Class AerodynamicDragObject

Simulates aerodynamic drag on non-lifting bodies such as fuselages, landing gear, and external stores. Calculates direction-dependent drag based on projected area and coefficient of drag for each face.

Inheritance

object

Object

Component

Behaviour

MonoBehaviour

AerodynamicDragObject

Namespace: NWH.Aerodynamics.Airfoils

Assembly: NWH.Aerodynamics.dll

Syntax

[Serializable]
public class AerodynamicDragObject : MonoBehaviour

Remarks

Unlike airfoils which generate lift, this component only produces drag forces. Drag is calculated separately for each of the six box faces (front, rear, left, right, top, bottom) and combined based on the flow direction. Useful for aircraft fuselages, wheels, antennas, and other non-lifting components that contribute to total aircraft drag.

Fields

bottomDragCoeff

Drag coefficient for the bottom face (local -Y direction). Typical values: 0.3-0.5 for smooth surfaces, 1.0+ for rough/complex surfaces.

Declaration

[Tooltip("Bottom side drag coefficient of the drag object.")]
public float bottomDragCoeff

Field Value

Type	Description
float

center

Relative center of the drag object.

Declaration

[Tooltip("Relative center of the drag object.")]
public Vector3 center

Field Value

Type	Description
Vector3

dimensions

Bounding box dimensions in meters (width, height, length). Used to calculate projected frontal area for each face. X = width (left-right), Y = height (up-down), Z = length (front-back).

Declaration

[Tooltip("Drag object dimensions in [m].")]
public Vector3 dimensions

Field Value

Type	Description
Vector3

direction

Relative forward direction of the drag object.

Declaration

[Tooltip("Relative forward direction of the drag object.")]
public Vector3 direction

Field Value

Type	Description
Vector3

dragCoefficient

Global multiplier applied to all face drag coefficients. Values below 1.0 reduce total drag, above 1.0 increase total drag. Default 1.0.

Declaration

[Tooltip("    Overall drag coefficient. Multiplies individual drag coefficients for front, rear, side, top, etc.")]
public float dragCoefficient

Field Value

Type	Description
float

frontDragCoeff

Drag coefficient for the front face (local +Z direction). Typical values: 0.2-0.3 for streamlined shapes, 0.5-0.8 for blunt shapes, 1.0+ for flat plates.

Declaration

[Tooltip("Front side drag coefficient of the drag object.")]
public float frontDragCoeff

Field Value

Type	Description
float

rearDragCoeff

Drag coefficient for the rear face (local -Z direction). Typically slightly higher than front due to flow separation. Values: 0.25-0.4 for tapered shapes.

Declaration

[Tooltip("Rear side drag coefficient of the drag object.")]
public float rearDragCoeff

Field Value

Type	Description
float

sideDragCoeff

Drag coefficient for left and right faces (local ±X direction). Typical values: 0.4-0.6 for smooth cylinders, 1.0+ for complex shapes with protrusions.

Declaration

[Tooltip("Side (left or right) drag coefficient of the drag object.")]
public float sideDragCoeff

Field Value

Type	Description
float

topDragCoeff

Drag coefficient for the top face (local +Y direction). Typical values: 0.3-0.5 for smooth surfaces, 1.0+ for rough/complex surfaces.

Declaration

[Tooltip("Top side drag coefficient of the drag object.")]
public float topDragCoeff

Field Value

Type	Description
float

Properties

Center

Center point of the drag object in world space. Forces are applied near this point.

Declaration

public Vector3 Center { get; }

Property Value

Type	Description
Vector3

Direction

Forward direction of the drag object in world space.

Declaration

public Vector3 Direction { get; }

Property Value

Type	Description
Vector3

Methods

FixedUpdate()

Declaration

public void FixedUpdate()

Initialize()

Initializes references to the parent Rigidbody and optional Atmosphere component.

Declaration

public void Initialize()

OnDrawGizmosSelected()

Declaration

public void OnDrawGizmosSelected()