parametric 3-d-modelling -> AUTOdESK INVENTOR 5

The next days I would like to start practice in new Autodesk Inventor 5.
All my designs and constructions of made with acad and if a 3-d-model was reqired I have been using mechanical desktop. Now I've ordered the new Autodesk Inventor 5 'cause I think parametric modeling in boat design is the future, isn't it? I was very interested in trying CATIA but they don't sell student versions and I#m very well trained in using autodesk-software.

Anyway - has anybody here some experience in using parametric software as I described (of course, I know Max-Suite and Multisurf but it is not enoough for my reqirements!).

Greetings from Hamburg, Udo
(I will post my first yacht-design tried with Inventor...in a month or more :-( )

 

I spent a little while experimenting with Inventor 4. I’m also very comfortable working in AutoCad (and 3D Studio). My first impression of Inventor was that it was a great program for solid modeling and for general shaping it was very intuitive and a lot of fun to use, and I think (except for the price since I can no longer qualify for a student rate) I would love to use Inventor for modeling deck and interior structures. But are you talking about using Inventor to design the entire hull?

I will be very interested to see to your project(s) and hear your impressions of Inventor 5.

 

using inventor....

I will design the entire hull shape with max-suite (I started training with multisurf 2.0 then I tried the newest maxsurf, hydromax...at the university and I have been fascinated by this program - but I gues it is nothing more than a personal impression that maxsurf is better than multisurf 4.x). The new Inventor 5 is very powerfull, I think Autodesk had to invest a lot of know-how in the new function 'cause Catia and ProEngineer don't sleep ;-)

Sometimes nothing better can happen in life than beeing a student - the student version of inventor5 is about 100$ and the license is valid for 2 years.
I've to do some exams in march but - you can be sure - then I will start )

Udo

 

>>I think parametric modeling in boat design is the future

I'd like to point that Mechanical Desktop uses parametric modelling as well. It's the only way you can work with solids, unlike AutoCAD.

I don't think that parametric modelling is the future. I do agree that for production boats it's a very good option. For example, let's say I design a "fun" 5 meters waterjet boat. It'd be nice to have the whole design (except the hull, of course) done under parametric modelling, so that whenever I want to create a new version of the same modell, I just have to adjust a couple of variables.

Parametric modelling takes a long time, that's why I wouldn't use it for one-off designs.

But, sometimes a combination of both is good. Because you can create a solid and convert it to 3D surfaces and carry on.

Probably, for small elements, solid modelling is the best option as well.

 

i recommend you to test surfaceworks (plugin version of multisurf for solidworks) +solidworks. this combination can be very powerfull for a combined parametric surface / solid modeling for any marine vehicle. there are also very rich plugins for solidworks on cfd and fea...
btw for a personal impression of mine multisurf4.x is far better than the maxsurf for hull modeling point of view

 

thanks for the idea of using solidworks - I know how powerfull solidworks can be - also solidflow is well known [cfd], I did not know that there is the recommended surfaceworks existing - sounds good! the problem is that I have no practice in using solid... and no time to get the practice - I'm sorry about that :-(

Udo