PlaneMaker ideas
"Wizard/Utilities" Dialog.
- Create basic fuse body parametrically.
- leftmost station location
- rightmost station location
- CG location
- Max Diameter
- Minimum Data to Save.
- Engine selection.
Seed Geometry.
Allow a user to select, or parametrically specify some type of seed geometry, particular for bodies. If a user can select a generic shape to start, they can save themselves a lot of time and headache. This feature should be from within the PlaneMaker UI. While bodies can be imported, this puts the onus on the user to go find the right kind of seed geometry. We should have a built-in Laminar library of common shapes that users can have access to.
Seed aircraft should consist of higher-level "governing configuration" data only.
- Bodies
- Wings
- Landing Gear
Another option is to to break apart Laminar aircraft into various types of units, such that users can select which unit to "import" into their project. For example....we could have a menu that have import entries like:
- King Air Landing Gear
- Baron Langing Gear
- Baron Wings
In this type of scenario; however, users would not have to navigate to any other files from within PlaneMaker, but rather through some kind of "template wizard", which is used specifically to provide Seed Geometry for new authors.
Space Sections Evenly
It can be a pain to move the body sections to their respective longitudinal locations. An alternative is to set the first and last sections to their respective longitudinal positions and then have all the intermediate stations be spaced evenly.
Add New Stations
When adding a station, it inherits the longitudinal position of the station to its left. Suggest inserting the new station 10% of the distance between bounding station, biased to the left/front, like so: |-|--------|. This would make it easy to graphically identify the new station to move it to its final location
Station numbers

Shift Long Origin
Provide a tool to change the longitudinal origin. Shift ALL related longitudinal points in PlaneMaker
- Checkbox for Show Gear in Retracted Position
Trying to set the retract location while the gear is animating is doable, but quite annoying for many.