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8.2 KiB
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208 lines
8.2 KiB
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*************************
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Installation Instructions
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*************************
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.. contents:: Table of Contents
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:depth: 1
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:local:
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:backlinks: none
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----
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Introduction
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============
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OpenRocket is released in two forms: as a *packaged application* and as a *JAR file*.
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**The easiest way to get OpenRocket up and running is to download and install one of the packaged installers.**
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The packaged installers come with everything needed, including the correct version of Java;
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*you will not need to install, update or downgrade Java on your device to run them.*
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Download the latest version from `our downloads page <https://openrocket.info/downloads.html?vers=latest>`__.
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.. raw:: html
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<hr>
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Pre-Installation Procedures
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===========================
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Some users may experience problems with the OpenRocket installation if they don't follow the pre-installation procedures below.
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Close All Instances of OpenRocket
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---------------------------------
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If you have OpenRocket running, close it before installing a new version. By default, new OpenRocket releases
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install to the same location on your device; these releases even share preferences. Because of this, if OpenRocket is
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open when you attempt to install an updated release, the installation may not update all of the files needed for
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OpenRocket to function correctly.
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Before installing an update, you *MUST* close all open instances of OpenRocket.
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(Optional) Uninstall Prior OpenRocket Releases
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----------------------------------------------
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As described above, by default, new releases of OpenRocket install to the same location on your device.
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Although **not expressly required**, it is suggested that all previously installed OpenRocket releases be uninstalled
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before installing the updated release. This is *not required*, but is suggested to ensure the proper function of OpenRocket.
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.. raw:: html
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<hr>
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Installing OpenRocket 🚀
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========================
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**Download the latest version from** `our downloads page <https://openrocket.info/downloads.html?vers=latest>`__.
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Scroll down to download the correct installer for your platform (Windows, macOS, or Linux).
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Each platform has a different installation process. Click on the ``Show <your platform> installation instructions`` header under your
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platform's download button to see the installation instructions.
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.. raw:: html
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<hr>
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After-Installation Checks
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=========================
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After installing OpenRocket, you need to verify that the installation was successful and potentially modify some settings
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to ensure that OpenRocket functions correctly.
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Verify the Installed Release Number
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-----------------------------------
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First, verify that you actually installed the current release of OpenRocket. You can see this in the splash screen, which
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appears when you start OpenRocket. The splash screen will show the release number on the right:
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.. figure:: /img/setup/installation/splash_screen.png
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:alt: OpenRocket Splash Screen
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:figclass: or-figclass
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:figwidth: 60 %
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:align: center
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During startup, the OpenRocket Splash Screen shows the release number on the right.
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If the release number is not correct, you may have installed the wrong version of OpenRocket, or didn't follow the
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`Pre-Installation Procedures`_ above.
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Another way to check the release number is to open the ``Help`` menu in the application ribbon
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and select ``About``. This will open a dialog box that shows the release number:
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.. figure:: /img/setup/installation/about_dialog.png
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:alt: OpenRocket About Dialog
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:figclass: or-figclass, or-image-border
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:figwidth: 40 %
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:align: center
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The OpenRocket About Dialog (``Help`` → ``About``) shows the release number.
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Check the Settings
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------------------
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For most users, OpenRocket's default settings will work fine. However, some users may need to change some settings.
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Off-screen Rendering
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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Some users have reported that the rocket shown in the 3D design view is not full-size. This can occur if the off-screen
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rendering setting is not correct for your device. Using the Three-stage rocket example packaged with OpenRocket, this is
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what the problem looks like:
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.. figure:: /img/setup/installation/off_screen_rendering_wrong.png
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:alt: Wrong 3D View of Three-stage Rocket
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:figclass: or-figclass, or-image-border
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:figwidth: 75 %
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:align: center
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The 3D view of the Three-stage rocket example is too small.
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To fix this, you need to change the off-screen rendering setting. To do this, open the ``Edit`` menu in the application
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ribbon and select ``Preferences``. This will open the Preferences dialog box. This window has several tabs (``General``,
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``Design``, ``Simulation``, ... You need to go to the ``Graphics`` tab (just click on that tab header) and on the bottom
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of the page change the ``Use off-screen rendering`` setting:
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.. figure:: /img/setup/installation/off_screen_rendering_setting.png
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:alt: Off-screen Rendering Setting
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:figclass: or-figclass, or-image-border
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:figwidth: 50 %
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:align: center
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The off-screen rendering setting is on the bottom of the ``Graphics`` tab.
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Your 3D view should now look like this:
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.. figure:: /img/setup/installation/off_screen_rendering_right.png
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:alt: Correct 3D View of Three-stage Rocket
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:figclass: or-figclass, or-image-border
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:figwidth: 75 %
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:align: center
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The 3D view of the Three-stage rocket example is now correct.
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.. note::
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Whenever you face issues with 3D rendering in OpenRocket, it is a good idea to change the off-screen rendering setting
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to see if that fixes the problem.
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.. _thrust_curves_setting:
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Thrust Curves Folder
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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OpenRocket ships with a bunch of built-in motor thrust curves. However, it is possible to import your own thrust curves,
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see :ref:`Import Custom Thrust Curves <importing_thrust_curves>`. For this to work, you need to
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**specify a folder where OpenRocket will look for thrust curves**. By default, OpenRocket will look in the ``ThrustCurves``
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folder in your application data directory. The application data directory is different for each operating system, see the
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table below for the default application data directories for each operating system.
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.. list-table:: Default Application Data Directories by Operating System
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:widths: auto
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:header-rows: 1
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:class: or-table-line-blocks
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* - Operating System
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- Default Thrust Curves Directory
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* - Windows
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- | :file:`%APPDATA%\OpenRocket\ThrustCurves` (if ``APPDATA`` is available)\*
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| :file:`C:\Users\[YOUR USERNAME]\OpenRocket\ThrustCurves` (fallback if ``APPDATA`` is not available)
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| \* ``APPDATA`` is usually :file:`C:\Users\[YOUR USERNAME]\AppData\Roaming`
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* - macOS
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- :file:`/Users/[YOUR USERNAME]/Library/Application Support/OpenRocket/ThrustCurves/`
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* - Linux
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- :file:`/home/[YOUR USERNAME]/.openrocket/ThrustCurves/` (hidden directory)
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``[YOUR USERNAME]`` **is your user name on your device.**
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To view or modify the user-defined thrust curves folder(s), open the :menuselection:`Edit` menu in the application ribbon and select
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:menuselection:`Preferences`. This will open the Preferences dialog box. You need to go to the :menuselection:`General` tab
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(should be open by default) and change the ``User-defined thrust curves`` setting:
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.. figure:: /img/setup/installation/thrust_curves_setting.png
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:alt: Thrust Curves Setting
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:figclass: or-figclass, or-image-border
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:figwidth: 50 %
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:align: center
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The setting to change the user-defined thrust curves folder.
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You can also add multiple thrust curve folders. To do this, click on the :guilabel:`Add` button and select the folder you want to add.
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You can also manually enter a new folder path. This path must be separated from other paths by a semicolon (``;``).
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Troubleshooting
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===============
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When you have issues with your installation, ensure that you have **read the installation instructions** for your platform.
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When you download the installer from our `downloads page <https://openrocket.info/downloads.html?vers=latest>`__, you can
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click on the ``Show <your platform> installation instructions`` header under your platform's download button to see the
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installation instructions.
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If you have further issues, please `contact us <https://openrocket.info/contact.html>`__.
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Uninstalling
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============
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.. todo::
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Add uninstallation instructions.
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