Current features
General
Cross-platform
Fully cross-platform, written in Java. Runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Open source
Source code is available on GitHub under the GNU GPL v3 license.
Export formats
Export designs to RockSim (
.rkt) and RASAero II (.CDX1) formats.3D printing
Export any component to an OBJ file for 3D printing.
Extensible
Extend simulations with custom simulation listeners, expressions, and plugins.
Documented methods
All simulation methods are fully documented in the technical documentation.
User interface
- Intuitive user interface
- Real-time view of CG and CP position as you design
- Real-time flight altitude, velocity, and acceleration from a continuous background simulation
- Zoomable schematic view from the side or rear, with rotation around the center axis
Design
- A multitude of available components to choose from
- Trapezoidal, elliptical, free-form, and tube fins supported
- Support for canted fins (roll stabilization)
- Staging and clustering support
- Pods support
- Automatic calculation of component mass and CG based on shape and density
- Ability to override mass, CG, and CD of components or stages separately
Simulation and analysis
- Full six degree of freedom simulation
- Rocket stability computed using the extended Barrowman method
- Automatic design optimization — optimize any number of rocket parameters for flight altitude, maximum velocity, or other values
- Realistic wind modeling
- Analysis of the effect of separate components on stability, drag, and roll characteristics
- Fully configurable plotting with various preset configurations
- Simulation data can be exported to CSV files for further analysis
- Simulation listeners allowing custom-made code to interact with the rocket during flight simulation
Planned future features
OpenRocket is developed in contributors’ free time. If you want to help improve it, see the Contribute page.
- Better support for transonic and supersonic simulations
- Monte Carlo simulation for dispersion analysis
- Fin flutter simulation
- Customized support for hybrid rocket motors and water rockets
- Importing and plotting actual flight data from altimeters
- Rocket flight animation
- A wizard for creating new rocket designs
- More advanced rocket optimization methods
- Import CD and CP data from other programs (e.g. RASAero)
Comparison to RockSim
RockSim is a commercial rocket design and simulation program priced at $124. OpenRocket is free and open source. The tables below compare the two programs objectively.General
| Feature | OpenRocket | RockSim |
|---|---|---|
| License | Open source (GPLv3) | Proprietary |
| Price | Free | $124 |
| Supported platforms | Windows, Mac, Linux | Windows, Mac |
| Supported file formats | ORK, RKT, CDX1 | RKT |
| Anti-piracy copy protection | None | PACE |
UI features
| Feature | OpenRocket | RockSim |
|---|---|---|
| Side/back view | Yes | Yes |
| 3D view | Yes | Yes |
| Photorealistic 3D rendering | Yes | No |
| Export 3D design | Yes (OBJ) | Yes (3DS) |
| Design view rotation | Any angle | Side and top only |
| Live CG/CP view | Yes | Yes |
| Realtime simulation | Yes | No |
Design features
| Feature | OpenRocket | RockSim |
|---|---|---|
| Basic components | Yes | Yes |
| Freeform fins | Yes | Yes |
| Asymmetric fin configurations | Yes | Yes |
| Tube fins | Yes | Yes |
| Ring-tail fins | No | Yes |
| Fins attached to fins | No | Yes |
| External pods | Yes | Yes |
| Canted fins / roll stabilization | Yes | No |
| Standard component libraries | Yes | Yes |
| Decals | Yes | Yes |
| Clustering support | Yes, modifiable | Yes, one-time wizard only |
| Staging support | Yes, unlimited | Yes, 3 stages |
Simulation features
| Feature | OpenRocket | RockSim |
|---|---|---|
| Degrees of freedom | 6DOF | 3DOF |
| Geodetic calculation (Earth coordinates, Coriolis effect) | Yes | No |
| Simulations extensible by own code | Yes | No |
| Simulation animation | No | Yes |
| Plotting any simulated variables | Yes | Yes |
| Exporting simulated data | Yes | Yes |
| Computing custom variables | Yes | No |
Optimization and analysis
| Feature | OpenRocket | RockSim |
|---|---|---|
| General design optimization | Yes | No |
| Mass optimization | Yes (using general optimizer) | Yes |
| Stability analysis | Yes, per component | Yes, per stage |
| Drag analysis | Yes, per component | Yes, per stage |
| Roll analysis | Yes | No |
Printing
| Feature | OpenRocket | RockSim |
|---|---|---|
| Schematic view | Yes | Yes |
| Stability information | Yes | Yes |
| Simulation results | Yes | Yes |
| Parts list | Yes | Yes |
| Component templates | Nose cone, fin sets, centering rings | Nose cone, fin sets, centering rings |
| Fin placement guide | Yes | No |
| Export to PDF | Yes | No |