OpenVSP 3.41.2

While there are some microfeatures in this version, it is really about
fixing some specific bugs in some relatively recently developed
capabilities.  As it gets put to use, some issues crop up, so here are
the fixes.

This version fixes a number of issues when using the GUI from the Facade
and the API.  If you are a plain GUI user or a non-GUI API user, you
shouldn't see any difference with this version (with some very minor
exceptions).

Fixes:
 - Improve displayed precision in User Parm sliders both int and float.
 - Add VSPCrash() to API to help test Wrappers.
 - Update on-screen file label when file name changes from GUI.
 - Make relative paths passed to SetVSP3ileName absolute.
 - Make vsp online help work from Python API, include files in package.
 - Improve finding python from facade.
 - Setup vspaero path from facade.
 - Make InitGUI() stand-alone and automatically call it.
 - Allow changes to GUI from API before it is open for first time.
 - Fix problems opening and closing GUI from API.

OpenVSP 3.41.1

Some API facade fixes were accidentally left out of 3.41.0.

OpenVSP 3.41.0

Four months in the making, this release is one that almost didn't happen...
At least not now and not like it is.

You might think that four months without a release would mean things have
been quiet on the development front -- you'd be wrong.  Work was
steadily progressing on a few big long-term projects when a few
high-priority bugs came to light.  Initially, I planned on quickly pushing
out 3.40.2.  However, when I stepped back, there were a lot of other things
that were also ready to go out the door.

So this amounts to a pretty big release -- with probably two big releases
coming in the near future.

Even though this release is pretty large, most of it can be considered
fixes and cleanups.  So the 'features' list is going to be sparse this
time around.

ParmIDs are now transferred when you change an XSecCurve type.  So, if
you've identified Height and Width on an Ellipse (in Advanced Linking,
Linking, FitModel, Design Variables, Saved Parameter Settings, etc) and
you change to a Rounded Rectangle, everything should 'just work'.

The structures capability received quite a bit of attention by addressing
issues identified by James Joseph and Bryan Sandoz.  The structures
mesher should be noticibly more robust.  When things do fail, they should
less frequently crash the whole thing.  Parts (including trims) no longer
extend across the symmetry plane to the other side.  Mass of assemblies
are now calculated.  Assemblies can now be written to STL and GMsh files.
Several lagging graphics update issues were fixed.

Note, a wing used in Structures should always be self-watertight.  I.e.
tip caps should be used in the model.  However, if you don't want to
include the tip caps in the structural skin, there is now an option to
turn them off.

ScreenGrab from the API should be fixed. Several issues with the new API
facade have been resolved.

The Set Editor now has some online Help -- thanks Jason W.

Many typo fixes across the code base -- thanks Luzpaz.  Lots of general
code cleanups.

Fix CompGeomp when a subsurface line lies exactly on top of a
tessellation line.

There are a number of build system improvements, it should be easier
to build on Arch and Debian now.

Added VSP_NO_API_WRAPPERS and VSP_NO_HELP build options.  So if you
only want a bare-bones build, or are working around build problems,
you have more options.

Several libraries were updated (Clipper2, Pinocchio, Triangle and
Delabella).  Consequently, the Libraries sub-project will need to be
re-built.  Most of this was to address cross platform build issues, but
the Triangle updates also include fixes to avoid some crashes and
an infinite loop.

So there you have it -- a heap of stuff from all over the place.
Everyone should update at least to make sure you still know how to
download a new version for when the next big feature updates are
ready.


Features:
 - Re-map ParmID's when changing XSecCurve type
 - Add link loop breaking message to advanced links
 - Write structure assemblies to STL and GMsh files
 - Calculate structure assembly mass

Library Updates:
 - Clipper2, better match packages available in Linux distributions
 - Pinocchio, build fix for some platforms
 - Delabella, build fix for some platforms
 - Triangle, avoid crashes and infinite loops, avoid namespace issues

Fixes:
 - Fix base airfoil scale when setting airfoil points via API.
 - Make API ScreenGrab() and UpdateGUI() blocking.
 - Fix ScreenGrab from API.
 - Fix StopGUI behavior from GUI within facade.
 - Fix GUI and Server shutdown from facade on MacOS.
 - Fix need for sleep() on facade GUI API startup.
 - Fix Conformal Component memory error identified by Jason Le.
 - Fix Conformal Component update lag when parent symmetry changed.
 - Fix bug of copying Parm instead of Parm value
 - Fix Structures handling of symmetry for parts including trims
 - Fix Structures meshing issues, should reduce crashes
 - Fix Structures trimming at the center line

OpenVSP 3.40.1

Quick release to fix bug when reading in props with less than three blades.

OpenVSP 3.40.0

This version may not be huge, but it is certainly worthy.  It includes
a few small features, some quality of life improvements, API additions,
and a bunch of bug fixes.

Whether you'll be at AirVenture, Aviation, the OpenVSP Workshop, or none
of the above, this version should be exactly what you need for your
mid-summer modeling needs.

There are two cool additions to the propeller component.  Individual
blade folding control allows you to model stowed blades the way
rotorcraft typically do it rather than the more symmetrical approach
usually taken by folding propellers.  Also, there is now support for
non-uniorm blade spacing.  Non-uniorm spacing is a technique to reduce
the noise level of a prop / rotor.  In addition to allowing the user
to dial in the spacing, OpenVSP will automatically calculate the
positions of the final two blades to maintain rotor balance.

If you've been thinking that OpenVSP needs extensive online help -- and
you've been wishing there was a way you could contribute to OpenVSP as
a project -- have I got a deal for you.  OpenVSP now has the
infrastructure to make it incredibly easy to add a help screen to any
screen in the program.  There will be a presentation about this at the
Workshop, but if you want to give it a go before then, let me know and
I'll get you started.  Check out the new help on the Advanced Linking
screen as an example.

When switching to a multi-view mode, the default view selections were
not great.  Now the default 4-view mode matches the traditional choices
for an engineering drawing.  Some additional hot keys have been added
to make working with multiple views easier.  Try shift-F, shift-C, and
shift-R.

There are a bunch of API additions all around.  Some to improve automation
of graphics, materials, and screen shots.  Some to improve working with
FEA structures and generating meshes automatically.  Some to work with
the image files associated with 3D backgrounds.  It is great to see
what people are accomplishing with the API.

I've updated the build system to build packages for Ubuntu 24.04 -- and
I'm consequently dropping support for 20.04.  It should still work fine
if you need it, but you'll need to build for yourself.

There are a variety of bug fixes all around, but the one that the most
users will probably notice is that grid and tick lines have been
restored in the VSPAERO and Wave Drag plots.


Features:
 - Individual blade folding
 - Non-uniform blade spacing
 - Blade balance calculation and control
 - Online help infrastructure
 - Help cheat sheet for advanced linking
 - Improved 4-view view selection
 - Multi view control hot keys
 - FEA Mesh API additions
 - View and material setting API additions
 - 3D background file API additions

Build system:
 - Add support for Ubuntu 24.04 / drop 20.04
 - Update FLTK to latest 1.4.pre version

Bug fixes:
 - Fix grid lines not drawing on Windows
 - Adjust tolerance in MergeBorderEndPoints
 - Fix build system for facade generation
 - Use ParmContainer::EncodeXml/DecodeXml when writing simple links
 - Fix missing inputs for parasite drag analysis

OpenVSP 3.39.1

Quick bug fix release that helps with 3D background relative paths on
Windows.  The fix looks correct, but if this works, it doesn't make sense
how the other platforms worked without this.  Oh well.

Bug fix:
 - Fix 3D background relative path bug.

OpenVSP 3.39.0

Coming less than a month after the prior release, I thought about holding
off on this release until there was more to go with it.  After all, this
release really consists of just one feature and a handful of bug fixes.

However, when I've shown the new feature to users, they want it released
yesterday -- or sooner if possible.  Who am I to argue?

OpenVSP (and its predecessors) have long had the ability to place a 2D
image as a background to be used as a guide when setting up a model.
This version takes that idea to the next level.  Instead of the image
appearing as a static background, it is placed in the model such that it
can pan and zoom appropriately.  Likewise, there is no limit to the
number of reference images that can be used.

Describing this feature doesn't succumb to the written word -- so look
for a video from me or Brandon in the near future.

Aside from that, there are a couple of bug fixes mixed in.  We're still
working through the aftermath of the DrawObj m_GeomChanged enforcement
from a few versions back.  A CFDMesh tolerance has been tightened
so cusped airfoils won't get smooshed.  And some continued build system
improvements to help with portability to more diverse platforms.

We've also updated (again) to the latest FLTK 1.4.0-pre release.  The
FLTK dev team is on a big push to 1.4 and I'm trying to make sure there
aren't any surprises when it goes final.

Features:
 - 3D Background images

Library Updates:
 - Update to latest FLTK dev as they approach 1.4.0
 - Build LibXml2 with -PIC
 - Update GLEW build integration to match modern GLEW

Bug Fixes:
 - Move Documentation build to MacOS from Ubuntu to get latest Swig
 - Drop MacOS-11 build, move to MacOS-12
 - Use gcc-11 on MacOS for ADEPT and OMP builds
 - Fix MeshGeom DrawObj issue
 - Tighten tolerance in MatchBorderNodes - Thanks Andy.

OpenVSP 3.38.0

Coming just a month since the last release, you won't be surprised that
this version is somewhat small overall.  It includes some more fixes
that I thought about releasing as 3.37.3.  However there is also a
broad variety of quality of life improvements that this release
deserves a .0 update.

In the Geom Browser, the Show Only, Show, and NoShow buttons now work
like the other things (like Hidden, Shade, Feature lines) with respect
to applying changes recursively.  I.e. now they only recurse a collapsed
tree.  When you Show or NoShow a parent entity on an expanded tree,
the visibility change only affects the selected entities.

The number of Sets is now user-adjustable.  Go to the Set Editor,
click the arrows at the top of the window.

Measure (probe, ruler, protractor) now works for non-surface Geoms.  This
is mostly for blank and hinge geoms, but works in a rudimentary way
for Mesh and HumanGeom (it always measures from their component origin).
So users who use Blanks extensively as intermediate coordinate systems
can now use them for all their Measure needs.

Several improvements around advanced links.  Unique variable names are
now enforced when renaming variables.  The variable renaming buttons
were re-worded for clarity.  Multi-line error messages are now displayed
when links break.

The full-path filename at the bottom of the screen is now displayed
in a larger font for better visibility on high resolution screens.
The filename (without a path) is now displayed in the title bar
at the top of the screen.

The integrated flowpath engine extension has a pair of improvements.
First, streamtubes are now extended to a constant X value -- even
when the start of the streamtube is not at a constant X.  There is also
a new option to auto-determine the extension distance based on the
overall dimensions of a selected Set.

Height/width/area/aspect sliders are now displayed for CEdit type
XSec curves -- even when the detailed editing window is not displayed.
This should allow for quick adjustments without having to get deep
every time.

Better patch names are assigned to wing patches when exporting STEP
and IGES files (Thanks Jeff V.).  This should make it easier to identify
wing trailing edge, upper, and lower surfaces in meshing tools.

There is also now an option to merge the lower and upper trailing edge
patches together (and leading edge too).  Some meshing tools did not
appreciate that we output split TE patches -- so now we'll merge them.

As usual, there are a few bugfixes too -- mostly related to graphics
glitches that were introduced in 3.37.0.

I don't think there are any high risk changes in this -- and hopefully
the graphics glitches introduced in 3.37.0 are calming down.  Everyone
should update.


Features:
 - Show Only, Show, NoShow buttons now recurse like everything else.
 - User adjustable number of Sets
 - Measure works with non-surface Geoms (blank and hinge)
 - Unique variable names enforced when renaming advanced link vars
 - Re-worded variable renaming buttons
 - Output multi-line error messages when links are broken
 - Bigger filename at screen bottom
 - Filename in main title bar
 - Integrated flowpath modeling extension now extends to constant X
 - Integrated flowpath modeling extension distance auto determined
 - Height/width/area/aspect sliders for CEdit XSecCurve now displayed
 - Better patch names for unintersected STEP/IGES surface export
 - TE surface merging for STEP/IGES export

Library Updates:
 - Update to latest FLTK dev as they approach 1.4.0

Bug Fixes:
 - Fix invisible subsurfaces
 - Fix XSecSurf highlights that won't go away
 - Expand ranges for AR and Span - should fix some odd wings seen in Group
 - Fix some odd scattered indexing bugs
 - Fix some problems with CFDMesh sourcing

OpenVSP 3.37.2

Version 3.37.0 had a handful of blemishes.  One lead to the release of
3.37.1 a few days later -- and today I'm releasing 3.37.2 with a few
more fixes.

No new features or other big improvements here.  Just bug fixes.  So,
everyone should update as soon as they can.

This version includes another FLTK update.  This update should make it
a tiny bit easier to build OpenVSP on some unusual computers that some
folks may have.

Features
 - None

Library updates
 - FLTK Updated to latest pre-1.4.0
   . Eliminates -no-pie flag from build, helps with Python API on RHEL9

Bug fixes
 - Fix a handful of crashes in/around structures
 - Fix a handful of 3D graphics glitches

OpenVSP 3.37.1

This patch changes a compiler flag that makes a new dependency build
properly on Windows.  This in turn fixes CFDMesh and FEAMesh on Windows.

Without this change, 3.37.0 will quickly crash if you try to use either
mesher.