AutoYacht on Mac?

[Aramas]

I've been thinking about ditching Windows and turning to the dark side. Has anyone tried using AutoYacht with VirtualPC on a mac? It uses a dongle (ie hardware lock that plugs into the serial port), so I assume that would be the main problem.

[ludesign]

Originally Posted by Aramas

I've been thinking about ditching Windows and turning to the dark side. Has anyone tried using AutoYacht with VirtualPC on a mac? It uses a dongle (ie hardware lock that plugs into the serial port), so I assume that would be the main problem.

Hardware locks may cause a problem with VirtualPC, at least with older versions.

Much better to use a real Mac program:

TouchCAD is the only marine design program for both the modern Unix based Mac OSX and Windows. Note that there is a new version in the works called 3.5, whith lots of new features.

More info at:

http://www.touchcad.com

http://www.touchcad.com

[Aramas]

Your software certainly looks interesting, but I already own an AutoYacht license and I'm not about to throw away several thousand hours of hard-earned experience with it.

[nero]

If you are a Microsoft person stay with with a PC. They are cheaper and will have the normal bugs that the maker of your design software knows.

If you want a simpler life, get a Mac. Your investment is your knowledge of design.

A correct software will be a logical and quick to understand. TouchCad is that.

A new ibook G5 at $1400 US with the 17 inch screen is smoking!

[ludesign]

TouchCAD works on Windows too and has the same features on both platforms.

Check out Nero's cool 14 meter crusing cat in the gallery section. 400 NURBS surfaces where used on the display model, all modeled in TouchCAD, so it does a lot more than just hull fairing.

[Jeff]

Originally Posted by nero

A new ibook G5 at $1400 US with the 17 inch screen is smoking!

I shouldn't drive the thread off topic, but... where can you get a 17" ibook for $1400 US? Pricing a 17" powerbook on the apple store, it starts at a base price of $2,799. I somewhat dislike the imonopoly of apple but their screen quality is supposed to be top notch.

P.S. I was so busy looking at the design that I missed the detail that it was designed in TouchCad - interesting!

[ludesign]

What Nero really meant was probably the new iMac G5, which is available with 17" and 20" screens. These very cool looking machines have everything integrated into the format of a an ordinary flat screen, or at least not all that much bigger. It's only two inch thick.

All iBooks use the G4 processor.

[nero]

That is what I was thinking about. I have an old clam shell G3 300mhz and a ibook G3 at 900 mhz. The second one does quite well with my design ... a bit of a pause now and then. The old one turns the file but gives me more time to think of my next move ...

So when I got the new sales catalog from www.macconnection.com with an all in the screen, 17 inch 512mb, G5!!! at only $1,294 I started getting a little bit incoherent. smile

TouchCAD and any rendering program should rock on this computer.

[ludesign]

A 300 MHz Mac is pretty OK for smaller models but on a 400 NURBS surface model such as Nero's cat it really helps to have a slightly more contemporary machine, especially if you simultaneously edit a pile of surfaces with dynamic cross sectioning display mode turned on. On the other hand, TouchCAD users tend to do a substantially bigger part of the modeling in TouchCAD, compared to many other hull fairing programs. 400 surfaces or more are by no means uncommon. TouchCAD is a good general-purpose surface modeler and it really helps to do all object-to-object fittings (for example bulkheads to the hull including edge trimmings) in one program. The integrated weight and center of gravity calculations also helps to keep track of things.

For rendering purposes it also helps to have a fast machine. TouchCAD exports well to most rendering programs on the market. The DXF export enables you to export the color names (all TouchCAD colors have a meaningful user definable names such as 'Mahogany', 'Pine' or 'Glass', separate line and fill colors and a transparency property) instead of the layer names. This gives an excellent starting point for applying surface maps and textures.

I personally prefer a French program called Artlantis (TouchCAD provides direct export in Artlantis' own format). The resulting file is almost ready for rendering. Some light adjustments, apply some textures, adjust their reflections, etc. Artlantis is one of the very few rendering programs that enable you to see the adjustments in real-time using ray tracing, so it generates results very quickly. I guess a model like Nero's cat probably takes something half an hour to prepare for rendering (based on a TouchCAD model) and a 2000 x 1300 pixel seldom takes more than two minutes to render per image. It also does walk-through animations, QuickTime VR movies and QuickTime VR objects.

[Robert Miller]

I've been looking at Rhino/Flamingo, but I am really not willing to give up my beloved Macs, if I don't have to. At this point, I am still drawing by hand.
TouchCad does look very nice.

In TouchCad, is there built-in ability, or are there plug-ins, to do marine calculations including:

hydrostatics
stability and heeled stability
damaged stability
velocity-performance prediction and resistance
construction drawings.

How are these handled in TouchCad?

Thank you.

Robert Miller

[ludesign]

Originally Posted by Robert Miller

I've been looking at Rhino/Flamingo, but I am really not willing to give up my beloved Macs, if I don't have to. At this point, I am still drawing by hand.
TouchCad does look very nice.

In TouchCad, is there built-in ability, or are there plug-ins, to do marine calculations including:

hydrostatics
stability and heeled stability
damaged stability
velocity-performance prediction and resistance
construction drawings.

How are these handled in TouchCad?

Thank you.

Robert Miller

TouchCAD is certainly an alternative to Rhino for both Mac and Windows. TouchCAD costs a little less and does not need separate plug-ins such as Phaser to do basic marine calculations, or Expander to do unfolding, as these features are built in from start.

TouchCAD generates lines with labels and provides dynamic cross sectioning, calculates the center of gravity, surface area and buoyancy, static floating position, wetted surface, total and waterline lengths and widths and draft of the hull (over several combined surfaces), it generates offsets, etc. It supports an unlimited number of surfaces and each object has it's own weight property, very useful as you typically model most panels directly within TouchCAD instead of with a separate modeling/CAD program.

For detailing and assembly drawings, most users use a separate CAD program. I personally use VectorWorks, which is available for both Mac and Windows. It provides very good drafting and solid modeling, at a fraction of what SolidWorks costs (I think they actually use the same kernel). The price is about the same as AutoCAD LT, which essentially is a 2D program so my choice was easy. Some TouchCAD users use other CAD programs such as AutoCAD so it is really up to you want to use.

I use Artlantis for rendering beyond the built in OpenGL based rendering with real-time walk through, fly over, animation and dynamic cut throughs, etc. . It costs about the same as Flamingo but has the advantage of being, at least in my opinion, the easiest program to use on the market. Other users use a wide range of other rendering programs such as Cinema 4D, Strata and 3DS. Again it is a matter of choice.