Free or Low Cost Hull Modeling Software? (2014)

Continued as a tradition from http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/de...cost-hull-modeling-software-2013-a-45800.html

• Bearboat
  
• Boat Express
  
• Carene
  
• Carlson Design Hull Designer
  
• DelftShip Free
  
• Free!Ship
  
• Free!Ship Plus
  
• HullCAO
  
• HullForm
  
• jSDN
  
• PolyCAD
  

Additional very useful software links added to this post for reference/access 5/13/14

• http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/design-software/michlet-9-32-released-50211.html
  
• http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/design-software/flotilla-6-2-released-50116.html
  
• http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/de...architecture-calculations-everyone-50262.html

 

Windows 8

I have the Carlson hull designer and it works great to a certain extent but it defiantly fully Windows 8 compatible. I wonder about the other packages?

 

Sketchup

 

fair curves in sketchup

How are you managing fair curve surfaces in sketchup?

 

Defiantly compatible?

 

I have a channel on youtube where i post videos of some of the boats i design. With a bit of practice and the right plug-ins you can do a lot Sketchup.
The video below is a short video of how you can design a boat in Sketchup.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9N2o4BF2iM

 

I use Carene2008, Free!Ship, Delftship, Blender, and Sketchup.

Each has functions valuable for different tasks.

I read a number of old threads asking for a simple way to import hull sections into cad.

I do it with Sketchup.

I import the body as .jpg. Then trace the sections and extrude them with the push/pull command. The Sketchup drawing tools make quick work of tracing. Save as a cad file. Import into other programs. Simple.

Pictured is a 3D figure of extruded sections of my Albin 25s made with Sketchup. Click to enlarge.
Took about an hour.

Reminds me of ship builders old half models. A model built up of shaped planks, that could be separated.

 

Yobarnacle, do not tell me that you use these models for calculations of naval architecture. The error in the calculations can be very large.
Instead extrusion, why do not you use the "loft" command?

 

All my programs are freebies, meaning some functions disabled.
I'm not building a hull, so I'm unlikely to die from design error.
I own two Albin 25s. Each is 40 years old and have excellent condition hulls.
I'm redesigning the accommodation in both, and the superstructure on one.
Reengineering the propulsion on that one, and other systems on both.
In short, I'm moving weights around, and need cutting patterns for furnishings.
I am carefull of burden and stability, using a number of ways.
Keeping a paper trail tally of weight removed and weight installed and where, so it balances out.
Weigh the empty trailer and then the boat with trailer at the truck scales for $5. I get empirical data on weight lost or added.
AND I use the cad programs to try things for fit first.
And a 3D viewer so the WIFE can do a virtual walk thru and say yay or nay.
Before I invest too much time, sweat, and money.
Makes more sense NOW!

 

For me it makes no more sense NOW ! . If you can do things well without any extra effort, why make them less good?

 

Ok. Instruct me, please.
How do YOU import 2 dimensional pictures containing NO DATA, such as a lines drawing or a photograph, into a CAD program, so that it HAS dimensional data?

My process takes about an hour and results; I have dimensioned templates of frames at each station IDENTICAL to the lines drawing.

Always willing to learn something new. Then I decide if it's better, or merely different. Thanks in advance.

 

I use mainly AutoCAD. You can import most of the graphics files, even without data: pdf, dxf, rtf, bmp, jpg, ........, lines, text, photos, whatever you want.
In one hour I can not be sure but 2 to 3 hours I can go from a 2D plane pencil to a solid or surface model usable by any other program to calculate, for example, hydrostatic, or your wife decide which lamp will do better in the cabin of your boat.
Cheers

 

Never used AutoCAD. The name is familiar, though.
So I looked it up. Sells for 4,195$.
You can download a trial version.
And if you are a student, you can get it free for 3 years.
Congratulations! You have nice tools.
Four grand is more than I paid for both boats, the trailers, the engines, and all the bits and pieces.
Actually, I get a lot of my fiberglass parts free! (Sweat equity only.)
I have access to bone yard and permission to cut parts and pieces off of broken yachts.
But fittings aren't free.
So I use freebie cad programs por que soy muy CODO, senor.
(CHEAP for those who don't speak Spanish. )

 

Hey question for anyone who has played around with PolyCAD. Does it have any advantages over Delftship? If so, what are they? Thanks.

 

Continued in 2015 at http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/de...cost-hull-modeling-software-2015-a-52302.html