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Frequently Asked Questions About
RockSim's Advanced Features:

1. Where is "Help Manual" for Rocksim?

There are many different help files available. Click Here to discover all the possiblities for learning how to use RockSim.

2. Does RockSim work with Windows VISTA operating system?

YES! After installing RockSim on VISTA, "Right-click" on the RockSim Shortcut Icon:
Select Properties...
Click the Compatibility Tab.
Under Privilege level: Check the Run this program as an administrator.

The registration screen should now work so you can finish the installation of RockSim. Once that is complete...

Switch back to Non Admin account. That's It!

3. How do you add new rocket motor files into Rocksim?

Please note that Apogee Components does not make engine files. Those come from the manufacturer that makes the motors. If the manufacturer does not have them yet, you can create the engine file yourself.
Please see a quicktime video of the simple procedure used in RockSim v8: Click Here. You can also watch videos on how to add the new motors to RockSim.

For V7 and prior editions: Click Here to find motor web sites, and see a QuickTime movie that will walk you through the steps of adding a new motor into RockSim.

4. How do you create cluster engine mounts in RockSim?

Click Here to read a step-by-step article that will walk you through the simple steps of creating a cluster engine mount.

5. How do you find the Maximum Weight a rocket motor can lift?

Click Here to read the article that explains how "Manufacturer's Recommend Lift-Off Weight" is determined.

6. How do you use the "Subassembly" feature in RockSim?

Click Here to read this step-by-step article that walks you through the creation of a simple engine mount. Once you create one, you never have to make an engine mount in your future RockSim designs.

7. How do you create a Strap-On Booster stage in RockSim?

Click Here to view the four-part article that will walk you through the steps in creating strap-on booster tubes on the outside of the core tube.

8. How to create a glider in RockSim.

Click Here to find out how to use the unique "assymetric fin" feature of RockSim (version 7 or version 8) to create a glider looking rocket. Part one of a two-part article.

9. What are other articles available to learn how to use RockSim?

These articles are here to help you get the most information out of RockSim. This is rocket-science after all, so there is so much to learn that will make you a better model. But you do not need to read these if you are a casual user of the software. It gives you easy-to-understand summaries that have most of the information you need for your current rocket project.

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RockSim v8 Demo Version

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Less-Frequently Asked Questions About RockSim:

1. Someone gave me an older version of RockSim. Can I get the upgrade price?

No. The license to use RockSim is not transferable from one individual to another.

2. What are the limitations of the v8 software?

A. Fins must be flat. New in version 8: Tube Fins and Ring Tail fins ARE allowed. However, RockSim does NOT support "tip fins," which are fins that are attached to the ends of fins. Similarily, you cannot have pods on the tips of fins.

B. You can't design rockets with strap-on pods (Parallel staging booster tubes). All cluster tubes must be inside the central core tube. UPDATE 8/4/03: You can now simulate strap-on booster stages in RockSim. Click Here for more details.

C. RockSim v8 does not allow parachutes to be placed in booster stages (see above). You can simulate the mass of the parachute with a "mass object," but since RockSim can't track the descent, it won't allow you to put the chute in a booster stage.

These are all things we will add at a future date...

3. Can I design gliders?

Yes and No. RockSim v8 will allow you to create a rocket that looks like a glider or airplane. But it won't simulate the model's glide. The reason is that on a glider, the tail fins are at a different angle of attack than the main wing. The reason: So it can pull out of a glide. In RockSim v8, the program assumes that all fins are at a zero angle-of-attack. So the rocket won't glide, but it will follow a ballistic trajectory. Hopefully one day, we'll be ready to allow each fin to be set a different angles of attack.

4. Is there a Discussion Forum for RockSim users?

Not officially. But there is a place where you can get your questions answered and get honest opinions from real RockSim users. That is the Rocketry Forum. (http://www.rocketryforum.com/) The RockSim guys hang out in the "Support and Recovery " area.

5. Where can I find out about the history of RockSim?

There is a history of RockSim page where you can read all about RockSim. This will tell you how it was originally created, as well as what were the changes in each revision.

6. What is the maximum altitude and velocity that rocksim is accurate to?

RockSim uses the 1976 U.S. Standard Atmosphere model. In that model, the maximum simulation altitude is 86,000 meters (282,152 feet). The maximum velocity is Mach 2.0. For greater speeds and altitudes, we recommend the RS-PRO software.

7. My computer crashed. I lost my copy of RockSim. What can I do about it?

Please call us at: 719-535-9335.

If you have another question about RockSim, click on the "email us" button on the top of the sidebar. We'll be happy to answer your question.

Actual Customer Comment:

"I received the RockSim program and everything loaded without a problem. An excellent program! I have worked with several simulation programs within the defense industry which were not designed as well as yours. Congratulation on this software. I am new to HPR, and enjoy homebrew designs. I am sure I will find this software the key to the design.
-- Dale Hagert


"The RockSim program is the best there is. I use it religiously, and I don't fly anything I haven't sim'd.

I really, really recommend, that if you are serious about this hobby, that you purchase the software. It's probably the best investment you will ever make for your Rocketry hobby."

– Chuck Longton

Apogee Components, Inc.
3355 Fillmore Ridge Hts.
Colorado Springs, CO 80907 USA
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Fax: 719-534-9050

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How to get started in Rocketry.
Rocketry For Teachers
Team America Rocketry Challenge
Design Your Own Rockets

This page last updated on: 11/26/07