RPL Engine Workbench 2.0 · Windows 11 and Apple silicon Mac

Start the 30-day trial

Engine Workbench is desktop software for the preliminary design of pressure-fed liquid engines, solid and hybrid rocket motors, and the rocket that flies them, with CFD of the motor and the vehicle. It runs on your computer, and the trial needs no account, license key or payment card.

On a phone or tablet? The app installs on a Windows 11 PC or an Apple silicon Mac. Email yourself the link or open rocketpropulsionlab.net/start on your computer.

Mac

Apple silicon (M1 or later) with macOS 14 or later. Disk image, about 34 MB, version 2.0.1. Signed and notarized by Apple.

Windows

Windows 11, 64-bit (x64). Installer, about 28 MB, version 2.0.1. The installer is not code-signed, so Windows shows “Windows protected your PC” the first time: choose More info, then Run anyway. Do not bypass your organization’s software policy.

Not supported

Phones and tablets, Chromebooks, Linux, Intel Macs, Windows 10 and Windows on Arm.

Checksums

SHA-256 values and full install steps are on the download page.

Your first 15 minutes

1. Install and open the app. On a Mac, drag it to Applications. On Windows, run the installer; it installs for your user account and needs no administrator rights. The 30-day trial starts on its own.
2. Open the solid rocket example. Choose File → Open Example → Solid rocket: KNSB motor, dual deployment. It opens unsolved. The hybrid and two-stage examples are in the same menu.
3. Press Solve. The button is at the top right of the window. The motor’s burn and the vehicle’s flight are solved together.
4. Read the Review tab. Thrust and chamber pressure through the burn, the burn summary with the motor class, the instant of peak chamber pressure, and any warnings.
5. Open the Flight tab. Apogee, top speed, stability margin and landing distance are listed at the top, above the trajectory.
6. Change an input and solve again. Edit a value on the Define tab, then press Solve Again. Until you do, the earlier results are marked stale.

A new project starts from the liquid engine example, the Apollo Lunar Module Ascent Engine. The getting started walkthrough follows these steps with pictures from the app.