Fin Guide Printout

The Fin Guide Expert Dialog in SpaceCAD 7 assists users in printing a fin guide, which is essential for aligning and attaching fins accurately to the rocket body. Fin guides help ensure that the fins are evenly spaced, properly aligned, and positioned at the correct angles, contributing to the rocket’s aerodynamic stability. This dialog offers options to print different types of guides, including tube-wrap fin alignment guides, fin-angle alignment guides, and the fin pattern itself.

Key Options:

1. Print “Tube-Wrap” Fin-Alignment Guide

• This guide helps users align the fins around the circumference of the body tube. It wraps around the tube, showing where each fin should be attached for even spacing.
• Example: For a three-fin configuration, the tube-wrap guide will display marks at 120° intervals, indicating where to place each fin.

2. Print Fin Pattern

• This option prints the actual fin shape (fin pattern) based on the user’s design. The printed pattern can be used as a cutting template for creating the fins.
• Example: If you designed custom fins in the Edit Fin Set dialog, this printout will provide the exact shape of the fins for cutting from the chosen material.

3. Print Fin-Angle Alignment Guide

• The fin-angle alignment guide ensures that the fins are attached at the correct angle relative to the body tube. This is critical for rockets that require angled or canted fins for specific aerodynamic effects.
• Example: A rocket with fins aligned at a 0° angle will have the fins perpendicular to the rocket’s body, whereas canted fins will be printed at the specified angle for attachment.

Additional Controls:

4. Choose Printer Button

• Opens the printer settings dialog, allowing users to choose the desired printer for the guide printout.

5. Print Button

• Starts the printing process for the selected fin guides.

6. Cancel Button

• Closes the dialog without printing any fin guides.

Example Workflow:

1. Printing a Basic Fin Guide:

   • Open the Fin Guide Expert and select the Print “Tube-Wrap” Fin-Alignment Guide and Print Fin Pattern options.
   • Click Choose Printer to select the printer, and then click Print to generate the guides.
   • Use the tube-wrap guide to mark the positions for each fin on the rocket body and cut the fins using the fin pattern.

2. Printing a Fin-Angle Guide for Canted Fins:

   • Open the Fin Guide Expert and select the Print Fin-Angle Alignment Guide option.
   • Ensure that the angle specified in the fin design is correct and then click Print.
   • Use the fin-angle guide to attach the fins at the correct angles for the desired aerodynamic effect.