OpenSourceAWE · ufechner7 · Apr 19, 2026 · Apr 19, 2026 · Apr 19, 2026 · Apr 19, 2026
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
@@ -36,3 +36,5 @@ data/ram_air_kite/ram_air_kite_foil_cl_polar.csv
 .gitignore
 data/ram_air_kite/ram_air_kite_foil_cd_polar.csv
 data/ram_air_kite/ram_air_kite_foil_cm_polar.csv
+output/
+output_cairo/
diff --git a/NEWS.md b/NEWS.md
@@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
+## Unreleased
+
+### Added
+- allow using CairoMakie or GLMakie using the menu
+
 ## VortexStepMethod v3.1.0 2025-04-19
 
 ### Breaking

diff --git a/bin/install b/bin/install
@@ -233,6 +233,11 @@ $_julia_cmd --project=examples -e 'using GLMakie, VortexStepMethod; @info "GLMak
 $_julia_cmd -t1 --project=examples_cp -e 'using ControlPlots, VortexStepMethod; @info "ControlPlots extension ready."'
 $_julia_cmd --project=. -e 'using Pkg; Pkg.test(test_args=["settings/test_settings.jl"]);
 @info "Minimal test smoke check complete."'
+
+echo
+echo "Creating output directory..."
+mkdir -p output
+
 echo
 echo "Installation complete."
 
diff --git a/docs/src/examples.md b/docs/src/examples.md
@@ -154,4 +154,55 @@ Choose function to execute or `q` to quit:
 ```
 
 You can select one of the examples using the `<UP>` and `<DOWN>` keys.
-Press `<ENTER>` to run the selected example.
+Press `<ENTER>` to run the selected example.
+
+## Plotting Backends
+
+The examples in this package support three plotting backends. Here is a comparison to help you choose:
+
+### GLMakie
+**Advantages:**
+- Interactive plots: zoom, pan, rotate 3D scenes in a native window.
+- Hardware-accelerated rendering via OpenGL — fast for large datasets.
+- Supports animations and live-updating plots.
+
+**Disadvantages:**
+- Requires a display server (does not work in headless/server environments without a virtual framebuffer).
+- Heavier dependency: needs OpenGL drivers and a GPU.
+- Longer initial load time compared to the other backends.
+
+### CairoMakie
+**Advantages:**
+- Fully software-rendered — works in headless environments (CI, servers, SSH sessions).
+- Produces high-quality vector output (SVG, PDF) suitable for publication.
+- Lighter dependency than GLMakie (no GPU required).
+
+**Disadvantages:**
+- Plots are static — no interactive zoom or pan.
+- Slower for very large or complex scenes because rendering is done in software.
+- 3D support is limited compared to GLMakie.
+
+### ControlPlots (based on PyPlot / Matplotlib)
+**Advantages:**
+- Simple API, easy to learn for students
+- In addition, the Matplotlib API for users coming from Python/Matplotlib is supported.
+- Works in headless environments; can save to PNG, SVG, PDF, etc.
+- Very lightweight Julia-side dependency (delegates work to Python).
+
+**Disadvantages:**
+- Requires a working Python installation with Matplotlib (via `PyCall`).
+- Can cause issues when multithreading is enabled.
+- No native Makie ecosystem integration (e.g. cannot use `Makie.Observable` for live updates).
+- Interactivity is limited and depends on the Matplotlib backend in use.
+- Extra setup complexity when Python or Matplotlib are not already installed.
+
+| Feature | GLMakie | CairoMakie | ControlPlots |
+|---|---|---|---|
+| Interactive (zoom/pan) | yes | no | yes |
+| Headless / server | no* | yes | yes |
+| Vector output (PDF/SVG) | no | yes | yes |
+| GPU required | yes | no | no |
+| 3D support | full | limited | limited |
+| Load time | slow | medium | fast |
+
+\* GLMakie can run headless with a virtual framebuffer (e.g. `Xvfb`), but this requires additional setup.
diff --git a/examples/Project.toml b/examples/Project.toml
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 [deps]
 CSV = "336ed68f-0bac-5ca0-87d4-7b16caf5d00b"
+CairoMakie = "13f3f980-e62b-5c42-98c6-ff1f3baf88f0"
 DataFrames = "a93c6f00-e57d-5684-b7b6-d8193f3e46c0"
 DelimitedFiles = "8bb1440f-4735-579b-a4ab-409b98df4dab"
 GLMakie = "e9467ef8-e4e7-5192-8a1a-b1aee30e663a"

diff --git a/examples/V3_kite.jl b/examples/V3_kite.jl
@@ -2,8 +2,10 @@ using LinearAlgebra
 using VortexStepMethod
 
 PLOT = true
+SAVE_ALL = false
 USE_TEX = false
 DEFORM = false
+OUTPUT_DIR = joinpath(dirname(@__DIR__), "output")
 
 project_dir = dirname(@__DIR__)
 literature_paths = [
@@ -118,8 +120,8 @@ PLOT && plot_polars(
     side_slip=sideslip_deg,
     v_a=wind_speed,
     title="$(wing.n_panels)_panels_$(wing.spanwise_distribution)_from_yaml_settings",
-    data_type=".pdf",
-    is_save=false,
+    save_path=OUTPUT_DIR,
+    is_save=false || SAVE_ALL,
     is_show=true,
     use_tex=USE_TEX,
     show_moments=true
@@ -128,10 +130,10 @@ PLOT && plot_polars(
 # Plotting geometry
 PLOT && plot_geometry(
     body_aero,
-    "";
-    data_type=".svg",
-    save_path="",
-    is_save=false,
+    "V3 kite geometry";
+    data_type=".pdf",
+    save_path=OUTPUT_DIR,
+    is_save=false || SAVE_ALL,
     is_show=true,
     view_elevation=15,
     view_azimuth=-120,
@@ -147,8 +149,8 @@ PLOT && plot_distribution(
     [results],
     ["VSM"];
     title="CAD_spanwise_distributions_alpha_$(round(angle_of_attack_deg, digits=1))_delta_$(round(sideslip_deg, digits=1))_yaw_$(round(yaw_rate, digits=1))_v_a_$(round(wind_speed, digits=1))",
-    data_type=".pdf",
-    is_save=false,
+    save_path=OUTPUT_DIR,
+    is_save=false || SAVE_ALL,
     is_show=true,
     use_tex=USE_TEX
 )
@@ -193,7 +195,8 @@ PLOT && plot_polars(
     v_a=wind_speed,
     title="LOOP solver",
     show_moments=true,
-    is_save=false,
+    save_path=OUTPUT_DIR,
+    is_save=false || SAVE_ALL,
     is_show=true,
     use_tex=USE_TEX
 )
@@ -211,7 +214,8 @@ PLOT && plot_polars(
     v_a=wind_speed,
     title="beta sweep",
     show_moments=true,
-    is_save=false,
+    save_path=OUTPUT_DIR,
+    is_save=false || SAVE_ALL,
     is_show=true,
     use_tex=USE_TEX
 )

diff --git a/examples/billowing.jl b/examples/billowing.jl
@@ -2,7 +2,9 @@ using LinearAlgebra
 using VortexStepMethod
 
 PLOT = true
+SAVE_ALL = false
 USE_TEX = false
+OUTPUT_DIR = joinpath(dirname(@__DIR__), "output")
 
 # Data paths (all within this repo)
 vsm_src_path = something(pathof(VortexStepMethod), @__FILE__)
@@ -132,28 +134,12 @@ println("Billowed:  CL=$(round(results_bill["cl"]; digits=4)), " *
         "CD=$(round(results_bill["cd"]; digits=4))")
 
 if PLOT
-    # Plot polars comparison
-    plot_polars(
-        [solver_flat, solver_bill],
-        [body_aero_flat, body_aero_bill],
-        labels;
-        literature_path_list=literature_paths,
-        angle_range=range(-5, 25, length=31),
-        angle_type="angle_of_attack",
-        angle_of_attack=angle_of_attack_deg,
-        side_slip=sideslip_deg,
-        v_a=wind_speed,
-        title="V3 Kite: flat vs billowing $(BILLOWING_PCT)%",
-        is_show=true,
-        use_tex=USE_TEX,
-        show_moments=true
-    )
-
     # Plot geometry (flat wing)
     plot_geometry(
         body_aero_flat,
         "Flat wing geometry";
-        is_save=false,
+        save_path=OUTPUT_DIR,
+        is_save=false || SAVE_ALL,
         is_show=true,
         use_tex=USE_TEX
     )
@@ -168,9 +154,30 @@ if PLOT
         [results_flat, results_bill],
         ["VSM flat", "VSM billowing"];
         title="Billowing comparison distributions",
+        save_path=OUTPUT_DIR,
+        is_save=false || SAVE_ALL,
         is_show=true,
         use_tex=USE_TEX
     )
+
+    # Plot polars comparison
+    plot_polars(
+        [solver_flat, solver_bill],
+        [body_aero_flat, body_aero_bill],
+        labels;
+        literature_path_list=literature_paths,
+        angle_range=range(-5, 25, length=31),
+        angle_type="angle_of_attack",
+        angle_of_attack=angle_of_attack_deg,
+        side_slip=sideslip_deg,
+        v_a=wind_speed,
+        title="V3 Kite flat vs billowing $(BILLOWING_PCT)%",
+        save_path=OUTPUT_DIR,
+        is_save=false || SAVE_ALL,
+        is_show=true,
+        use_tex=USE_TEX,
+        show_moments=true
+    )
 end
 
 nothing
diff --git a/examples/menu.jl b/examples/menu.jl
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ using Pkg
 Pkg.activate(@__DIR__)
 
 using GLMakie
+using CairoMakie
 using VortexStepMethod
 using REPL.TerminalMenus
 
@@ -43,12 +44,14 @@ end
 function example_menu()
     options = [
         [("$( splitext(f)[1]) = include(\"$f\")") for f in example_files];
+        "GLMakie.activate!()";
+        "CairoMakie.activate!()";
         "help_me = VortexStepMethod.help(\"$url\")";
         "quit"
     ]
     active = true
     while active
-        menu = RadioMenu(options, pagesize=8)
+        menu = RadioMenu(options, pagesize=11)
         choice = request(
             "\nChoose function to execute or `q` to quit: ",
             menu)

diff --git a/examples/pyramid_model.jl b/examples/pyramid_model.jl
@@ -24,7 +24,9 @@ results = VortexStepMethod.solve(solver, body_aero; log=true)
 
 # Using plotting modules, to create more comprehensive plots
 PLOT = true
+SAVE_ALL = false
 USE_TEX = false
+OUTPUT_DIR = joinpath(dirname(@__DIR__), "output")
 
 # Plotting polars
 PLOT && plot_polars(
@@ -37,19 +39,18 @@ PLOT && plot_polars(
     side_slip=sideslip_deg,
     v_a=wind_speed,
     title="$(wing.n_panels)_panels_$(wing.spanwise_distribution)_pyramid_model",
-    data_type=".pdf",
-    is_save=false,
+    save_path=OUTPUT_DIR,
+    is_save=false || SAVE_ALL,
     is_show=true,
     use_tex=USE_TEX
 )
 
 # Plotting geometry
 PLOT && plot_geometry(
     body_aero,
-    "";
-    data_type=".svg",
-    save_path="",
-    is_save=false,
+    "Pyramid model geometry";
+    save_path=OUTPUT_DIR,
+    is_save=false || SAVE_ALL,
     is_show=true,
     view_elevation=15,
     view_azimuth=-120,
@@ -64,8 +65,8 @@ PLOT && plot_distribution(
     [results],
     ["VSM"];
     title="pyramid_spanwise_distributions_alpha_$(round(angle_of_attack_deg, digits=1))_delta_$(round(sideslip_deg, digits=1))_yaw_$(round(yaw_rate, digits=1))_v_a_$(round(wind_speed, digits=1))",
-    data_type=".pdf",
-    is_save=false,
+    save_path=OUTPUT_DIR,
+    is_save=false || SAVE_ALL,
     is_show=true,
     use_tex=USE_TEX
 )

diff --git a/examples/ram_air_kite.jl b/examples/ram_air_kite.jl
@@ -3,9 +3,11 @@ using LinearAlgebra
 
 PLOT = true
 PRN = true
+SAVE_ALL = false
 USE_TEX = false
 DEFORM = true
 LINEARIZE = false
+OUTPUT_DIR = joinpath(dirname(@__DIR__), "output")
 
 # Create wing geometry
 wing = ObjWing(
@@ -74,10 +76,10 @@ PLOT && plot_polar_data(body_aero)
 # Plotting geometry
 PLOT && plot_geometry(
     body_aero,
-    "";
-    data_type=".svg",
-    save_path="",
-    is_save=false,
+    "Ram air kite geometry";
+    data_type=".pdf",
+    save_path=OUTPUT_DIR,
+    is_save=false || SAVE_ALL,
     is_show=true,
     view_elevation=15,
     view_azimuth=-120,
@@ -96,8 +98,8 @@ PLOT && plot_distribution(
     [results],
     ["VSM"];
     title="CAD_spanwise_distributions_alpha_$(round(aoa, digits=1))_delta_$(round(side_slip, digits=1))_yaw_$(round(yaw_rate, digits=1))_v_a_$(round(v_a, digits=1))",
-    data_type=".pdf",
-    is_save=false,
+    save_path=OUTPUT_DIR,
+    is_save=false || SAVE_ALL,
     is_show=true,
     use_tex=USE_TEX
 )
@@ -114,8 +116,8 @@ PLOT && plot_polars(
     side_slip=0,
     v_a=10,
     title="ram_kite_panels_$(wing.n_panels)_distribution_$(wing.spanwise_distribution)",
-    data_type=".pdf",
-    is_save=false,
+    save_path=OUTPUT_DIR,
+    is_save=false || SAVE_ALL,
     is_show=true,
     use_tex=USE_TEX
 )

diff --git a/examples/rectangular_wing.jl b/examples/rectangular_wing.jl
@@ -2,7 +2,9 @@ using LinearAlgebra
 using VortexStepMethod
 
 PLOT = true
+SAVE_ALL = false
 USE_TEX = false
+OUTPUT_DIR = joinpath(dirname(@__DIR__), "output")
 
 # Step 1: Define wing parameters
 n_panels = 20          # Number of panels
@@ -58,10 +60,10 @@ println("Projected area = $(round(results_vsm["projected_area"], digits=4)) m²"
 # Step 6: Plot geometry
 PLOT && plot_geometry(
       body_aero,
-      "Rectangular_wing_geometry";
+      "Rectangular wing geometry";
       data_type=".pdf",
-      save_path=".",
-      is_save=false,
+      save_path=OUTPUT_DIR,
+      is_save=false || SAVE_ALL,
       is_show=true,
       use_tex=USE_TEX
 )
@@ -74,6 +76,8 @@ PLOT && plot_distribution(
     [results_vsm, results_llt],
     ["VSM", "LLT"],
     title="Spanwise Distributions",
+    save_path=OUTPUT_DIR,
+    is_save=false || SAVE_ALL,
     use_tex=USE_TEX
 )
 
@@ -87,6 +91,8 @@ PLOT && plot_polars(
     angle_type="angle_of_attack",
     v_a,
     title="Rectangular Wing Polars",
+    save_path=OUTPUT_DIR,
+    is_save=false || SAVE_ALL,
     use_tex=USE_TEX
 )
 nothing