surface representation. These tutorials are intended to provide basic information into the operation of the VSPAERO GUI rather than an explanation of the underlying theories and methods. This video provides an overview of the VSPAERO GUI and two examples of how to execute a run.
Links to prior OpenVSP Workshops where VSPAERO theory and background are discussed are provided below.
2025 Workshop – VSPAERO Theory, Validation, and Features
Presentation Slides / Recording
2025 Workshop – VSPAERO Geometry Updates
Presentation Slides / Recording
Modeling best-practices for VSPAERO discussed at the 2021 OpenVSP Workshop are available below. Note that some material will be dated as this presentation was produced using OpenVSP 3.25.0.
Presentation Slides
Presentation Recording
All of the nuance to VSPAERO could easily become a new site. We've provided enough information for you to get started but make sure to reach out to the Google Group if you have questions.
Brandon Litherland
Aerospace Engineer
GUI Overview
This tutorial provides a general overview of the VSPAERO GUI including the information and settings found within each tab. Case selection, flow conditions, and reference values are within the Overview tab while more advanced settings such as for propellers/rotors, stall estimation, wake behavior, and stability analyses are under the Advanced tab. The VSPAERO GUI also contains a terminal window which displays the solver status or “echo” of each run.
The tutorial below is based on an older version of OpenVSP but the guidance remains roughly the same up to OpenVSP 3.44.
The VSPAERO GUI is only one of the ways you can interact with the solver. Not every VSPAERO capability is exposed to the user from OpenVSP. Advanced cases will leverage customized input setup and command line execution.
Brandon Litherland
Aerospace Engineer
Reference Values
The reference area and lengths for a VSPAERO case are defined under the Overview tab in the GUI. These values may be input manually or from any Wing component in the model. These reference values are used to nondimensionalize the aerodynamic loads from a VSPAERO run. Note that the reference span (bref) is used with the rolling and yawing moment coefficients (CMx and CMz) and the reference chord (cref) is used with the pitching moment coefficient (CMy).
Reference values exist so you can normalize and compare load coefficients. VSPAERO computes dimensional forces and moments and then converts to coefficients based on your reference values. Trying to compare results that have been normalized to different reference values can quickly cause confusion. Be careful.
Brandon Litherland
Aerospace Engineer
Viewer Basics
The VSPAERO Viewer provides visualizations of VSPAERO simulations for thin-surface, thick-surface, or hybrid cases. The Viewer features contours of pressure or vorticity, case legends, trailing wake visuals, and cut planes for volumetric flow properties among many other capabilities. This tutorial provides an overview of these capabilities and how to interact with the Viewer.
The VSP Viewer is also a great way to quickly diagnose possible regions of error in your solution. Extreme values in the results beyond the expected or reasonable range indicate a problem area that should be addressed.
Brandon Litherland
Aerospace Engineer
Results Manager
The VSPAERO Results Manager provides a convenient way to interact with and visualize VSPAERO solution data. Convergence histories for each case or condition may be examined either as the Log of the residual or as the actual value for many different metrics. The spanwise load distribution of a variety of results may be plotted collectively or on a per-case basis. If multiple cases were run, the sweep of these parameters may be plotted together by choosing any two variables from the menu. For example, a drag polar can be plotted by choosing CDtot as the X axis and CL as the Y axis. Any solution slices defined for a run may be visualized in the Cp Slice tab where the delta-Cp will be drawn for thin-surface VLM runs and Cp is drawn for thick-surface panel runs. Any unsteady VSPAERO cases, such as those for pitch response or rotating propeller blades, will have the time history of the results displayed in the Unsteady tab.
The previous results from a VSPAERO analysis may be loaded into the Results Manager without requiring a case restart by clicking the “Load Previous Results” button in the VSPAERO GUI. The Results Manager window will automatically display once a run is complete or results are loaded but may be manually launched by clicking the “Show Results Mgr” button. Each VSPAERO result output file is written to the relevant directory. However, if desired, users may save a collective results file by clicking “Export to *.csv” in the VSPAERO GUI.
The Results Manager simply parses and plots the results from VSPAERO files produced from a simulation. Look in your model's directory to find these files. If you rerun VSPAERO using the same model name (file name) then the previous results are overwritten! If you need to store the results somewhere else, copy them over before running a new case.
Brandon Litherland
Aerospace Engineer