Import DAT and CAD profiles: name, text, inspect, then commit

What Import is for

Bring an existing ordinate set into HENFOIL: Selig or Lednicer DAT text, file upload, or CAD-derived profile paths where the product supports them. Import is inspect → repair → repanel → commit — not “load and hope.” Named research catalog cards stay metadata until licensed attested ingest.

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Name

Purpose. Display name for the saved airfoil. Why. Library search, reports and Team grants refer to this name. Result. Stored on the airfoil record after a successful import commit.

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Coordinate text (DAT paste)

What to paste. Typical Selig-style block: optional title line, then x y pairs (upper TE → LE → lower TE, or Lednicer two-surface blocks depending on format). Purpose. Source ordinates. Why careful formatting. Garbage decimals, missing LE, or reversed loops fail inspect. Result after Inspect. A report on point count, closure, LE/TE candidates, format detection and issues — before you commit.

Use the sample NACA 0012 block in the UI as a format reminder, then replace it with your data.

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Inspect (before Import)

Purpose. Dry-run validation of the text without writing a library airfoil. Why run it first. Catch open TE, crossed surfaces, tiny point counts or parse errors cheaply. Result. Inspect object with findings. Fix the text until inspect is clean enough to import.

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Import / commit (normalize)

Normalize. When enabled, HENFOIL conditions the section (order, chord scale, closure policies as implemented) so analysis methods can consume it. Purpose. Turn validated text into a saved airfoil. Result. Airfoil in the workspace/library with coordinates and metrics — still subject to Geometry Doctor before serious polars.

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File upload paths

Where the UI offers file import (DAT or CAD packages):

Treat CAD paths as engineering screens with their own reports (zebra, LOD, measure) — not as CATIA Class-A certificates.

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What you should do next

1. Read inspect / import limitations
2. Open Geometry Doctor — PASS / WARNING / FAIL
3. Export DAT/CSV only after conditioning if you need a clean handoff
4. Run VIC polars under mission Re / Mach

Honesty reminder

Import preserves provenance of *your* file. It does not upgrade a rough survey into wind-tunnel truth. The quality gate and method IDs keep the trail honest for review.

In simple words: what this page is for

How to fill Import — airfoil name, Selig/Lednicer text, Inspect vs Import, normalize — and what conditioning results mean before Geometry Doctor.

This lesson exists because section decisions fail when geometry, method labels and selection reasons are scattered. Import DAT and CAD profiles: name, text, inspect, then commit helps you keep a clean trail from shape to polar to choice.

Why the topic matters

Engineers lose time when a title sounds clear but the page only sketches the idea. This article expands Import DAT and CAD profiles: name, text, inspect, then commit so you can answer three questions without jargon: what is the idea, when do you use it, and how do you check it in a HENDOI product.

Read the sections above for the core definitions. Use the steps below to move from reading into a real project trail you can share with a teammate.

How to apply this in HENDOI

In practice: create a HENDOI account or log in, open HENFOIL, bring a section in (create, import DAT, or digitize), pass the geometry gate, climb the analysis ladder only as far as the decision needs, then compare and archive. Every calculated number should keep its method label.

When the section choice is ready for the aircraft, continue in HENSYNTH for mission, compliance and trades. Same account. Same plans.

What this page will not claim: a teaching polar or geometry note is not a flight-Re certificate. HENFOIL labels methods so you know what you bought. Tunnel data and professional judgement still sit outside any single software run.

Checklist before you leave this page

• Can you state the idea of Import DAT and CAD profiles: name, text, inspect, then commit in one sentence?
• Do you know which product owns the next action — HENFOIL or HENSYNTH?
• Will every number you keep carry a method label or a stored-run source?
• If you are new here, have you opened Register or Login?

Related reading on this site

• Airfoil selection with a documented why-#1
• The HENFOIL analysis ladder: when to escalate
• Create airfoil fields: NACA, analytic and CST — what each digit means
• Digitize field-by-field: every control, why fill it, what you get
• All HENDOI blog articles
• HENFOIL product page
• HENSYNTH product page
• Pricing — Student, Professional & Team
• FAQ
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