camUrban/PteraSoftware: Ptera Software is a fast, easy-to-use, and open-source software package for analyzing flapping-wing flight.

!Logo

*

!license !build !coverage !python !types !code style !source rank

* !Flapping Wings in Ground Effect

This is Ptera Software: a fast, easy-to-use, and open-source package for analyzing flapping-wing flight.

Quick Start

Install the package with pip (requires Python 3.11, 3.12, 3.13, or 3.14):

pip install pterasoftware

Then run a simulation. The following snippet defines a simple rectangular wing, solves for its aerodynamics using the steady horseshoe vortex lattice method (VLM), and visualizes the results:

import pterasoftware as ps
airplane = ps.geometry.airplane.Airplane(
    wings=[
        ps.geometry.wing.Wing(
            wing_cross_sections=[
                ps.geometry.wing_cross_section.WingCrossSection(
                    airfoil=ps.geometry.airfoil.Airfoil(
                        name="naca2412",
                    ),
                    num_spanwise_panels=8,
                    control_surface_symmetry_type="asymmetric",
                    spanwise_spacing="cosine",
                ),
                ps.geometry.wing_cross_section.WingCrossSection(
                    airfoil=ps.geometry.airfoil.Airfoil(
                        name="naca2412",
                    ),
                    num_spanwise_panels=None,
                    Lp_Wcsp_Lpp=(0, 5, 0),
                    control_surface_symmetry_type="asymmetric",
                ),
            ],
            symmetric=True,
            symmetryNormal_G=(0, 1, 0),
            symmetryPoint_G_Cg=(0, 0, 0),
        ),
    ],
)
operating_point = ps.operating_point.OperatingPoint()
problem = ps.problems.SteadyProblem(
    airplanes=[airplane], operating_point=operating_point
)
solver = (
    ps.steady_horseshoe_vortex_lattice_method.SteadyHorseshoeVortexLatticeMethodSolver(
        steady_problem=problem
    )
)
solver.run()
ps.output.draw(solver=solver, scalar_type="lift", show_streamlines=True)

Features

1. Various Aerodynamic Simulation Methods

1. Customizable Aircraft Geometry

1. Customizable Aircraft Motion

1. Customizable Operating Points

1. High-Speed Simulations

1. Simulations of Formation Flight

1. Save and Load Simulation Results

1. Features for Flapping-Wing Vehicle Design

1. Aeroelastic Module for Flapping Flight (Beta)

1. Free Flight Module (Beta)

Installation

As a Package

If you haven't already, install Ptera Software from PyPI (see Quick Start above):

pip install pterasoftware

Your IDE should automatically provide docstring hints for the available classes and functions. For more detailed documentation, visit the Ptera Software documentation site.

From Source

If you want to browse the example scripts or dig into the source code, you will need a local copy of the repository. Follow the environment setup instructions in the Contributing Guidelines to clone the repository, create a virtual environment, and install dependencies.

Once set up, the examples/ directory contains scripts that demonstrate the full range of Ptera Software's features and solvers. These scripts are also available on the documentation site.

Example Output

This package currently supports five different solvers, a steady horseshoe VLM, a steady ring VLM, an unsteady ring VLM (UVLM), an aeroelastic unsteady ring VLM, and a free flight unsteady ring VLM. Here are examples of the output you can expect to receive from each of them.

Steady Horseshoe VLM

!Example Steady Horseshoe VLM Output

Steady Ring VLM

!Example Steady Ring VLM Output

Unsteady Ring VLM

!Example Unsteady Ring VLM Animation Output

Aeroelastic Unsteady Ring VLM

!Example Aeroelastic Unsteady Ring VLM Animation Output

Free Flight Unsteady Ring VLM

!Example Free Flight Unsteady Ring VLM Animation Output

Validation

Since the release of version 1.0.0, Ptera Software is now validated against experimental flapping-wing data! See the validation/ directory to run the test case and read a report on the software's accuracy.

Documentation

For detailed API documentation and guides, visit the Ptera Software documentation site.

How to Contribute

The primary goal of this project is to increase the open-source community's understanding and appreciation for unsteady aerodynamics in general and flapping-wing flight in particular. This will only happen through your participation. Feel free to request features, report bugs or security issues, and provide suggestions.

Before contributing, make sure to read through the Contributing Guidelines for how to best help out.

Contributors

• Cameron Urban (camUrban)
• Zach Tait (Zach10a)
• Jonah Jaffe (JonahJ27)
• Venkata Akhil Mettu (AKHIL-149)
• Savitha N (Savitha-Akhilu)
• Pedro Bornia (BorniaPedro)
• Mohamed Abdulghany (MohamedMG7)
• Hang Haotian (haotianh9)
• Monisha Sikka (20086080)
• Cameron Hendrikse (MonoChromatical)
• Abdullah Imran (codexabdullah)
• w3lld1
• Shaziya Hussain (ShaziyaHussain)
• Sarvesh Mohite (CyberSarvesh)
• TianHeng Zhuang (TianHengZhuang)

Supporters

• Peter Sharpe
• Suhas Kodali
• Ramesh Agarwal
• E. Farrell Helbling
• Raphael Zufferey
• Joseph Katz
• Allen Plotkin
• Austin Stover

Background

Ptera Software grew out of a desire to make flapping-wing aerodynamics accessible without expensive commercial CFD tools or hard-to-use open-source alternatives. Initially built on AeroSandbox with the support of Peter Sharpe and Suhas Kodali, it has developed into an actively-maintained UVLM package that is well documented, tested, and validated. We hope that with your help, we will increase the open-source community's interest and understanding of biological flight.