New Hydrostatic Software Program (Flotsam)

I found that the software I use didn't have a feature that I was brutally trying to simulate manually using DelftShip... so I just created my own program.

Right now it does...

• Hydrostatic calculations based on the weights and sail forces and spits out the depth, pitch and roll angles to balance those forces.
• It can handle an unlimited number of hulls (although two is all I've tried on it)
• It can handle an unlimited number of forces at any location and with any vector.
• It uses the exported dxf 3D mesh option from DelftShip for the hull shapes. Its definitely NOT a hull editor.
• If you load only half the model (or quarter for a Proa) from DelftShip, you can mirror it about the XZ and/or YZ planes.
• The UI then allows you to move the hulls around relative to each other and the 0,0,0 point.
• UI allows entry of the force vectors.
• Its brain dead easy to use... I can suck in two hulls (lw, ww) Proa hulls, add forces and spit out answers in less than five minutes. It saves things in projects to be re-loaded later.
• It uses the mesh as generated via DelftShip so its quite easy to export in Low and Highest resolution modes for doing fast trade studies with the Low and then doing a final Highest resolution mode.
• A "Project" can hold multiple hulls and forces that are disabled so quick trade studies of many different boat configurations under varied loading conditions can be handled quickly.
• It does show an image of the hulls, but right now, it doesn't do the 3D rotation. It will only show the three orthogonal views.

It does not...

• It does not calculate any hydrodynamic forces... Sorry. I haven't quite got my head around Navier-Stokes yet. I'm working on it.
• It has not been fully QC'd for bugs and you might run into something if you do something that I haven't needed to do.

If I made this available, is this something other people (you all) might want to use? At the moment, its fine for my needs... getting results. It will take me a little time to polish it and come up with a written tutorial. But if there is interest, I'd be glad to make the effort.

 

Yes, this would be interesting. Big props to you, bud. Did you have fun writing the 'ware?

 

I too would be interested to try it.

Steve

 

I am very much interested to try it.Please let us try.

 

New software

Sounds interesting, let me test it.
Includes it data for planing hulls?

js

sass@sassdesign.net

 

Progress...

I've had a few from this and another forum... so I'd be glad to put something together. As I said it was an engineering program... so it had some flakes. I'm working on the UI and the tutorial and should have something this week. I'll post it on this thread.

HJS - Sorry, It is only the static case. So it will be perfectly valid for sinkage, pitch and roll of a planing hull at rest. It does not calculate the lift forces caused by dynamic lift and waves.

 

Introducing Flotsam 1.0.0.1

Here you go...

I have tested it on Windows XP and Windows 7. It requires the Microsoft 3.5 .NET framework. If you don't already have it installed, it will lead you to the Microsoft website to download and install it. It was difficult for me to find a computer that didn't have it, but I did just to see how much pain is involved for you.

Attached you will find the setup program. The install includes the Tutorial, however, I have attached it here, in case you want to check it out first before deciding. I've also included a few screen shots...

Good luck, and let me know if you run into a bug or need something clarified. Also, I'd be interested in the times you get on the same analyses that are in the tutorial. Please provide you computer details. Thanks.

Some feedback... positive or at least constructive and how you use it would be encouraging... for me to add features and/or support it.

BTW - This is the latest published version incorporating the fixes described below.

 

Oops, Zip File Does Not Work, Upload It Again.

 

Not sure what's up! I copy the zip file around here to several other W7, XP and it uncompresses fine. I upload it to the forum and then try to download it and I get the same "invalid" error. I've tried it about a half dozen times. No luck yet. Have been getting this same problem trying to download zip files on the forum already... Michlet, Flotilla both give me that error finally someone kindly sent it to me directly. Maybe, I'm on double secret probation with the forum.

 

It does appear to be with the BoatDesign forum. I just downloaded it back from the HarryProa Yahoo group and it worked fine!

http://au.groups.yahoo.com/group/harryproa/files/

You'll find it down in there somewhere.

 

Sorry for the inconvenience; another forum member also reported a problem with zip files but I haven't been able to reproduce the problem with vista or xp, firefox, safari, chrome, or IE yet or over either ISP I have here. Still trying to reproduce a problem; if I could see it for myself it would really help. I've tried a few test zip files and also those mentioned above and can't reproduce it with any of the above browsers. If you could tell me exactly what you get when you download the zip and get the invalid error it would be really helpful to me (e.g. what is the file size of the zip when downloaded vs. uploaded, or if you could send me both pre upload and post download versions that would be extremely helpful so I could see exactly what was happening to the file for you.)

Or if you have the zip file handy I'd love to try and attach it to your post above and see if I can reproduce the attachment error.

Thanks very much (and while I'm thanking you, more importantly, thanks very much for developing the program itself.)

(edit: some settings including mod_deflate have been adjusted as a stab in the dark as we recently changed from mod_gzip to mod_deflate.)

 

Thank you Jeff, I was beginning to get paranoid. I'll try attaching it again.

Leaving my machine and seeing that it uncompresses here. (This is the third machine I've tried it from.) It's size is 1,758,039 bytes.

On Edit - This link does work! . Maybe, its my other machines, but the one I uploaded to http://au.groups.yahoo.com/group/harryproa/files/ downloads successfully.

OH! For the rest of you wanting the program... ENJOY!

Its above in the intro.

.

 

Funny...I downloaded the file and it installed fine...from the original post of it.

Oh...and Thank you kindly!

 

You might want to download this 1.0.0.1 version. It has a bug fix in it.

Good luck!

 

OK, I don't know if my pc has all the problems in the world, but after the first fix, it seemed to work fine, until... (see images)

1. There must be some problem with my dimensioning, because, besides the problems with the slurry hulls (patches starting close to zero), to get them as far apart as shown in the screen an offset value of 50000 had to be inserted for the WW hull.

2. I didn't expect the analysis to work, but I ran it anyway. It didn't crash to my surprise, but ofcourse no valid information was spat out.

I am running English XP with Greek regional settings... (maybe that is the problem?)

I will keep comming back...

mihari

p.s. If you are wondering, the Greek stuff says:

Center depth -Άπειρο ft (- infinity)
Max depth -Άπειρο ft (- infinity)
Displament μη*αριθμός lbs (non number)
Pitch Angle 0,000°
Pitch Moment μη*αριθμός lbs-ft (non number)
Roll Angle 0,000°
Roll Moment μη*αριθμός lbs-ft (non number)