Best Free or Low Cost Marine Design Software? (2007)

Discussion in 'Software' started by Admin, Jan 25, 2007.

?

Which free or low cost hull modeling program(s) do you use?

  1. Bearboat

    2 vote(s)
    3.0%
  2. BioDesign

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  3. BoatExpress

    1 vote(s)
    1.5%
  4. Carene

    3 vote(s)
    4.5%
  5. Carlson Design Hull Designer

    4 vote(s)
    6.0%
  6. Free!ship

    39 vote(s)
    58.2%
  7. DELFTship free

    13 vote(s)
    19.4%
  8. HullCAO

    3 vote(s)
    4.5%
  9. Hull Form Free Version

    5 vote(s)
    7.5%
  10. PolyCAD

    3 vote(s)
    4.5%
  11. SDN

    1 vote(s)
    1.5%
  12. Other (please post below)

    8 vote(s)
    11.9%
Multiple votes are allowed.
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  1. marshmat
    Joined: Apr 2005
    Posts: 4,127
    Likes: 149, Points: 63, Legacy Rep: 2043
    Location: Ontario

    marshmat Senior Member

    I've been following those discussions and I'm not sure I'd call them new Freeship development until I see a bit more respect for the GPL licence under which Freeship is protected. Once everyone participating there is clear on the terms of the licence and the sourcecode is being published under the same licence, it would be fair to call it a continued development of Freeship; as is, it looks more like an experimental pet project.
     
  2. ancient kayaker
    Joined: Aug 2006
    Posts: 3,497
    Likes: 147, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 2291
    Location: Alliston, Ontario, Canada

    ancient kayaker aka Terry Haines

    Thank you MarshMat: I have downloaded FreeShip and have tried it as well as DelftShip. there seems to be little difference, both are good for designing fair, elegant hulls.

    However, for a Vee-bottom hull the plank developments for the garboards consistently have straight or concave lower edges along the keel line. This must be incorrect as such edges can not be joined except on a hogged hull or a hull with negative deadrise. I find the same problem in files I have downloaded from the Delft web site. I never get this when I develop the planks on paper. For comparison, Carene always generates convex edges for similar bottoms which produce the expected shape when assembled. There must be an error in both FreeShip and DelftShip. I wonder if this is just the garboards or if the developments for the other plank are also incorrect.

    Does anyone else have experience of using the plank developments provided by either program?
     
  3. lazeyjack

    lazeyjack Guest

    Delft and Freeship
    Tutorial is the most useful of any, Maxsurf assumes one knows something about Cad, totally useless to a beginner in my opinion, at least I created something, spent literally 100,s of hrs Maxsurf and got nowhere I really appreciate this gift that the boys In The Netherlands sent us. they deserve to do well, and if by some mysterious fluke I ever became proficient with CAD I would not hesitate in buying the programme before the others
     
  4. Vernon
    Joined: May 2007
    Posts: 3
    Likes: 0, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 10
    Location: Great Salt Lake Utah

    Vernon New Member

    Does Free Ship allow you to Design smaller hulls as well? I have been using Paint.( Yes Paint, found in the accesories folder)
     
  5. marshmat
    Joined: Apr 2005
    Posts: 4,127
    Likes: 149, Points: 63, Legacy Rep: 2043
    Location: Ontario

    marshmat Senior Member

    The smallest boat I've drawn in Freeship was 10 cm long. Accurate control of the point grid gets a bit difficult below an overall length of about a half-metre, though.
     
  6. Vernon
    Joined: May 2007
    Posts: 3
    Likes: 0, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 10
    Location: Great Salt Lake Utah

    Vernon New Member

    :confused: How do i Download Freeship? It just downloads index, and leads me back to download it again. What do i need to do to download it.:confused:
     
  7. Victor T
    Joined: Feb 2007
    Posts: 127
    Likes: 6, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 58
    Location: Ukraine

    Victor T Senior Member

  8. Vernon
    Joined: May 2007
    Posts: 3
    Likes: 0, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 10
    Location: Great Salt Lake Utah

    Vernon New Member

    Nope...Still Wont Work. I Guess I will Just Do Without ... BACK TO PAINT
     
  9. northerncat
    Joined: Jan 2007
    Posts: 170
    Likes: 1, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 9
    Location: australia

    northerncat Senior Member

    which of these is suitable for designing hard chined planing vessels
    sean
     
  10. SeaSpark
    Joined: Mar 2006
    Posts: 593
    Likes: 17, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 96
    Location: Holland

    SeaSpark -

    Hard chines

    Carene, carlson, polycad, as far as i know

    The predecessor of DelftshipFree, Freeship is the best as some functionality has been removed in DelftshipFree.
     
  11. ancient kayaker
    Joined: Aug 2006
    Posts: 3,497
    Likes: 147, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 2291
    Location: Alliston, Ontario, Canada

    ancient kayaker aka Terry Haines

    The free version of Carene was limited to constant angle planks last time I tried it. Deft/Freeship is good if you format the horizontal lines in the control net to create creases; be wary of using more control points than you need horizontally but ensure you have what you need vertically; it's so quick you can learn by playing. Haven't tried the others.
     
  12. northerncat
    Joined: Jan 2007
    Posts: 170
    Likes: 1, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 9
    Location: australia

    northerncat Senior Member

    having now drawn up a hull is there any software that i can use to estimate how well it will move through the water while being pushed by a 60hp, in other words i want to play around with the beam for my hulls to get maximum planing, with maximum amount of v angle with maximum width of hull for stability and still be pushed by 60hp
    sean
     
  13. northerncat
    Joined: Jan 2007
    Posts: 170
    Likes: 1, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 9
    Location: australia

    northerncat Senior Member

    :) :) i liked carene for the weight calculations waterline heights, hullform for the ease of use and freeship for the pretty pictures:) :)
    sean
     
  14. mbdezign
    Joined: Jan 2007
    Posts: 3
    Likes: 0, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 10
    Location: Sarasota, Fl

    mbdezign New Member

    This is for boat design, not an ad layout. Besides, both platforms will suffice. It's a poor craftsman who blaims his tools..l
     

  15. ancient kayaker
    Joined: Aug 2006
    Posts: 3,497
    Likes: 147, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 2291
    Location: Alliston, Ontario, Canada

    ancient kayaker aka Terry Haines

    Who was blaming what tool?
     
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