Model Airplane Design Software for RC Planes
CAD model airplane design software is easy to learn to draw professional plans
People have enjoyed designing, building and flying model airplanes since the early 1900s. All of these early model airplane designs were hand drawn on full size plans. There was not even a thought of model airplane design software that could replace the detailed and tedious task of drafting these manually prepared plans.
Early hand drawn model airplane plan
Early model airplane plans drawn by hand
These early hand drawn model airplane designs were detailed and very complete. Each airplane was a unique design, and often represented a precise flying model replica of a full scale aircraft. These hand drawn plans included a great amount of specific features regarding internal model aircraft structure, building materials, and model airplane design construction techniques. Early computers were fully taxed simply performing numeric calculations. There was little awareness of their ability to some day work in a practical visual interface. In hindsight, it is clear that any implementation of model airplane design software would require a robust and simple method to draw a model airplane design on a computer screen. Items that we take for granted to accomplish this, such as a mouse, were not even imagined.
Model airplane design software did find its crude beginnings on computers using command lines and the old Microsoft Disc Operating System. However, it took a lot of practice and understanding to produce the most basic model airplane plan. A very good example is the work done with TurboCAD, first used on early home computers in the mid-1980s. As the power of computers increased, the base performance of consumer CAD programs such as TurboCAD offered a smooth transition to these powerful new machines.
All model plane plans start with a 3 view
Early computers and CAD programs
As computers improved, the elusive goal of actually being able to use a computer to create images and illustrations started becoming a reality. The Macintosh was the first home computer that could in any sense be used to create an illustration. It is hard to recall, but the early Macintoshes had two software programs included with the computer purchase: MacWord and MacPaint. The illustration program MacPaint could be considered the very first model airplane design software. However, MacPaint was purely a bitmap program used to draw pictures and images. It had no ability to change the size of the printed drawing or implement scaling of a model airplane plan. A variety of more powerful illustration programs followed. With skill and practice, these drawing programs could be used as model airplane design software. But the various actions to actually draft a model plan with the computer were mostly replicating what needed to be done when drawing the same plan by hand. The computer offered no benefit of scaling or precise line positioning, inherent in a true drafting program like TurboCAD.
Modern computers ideal for consumer CAD programs
Model airplane design software is now a completely mature product with an intuitive visual user interface. There are a variety of CAD programs available for home use. I feel the best combination of value, ease of use and powerful results can be found in TurboCAD. TurboCAD is my fourth CAD program (after DrawingBoard, AutoCAD LT and QuickCAD), and I could not be any more pleased with the program. TurboCAD has helpful features like floating toolbars and the Inspector which greatly ease the task of quickly preparing a set of professional looking model airplane plans. TurboCAD also provides the ability to print out the plans at full size, if you have the appropriate plotter. Even if you do not have access to a full size printer, the TurboCAD model airplane design software allows you to print out individual tiled papers that can be taped together for a full size model airplane plan.
The Electro Aviator fuselage plan was drawn with TurboCAD
It does take an initial commitment to learn how to use any CAD program. But once you “break the code” on how a CAD program performs all the tasks you did with drafting plans manually - measuring, scaling, copying, use of construction lines - there is no going back to the old ways of preparing model airplane plans by hand. You can create any model airplane design imaginable with today’s CAD programs in a fraction of the time used to prepare the same plan on a drafting table. Give CAD a try for your next set of model airplane plans. It is well worth your time!
Model Airplane Design Software