Shipbuilding in the fourth dimension
Online CAD sharing site with powerful partners launched to support forward thinking shipbuilding.
USA, Inc., the National Shipbuilding Research Program (NSRP), and several US shipyards including Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding (NGSB), has launched its online sharing site SC4D. The ability to create and design 4D
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outfitted CAD models via the internet is now achievable. With the fourth dimension of ‘attribute data and PDF documentation’ added to the 3D model; the site will also allow access to a free online outfitting library that will be available to all shipbuilders, designers and equipment management companies. Te site will be accessible to all soſtware
users, fostering an open community, and will allow the user to upload or download in any CAD format, such as DWG, Inventor, ProE, Solidworks, STEP or ShipConstructor XML format. Te XML format will add the attribute and documentation data to create a 4D model. Te CAD data inside the XML container currently supports DWG, but will be extended to Inventor file format later this year. Attribute data is grouped into general data,
such as manufacturer, weight, performance ratings, description, and complex data, such as logical connections for pipes and HVAC systems. For example, piping connections not only include the connection location, but also the direction, connection type, size, pressure class, and more. Electrical
Rhino on the edge
Rhino has launched an update of its paneling tools plug-in for Rhino 4.0 SR5, which is now available for download. Its new ptSerializeObjects function allows an additional serialising tag or name to objects (points, curves, surfaces, etc) relative to selection order, world coordinates, user-defined direction, and reference surface. ptExtrudeEdges will extrude paneling edges in a way normal to a base surface, or through a user’s defined direction. Meanwhile, ptOffsetEdges offsets paneling edges using the base surface; while ptFinEdges fin-panels edges using base surface. New features of Rhino 4.0 SRC include the “Connect” option, to offset points commands to draw connecting lines. Labels
for faces and edges now have a new prefix, or layer name. Changing the name of the command ptRemoveOverlap to pCleanOverlap has added overlap tolerance to ptCleanOverlap command, which will delete grid points that are within tolerance in the ‘u ‘direction, and allow the user to move points within tolerance in the direction to overlap.
The Naval Architect April 2009 39
hipConstructor Soſtware Inc. (SSI), in collaboration with its US-based subsidiary ShipConstructor Soſtware
SC40 allows one user to add the fourth dimension.
connection attributes will be added later this year when the ShipConstructor Electrical module is released. ShipConstructor data can be extended by user-defined data. ShipConstructor will be looking to streamline the process of browsing with uploading and downloading. Te SC4D has a built-in quality control
system, allowing users to rate models that have been uploaded by others and allowing for a rating system that will be built upon from feedback of users of the site. Future plans for SC4D include direct
integration with the ShipConstructor equipment library. This will allow ShipConstructor users to publish and download equipment models directly to/ from SC4D, provided they have access to the Internet.
Te foundation of the SC4D technology
was developed with the help of funding by the US National Shipbuilding Research Program (NSRP). The project team included US shipyards Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, Austal USA, Bollinger, VT Halter, Marinette Marine, Bender Shipbuilding and Todd Pacific, as well as the design companies Gibbs & Cox, Elliott Bay Design Group, Genoa Design, Murray & Associates and Art Anderson. ShipConstructor (SSI) says that the SC4D
provides a platform that lets manufacturers reach the largest number of potential buyers with the smallest effort and expects that SC4D will grow the number of suppliers providing and maintaining high quality outfit models for the shipbuilding and offshore industries. NA
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