first time with FREESHIP

I am using FREESHIP for the first time and I am having some problems. I figured out how to import offsets into FREESHIP and understand it based on the tutorials. MY question is how do i take real life offsets out of a plan book and put them into excel?

I under stand the X Y Z deal and dividing Y/12 and Z/8 to get the conversions right. What i dont understand is the how to set the X Y Z offsets up in excel. In the tutorials all of the offsets are in a line like this:

X Y Z
X Y Z
X Y Z .... etc.

However in the book there are numerous X Y Z offsets and im not sure that i need them all? Can anyone give me some advice on how to set these offsets up? Sorry for such a complicated question.

Here are my offsets that i am working with:

 

There we go.. got the picture added

 

http://community.webshots.com/user/RCBnNC

 

Since it looks like the hull has a chine, you can concentrate on creating x,y,z, coordinates for the sheer, chine, and keel only. I believe you can skip the waterline coordinates. There is really no simple way from an offset table to the coordinate format for Freeship. It's going to be plug and grind all of the way through.

You can create an x, y, z table in excel and cut and paste it into notebook as a .txt file for import into Freeship.

Here is a thread that I posted to with an offset file in excel.

I'm not sure where you are going with the y/12 amd z/8. In an offset table, the three numbers are feet, inches and 1/8's of inches, not x,y,z. The stations, 1-9, in your offset table, are going to be your X values. In Freeship, 0(zero) is your aftpoint and stations increase in value as you go forward. More than likely, station one is the bow of your craft, so station 9=0 (X) value and station 8's (X) value is equal to your station spacing in feet and each addition station will increment by that same amount all the way to #1. Excuse me if I've gotten too basic here.

Your Y value will be equal to the half breadth for each station and the the Z value is equal to the height above base.

I would recommend importing "chines", in which case, each chine will be a string of x, y, z values from for to aft (or the opposite) for the sheer(top of beams), chine and keel.

 

Thanks for the help... i figured it out... i sort of confused myself and made it harder than need be.

I have one more question. I have my hull designed and layed out just as i have designed in Auto-Cad. It is what i guess you would call a line plan now, being there are no surfaces only lines. how do i add the solid surfaces like all of the finished designs i see?

 

nevermind... figured that out too.