Installation¶

Getting Python¶

If you do nothave Python installed on your machine, it can be downloaded from https://www.anaconda.com/distribution/.

Prequisites¶

FreeCAD¶

Pylot will use the FreeCAD Python libraries to generate graphics objects from MachUpX (see more under “graphics” in Creating Input Files). Instructions for installing FreeCAD can be found in the MachUpX documentation. This is only necessary if you intend to use MachUpX for generating graphics.

MachUpX¶

MachUpX is an implementation of general numerical lifting-line theory which can be used to simulate the flight of the aircraft more accurately. If this is to be used, it can be downloaded from Github. Pylot requires at least version 2.0.0.

Getting the Source Code¶

You can either download the source as a ZIP file and extract the contents, or clone the Pylot repository using Git. If your system does not already have a version of Git installed, you will not be able to use this second option unless you first download and install Git. If you are unsure, you can check by typing git --version into a command prompt.

Downloading source as a ZIP file¶

Open a web browser and navigate to https://github.com/usuaero/Pylot
Make sure the Branch is set to Master
Click the Clone or download button
Select Download ZIP
Extract the downloaded ZIP file to a local directory on your machine

Cloning the Github repository¶

From the command prompt navigate to the directory where MachUp will be installed. Note: git will automatically create a folder within this directory called Pylot. Keep this in mind if you do not want multiple nested folders called Pylot.
Execute

$ git clone https://github.com/usuaero/Pylot

We recommend cloning from the repository, as this will allow you to most easily download and install periodic updates. Updates can be installed using the following command

$ git pull

Installing¶

Once you have the source code downloaded, navigate to the root (Pylot/) directory and execute

$ pip install .

Please note that any time you update the source code (e.g. after executing a git pull), Pylot will need to be reinstalled by executing the above command.