[Jsbsim-devel] DATCOM+ released

[Bill G. <bi...@ao...>]

Okay, it's been a long time in the works, but I have the first release =
of
DATCOM+ ready for general release.

What is DATCOM?  Datcom is the USAF program for predicting aerodynamic
coefficients based on the design of an aircraft, either in the design =
phase
or an existing aircraft. Where could I find a program like this? =20

On my web page....    http://www.holycows.net/datcom

I did some comparisons to a couple of existing flight simulators, and =
the
match was impressive. There is a report with those finds available... =
WHERE
???

On my web page....    http://www.holycows.net/datcom

Now, wouldn't it be nice if it cranked out the coefficients in JSBSim =
XML
format?  IT DOES!!!  Okay, the XML file isn't complete, as it needs
propulsion and control information, but it's a decent start.

DATCOM+ is a modified version of DATCOM, with a new front end, and a new
back end. The front end allows the input file to be more user-friendly, =
and
the back-end is tailored to output data in JSBSim-friendly format.

Let's consider this an Alpha-Beta release. The DATCOM code itself is =
already
proven. I've added a front-end to it, which is already proven. I've also
added a back-end to it, to output the data in JSBSim XML format. That's
still a little shakey, as it hasn't been pumped through JSBSim yet. =
Soon,
though.

The program runs under a CMD window from Windoze, or in Cygwin. There is
also a plotting routine to allow you to plot the coefficients easily, =
just
so you can see what they look like. Someday, we might have a plotting
routine wthat will plot directly out of XML format.

If you are thinking that in 10 minutes, you can have your aircraft =
defined
and crank out a flight model, think again. This is a serious tool, and =
you
are likely to spend a few hours diging out aircraft parameters or =
measuring
them off a good 3-view drawing.

Much of the data that you'll need can be found in Jane's All the World's
Aircraft. If you need a page or two scanned in, I can do that for you.

I'm also going to be trying to put more user's instructions together, to
make it easier for the novice to use this tool. There are some half-way
decent instructions (IMHO) to get you going, and the package comes with =
a
Citation model already in place, which should help you building your =
model.

If you are interested in using this, help yourself. If you'd like, drop =
me
an email at bi...@ho... and let your intentions be known. Maybe I =
can
help you out, and if nothing else, I can notify you if there are serious
changes made. I'm also open to suggestions that would make it better or
easiler to use.

Thanks,
Bill