Modeling boats in Freeship-The techniques of Using the sofware

[lewisboats]

I am starting this thread purely to discuss the USE of the software Free!Ship/DelftShip to MODEL a design. It will in NO way negate a knowledge of design principals or the theory and physics of the DESIGN process or "spiral" of a boat. Contributions will focus on the use of the software as a TOOL in the furtherance of and facilitation of design rather than as an end in and of itself. To start...Freeship/Delftship (from here on referred to F/D) is a Surface modeling tool...a Tool only. It can and will do any damn thing you want it to do. A Table, a Wall, a House shape, a console, a Hull...anything. It's general structure leans towards boats but it will model anything you really have a mind to do. Thus...it will draw a boat shape but will NOT limit you to things that are impossible or unsafe. To properly use the software you really need to have SOME understanding of the principals needed to design and build a vessel that is usable and safe inside of its unique design envelope.

Please forgive if you are following along in real time...I am typing then adding pics as needed...it takes a little time to get every thing sync'd!

[lewisboats]

Lesson 1:

File: New: OK.

What do you get? A default hull, in Metric, round bilge. If you look at the project settings...12,0 m long, 3,70 m beam and a draft of .50 m

From this shape you CAN form ANYTHING!

I could model the exterior of a 12 bedroom mansion from this simple BOAT hull. Still...we aren't here to do houses but...boats.

Step one: Select your flavor of measurement. If you are like me and use Feet then you will need to select Imperial. Go to Project/project settings/ and select Imperial/OK. Now everything has been changed from metric measurements to Feet and decimals there of. If Metric is your flavor then leave it alone. If you are wanting to do a direct swap...12 m to 12 ft then you have to scale the model. The ratio is 0.3042:1. To do this, the first step is to DE-select all (right click/deselect), then go to Transform/Scale. Scale all layers and select the box at the bottom just to be sure. You will want to scale all axis by .3042. You can use this on any hull that is measured in meters to get the equivalent measurement in feet...ie 12 meters to 12 feet. To eliminate some confusion from the start...go to Calculations/intersections and hit the garbage button for all of the 4 buttons to the left (Stations/buttocks/waterlines/diagonals) then click the checkmark (basically OK). This will eliminate any confusing extra lines (for now). DEselect all!

[lewisboats]

Lesson 2:

I want hard chines in my design!
Easily done! Hold down the CTL key and select the (grey) line you want to be the chine. It should flow from the bow to the stern in one swooping line. Once this is highlighted in yellow...click the button that is displayed as a 90 deg angle under a 90 deg arc >). This is the Crease button and is used to switch between a Hard Crease and a soft or rounded line along a design line. DEselect all! If you only got a partial...Deselect all and highlight the rest then click the same button. Us as necessary for your purposes.

[lewisboats]

Lesson 3: Moving vs Scaling
To get your design to the right shape you will need to move and shape the hull. Moving involves specific points or lines whereas scaling involves the whole hull. If you move a selected point or line a certain amount...only that line or point is involved. If you scale say...the beam...the whole hull is involved proportionally... relative to its original distance to the centerline. Meaning...if the hull is scale 110% then all points along that axis are scaled...even the 0 points. The pointed bow will stay the same, the mid beam will be 110% of the original mid beam...as will any specific point you would care to select...it would be 110% of its original distance from the centerline. the picture below has been scaled 110% along the Tranverse or width wise. If I were to have selected specific points or lines and moved them...only those specific points and lines would have moved...nothing else would have changed. Example 2 has the chine selected and moved 2 ft in the + direction or outwards from the centerline. Not a pretty sight but it does illustrate the point and the difference. DEselect all!

[lewisboats]

Break time to watch tv...be back later. DEselect all!


NOTICE...Feel free to continue where I left off...as I will do the same should anyone else be willing to continue this thread. Please let us try to keep it a logical progression rather than a Mish-mash of initial and advanced. Simple screen shots (suitably scaled to fit most screens) (CTL/PrintScreen) saved as a .jpg will work quite well. DEselect all...notice a theme here?

nice effort, and a carefully done headline!

And why did you not contribute here:
Step by step to design your boat!

you have been asked several times!

Did not feed your ego?


Sasha

[lewisboats]

nice effort, and a carefully done headline!

And why did you not contribute here:
Step by step to design your boat!

you have been asked several times!

Did not feed your ego?


Sasha

Nasty!

I simply don't subscribe to the way the thread is running. If you have a useful comment to make please join in ...if not...shoo fly!
I made my points! If you would take the time to re-read the whole thread and see...they were dismissed when it came down to brass tacks. I have since endured a number of distasteful PMs from the author of that thread and I have decided to try and rectify things with a serious thread aimed at what I thought the original one was going to do. So...again...I say...If you wish to contribute with something substantial and related to the thread...by all means have at it...otherwise take the nasty comments back to the other (what has become) mud slinging thread. Deselect all!

[lewisboats]

And why did you not contribute here:
Step by step to design your boat!

Do you really think that I would be allowed THAT much leeway in THAT thread...to post like I am doing now? Me thinks I would be accused of hijacking the thread in a most severe way...don't you?! Deselect all

[lewisboats]

A note on Leak Points...these are the turquoise (default) points along any OPEN edge. You will always have leak points in an open boat. A boat that is decked over 100% would have NO leak points. A leak point is any surface that doesn't meet the centerline and is not connected to another surface. Leak points are not the enemy...in 50% of the cases. If there exists a leak point below the waterline you have a problem...if it exists above the waterline you don't...provided it doesn't go below the waterline at any angle of heel or draft.


There is no Transom!:

Ah...the Extrude command. Highlight the aft curves in the Bodyplan view with a CTL click on as many parts of the line as needed to highlight it all (it should show on the left in the BodyPlan view). Then Edge/Extrude/Transverse direction and go say...-4.00 then OK>. Every Turquoise point that is subsequently generated (beyond the midline to the right) is a leak point...it won't go away until it is reset to 0. Select a point then change the Transverse value to 0. Continue until all the Turquoise points are at 0 and the hull gives you back Design Hydrostatics. The only problem with the extrude command is that you have to extrude ALL edges associated with the one you want in order to eliminate any leak points. For instance...if you extrude the shear but not the connecting transom you will have a leaking seam along the deck/transom line...regardless if you match the points exactly or not. You must also extrude the transom edge along with the shear edge in order to create a solid attached surface after zeroing all the leak points. The same will go for cabin roofs and foredecks. You will need to plan ahead on how you will shape these structures in order to prevent as many leak points as possible...if this is your desire. Your shape may still be developable even if they aren't leak proof...you just need to know the difference and whether it is worth the trouble. Sometimes it isn't and you can still obtain the same results. Deselect all!

[lewisboats]

Note on how I work...:
Please take a gander at the past posts...I often re-read what I have written and will post minor corrections that might be pertinent if I feel the need. Grammar and sometimes syntax will be corrected along with things that I feel might go better in a specific section. It's just the way I tend to work...rather like a perfectionist honing and refining...even if it is somewhat history in the thread. Deselect all! (you gotta get in the habit...it will save you endless self recriminations)

Steve

[Martijn_vE]

Nice thread Steve.
I know there are people out there facing difficulties while modeling.
Maybe one of them can jump in, so we can address those problems directly?
I feel that would be helpful to others too.

[lewisboats]

Originally Posted by Martijn_vE

Nice thread Steve.
I know there are people out there facing difficulties while modeling.
Maybe one of them can jump in, so we can address those problems directly?
I feel that would be helpful to others too.

That is my hope...although I also hope there will be a progression from basics to the more difficult. There are many aspects where I am deficient...I hope you and Bruce will chime in if needed. Perhaps you can start by doing a rough draft of importing and using offsets...tips and tricks and insider knowledge. I have no clue as to that aspect...Same with using a Background image...Bruce! We sure could use your timely and sage wisdom on working with these when the time comes. Once we get to the point of importing other designs as offsets and images this info would be the Bee's knees

Steve

[Martijn_vE]

Originally Posted by lewisboats

Perhaps you can start by doing a rough draft of importing and using offsets...tips and tricks and insider knowledge.Steve

I'll try that if I can make the time. That will also make a helpful tutorial on the DELFTship website.

Originally Posted by lewisboats

Same with using a Background image...
Steve

There's a tutorial with sample images and model on our DELFTship website.

[frank smith]

Originally Posted by Martijn_vE

Nice thread Steve.
I know there are people out there facing difficulties while modeling.
Maybe one of them can jump in, so we can address those problems directly?
I feel that would be helpful to others too.

It is some of the limitation of the program that force me to go to other sources to find the answers . Not a bad thing.
I find it a great tool to check how the progression of the design is going.
I can also eliminate wrong headed ideas quickly . In that respect it helps in training the minds eye. Not a small thing .

[Martijn_vE]

Originally Posted by frank smith

It is some of the limitation of the program that force me to go to other sources to find the answers

Can you be more specific?