Airfoil

Handles aircraft-air interaction. Sliced into sections (AirfoilSection) that simulate individually using 2D airfoil principles.

Warning: Large maps (> ~4000 units) require floating origin. Floating Origin in Unity.

Geometry

  • Trapezoidal shape with corners A, B, C, D (clockwise from top-left)
  • Corners adjustable on Y-plane (2D X-Z position) via blue-red handles
  • Position/rotation adjusted with standard handles
  • Sliced along red dashed lines via Slice button into AirfoilSections
  • Each section simulated separately during play

Shape

2D trapezoidal plane with position/rotation relative to parent Transform. Adjusted via A, B, C, D handles. AD and BC lines stay parallel.

For complex shapes, use multiple Airfoils per object. Best practice: one object and one Airfoil per flight surface.

Airfoil adjusted to the shape of a wing using A, B, C, and D handles.

Slicing Planes

  • Slice Airfoil into smaller sections (dashed red gizmos)
  • Position adjustable via red handles
  • Auto-generated; adjust count via Slice Count + Generate Slicing Planes

Same 'Airfoil' from the previous image, but with slicing planes added. These are usually positioned uniformly along the width of the 'Airfoil', or to match the edges of the 'ControlSurface's such as airfoils and elevators.

Sections

Press Slice to generate AirfoilSections (green lines, named S[number]).

Check orientation indicators:

  • Blue (forward): Towards incoming air
  • Red (right): Flush with airfoil, towards B-C line
  • Green (up): Up from airfoil plane

If green points wrong way, press Flip.

AirfoilSection orientation indicator.

Position and Rotation

Adjust Airfoil plane position/rotation relative to parent Transform using handles (similar to Transform handles).

'Airfoil' position and rotation adjusted independently of the parent 'Transform' using the 'Airfoil' position and rotation handles.

Gizmos and Handles

  • A, B, C, D - Airfoil corners
  • Green dashed lines - AirfoilSections
  • S0, S1, S2, S3 - Section names
  • Blue, green, red lines - Section orientation (forward, up, right)
  • Red dashed lines - Slicing planes (adjustable via red arrow handle)
  • Position/rotation handles - Adjust airfoil relative to Transform
  • Yellow sphere - Current airfoil position
  • Purple spheres - Aerodynamic center of each section

Airfoil with gizmos displayed. The airfoil A, B, C, and D corners were re-positioned without pressing Slice button so the gizmos are still displaying the outdated 'AirfoilSection's (green).

Setup

Example using cube [5, 0.1, 2]:

Using a flattened cube as an example wing model.

Add Airfoil component. Auto-matches mesh dimensions and orientation:

Example cube after adding Airfoil to it.

Auto-performs: Orientate To Mesh, Fit To Mesh, Generate Slicing Planes, Slice. Press Auto to repeat.

Manual setup:

  • Reset: Reset to 1x1 default
  • Orientate To Mesh: Match mesh orientation (may fail for non-wing shapes)
  • Fit To Mesh: Position corners to match mesh
  • Generate Slicing Planes: Create/adjust slicing planes
  • Slice: Generate AirfoilSections

Mirroring: Assign opposite wing to Mirroring Target, press Mirror to copy setup.