Solidworks2000 design methods

[Brandon]

I havew been experimenting with Solidworks2000 as a boat design tool, I am wondering if anyone has any experience with using this program for boat design, I have used it extensively for mechanical design but as we all know boat design and mechanical design are quite different...any suggestions/help would be aprreciated. Thanks, Brandon

[Dim]

Dear Brandon,

I thought, whether it is necessary to display some pictures from the past jobs. Probably I shall show. Because I same tried much to model in "Mechanical Desktop" ship constructions.
Difference "Mechanical Desktop" and "SolidWorks" in a geometrical "base". In "Mechanical Desktop" - "Asis", and in "SolidWorks" - "Parasolid". As far as I could read about their characteristics, Parasolid - it is better.
It seems, that usage of solid-state simulation in "Mechanical Desktop" and "SolidWorks" in shipbuilding is meaningful only in the event that it is necessary to make stress calculation. The well familiar environment of development of solid-model will allow you with the least quantity of time to create model then to export it in calc's unit of stress calculaton soft. That is, to work, for example not in "Femap", but in "SolidWorks".
As sometimes it happens expediently to use not native for shipbuilding of the program, when it is fast necessary to test proper design from the point of view of the sizes. That is, if this detail will be of such size, whether that can it be installed in a necessary place?
Basically, I consider, that it is more expedient to use the specialized software.
Probably I not of the rights.

Yours faithfully,
Dim.

[txjm]

I don't know if this is a help, but can't Solidworks 2003 and 2004 do sheetmetal lofts. I would think would help generate flat patterns. I played with 2001 and found it easy to generate a solid model, but could not find a use for it. I am going to try 2004 as soon as I get time.

I played with it some. It looks like the sheetmetal lofts will not do but 2 profiles.

[navinod]

Hi, I use SW 2001+ for mechanical drawings & sometime for boat design, but "it's a real mess"!!
The hull must be a surface, not a solid in order to be modified. It's not so easy to export it as IGES file too.
I suggest U to use Maxsurf or Autoship to moded hulls & decks.

B.R.

M-V

[Paul B]

SW really wasn't designed specifically for the task of Yacht Design, so it isn't as good a choice as something like MaxSurf.

However, your lofts can be solids and not only surfaces. All of the pics in my gallery are Base Lofts in Solidworks. That produces solids, not surfaces. I can modify any point in any sketch at any time.

I've done a fair bit of sheetmetal lofting with SW2004, it'll only let you do the 2 profiles (no guide curves) because it needs to be able to unfold flat - if it has other curves in it, it'll need to rip the surface to be able to be flattened (which it obviously won't allow). It's good in a way that it's constrained like that, so you know that what you're making relates to real world construction (sorry if that isn't clear, i'm not the best at trying to explain stuff sometimes).

But it's good being able to pick any part of the boat and develop the flat pattern in an instant, worth the initial effort to figure it out (only started doing it recently). I give my boss the flat patterns and he sends 'em off to the guy with the cnc.

I'd like to talk with other people about using Solidworks (esp, sheetmetal lofts etc.), i'll check out this forum from time to time.. email @ wil_919@hotmail.com

[CGN]

Hi I been using solidworks too, and it works great for modeling the structure of a vessel, I do not use solids for the hull surface, just not working and I really don't need it, and I'm using solidworks with Rhino and open and saving the surface as rhino 3d native format, there is no way to develop a surface within solidworks only with plug ins, there is a new free surface add on for solidworks but I have no idea what it does, I know that one of the best combinations is to use surfaceworks and its plate development software but again surfaceworks works inside solidworks and the surfaces that you can create are parametric, I like solidworks only to create the structure all my surfaces are coming form rhino 3D, I been practicing and is really good, change the shape of the bottom of your boat in rhino and then re-import it in solidworks and that's all the structure updates.

"It seems, that usage of solid-state simulation in "Mechanical Desktop" and "SolidWorks" in shipbuilding is meaningful only in the event that usage of solid-state simulation in "Mechanical Desktop" and "SolidWorks" in shipbuilding is meaningful only in the event that it is necessary to make stress calculation"

I will like to make a comment here, 3D modeling is to be able to have a model with a bill of materials, track your materials and "try" to not omit any detail and of course FITTING... the true meaning of 3D make sure that what you are designing it's going to fit (all its parts), Also to have a model capable to be updated in anytime and in a fast way, and do any mechanical study FEA, CFD or whatever calculation can be practiced to the model itself.

Solidworks has been really easy to work with I haven't use Pro I for example, but I have seen software like VX, Alibre, Parasolid and some other software but none has been easy as solidworks to work the structure of a hull, there is some features that I haven't seen in many other software that is really helpful.

So you really need other software to make company to solidworks, solidworks can't do everything, no plate developing, no easy hull fairing tools, you need this software and then export to solidworks.

[ludesign]

I typically model and unfold all major surfaces (hul, deck, frames bulheads, etc) in TouchCAD and then export it to VectorWorks as solid NURBS surfaces. I can either add a material thickness directly in TouchCAD, which allows a variable material theckness and nice corner trims, or by using the Shell feature in VectorWorks. The later generate fully operational solids where you can cut out or add pieces, calculate volumes, and trim / round corners.

/Claes

[CGN]

Hi, Claes can you have a full parametric model?, like all parts of the hull related, like moving a bulkhead from pint A to Point B without having to redraw it?. or modified the surface and update all the structure related to that surface with out redraw or redefine the frames?.

I still have vectorworks in my computer but i'm doing really slow with the demo but is a great software.


Thanks

[ludesign]

Originally Posted by CGN

Hi, Claes can you have a full parametric model?, like all parts of the hull related, like moving a bulkhead from pint A to Point B without having to redraw it?. or modified the surface and update all the structure related to that surface with out redraw or redefine the frames?.

I still have vectorworks in my computer but i'm doing really slow with the demo but is a great software.


Thanks

I'm not sure if you refer to VectorWorks or TouchCAD but both have some but not full parametric features in the sence you describe. This is a clear difference between high end programs such as SolidWorks and less expensive programs such as VectorWorks and TouchCAD.

In TouchCAD, where I personally do all such jobs, you can simultaniously reshape any number of control points located in any number of surfaces. if you for example just make the entire model a bit longer everything will still fit perfectly.

If you for example move a bulkhead (or several for that matter), you typically need to refit it to the hull skin. This is however quite easy using the Align to Ruler/Surface tool. You can even trim any number to control points located in any number of surfaces at the same time. Only to one "mould" surface/curve at the time though.

Resizing in VectorWorks essentially works in the same way though you can not edit any number of points and surfaces at the same time an surface fitting/trimming of for example bulheads and frames is a lot smoother in TouchCAD.

A nice feature in VectorWorks solids is that you can step back to earlier levels of solid activities and fix/update it without having to redo it from scratch.

/Claes

[CGN]

Great, Thanks for the response.

-----------------
Paul B
SW Lofts

SW really wasn't designed specifically for the task of Yacht Design, so it isn't as good a choice as something like MaxSurf.

However, your lofts can be solids and not only surfaces. All of the pics in my gallery are Base Lofts in Solidworks. That produces solids, not surfaces. I can modify any point in any sketch at any time.
-----------------

Actually you can do Surface, Solid, and Sheetmetal lofts (Lofted Bends). Sheetmetal and Solids are very different - Sheetmetal features come with it's own features but also it's own limitations. For example - as far as i know you can't use Sheetmetal as a cutting tool (please correct me if i'm wrong), I had to reproduce replicas of my sheetmetal features as surfaces so I could use them as cutting edges. Still worked out great though.

[yachty4000]

solidwork has its uses I no it was used to create all the internal moulding for a 46 foot cruiser racer which were milled direct from the model. And Ribtec also use it for there consel units on there ribs. It powerful and intandem with maxsurf has it place and uses. Its substancially better than rhino.

Examples http://home.bellsouth.net/p/s/commun...pid=174998&ck= and http://www.mills-design.com/dk46.htm

Originally Posted by CGN

So you really need other software to make company to solidworks, solidworks can't do everything, no plate developing, no easy hull fairing tools, you need this software and then export to solidworks.

Plate developing? Isn't that what the Sheetmetal features are about? (in Solidworks)

[seaarkmarine]

Originally Posted by Brandon

I havew been experimenting with Solidworks2000 as a boat design tool, I am wondering if anyone has any experience with using this program for boat design, I have used it extensively for mechanical design but as we all know boat design and mechanical design are quite different...any suggestions/help would be aprreciated. Thanks, Brandon

Hi Brandon,

I work for a aluminum boat building company and we just puchased Solidworks 2004 in the hopes that it could give us a competitive edge. So far, we haven't produce one single print since we've had it. If I can't figure out how to best put it to use, well there goes 10 thousand dollars down the drain.
I'm hoping I can buy a solidworks book that covers sketching in depth. The training I received (4 days or 32 hours) sucked. I wish I know someone that uses Solidworks for designing boats, that could train me.

Wes