Best Marine Design Software for Hull Design? (2001-2005)

[vpkumar]

Hello Pam,
I dont think you can down load any software free which will help you to form the surface. I think the best way is to request someone who has the software to help you in generating it. Since iot is only a one time job.

[urushira]

that may be the best suggestion, though i find myself short of funds to compensate anyone.. My research so far on this vessel has turned up very little beyond the bare minimum measurments, and it's been quite a challenge finding more than simple historical data.. This seems to be a ship that was almost lost to history, and it played perhaps a very important role not only in getting Lincoln elected but in the Local Wisconsin/Illinois history as well.. I'd really like to do it, and the victims aboard her some justice..
Thanks again
Pam

[urushira]

PS..If yourwilling to part with Rhino, I'm willing to do whatever i need to leatrn it.. I've got the time and it's got to beat POV/Moray (what doesnt??). Please tell me what you would need from me, I'll do my very best to supply it
Thank you
Pam

[urushira]

I've never used Rhino before, but i've heard a lot of good things about it, and I have played with Maya PLE some and POV/Moray, so i'm kinda familiar with Nurbs and polygon modelling, so i'm definately up for the challenge of learning Rhino.. Please tell me what you would need from me. i'm extremely short on funds but will do my best otherwise..
Thank you ..
pam

[ARGO]

Hello Lazyjack

I spent many years on my hands and knees lofting out . After 15 years of this process, i started to feel like an old man. My back and knees were done and i was too. About 6 years ago i started to learn marine design from the architects perspective. This caught my interest as i needed a softer way to work my trade. The engineering and design, yes. I have built many a boat on dock bottom now i build them in my office with a hot coffee. My training continues as i get further in this career choice. Been there done that, i love to loft out the boats structure and plating, send them to get cut and hear from the customer how easy that was and cheaper. They like that.
Have a look at my site www.argo-design.ca

[urushira]

I used to live on a homebuilt hardchine trimaran in Richardson bay and loved what I saw people doing at Gate 3 in Sausolito. I must admit a lot of admiration for what any and all of you do. For me. Computers are easy, but where I thought i could simply go into some program like POV and make a set of lines and then lay something solid on top of them, I learned it's not quite that simple.. not even with a flat bottomed lake boat..
Pam
(Yup, 3 hulls are better than 2 )

[BillyDoc]

The original post on this thread lists the following software packages, and various opinions have been expressed here about them. For those of us trying to buy into this game, however, the PRICE would be very helpful in deciding which way to go. I really like Maxsurf with Workshop and Hydromax, for example, it looks like just what I need . . . but I just found out what it costs. It might be OK for a professional, but for us dumb amateurs who are pleading with our wives and taking out the garbage with a smile just to get a little cooperation . . . the mention of numbers of this magnitude are not helpful. We have to buy sails, too, you know!

So, what are the current prices? And can you really design a nice little metal yacht with the package? With very few exceptions the web pages do NOT list prices, which probably means they are too expensive. I am also very suspicious of the “reduced rate” packages for students, etc., as they always seem to limit something that you really need just to twist your knickers enough to get you to cough up more bucks.

I guess I’m skeptical, but I have been seriously burnt on expensive software before (Hypermill, $11,000) and I really don’t want to repeat the experience. It's called the "Bugs for Bucks" game, where you have to pay and pay and pay for bug fixes and "updates" to get the software to actually work, and I don't want to play that game. It's like buying a car with no warrantee at all, and then you find out that the pistons are extra, and the wheels, and the bumpers, and the radiator . . . you get the idea.

Autoship (Autoship Systems Corporation)

DefCar (DefCar Engineering)

Fastship (Proteus Engineering)

HullCAO (HullCAO)

Hull Form (Blue Peter Marine Systems)

Maxsurf (Formation Design Systems) Maxsurf Pro, $6,772; Hydromax Pro, $4,512; Workshop, $4,512; total: $15,796 less $3,159 for buying all three = $12,636 US dollars.

MultiSurf (Aerohydro)

Prolines (Vacanti Yacht Design)

ProSurf (New Wave Systems)

Rhino (Robert McNeel & Assoc.) Rhino, $895; Hydrostatics, Stability & Sectioning Plug-in, $350; 3D Surface Expansion Plug-in, $895; Hull Design & Fairing (FastYacht), $995; total = $3,135 US dollars.

Naval Designer (US Sales by Forum Marine)

SeaSolution (SeaSolution)

TouchCAD (Lundström Design) Basic hydrostatics, hull fairing with dynamic cross sectioning and shape analysis: $795 US dollars.

[lazeyjack]

email me or send a private post , I can help you find a solution

[Tim B]

POV-Ray is an absolutely brilliant piece of software. But it is a renderer, do not forget that. It is a display package, not a design package. There will be an alpha version of my LMH code released at the end of the summer. If you want software for basic hull design (and basic hydrostatics) then it will satisfy your needs. It is written under Linux, but will be ported to M$ ******* as well. Don't expect Rhino-quality interface and Rhino's plethora of commands, you won't get it, or at least not yet. It will be available from my website. The Surface accuracy has been established as 10^-10 units from a surface in Rhino 3.

Cheers,

Tim B.

[BillyDoc]

Tim B.

I look forward to trying your software!

Bill

[ludesign]

Originally Posted by BillyDoc

TouchCAD (Lundström Design) Basic hydrostatics, hull fairing with dynamic cross sectioning and shape analysis: $795 US dollars.

Not mentioned features in TouchCAD but also included in the price are:

Unlimited number of surfaces.

Extensive general purpose modeling tools.

Very powerful parametric unfolding features with dynamic links to the 3D model. Support for stretch unfold calculations with tension analysis. Integrated material nesting of the unfolded parts with maintained dynamic links to the 3D model. Parametric overlaps /seam allowances. Image unfolding, etc.

Integrated weight calculation features with individual weight / weight per area unit properties for each object, integrated spreadsheet to show the compiled result, which in combination with an unlimited number of surfaces and powerful general purpose modeling tools, gives the ability to analyze the boat as a unit and not just a small part of it.

[Baldur]

Maxsurf would be great!!!, But for a homebuilder like myself who can barely afford to buy boat building materials, it is not an option.

[ErikG]

Baldur, could you be considered a student?
There's a free limited version for us.

[Baldur]

Student for life......

[Chickadee]

MAAT is a french CIRCE based software.

I went to the download section, but they ask for a password

Anybody works with it ? Just wondering how much it can cost ? Let's say the Pro version ? Must be the price of a small boat

No problem, Freeship is enough for my virtual boats