Free or Low Cost Hull Modeling Software? (2012)

[mctaggert]

I've been using Carlson's Hulls program for doing quick designs and working out ideas about chined (plywood) hulls. It's primitive, but works fine for what I've been doing and I've been reluctant to take on anything more complex.

Now I'm ready to make the move to something more complicated. Any recommendations for any of these hull modeling programs? I'm mostly working on plywood multihull designs for my own personal enjoyment. I've downloaded Freeship+ as it had the most users listed in the poll, but I'm ignorant of all this software and open to suggestion. Free is the main criteria, with modeling chined plywood hulls next. Thanks for any suggestions

[Leo Lazauskas]

Originally Posted by mctaggert

I've been using Carlson's Hulls program for doing quick designs and working out ideas about chined (plywood) hulls. It's primitive, but works fine for what I've been doing and I've been reluctant to take on anything more complex.

Now I'm ready to make the move to something more complicated. Any recommendations for any of these hull modeling programs? I'm mostly working on plywood multihull designs for my own personal enjoyment. I've downloaded Freeship+ as it had the most users listed in the poll, but I'm ignorant of all this software and open to suggestion. Free is the main criteria, with modeling chined plywood hulls next. Thanks for any suggestions

I think that it will be difficult to find something much better than Freeship for
the price you are willing to pay

[pistnbroke]

the simple way to use freeship is to put a basic design into Carene and then export to freeship /.....not delftship you can get Carene at Carene Software Its here ...

[lewisboats]

For developable hulls I second Carene...it will not do something that can't be done in ply. That being said... FS/DS will enhance what Carene can do immensely because it isn't as rigid if you use it right. I start almost all the hulls I draw with Carene because I can create a useable base hull in a matter of seconds to a few minutes then flesh it out in FS and/or DS.

[alanrockwood]

Regarding the Free!Ship Plus downlaod, when I go to the official download sites and try to download the program it links to the site "depositfiles.com", and I get warnings from McAfee Site Advisor that it is an unsafe site. Does anyone know of a safe site where the latest version of Free!Ship Plus can be downloaded?

[Boat Design Net Moderator]

Originally Posted by alanrockwood

Regarding the Free!Ship Plus downlaod, when I go to the official download sites and try to download the program it links to the site "depositfiles.com", and I get warnings from McAfee Site Advisor that it is an unsafe site. Does anyone know of a safe site where the latest version of Free!Ship Plus can be downloaded?

At hydronship, click download on the top menu to get the full list and then try downloading by clicking the small gray disk icon at the end of the description on the left. It appears the small disk icon there loads the file directly from hydronship.net whereas the download option on the right links to it on depositfiles.

[CmbtntDzgnr]

Originally Posted by BPL

Rhino for OSX sounds interesting. It has been in the works for a couple years.

It's too bad no one ported Free!Ship to run natively on MAC yet.

"FreeShip" or similar running natively on OS X?

I wish Freeship/Hydronship would be re-written so that:

-- hydros can be shown while the user edits the model

-- hydros can be edited to push the model

-- spheres/egg shapes could be attached to a surface and moved around to evaluate sponsons, blisters, and duct tunnels, with real-time with hydros displays (obviously, Low quality would have to be set unless a SUPER fast CPU and GPU enable smooth, quick updates in the Highest Quality setting

-- more hydros constraints could be pre-applied to stop or warn the user from overtweaking a model

-- import of multiple hulls to compare them in the same window instead of running multiple instances

-- the MNVDET spreadsheet tool could drive Freeship/Hydronship to enable faster modeling

-- Freeship and PolyCAD talk to each other better and with mutual driving of a model in the middle, rather than a model in one or the other

-- MNVDET, PolyCAD, and Freeship/Hydronship work together, with the model in the middle, not separately moved from interface to interface

[spidennis]

Originally Posted by CmbtntDzgnr

I wish Freeship/Hydronship would be re-written so that:

-- hydros can be shown while the user edits the model

-- hydros can be edited to push the model

-- spheres/egg shapes could be attached to a surface and moved around to evaluate sponsons, blisters, and duct tunnels, with real-time with hydros displays (obviously, Low quality would have to be set unless a SUPER fast CPU and GPU enable smooth, quick updates in the Highest Quality setting

-- more hydros constraints could be pre-applied to stop or warn the user from overtweaking a model

-- import of multiple hulls to compare them in the same window instead of running multiple instances

-- the MNVDET spreadsheet tool could drive Freeship/Hydronship to enable faster modeling

-- Freeship and PolyCAD talk to each other better and with mutual driving of a model in the middle, rather than a model in one or the other

-- MNVDET, PolyCAD, and Freeship/Hydronship work together, with the model in the middle, not separately moved from interface to interface

that doesn't sound like free or low cost to me

[CmbtntDzgnr]

LOL!

True, not free, and not cheap.

But, if the trio got together, and produced something that is greater in sum than the individual parts, then I'd very gladly plunk $500 towards that singular/combined product.

I like the interfaces of each, and I'm psychologically invested in the information and feature, so it would be awesome. Now, if only ViaCAD had a few more tweaks I want, the 4 of them would be super.

[krishkannu]

can freeship generate cross curves

[Izugarrin]

Yes it does great KN, but the problem for me is that I use NURBS surfaces created in Rhino or in Maxsurf and is complicated to export to Freeship.
It´s just to use Freeship for the entire process I suppose.