Solidworks for boat design?

Is anybody else using Solidworks for boat design?

 

Yes,

After buildig a solid experience in Solid Works for about 5 years, I took the step to design and develop a boat in Solid Works. I must say regarding surface handling there are much better solutions, as for instance Uni Graphics, but at a whole different price level. The cost/performance rate of Solid Works is fair and the service(desk) is cooperative (in Holland).

When trained and knowing it's limitations it's a powerfull tool.

 

I've just finished a project where we used Solid Works for a small (40ft) boat design. The hull geometry was designed first in Rhino, then imported into SolidWorks 2005. It is a little painfull to thicken the Rhino surface in SolidWorks, but once that is done, the design of internal structure, molds, plugs, and installation of outfitting is reasonably straightforward. We have started with the detail design of a 90ft boat now, and it is going much smoother now that our teething pains are over.

As Sander says above, once you understand the limitations it is a very good tool.

 

ClarkT congrats, can you post some pictures if the structure?

 

I do

As a complete amateur "boatdesigner" I use solidworks

I did the modeling of the hull and some internal structures, you could even go further and get layer by layer of glass for every exact location, this gives you most realistic center of weight, BOM of needed materials, etc.

Never tried to compare it to the reality as my personal project gets hooked of to a smaller one also getting form in SW.

The most difficult is getting smoot, fair, forms...

what SW are you working with?

greetz,

 

Solidworks 2005
I really like the mass properties function for finding weight, displacement and center of gravity, but fairing 3d hull planks is a PITA.

 

May I ask your opinion of the advantages of using Rhino for the hull instead of SW? Why Rhino instead of something like MaxSurf?

The attached cabin house was done as a quick study in SW as an alternative for an existing design.

 

I don't find solidworks practical to model hull surfaces, surfaces are easier to control and easier to fair on rhino or maxsurf or any other hull design software, is true that is possible to model almost any surface in solidworks but again the true control of your surface is not as the one you may have in rhino or a hull design software.

search the forum posts there is good treads about using solidworks for hull design the pro and cons.

 

some pics in SW

not completely finished models

 

Do you use surfaces or solids to get hull shapes in SW?

I sometimes find it easier to create a hull shape in a solid then shell it out. After that I can convert the solid face into a ruled surface for flattening. This process works very well for determining flat patterns for stitch and glue designs.

 

the shell method

I prefer the shell method. as I try to use it afterwards for LWL and exact detailing interior parts that have same shape as hull, this gives me exact fit.

What interests me is what you mean by ruled surface, as my problem for now is that I don't know if my shape is fair enough.

could you explain some more?

Thx,