Installation Instructions
Introduction
OpenRocket is released in two forms: as a packaged application and as a JAR file. The easiest way to get OpenRocket up and running is to download and install one of the packaged installers. The packaged installers come with everything needed, including the correct version of Java; you will not need to install, update or downgrade Java on your device to run them.
Download the latest version from our downloads page.
Pre-Installation Procedures
Some users may experience problems with the OpenRocket installation if they don’t follow the pre-installation procedures below.
Close All Instances of OpenRocket
If you have OpenRocket running, close it before installing a new version. By default, new OpenRocket releases install to the same location on your device; these releases even share preferences. Because of this, if OpenRocket is open when you attempt to install an updated release, the installation may not update all of the files needed for OpenRocket to function correctly.
Before installing an update, you MUST close all open instances of OpenRocket.
(Optional) Uninstall Prior OpenRocket Releases
As described above, by default, new releases of OpenRocket install to the same location on your device. Although not expressly required, it is suggested that all previously installed OpenRocket releases be uninstalled before installing the updated release. This is not required, but is suggested to ensure the proper function of OpenRocket.
Installing OpenRocket 🚀
Download the latest version from our downloads page. Scroll down to download the correct installer for your platform (Windows, macOS, or Linux).
Each platform has a different installation process. Click on the Show <your platform> installation instructions header under your
platform’s download button to see the installation instructions.
After-Installation Checks
After installing OpenRocket, you need to verify that the installation was successful and potentially modify some settings to ensure that OpenRocket functions correctly.
Verify the Installed Release Number
First, verify that you actually installed the current release of OpenRocket. You can see this in the splash screen, which appears when you start OpenRocket. The splash screen will show the release number on the right:
During startup, the OpenRocket Splash Screen shows the release number on the right.
If the release number is not correct, you may have installed the wrong version of OpenRocket, or didn’t follow the Pre-Installation Procedures above.
Another way to check the release number is to open the Help menu in the application ribbon
and select About. This will open a dialog box that shows the release number:
The OpenRocket About Dialog (Help → About) shows the release number.
Check the Settings
For most users, OpenRocket’s default settings will work fine. However, some users may need to change some settings.
Off-screen Rendering
Some users have reported that the rocket shown in the 3D design view is not full-size. This can occur if the off-screen rendering setting is not correct for your device. Using the Three-stage rocket example packaged with OpenRocket, this is what the problem looks like:
The 3D view of the Three-stage rocket example is too small.
To fix this, you need to change the off-screen rendering setting. To do this, open the Edit menu in the application
ribbon and select Preferences. This will open the Preferences dialog box. This window has several tabs (General,
Design, Simulation, … You need to go to the Graphics tab (just click on that tab header) and on the bottom
of the page change the Use off-screen rendering setting:
The off-screen rendering setting is on the bottom of the Graphics tab.
Your 3D view should now look like this:
The 3D view of the Three-stage rocket example is now correct.
Note
Whenever you face issues with 3D rendering in OpenRocket, it is a good idea to change the off-screen rendering setting to see if that fixes the problem.
Thrust Curves Folder
OpenRocket ships with a bunch of built-in motor thrust curves. However, it is possible to import your own thrust curves,
see Import Custom Thrust Curves. For this to work, you need to
specify a folder where OpenRocket will look for thrust curves. By default, OpenRocket will look in the ThrustCurves
folder in your application data directory. The application data directory is different for each operating system, see the
table below for the default application data directories for each operating system.
Operating System |
Default Thrust Curves Directory |
|---|---|
Windows |
%APPDATA%OpenRocketThrustCurves (if APPDATA is available)*C:Users[YOUR USERNAME]OpenRocketThrustCurves (fallback if APPDATA is not available)*
APPDATA is usually C:Users[YOUR USERNAME]AppDataRoaming |
macOS |
|
Linux |
|
[YOUR USERNAME] is your user name on your device.
To view or modify the user-defined thrust curves folder(s), open the menu in the application ribbon and select . This will open the Preferences dialog box. You need to go to the tab (should be open by default) and change the User-defined thrust curves setting:
The setting to change the user-defined thrust curves folder.
You can also add multiple thrust curve folders. To do this, click on the Add button and select the folder you want to add.
You can also manually enter a new folder path. This path must be separated from other paths by a semicolon (;).
Troubleshooting
When you have issues with your installation, ensure that you have read the installation instructions for your platform. When you download the installer from our downloads page, you can click on the Show <your platform> installation instructions header under your platform’s download button to see the installation instructions.
If you have further issues, please contact us.