head spinning- looking for basic functions

[new guy]

I have spent alot of time reading through these threads- every thread I read people are jumping in with everything that all the different software does. Now this is great but it is just too much for me to figure out. I have used Freeship but it seems to lack what I want. (you get what you pay for right) I want to find a software that will do this:

1) It will either import my Freeship hull form, or allow me to make my own, or both
2) It will help me design the hull as far as structural build requirements
3) It will then allow me to figure out weights of hull materials and distribution of that weight
4) It will allow me to then add, in 3 dimensions, weight such as engine, fuel, passengers at different locations in the boat and then report on waterline (how it floats), stability, etc
5) It will allow me to change #4 around as needed for "what if" scenarios
6) It will export a file that can be used for Autocad and/or 3D printing

Does this exist?

[Joe Petrich]

What kind of budget do you have? There are several software packages out there which will do all or most of what you want, but at a price of course.

No. 3 is a bit vague. Do you want it to do structural calculations based on geometry which you create or do you just want it to assist in creating that geometry?

It is important to remember that no software is a substitute for having the appropriate design and engineering skills.

[new guy]

Originally Posted by Joe Petrich

What kind of budget do you have? There are several software packages out there which will do all or most of what you want, but at a price of course.

No. 3 is a bit vague. Do you want it to do structural calculations based on geometry which you create or do you just want it to assist in creating that geometry?

It is important to remember that no software is a substitute for having the appropriate design and engineering skills.

Budget: under $500 I suppose, yet I have no idea if this is realistic.

No. 2 & 3- both. I would like to see if what I design works- and then have help (as much as is reasonable for software) in correcting/modifying my design. My thought was that the structural components could be designed to work with almost any given geometry; yet for the sake of cost, weight, etc., I would like to look at different scenarios. "Assistance in creating geometry" would be helpful.

[PAR]

What these software "tools" don't do, is teach you about yacht design and basic engineering. Without an understanding of these two disciplines, your software package (any) will happily develop up a wonderful looking boat that will perform like crap and/or possibly not hold up to the rigors of life underway.

There is no substitute for the education necessary, to make these software packages into skillfully wielded tools. Clever engineering requires an education. I'm not trying to insult you, software is nothing more then a tool (okay several), but you have to know which end of the wrench to employ and why. How's you yacht design and engineer skill set?

[new guy]

Originally Posted by PAR

What these software "tools" don't do, is teach you about yacht design and basic engineering. Without an understanding of these two disciplines, your software package (any) will happily develop up a wonderful looking boat that will perform like crap and/or possibly not hold up to the rigors of life underway.

There is no substitute for the education necessary, to make these software packages into skillfully wielded tools. Clever engineering requires an education. I'm not trying to insult you, software is nothing more then a tool (okay several), but you have to know which end of the wrench to employ and why. How's you yacht design and engineer skill set?

Jeez- I didn't say I was going to send some innocent and unaware people offshore in my newly constructed boat; I just want to play with the stuff, and learn as I do. I have been building boats since age 6 (thats 46 years now), repairing them for about 30, but never designed one. I know I don't know jack (hence my user name) and I am undertaking this as a passion/hobby; one way I wanted to learn was to utilized computer programs.

Part of the original question was: "help me design the hull as far as structural build requirements.... does this exist?" I will assume the answer is "No, it does not exist".

Since the subject has been brought up though, I am currently looking for a design/engineering school and/or training program to help me learn. I can travel- All I see here locally (Seattle) is wooden boat programs which I really have no interest in. I suppose there is another thread somewhere covering that though. I am just scratching the surface and asking questions as I go.

[PAR]

Again, I'm not trying to insult you and sorry if you felt offended.

I'd recommend picking up a few books before you get into software too much. One that will help you a great deal is Dave Geer's "Elements of Boat Strength". This will get you into a engineering "place" that will be safe. Next on the list would be "Elements of Yacht Design" whatever is the latest edition. This will get you into a yacht design box with emphasize on software use. Naturally, there are hundreds of other books and the book store here has all the usual suspects.

My point is, stumbling through yacht design software will teach you little, though it will help you understand some of the features of the software. After you digest these two books, you'll be able to "use" the software and the results of your efforts could be expected to float right side up with some degree of assurance and safety.

Lastly, take a look at www.westlawn.edu it could be just the ticket.

[new guy]

Cool, sounds like great advice. I'm logging on to Amazon.com to check them out right now. Thank you.

[Joe Petrich]

If you are inclined to travel, The Landing School in Maine has an excellent program. We have hired several of their graduates and they all were top notch.

Westlawn is another good program.

Being a student will also allow you to receive discounts on software.

[alidesigner]

If you are happy to make your surfaces in freeship and then export it I would suggest you try Alibre since its free to try and you can design all your internal structure as solids so you can get weight and cog to take back to freeship to see how it floats, you can add mass components to the assembly and make your drawings. I dont know how it will handle the freeship import but it might be worth a look.

Software that does it all in one program doesnt exist unless you have a massive budget.