How do I read the aerodynamic overlay?

[Rutabaga22]

How do I read it? I assume the red is drag and the blue is lift, but how do I know if my aero is good or bad?

 

Also, how do I fly flat? When I fly i always have to wave up and down. I can't keep a pitch of 0.

Edited September 25, 2022 by Rutabaga22

[king of nowhere]

3 hours ago, Rutabaga22 said:

How do I read it? I assume the red is drag and the blue is lift, but how do I know if my aero is good or bad?

you don't. ok, you should have small lines, but small is a relative concept here. and often, when the lines are small, they are hidden inside the parts.

the aerodinamic overlay has limited utility. the aerodinamic window and the aerodinamic menu on a part (both functions that can be activated on the alt-f12 menu) are a lot better to check your aerodinamics.

the overlay, though, has an advantage. you visually see where the drag is coming from. if there is a single source of drag, you can identify it easily. for example, in this case

i had this rocket for a caveman challenge, and it's a pretty crappy rocket, because of caveman restrictions. and i knew it was dragging a lot more than it should have, but why? the landing legs on the side? the tapering for the frontal drop tank? this overlay let me know immediately that the problem was the kerbal I was trying to cart inside the cargo bay - I thought he would be shielded from aero effects, but the game considers it as fully exposed to the airflow.

so, the aerodinamic ovelay can be a useful troubleshooting tool, but no more than that.

 

 

[Rutabaga22]

8 minutes ago, king of nowhere said:

you don't. ok, you should have small lines, but small is a relative concept here. and often, when the lines are small, they are hidden inside the parts.

the aerodinamic overlay has limited utility. the aerodinamic window and the aerodinamic menu on a part (both functions that can be activated on the alt-f12 menu) are a lot better to check your aerodinamics.

the overlay, though, has an advantage. you visually see where the drag is coming from. if there is a single source of drag, you can identify it easily. for example, in this case

i had this rocket for a caveman challenge, and it's a pretty crappy rocket, because of caveman restrictions. and i knew it was dragging a lot more than it should have, but why? the landing legs on the side? the tapering for the frontal drop tank? this overlay let me know immediately that the problem was the kerbal I was trying to cart inside the cargo bay - I thought he would be shielded from aero effects, but the game considers it as fully exposed to the airflow.

so, the aerodinamic ovelay can be a useful troubleshooting tool, but no more than that.

 

 

THank you!