A Fast, Robust Way to Model Advanced Aircraft
See how implicit modeling cut build time from weeks to days and made simulation-ready geometry from the start.
Why Traditional CAD Slows Conceptual Design
- Fragile parametric models break during design iterations
- Rebuilding complex geometry can take hours or even days
- Manual cleanup required before simulation can begin
- Limited exploration of design space due to time constraints
What This Study Demonstrates
1. Dramatic acceleration in model build & iteration time
Implicit modeling reduced aircraft configuration time from 6–8 weeks to 3–5 days, while enabling the exploration of over 50 design variations per cycle—compared to about 5 with traditional CAD.
3. Seamless multidisciplinary integration
A unified modeling environment allowed aerodynamic, structural, and radar cross-section (RCS) considerations to coexist in a single model, eliminating the need for separate discipline-specific geometries.
2. Elimination of geometry fragility & simulation bottlenecks
Engineers adjusted key design parameters (sweep, dihedral, camber, etc.) live without triggering rebuild errors. The resulting models were watertight and ready for simulation without manual healing.
4. Modular, reusable design architecture
Engineers used block-based parametric components (e.g., wings, fuselages, inlets) to assemble and modify aircraft configurations in real time—enabling fast reconfiguration and parallel development across teams.
Faster Parametric Designs
Flying Wing
- Objective: Showcase how aerodynamic and radar signature requirements can be integrated into a single parametric model with real-time geometry editing.
- Method: Created a full-span flying wing using scalar fields to define shape parameters; applied blending for smooth transitions and live-edited features like sweep, dihedral, and airfoil profiles without model failure.
- Result: Model remained watertight and error-free throughout significant edits, with changes automatically maintaining geometric continuity and mesh readiness.
Inlet Shaping
- Objective: Enable fast iteration of inlet geometries using modular components and field-driven lofting for performance exploration.
- Method: Used spatial fields to control inlet curvature, throat area, and transition profiles, allowing real-time shape adjustments without scripting or CFD delays.
- Result: Designers quickly explored multiple configurations without rebuild errors; all outputs were clean and ready for simulation.
Modular Reusable Components
- Objective: Showcase fast aircraft concept development using modular, parameterized components for real-time configuration.
- Method: Pre-defined fuselage, wing, and intake blocks were assembled via shared parameters, enabling interactive updates to key design attributes like wing sweep, fuselage size, and inlet type.
- Result: Enabled seamless design iteration with no rebuild errors, parallel team workflows, and simulation-ready outputs throughout.
Comparative Metrics
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