Beginner design software/ easy to use

It doesn't appear to be there anymore, but I think I remember it as a gray cabin cruiser of some sort. I can't recall if it was a catamaran or a power cruiser, or what.

If that is where you want to go, then you'll have to get rolling with Rhino, ProSurf3, or one of the well done NURBS programs in the reasonably affordable range. Student pricing for this level of software is pretty good. There's a strong learning curve for working in real 3D design software and the rendering curve is also fairly comitted if you want to do really crisp images for presentation. Of the software in that price and features range, I like Rhino a lot and it can be used for design of all the forms in addition to the hull itself. Analysing the hull for hydrostatic performance will mean that you will have to add the Rhinomarine package somewhere along the line of your development.

If the purpose is to get into boat design in a serious fashion, then you'll also need to move into an understanding of hydrostatics and all that the analysis of a hull can mean.

Rhino is a good package to take you along that path as are a couple of others. The really powerful software packages that will knock you down for $5000 are geared to full-tilt production shops that take on commissions for large ocean going vessels and the like.

Chris

 

Freeship will excel at stuff like the hull surface, and superstructure, but details like rails, cleats etc. would best be done in a general cad program. For the detail work, I would recommend rhino.

 

people are designing hull / deck / mast / boom / sail in freeship and seems fine - it wont render but other packages will - freeship will do your lines plans - shaded or unshaded and export dxf, iges etc