Patience

[peter radclyffe]

<a href="http://s791.photobucket.com/albums/yy195/helpME7/?action=view&current=img028.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i791.photobucket.com/albums/yy195/helpME7/img028.jpg" border="0" alt="radclyffe pat stern launch"></a>
here is a yacht we restored, 1931, teak on rock elm, Camper & Nicholson, 45 tons

[peter radclyffe]

http://i791.photobucket.com/albums/y...ME7/img028.jpg

[peter radclyffe]

http://i791.photobucket.com/albums/y...ME7/img092.jpg
some restoration work

[lewisboats]

[lewisboats]

put [img]???[/img] around the address to the picture to have it show up here

[peter radclyffe]

thanks lewis, can you teach me how to use delftship or freeship, pete

[lewisboats]

answer questions...sure!...teach? Hmmm don't know if I am qualified to do that. One thing you have to remember...as numerous folks will tell you...the software simply draws what you put in...WHATEVER you put in. And as in computers... Garbage in:Garbage out. You have to know something of what you are doing in order to get a decent something out. As a sampler...you must balance the boat...weight wise, sail vs lateral resistance wise, displacement wise, performance wise, comfort wise, and a half dozen different other wizes... and still you might come up with a pig. Many of the professionals here would tell you that I know nothing of what I am doing either...well...I say that I am progressing in the lifelong process of learning and things are getting progressively better as I age and learn. I don't profess to be anything more than a simple man who enjoys boats and would like to contribute to the overall pool of designs. That a few might not meet the approval of certain folks doesn't mean that there isn't some small merit in them...just that they should be used with the requisite caution appropriate to all things nautical. As I progress and learn I am sure I will be in a better position to pass on some of that info that experience gives to me. Unfortunately I do not have the option of building all that I might design and am forced to rely on others who might want to take a chance on my lines. So far a few have taken me up and seemed to have had some considerable success.
Back to Freeship...I must confess...I usually use Carene 2008 to spec out the basic dimensions and then import into freeship and tweak it beyond recognition. That is why virtually all my designs have some kind of chine and are mostly develop-able...Carene 2008 is specifically programmed to come up with develop-able surfaces. Hulls produces a similar output and is still available whereas Carene 2008 is hard to find but still out there. I recently came across it but don't remember where. Using Freeship after importing is simply a matter of practice and trial and error. Always save the original and work with copies.

To change to Feet and inches: import the design and if in metric(99.9%) convert to imperial under Project/Project settings. Then go to Transform and Scale to .3042 for all dimensions. This will convert your meters #s to feet #s directly...ie: 1m imported = 1ft (I tend to think in units/decimals rather than feet and meters so when using Carene I simply think in whatever unit I want. When I import in to Freeship then I convert into feet/decimals... a calculator helps with the rest). I think Hulls output is in feet/inches. If you wish to convert meters to feet and keep the relationship then don't do anything other than change to Imperial. This will convert 1 m to 3.25 or so ft...what ever the conversion is to the 4th decimal.

Anyhoo...after importing then the real work begins. I play with the points to get exactly what I want then use the right click menu to show if what I want is usable. This is available under Mode/Developablity check (this is how it is spelled...swear to whatever!). All green except for the joints between panels means good to go. Any red areas are not easily developable and can benefit from some massaging.

Round hulls are those with the Creases changed to off...simplistic but kinda accurate. A chined hull seems to transform magically in to a reasonable round hull when the crease is changed at the chine. the rest is a matter of shaping...sometimes a lot of shaping. You can also set a linesplan or picture as a background and emulate it...the program is very flexible and therein is the danger...you can draw something that looks nice and has not much actual practicality or merit as an actual boat...Like those others say...you have to have some knowledge of what you are doing in order to actually apply the tool: Freeship/Delftship: to the problem of your design.

CAVEAT: these statements are not only for the poster of the question but to those who also read it. I know nothing of the knowledge of the reader therefore...If it applies... take it to heart...if it doesn't...disregard and take no offense. I included more info than what Peter might need in the statements...there is some experience with boats there so I am sure he will sift out what he needs. Others will need to sift out what might be of use to them in this and any following posts and disregard anything not applicable to their situation as needed. I hope those with more knowledge will chime in without rancor or invective to add to or even counter with better knowledge anything that I or others might post to this thread in the future.

What else would you like to know...I'll answer if I am able.

Steve

PS: is there anyone out there who could teach this old dog how to get my simple Freeship outputs to some of those almost lifelike renders I would be eternally grateful.

PPS: I have yet to wrap my pea brain around Rhino or other decent 3D CAD software...not from lack of trying...so a shortcut would be nice.

[peter radclyffe]

thanks lewis, is there a free program i can start with

Apex (Richard) had a good tutorial on Freeship+ here:

Step by step to design your boat!

there are links to download the software too.

Sasha


nice restoration!

[lewisboats]

Sorry...no program is going to teach you how and more important WHY boats are designed the way they are. My Library consists of well over 100 books... about 30 are devoted to design solely and the rest cover building methods and accessories like sail design and construction, rigging and rope work. My suggestion is to pick a design genre, construction method and rig style and then study what is out there as far as it goes. Then pick another genre and start all over again. I like traditional stuff...gaff, lug and sprit. The Modern stuff has been covered ad nauseam with the Bermuda and Bermuda sloop rig. FG and cored...wood and foam...both leave me cold so I gravitate towards wood and wood byproduct construction...mostly plywood in it various forms. I believe in epoxy coated PW and most of what I do is plywood and epoxy in design and execution. I am not adverse to a traditional wood hull and am willing to think along those lines but a bit of liquid plastic is not something I am against.

PS: Steve is the moniker I go by...Lewis reminds me too much of my military days

[peter radclyffe]

thank you lewis, ive designed over 60 boats,cutters, ketches, schooners , trawlers, smacks, gozzo, coble,falmouth quay punt , colin archer, pilot cutters, coasters, i want to know how to put the lines on a screen

[peter radclyffe]

heres a 26ft mfv/yacht hull i designed & built of larch on oak , featured in designs for boatbuilding, iain oughtred 1990, based on the scots & border yachts, inchcape, watsons, spey class

[peter radclyffe]

sasha thanks, but the program doesnt seem to work for me

[nukisen]

Well Peter!
I am really a newbe. But as all ships and boats almost are valculated with a coordinate system, Free ship is using it as well.
You can mark the grabpoint and then it will appear a box for input in transverse, longitudinal and hight. Mark a dot and and make the input coordinates and the grab will move to this point location.

[nukisen]

When you have come that far you can click the grabpoint and check the box for corner. The lines of edge you can switch between normal or crease edge.

This is the ground of drawing in freeship. After you have learned the program you will be able to draw what ever you want.