Orca3D News

Hydrostatics Tip

2012-01-02T16:01:00.000-05:00

In order to compute the hydrostatics properties of your hull model, Orca3D performs a numerical integration on the surfaces that you select for the hydrostatics analysis. This numerical integration is affected by the orientation of the surface, where in this context “orientation” refers to the direction that the surface normals are pointing. By convention, Orca3D assumes the surface normals point into the water (i.e., the normals are on the wet side of the surface). One might be tempted to say that this is the equivalent of assuming the normals point “outward” from the hull surfaces; however, this is not always true. Consider the case of a bow thruster opening in the hull. Here, pointing into the water will have the normals pointing inward. Surfaces whose normals are outward create positive displacement; when surface normals are inward, the displacement of that surface is negative. For the bow thruster example, it’s correct for the buoyant volume of the surface to be negative.

You can use the Rhino Dir command to determine and/or change the normal direction of your hull surfaces. However, an easier way to visualize the surface normals without having to remember to use the Dir command is to use the Rhino backface coloring option. To do this, run the Rhino Options command. In Rhino Options go to Appearance > Advanced Settings > Shaded. In the Shading settings set Backface settings to Single Color for all backfaces and set the Single backface color to a color that you don’t typically use for you surfaces. Now when you turn on shading mode in a Rhino viewport, you can easily see the surface orientation because the backfaces (the side opposite that to which the normal is pointing) are shaded in your chosen backface color. If any of your surfaces have incorrect normal directions, you can use the Rhino Flip command to correct them.

Orca3D website maintenance December 5th

2011-12-02T13:03:00.000-05:00

Our website, www.orca3d.com, will be down temporarily for maintenance sometime on December 5th. The downtime will last no longer than one hour. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. The purpose of the maintenance is to improve performance.

New WIP Release Available (version 1.2.1)

2011-11-30T12:25:00.001-05:00

We're pleased to announce the release of a new Work-in-Progress (WIP) version of Orca3D. This new version (1.2.1) contains a number of new features, feature improvements, and bug fixes. Some highlights include:

OrcaStraightenPoints: Added a new command to place control points (or point objects) in a straight line in 3D, or in the 2D projection of a line.

Lines Drawing: Sections in the lines drawing are put on layers that mimic the Orca3D section layers in the model.

Lines Drawing Fixes: Addressed issue with diagonals being offset when the full hull was sectioned, addressed issue with scaling when the full hull was sectioned, all lines are now drawn on the same plane.

Stability Criteria Fixes: Calculation of Hybrid Ratio corrected, calculation of areas under curves corrected, corrected calculation of heavy lifting and icing heeling arms.

Resistance Prediction Fixes: Added total propulsive power output (PpTotal) to CSV export of planing hull and displacement hull analyses.

Lightweight Extrusion Objects: Fixed a bug in copying weight/cost data when copying lightweight extrusion objects in Rhino 5.

As a WIP, there may still be feature additions, changes, or removals before the final release, but this is your chance to give us feedback and suggestions. A few important notes to be aware of:

Only one version of Orca3D may be installed at a time. Therefore, you must uninstall Orca3D from your computer before installing this WIP.
Any Orca3D information in a Rhino file that is saved with this new version will NOT be backwards compatible to version 1.1.0 or earlier versions. No Rhino information will be lost, but Orca3D information, such as section locations, weight/cost information, etc. will not be found by earlier versions of Orca3D.
No change to your License is required. The new version of Orca3D will find your existing License.
Portions of the Help file may not be entirely up to date.

This WIP will expire on January 31st. Either the final version of Orca3D 1.2 will be released before then, or a new WIP will released.

If you have questions as you install and use the new release, remember that you can:

send an email to support@orca3d.com
read through the Help file which is available from the Orca3D menu in Rhino, and on our web site here
post a question on the Orca3D forum

To download the new version:

click here for the 32-bit version (Rhino 4 SR9 or later, or Rhino 5 (32-bit))
click here for the 64-bit version (Rhino 5 64-bit)

Thank you very much for using Orca3D, and we look forward to hearing from you!

See Orca3D at METS in Amsterdam

2011-11-14T09:18:00.000-05:00

If you're visiting the METS in Amsterdam this week, stop by to see Nick Danese of NDAR for a demonstration of Orca3D. NDAR is in the SuperYacht Pavilion, booth 10-501A.

The hours for METS are:
     Tuesday, November 15 10.00 - 18.00 hours
     Wednesday, November 16 10.00 - 18.00 hours
     Thursday, November 17 10.00 - 17.00 hours

Complete information on METS is at http://www.metstrade.com/nl/en/Pages/default.aspx

Designing the Dynamic, Melbourne, November 21-25

2011-11-14T09:10:00.001-05:00

RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia will host a sailing influenced performance-based design workshop / symposium, titled Designing the Dynamic.

The conference will bring together built environment designers with specialists from mathematics, engineering, material science, computer science and immerse them in the extreme dynamic context of sailing boat design.

For more information, see http://designingthedynamic.com/

New book (in Turkish) on Marine Design with Rhino and Orca3D

2011-10-21T11:15:00.000-04:00

RhinoAkademie has announced a new book on marine design using Rhino and Orca3D. They also offer courses on the same subject.

"Marine vehicle design, has a long tradition that is organized around the concept of lofting and layout. For many years this tradition has been applied by loftsman with descriptive geometry and its algorithmic application. These concepts gained new contents with developments of CAD. As a result of all these explanation this book is a reinterpretation of traditional seacraft building with Rhinoceros and Orca3D. In the book the balance between theory and practice was considered. All applications are supported with explanations. The content of the book instructs the user from pre-design to detailed design.The book consists of 19 chapters and totally 675 pages. in the book platform design, ABCD strategy, planning approach, geometrical lines, descriptive geometry of seacraft design , the fundementals and methods of seacraft design issues are mainly located."

Click here for more information (in Turkish).

New Work-in-Progress (WIP) Available

2011-10-06T15:00:00.000-04:00

We're pleased to announce the release of a new Work-in-Progress (WIP) version of Orca3D. This new version (1.2.0) contains a number of new features, feature improvements, and bug fixes. Some highlights include:

Support for floating network licenses
Support for Rhino 5, both 32-bit and 64-bit versions
Automated evaluation of intact stability criteria (it's likely that this feature will not be in the final release, but will continue in WIP releases until it is finished)
Real-time sectional area curves, as the model is being modified, including the ability to input and display a "target" sectional area curve
New command to align selected points (including surface/curve control points) along a straight line in two or three dimensions
Tools to insert and delete control net rows and columns, without removing chines (which the Rhino command does)
A new hull assistant for rigid inflatable boats (RIBs)
Export of ORC offset files
Ability to enable/disable individual weight/cost items, which affects the weight/cg used in hydrostatics calculations, and the list of items included in the weight/cost report
A "pre-float" check to do basic validation of the model prior to running hydrostatics. This catches the most common sources of error (e.g., inconsistent outward normals)
Ability to create custom report formats, using Microsoft's SQL Server 2008 Report Builder (a free download)
General improvements to the hull assistants (input controls, user-defined sections, display of the control net, etc.)
Added option to output the Resistance Analysis (planing or displacement) in csv format
Support for blocks in Weight & Cost
Weight & Cost Material Libraries may now be imported and exported in csv format
Weight & Cost Report may now include grouping (by Rhino groups or by layers)
Improved OrcaViewports functionality

As a WIP, there may still be feature additions, changes, or removals before the final release, but this is your chance to give us feedback and suggestions. A few important notes to be aware of:

Only one version of Orca3D may be installed at a time. Therefore, you must uninstall Orca3D from your computer before installing this WIP.
Any Orca3D information in a Rhino file that is saved with this new version will NOT be backwards compatible to version 1.1.0 or earlier versions. No Rhino information will be lost, but Orca3D information, such as section locations, weight/cost information, etc. will not be found by earlier versions of Orca3D.
No change to your License is required. The new version of Orca3D will find your existing License.
Portions of the Help file may not be entirely up to date.
This WIP will expire on November 30th. Either the final version of Orca3D 1.2 will be released before then, or a new WIP will released.

If you have questions as you install and use the new release, remember that you can:

send an email to support@orca3d.com
read through the Help file which is available from the Orca3D menu in Rhino, and on our web site here
post a question on the Orca3D forum

To download the new version:

click here for the 32-bit version (Rhino 4 SR9 or later, or Rhino 5 (32-bit))
click here for the 64-bit version (Rhino 5 64-bit)

Thank you very much for using Orca3D, and we look forward to hearing from you!

Orca3D Training and Workshop at IBEX are coming up soon!

2011-10-03T14:40:00.000-04:00

IBEX starts two weeks from today in Louisville, Kentucky. If you haven't already done so, be sure to sign up for the Rhino/Orca3D exhibitor workshop on Tuesday, October 18th at 1:00, entitled "Rhino and Orca3D: What's New in 3D Modeling," which will be presented by Justin Freimuth and Brian James.

You’re also invited to attend an Orca3D training course in conjunction with IBEX 2011, being held during the first two days of the exhibition (October 17 - 18). This Orca3D training class will be spread over two half-day sessions on Monday and Tuesday mornings to allow you to attend the IBEX show in the afternoon. It will cover hull design and fairing, hydrostatics and stability, resistance prediction, and weight and cost tracking. This course assumes that attendees are proficient in Rhino. The cost of the course is $250/student. A limited number of seats are available.

Click here to register through the IBEX website. The training course registration can be found on the Special Events & Workshops page, after the pre-conference and seminars registration pages.

If you have any questions, please contact us at support@orca3d.com. If you can't make the workshop or training, please stop by our booth (#2118) to talk Orca3D or Rhino.

New Rhino User Group in the Washington, D.C. Area

2011-07-05T15:00:00.000-04:00

We were recently contacted by Andrew Cocke, a lecturer at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. He is founding a new Rhino User group, focused on users in many industries, including naval architecture, with the idea that users in one industry can learn from others.

Friends, colleagues, students:

I am pleased to announce the founding of RhinoDC, a user group for advanced Rhino users across the full spectrum of disciplines and industries served by McNeel's Rhinoceros3D software. To be successful, the group should have the broadest possible audience: architects, naval architects, fabricators, jewelers, shoe designers, and anyone else interested honing their Rhino skills and otherwise improving the state of design in Washington. So I am writing to enlist your help: I am calling on you to spread the word to your friends and colleagues about the group and encourage them to join us.

A little background: RhinoDC will be the first and ONLY Rhino user group in the United States. There are groups in the UK, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, France Germany, Italy, Austria, Netherlands and Chile, but none here in the US. Washington may not have the design culture of New York or Los Angeles, but we are lucky to be at the nexus of industries that all use Rhino. My hope is that RhinoDC will be a place where we can all learn new techniques--from one another, from other disciplines, and directly from the programmers who are daily making Rhino and its various plugins the most interesting software in our toolbox.

I am contacting you all to invite you to the inaugural meeting of RhinoDC at 6:30 pm on Thursday, July 14, 2011 in the Locraft room at the Catholic University's School of Architecture and Planning. Contact me for parking information, or you can take the Red Line to Brookland station. At this meeting we will discuss structure, logistics, schedule, and plan a presentation for our first regular meeting in September. The group will then meet at 6:30 pm on the second Thursday of every other month thereafter: September, November, January, March, May, July, etc.

I also need your help contacting Rhino users at other firms. The architecture community should be well represented, but we hope that naval architects will attend as well. If you know advanced users at these firms or any other users who you think would take an active role in leading the group, by all means please invite them to join us on July 14. For administrative purposes I have set up a group on LinkedIn called RhinoDC, a subgroup within the Rhino User Group. Please join both so that I can get you on the mailing list.

I look forward to seeing you all on July 14.

best,
Andrew Cocke

Orca3D Training at IBEX

2011-06-27T18:06:00.000-04:00

You’re invited to attend an Orca3D training course in conjunction with IBEX 2011 in Louisville, Kentucky October 17 - 18. This Orca3D training class will be spread over two half-day sessions on Monday (10/17) and Tuesday (10/18) mornings to allow you to attend the IBEX show in the afternoon. It will cover hull design and fairing, hydrostatics and stability, resistance prediction, and weight and cost tracking. This course assumes that attendees are proficient in Rhino.

The cost of the course is $250/student. A limited number of seats are available.

Click here to register through the IBEX website. The training course registration can be found on the Special Events & Workshops page, after the pre-conference and seminars registration pages.

If you have any questions, please contact us at support@orca3d.com. If you can't make the training, please stop by our booth (#2118) to talk Orca3D or Rhino. And don't forget our exhibitor workshop "Rhino and Orca3D: What's New in 3D Modeling," which will be presented on Tuesday, October 18th, from 1:00 - 2:00 p.m., by Brian James and Justin Freimuth.

Have you seen the new Orca3D website?

2011-06-13T08:00:00.015-04:00

We recently updated the Orca3D website, with an entirely new look and feel. Highlights include a simpler menu system to make it easier to find the information you're looking for, easy access to recent Orca3D and Rhino blog entries, and the ability to request and receive a link to download Orca3D, even if you've done so in the past.

Please take a few minutes to browse the site, and let us know what you think. Comments/suggestions can be sent to sales@orca3d.com.

See Orca3D at Seawork 2011 in Southampton

2011-06-08T09:05:00.000-04:00

NDAR, the European Master Reseller for Orca3D, will exhibit Orca3D in stand B183 at Seawork 2011, June 14-16 in Southampton, UK. In addition to Orca3D, they'll display complementary software including Rhino, T-Splines, RhinoParametrics, and more. This is an opportunity for you to see a live demonstration of these packages, ask questions, and make feature requests.

Seawork is the largest commercial marine and workboat event in Europe, with over 450 exhibitors and 7000 visitors from all over the world. In addition to the exhibits, you'll see in-water vessels, demonstrations, and a conference program. To get more information on Seawork 2011, go to www.seawork.com. We hope to see you there!

IBEX 2011 Exhibitor Workshop

2011-06-07T15:20:00.000-04:00

Every year a number of Seminars and Exhibitor Workshops are held in conjunction with IBEX. Again this year, Rhino and Orca3D have been chosen as the subject of one of the Workshops. "Rhino and Orca3D: What's New in 3D Modeling" will be presented on Tuesday, October 18th, from 1:00 - 2:00 p.m., by Brian James and Justin Freimuth. Come and meet the developers and see the new features in the latest releases of Rhino and Orca3D.

The Seminars and Exhibitor Workshops are great opportunities to learn about new technologies while you're at IBEX, and the Exhibitor Workshops are free. Registration is required, and they do fill up, so be sure to register soon at http://www.ibexshow.com/attendee-registration.php.

When you're done attending the Workshop, come and visit us in booth #2118 for a personal demonstration of the software, or to ask questions and give feedback.

See Orca3D at the SNAME Annual Meeting in Houston

2011-05-24T08:43:00.000-04:00

Orca3D will be on display at the SNAME Annual Meeting & Expo in Houston, November 16-18. DRS Defense Solutions, Advanced Marine Technology Center, will be in booth #316. Stop by and meet some of our naval architect/programmers, and see both Orca3D and our structural analysis software MAESTRO. This is a great opportunity to see the software in action, ask questions, and make suggestions for new features. Go to www.sname.org for details. Hope to see you there!

Foreshortening Views for Fairing

2011-05-05T16:47:00.000-04:00

When fairing a hull, it's sometimes helpful to foreshorten the longitudinal scale, to "compress" the model and exaggerate the curvature. This is especially true for vessels with high length-to-beam or length-to-depth ratios.

Rhino 4 has a feature to make this easy, and it's well described on the McNeel Wiki site. Click here to read the instructions.

Orca3D Training Notes

2011-04-14T13:39:00.000-04:00

Recently we held a 3-day intermediate Rhino and Orca3D training class in our office, with nine attendees coming from a range of backgrounds. The third day was devoted to Orca3D, and turned out to be a very busy day!

We're making the Training Notes and associated example files available for download. They're written for use in a classroom with an instructor, but you may find some of the exercises and examples to be helpful as you learn more about Orca3D.

The files are all contained in this 20 MB zip file: Download Orca3D Training Files

Orca3D at IBEX 2011: Booth 2118

2011-03-11T12:27:00.000-05:00

Orca3D will be on display again at IBEX, October 17-19 in Louisville, Kentucky, in Booth #2118. As always, we'll be together with Robert McNeel & Associates, the developers of Rhino. This is your opportunity to meet with developers and experts from each company, ask questions, learn about new developments, and make suggestions for new features. We always look forward to meeting old friends and making new ones. Be sure to make plans for Louisville in October! More information on IBEX is at http://www.ibexshow.com/.

Orca3D and Rhino Combined Training Course

2011-02-14T15:32:00.000-05:00

You're invited to attend a combined Rhino and Orca3D training course to be held in the Washington, D.C area April 5-7. The first two days will cover Rhino at an intermediate level, with focus on building surfaces from existing data, and it is assumed that the student has a basic working knowledge of Rhino. The third day will focus on Orca3D, covering hull design and fairing, hydrostatics and stability, resistance prediction, and weight and cost tracking.

The cost of the course is $750/student. A limited number of seats are available.

The Rhino course description is here (pdf), and the Orca3D course description is here (pdf).

Click here to register. We look forward to seeing you!

See Orca3D at the Seatec International Exhibition in Carrara, Italy

2011-02-07T08:40:00.000-05:00

Orca3D will be presented by our reseller NDAR in booth D-857 at the Seatec International Exhibition in Carrara, Italy, February 16-18. This is an opportunity to learn about all of the functionality of Orca3D, as well as Rhino and other plug-ins such as T-Splines, RhinoPhoto, and RhinoParametrics.

Contact NDAR for more details, and see the Seatec site for information on visiting the exhibition.

Orca3D at the IV Cross-border Business Fair in Police, Poland

2011-01-28T09:10:00.000-05:00

Bardins Sp. z o.o. will be presenting Orca3D, Rhino, and a number of other Rhino plug-ins at the IV Cross-border Business Fair in Police, Poland, February 19-20. See them at:

Bardins booth, Hala OSiR, Police

19 – 20 February 2011, from 11.00 to 18.00

They will present the latest news and products from their industry partners. This is a unique opportunity to see most of the products that they offer and talk with their staff. Demonstrations, videos and much more will be available.

Adding a new button on a toolbar

2010-12-17T11:36:00.000-05:00

In a previous post we discussed a useful plug-in, ScaleByPlane (which has become a function in the Rhino 5 WIP). If you find yourself using this function frequently, you'll get tired of typing the command and may want to put it on a toolbar. Rhino makes it easy to create new buttons on a toolbar, and even whole new toolbars, so that you can customize the interface and work more efficiently.

One of the toolbars that Orca3D installs is called "Rhino Functions Icons," and it contains Rhino functions that we think are useful in marine design but are not found on the Rhino toolbars that are normally turned on. Let's look at how you would add a button to this toolbar for the ScaleByPlane function.

The first step is to undock the toolbar, and then right-click in the header portion of the toolbar and select "Add Button."

You'll see a new, blank button on the toolbar. Now, hold down Shift and right-click on the new button. This will bring up Rhino's Edit Toolbar Button dialog:

If you are artistically inclined, you can choose "Edit Bitmap" and draw a bitmap for the button. If you'd rather not, you can simply enter text. First, enter text in the Tooltip entry field, so that when you hover your mouse over the button you'll remember what it's for. Next, select "Show Text Only" (unless you're drawing a bitmap for the icon), and finally, enter the command for the Left mouse button. Click OK, and you'll see the new button. Now you can dock the toolbar again:

Note that you can edit any toolbar button this way, not just ones that you have created. For example, you might want to add a frequently used command to the Right-click field of an existing toolbar button (if it doesn't already have one). You can also enter a series of commands in the Left or Right button command field, such as a macro.

More detailed help is available in the Rhino Help file, in the Toolbar Layout chapter.

A nice image for a rendering background

2010-12-17T11:01:00.000-05:00

One of our users, Hunter Gall, has kindly made this image available to anyone who would like to use it as a rendering background. The full image resolution is 5487x1263. If nothing else, it will make you want to visit Maine in the summer! Right-click on the image below to download the full image.

If you have images that you'd like to share (or even 3dm models of objects such as winches, hatches, etc.), please send them to support@orca3d.com and we'll create a repository where everyone will have access to them.

2D Scaling and Moving Control Points, using ScaleByPlane

2010-12-14T15:16:00.000-05:00

For those of you who used FastShip, you may remember that it had the ability to scale a patch of control points about a local origin, stretching the patch in two dimensions as you moved your mouse. This could be very useful when you wanted to edit an entire column in your control net. This capability has been replicated in Rhino 4 (as a plug-in), and is a native command in Rhino 5.

For example, say you wanted to increase the slope of the stem of your boat. You could move each control point individually, but this would be cumbersome, and if you wanted to maintain a straight stem, you'd have to snap each point into a line. You could rotate the stem, but that would have the effect of lowering the tip of the stem. With Scale2D, you can only scale along a line.

With ScaleByPlane, you can simultaneously stretch and move a group of control points in 2 dimensions.

To use ScaleByPlane, begin by selecting control points to be scaled, then select an origin about which things will be scaled. Then select the reference point and begin stretching.

If you want to use this command in Rhino 4, you'll need to download the scalebyplane.rhp plug-in, and then install it using the PlugInManager command. It's a built-in function in Rhino 5, so you can use it by just typing the command.

In the following example, we have the default hull from the sailboat assistant, but we'd like more slope to the stem.

Turn on the Orca control points:

Run ScaleByPlane, and follow the prompts; first, select all of the control points on the stem column. Then select the forefoot corner point as the origin, then select the control point at the top of the column as the first reference point, and drag to the new location.

Here are the control points in the new location. In one step, we've moved all of the points up and forward.

And here is the modified hull.

Training Class: Ship Hull Design with T-Splines for Rhino

2010-12-01T10:28:00.000-05:00

Gerard Petersen of the RhinoCentre in the Netherlands will give a 2-day training class on ship hull design using Rhino and the T-Splines plug-in, including the integration of Orca3D in the design process.

"T-Splines modeling technology makes it possible to design ship hulls, yachts and free form superstructures in Rhino like never before. In the marine industry there's no comparable modeling tool as powerful as the T-Splines/Orca3d/ Rhino combination.

Both high quality as fast results make it possible to model fair ship hulls in little time. The tight integration with Orca3d offers even more functionality for analysis and modeling power.

T-Splines can be applied in preliminary design as well as preparing ship hulls for production."

For more information, visit the RhinoCentre website.

Will Orca3D be available on a Mac?

2010-11-02T13:48:00.000-04:00

We get many questions about running Orca3D on a Mac using VMware or Parallels, and whether there will be a Mac version of Orca3D released. This post should help to answer these questions.

Orca3D will not run on any configuration of VMware, as it has the potential to strip out the software protection. However, we do have several customers who are able to run Orca3D on a Mac using VirtualBox from Sun Microsystems. Please see this forum post for more information.

We have heard from some of our customes that they've had success with Orca3D running on Parallels, but we have not done any testing of this configuration.

As many of you know, Robert McNeel & Associates has been working on a Mac version of Rhino. However, to our knowledge they have not yet begun work on the SDK that is required for third party developers like ourselves to create plug-ins. So at this point, we are waiting for news on the SDK, and trying to assess the market for a Mac version of Orca3D. We’ll then weigh that against the investment required to both port Orca3D and provide on-going support and development, before making a final decision.

"Rhino Plug-Ins for Naval Architects" Webinar

2010-10-27T17:18:00.000-04:00

On behalf of Orca3D and the ASGVIS team, we'd like to thank those who attended yesterday's webinar, Rhino Plug-Ins for Naval Architects.

The 60-minute webinar explained the benefits of using Orca3D and V-Ray for marine designers.

Larry Leibman, Principal Naval Architect at DRS Defense Solutions, Advanced Marine Technology Center, began the webinar by diving into Orca3D's capabilities for hull design and fairing, hydrostatics and stability, speed/power prediction, and weight and cost tracking using the design of a 26' center console powerboat.

Fernando Rentas Pedrogo of ASGVIS then used that same vessel to demonstrate the V-Ray rendering plug-in for Rhino and its rendering capabilities. He explained material settings, how to create a water surface, positioning of the sun, and tips for blending the rendered image into a photograph; all of which resulted in a powerful 3D, photorealistic image.

If you missed Rhino Plug-Ins for Naval Architects or would like to watch the video recording, you may do so here: http://www.orca3d.com/support/webinars/2010-10-26Rhino_Plug-Ins_for_Naval_Architects.wmv

Marine Design with T-Splines

2010-10-25T11:27:00.000-04:00

Gerard Petersen, of RhinoCentre in the Netherlands, has written an interesting blog post on marine design with Rhino, T-Splines, and Orca3D. T-Spline's flexibility in surface modeling allows for the creation of all sorts of complex shapes, be they hull forms or superstructure, and integration with Orca3D means that you can treat T-Spline surfaces just as you would any Rhino surface, for sections, lines plans, hydrostatic and stability, resistance prediction, or weight and cost tracking. To read Gerard's post, click here: http://rhinocentre.blogspot.com/2010/10/ship-hull-design-with-t-splines-for.html

Image from http://rhinocentre/blogspot.com

Filleting a Hull/Keel Intersection

2010-10-20T17:12:00.000-04:00

Recently, a user asked us for help in the creation of his sailboat model. He posed the question: How does one fair the intersection of a keel and hull?

Certainly, there are multiple ways to do this in Rhino, but here is one way we have found that seems to give good results:

1) Start with a half-hull of your sailboat model. Here we have used the Orca3D Hull Assistant to create the hull geometry. Then create one side of the keel geometry. In this case we used the Orca3D foil assistant and made sure to uncheck the boxes “Create Both Sides” and (Cap the) “Root” so that we would only get one side of the keel and the top would not be capped since it will be trimmed off anyway. We’ve also placed the keel in the proper longitudinal and vertical positions, ensuring that the keel protrudes through the hull bottom. The details of the hull and keel design are of course up to you! They don’t have to come from the Orca3D assistants. The result is shown below.

2) If you have a connected bulb or a capped tip on the keel, then you will need to explode the keel polysurface into individual surfaces.

3) The keel generated from the Orca3D foil assistant has a flat trailing edge. It is necessary to separate the trailing edge from the rest of the keel foil shape in order to be able to fillet the surfaces. Split the keel surface along an isocurve at the trailing edge crease as shown below (Surface->Surface Edit Tools->Split at Isocurve). NOTE: If you find that you are unable to split the surface, then you will need to decrease your model absolute tolerance. (Tools->Options->Units)

4) Now, you can use the FilletSrf command to first create a fillet between the main part of the keel and the hull surface and then between the keel trailing edge and the hull surface. You need to set the Extend command option to “No” for the FilletSrf command and of course choose a reasonable radius for the fillet. When you fillet the surfaces, make sure to select the surfaces on the sides that you want to save. The result should look something like the figure below where the keel is shown in red, the hull in blue, and the keel trailing edge in green, and the two fillets in gray.

5) Take a look at the two fillets and notice that at the keel end they do not line up. If this is the case for you it is a simple matter of moving the control points at the keel end of the trailing edge fillet along the keel until they line up with the other fillet.

6) Trim off any remaining length of the trailing edge.

7) Use the Rhino BlendSrf command on the open edges of the two fillets to connect them with a fair curvature continuous surface. You should end up with something like the figure below.

8) Join all three fillet surfaces together and join the trailing edge of the keel back to the keel.

9) Use the fillets to trim the hull surface. You should now see something like the figures below where we have also mirrored the surfaces.

10) Check the surface normals with the Dir command and correct as necessary so that all normals point outboard. If you wish you can join all surfaces together into a single closed polysurface with no naked edges.

Webinar Rescheduled

2010-10-20T12:24:00.000-04:00

Due to the illness of one of the instructors, we regret to inform you that we have to reschedule today's webinar, "Rhino Plug-Ins for Naval Architects" for Tuesday, October 26 at 3:00pm EST. If you had registered for the webinar, you should have received an email from GoToWebinar.Notifications@citrixonline.com confirming this time change and providing a link to login to the webinar. If you have not previously registered, you can do so at https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/212377227.

The webinar will be recorded. All registrants will receive a link to watch the video recording after the webinar takes place.

We apologize for any inconvenience and hope that you can make the rescheduled webinar next week.

50% RhinoMarine-to-Orca3D Upgrade Discount Ends December 31, 2010!

2010-10-13T14:29:00.000-04:00

In 2009, the developer of RhinoMarine announced that it was discontinuing sales and support of the product. At the same time, we announced that DRS Defense Solutions, Advanced Marine Technology Center, would step in to provide technical support and replacement Site Keys, through the end of 2010.

To help ease the transition to Orca3D, we've been offering a 50% discount on Orca3D to licensed RhinoMarine users. This discount offer will also expire at the end of 2010. If you're considering moving to Orca3D, now is the time to do it.

Orca3D, in addition to surpassing the capabilities of RhinoMarine, is actively supported and is being further developed and improved. On-going efforts include stability criteria, a new hull assistant, network licensing, and compatibility with the Rhino 5 WIP (32 and 64-bit). Support is handled on a daily basis, via phone, email, and our forum. Recent comments on our technical support from a survey included:

"The support that your company principles have offered over the years is second to none."
"Very professional technical support I received from the staff."
"The email support has been excellent and I think I got through the learning curve quickly."

We have also developed a translator so that Orca3D can read your RhinoMarine-specific data. You can read more about that in an earlier blog post: http://orca3d.blogspot.com/2010/04/rhinomarine-to-orca3d-translator.html

If you haven't already done so, we encourage you to download Orca3D and give it a try (you won't need to uninstall RhinoMarine). If you have been through the evaluation process before but would like to extend your evaluation, email us at support@orca3d.com for a download link and instructions for receiving an Unlock Key to extend your evaluation.

You must provide proof that you qualify for the transition discount. Valid proof may include any one of the following (if you own a license for RhinoMarine, but for some reason are unable to provide one of the forms of proof above, please contact us to discuss the matter):

Screen capture of your RhinoMarine license dialog. From the RhinoMarine menu, select License.
Invoice or receipt from your purchase of RhinoMarine
Email from your RhinoMarine reseller confirming that they sold RhinoMarine to you

Just provide any of these to us at sales@orca3d.com, and we'll give you a coupon code for the 50% discount. Information on pricing, purchasing on-line, or finding a local reseller can be found here (if there's a reseller in your area, we prefer that you purchase through them).
As always, please feel free to contact us with any technical or sales questions:

sales@orca3d.com
support@orca3d.com

Don't forget; the discount will end on December 31, 2010!

Join us for a joint presentation on Orca3D and V-Ray

2010-10-11T12:11:00.000-04:00

Orca3D and V-Ray will team up to present “Rhino Plug-ins for Naval Architects,” an hour long free webinar explaining how naval architects use these two digital tools in the engineering and visualization of watercraft.

Larry Leibman, Principal Naval Architect at DRS Defense Solutions, Advanced Marine Technology Center, will kickoff the session by explaining the benefits of using the Orca3D plug-in to Rhino for hull design and fairing, hydrostatics and stability, resistance prediction, and weight and cost tracking. After a brief introduction, he will give a live demo and attendees may submit questions during the session.

3D Visual Artist Fernando Rentas Pedrogo will then pick up the same 3D model and render it into a photorealistic image using V-Ray. To do this, he’ll explain the basic V-Ray interface that works within Rhino, HDRI, and the V-Ray Sun and Sky system.

Join Orca3D and V-Ray for this free webinar on October 20, 2010 from 3:00pm to 4:00pm EST. All attendees will receive a special discount on Orca3D and V-Ray.

Register for this webinar here.

Using full scale electronic mock-ups to improve design

2010-10-08T16:00:00.000-04:00

I recently spoke to Dave Fuller of FullCon Solutions, whose company provides services to designers in various industries who can benefit from full-scale electronic mock-ups of their designs. Yacht design is an obvious application for this technology, and the following images show designer Ward Setzer visualizing his design in The Duke immersive Virtual Environment (DiVE) at Duke University in North Carolina.

This is an excellent example of extracting value from a 3D model, which was the subject of a seminar given by Bruce Hays at the recent IBEX tradeshow in Louisville, Kentucky on September 29th. While building 3D models has a cost, there is tremendous value to be captured by leveraging the model for design review, manufacturing, weight estimating, cost estimating, structural analysis, 3D printed mock-ups, rendering, outsourcing of components as small as canvas and as large as interiors, fitting new parts to existing models, performance analysis, etc.

Answer to the Naval Architecture Riddle

2010-09-15T15:07:00.000-04:00

Have you figured it out yet? Have you built an Orca3D model to figure it out? If not, here's the riddle again, and the solution:

The following “riddle” was submitted by Razmik Baharyan of Bulgaria:

Imagine we have a saucepan in fresh water, with the following characteristics:

Diameter 20 cm
VCG 3 cm
Saucepan displacement 0.314 kg
Depth 10 cm

What will the metacentric height be for each of the following three cases?

The saucepan is empty.
The saucepan is empty, but is damaged and fills with 1 cm of water.
The saucepan is empty, but is damaged and fills with 5 cm of water.

Assume zero thickness for the saucepan itself, and that after the water leaks into the saucepan the damage is repaired. Remember, GMt=KB+BM-KG

Planing Analysis: Resistance Design Margin, and LCG, Porpoising, and Resistance

2010-09-12T11:59:00.000-04:00

Question: When I run the planing analysis I am guessing at the Resistance Design Margin. Is there any way to more accurately estimate what that efficiency should be to compensate for appendage and wind drag?

Answer: There are various ways to account for drag due to wind, appendages, and other factors such as waves. Some of these methods are purely empirical, while others may be classified as “semi-empirical” in that they are based on first principles but use some empirical data. A semi-empirical approach for estimating wind drag might be to compute the projected transverse area above the waterline (including hull above the waterline, pilot house, windshields, etc.) and use this together with the relative wind speed (including absolute wind speed and vessel speed) and an appropriate drag coefficient (such as might be found in Hoerners “Fluid-Dynamic Drag” or other technical papers). More fully empirical approaches might just recommend using a percentage of the bare hull drag whose value depends on the type of planing hull (e.g. center console vs sportfish vs cruiser).

Ideally you would have some past data for similar vessels to base your estimates on. If not, a few good references which you might find useful for guidance include:

http://www.hydrocompinc.com/knowledge/library.htm
Blount, D. & Fox, D., “Small-Craft Power Prediction,” SNAME Marine Technology, Jan 1976.Hadler, J.B., “The Prediction of Power Performance on Planing Craft,” SNAME Transactions, 1966.Hoerner, S.F., “Fluid-Dynamic Drag,” 1965.

Question: On my vessel the LCG is far enough aft that the planing analysis indicates that the vessel may porpoise. It seems that locating the ideal LCG so the vessel won't porpoise is determined by trial and error. Is this correct? Also, though the sensitivity index is less than 1, it recommends decreasing the LCG from transom which would only exacerbate the porpoising. How do I find the "happy middle ground"?

Answer: Orca3D uses the HydroComp prediction library for the planing analysis including the porpoising stability check. Three different evaluation algorithms are used in the library [Savitsky, 1976][Celano, 1998][Colton, 1990]. The well-known Savitsky algorithm is a based on a limiting "critical trim" indicator, as is the Celano algorithm (an implementation of earlier work [Day, 1952]). The Colton algorithm uses a relationship between the center of pressure (relating to LCG) and a speed coefficient to indicate regimes of stability and instability. The planing analysis library evaluates all three indicators and presents the likelihood of porpoising as Stable (none indicate porpoising), Check (some indicate porpoising) or Unstable (all indicate porpoising). Given this background, it is difficult to say exactly how you would need to adjust LCG to achieve the desired result, so it does become somewhat of a trial and error situation. However, I would expect there to be some consistent (though perhaps not linear) trends. Often times the change in design parameters required to improve one aspect of performance, such as porpoising stability, is at odds with what would be needed to improve another aspect, such as resistance. Usually a compromise must be reached.

Also, the sensitivity index for LCG is merely an estimate of the relative importance of LCG to the computed resistance and has no relation to porpoising stability. The sensitivity study just performs the resistance calculation repeatedly with small perturbations in each of the relevant input variables to determine their relative impact on resistance.

Naval Architecture Riddle

2010-09-12T11:12:00.000-04:00

The following “riddle” was submitted by Razmik Baharyan of Bulgaria:

Imagine we have a saucepan in fresh water, with the following characteristics:

Diameter 20 cm
VCG 3 cm
Saucepan displacement 0.314 kg
Depth 10 cm

What will the metacentric height be for each of the following three cases?

The saucepan is empty.
The saucepan is empty, but is damaged and fills with 1 cm of water.
The saucepan is empty, but is damaged and fills with 5 cm of water.

Assume zero thickness for the saucepan itself, and that after the water leaks into the saucepan the damage is repaired.

Remember, GMt=KB+BM-KG

The solution will be posted in a few days.

When is a computer fast enough?

2010-08-11T15:52:00.000-04:00

Part of our business involves carrying out seakeeping predictions for our customers, running advanced ship motions prediction software on a supercomputer. The supercomputer is actually composed of many multi-core computers networked together with a high speed Infiniband network, giving us computing power that is normally only found in a few government labs and research universities.

When we initially built this system two years ago, it was a major step ahead of what we'd done in the past. But this is a classic case of "Build it, and they will come," and we found that even running 24/7, we could not keep up with the demand. We’ve recently completed an upgrade to the system, and our testing shows that we’ve reduced the time to compute each condition (a condition is a unique combination of speed, heading, and wave height) by a factor of four. We’re now able to run approximately one million conditions per month. This scale of analysis is important when the mission of the vessel is critical, severe weather conditions cannot be avoided, the size and cost of the vessel makes physical prototyping impractical, and especially when the design is novel.

While interesting, this may not be directly relevant to your work. However, we feel that by being a leader in this type of extreme computing and engineering environment, we’re better able to create innovative design tools for all of our customers. Not to mention that having that kind of computing horsepower is kind of fun!

We want to hear from you!

2010-08-02T12:27:00.000-04:00

We're always trying to improve Orca3D, for the experienced user, for new users learning the software, and for prospective users who are evaluating the program against their needs. This means not only added features and improved functionality, but also expanded documentation, demonstration videos, technical support, etc.

Your feedback in these various areas is helpful in determining where to best focus our efforts. We've created two short surveys, one for Orca3D users, and one for those who are evaluating (or have evaluated) the software. The survey should take no more than 10 minutes, and your input would be greatly appreciated!

Existing users, please click here to take the survey.

For those evaluating Orca3D, please click here to take the survey.

Computing Righting Arms with Fixed Trim

2010-07-30T14:28:00.000-04:00

We recently had a question from an Orca3D user about how to compute righting arm curves, but with a fixed trim. While this doesn't reflect the true physics of a vessel heeling, some regulatory bodies still require the calculation to be done this way.

Orca3D doesn't have an option to automatically compute fixed-trim righting arms, but we quickly developed a series of steps that would accomplish the goal:

Run free-float hydrostatics with zero trim for each heeled condition needed for the righting arm curve. This can be done in a single run by specifying a weight, zero trim and a range of heel angles (not rollover angles) in the hydrostatics input dialog.
Record the resultant LCB for each condition.
Then for each heel angle, input the weight, VCG, TCG, recorded LCB as LCG and the desired righting arm angle and run to get the righting arm for that angle.

As a repetitive series of steps, this is an obvious candidate for scripting. Rhino has excellent facilities for scripting (for example, the Orca3D Offset Table function is actually a script). Scripts can be as simple as a series of Rhino commands, or can be complex VBScript programs, with different variable types, logical constructs, and data input and output.

We've developed a script that allows the user to enter the displacement, LCG, TCG, VCG, desired heel angles, and to select the surfaces to be included in the calculation. The righting arm data is then computed, and displayed in a text window, where it can be saved as .txt file. This file is easily opened in Microsoft Excel, and the righting arm curve is easily created (in Excel 2010, it takes just one click).

To use this macro:

Download the macro by clicking here, and save it in a convenient directory.
Start Rhino, and click on Tools/RhinoScript/Load.
Click Add, browse to the script, and click Open.
Click Close
Click Tools/RhinoScript/Run, select the script, and click OK.
Follow the prompts.
When the script completes, the data will be displayed in a window. Click SaveAs, and save the file with a .txt extension.
Open the file in Excel, with a comma delimeter. Select the Heel Angle and Righting Arm data, and create the plot.

If you'd like to learn more about scripting, there is an excellent reference guide included with Rhino. Click on Help/Plug-ins/RhinoScript, and follow the examples.

Control point editing and hollow waterlines

2010-07-13T12:49:00.000-04:00

We are sometimes asked the best way to get rid of hollow waterlines (not that they are always a bad thing). Often the combination of parameters that are used in a hull assistant will lead to hollow waterlines, or other aspects of the hull assistant-generated hull that you'd like to change. This is where direct control point editing comes in. While the hull assistants are very useful for quickly generating a 3D model that is close to your desired shape, they're not intended to be able to create it exactly. That would require so many controls as to defeat their purpose.

A recent post in the Tips&Tricks area of the Orca3D forum shows an example of creating a hull, and then modifying the control net (moving control points, re-orienting a control column, and adding control points) to attain the desired shape. To read the post, click here: http://orca3d.com/forum/index.php/topic,200.0.html

Automating Hull Assistants to Create and Analyze a Parametric Series of Hulls

2010-06-04T09:07:00.000-04:00

Many of Orca3D’s commands can be scripted, and therefore automated either through RhinoScript or by external programs such as Excel®. We’ve developed an example of automating a Hull Assistant using Visual Basic in Excel. A table of Ship Hull Assistant input parameters for a range of hulls is created by the user in Excel; the Visual Basic macro starts Rhino, then reads the data for each hull, creates the hull using the Hull Assistant, and computes a righting arm curve. Finally, the righting arm curves for all the hulls are plotted together for comparison.

You may download the macro by clicking here. The macro will start Rhino, and it assumes that your units are meters and kilograms. Note that if Rhino doesn't start fast enough, the macro will report an error. If this happens, usually just running the macro again will solve the problem.

If you make changes and improvements to the macro, why not describe them and post your version on the Orca3D Forum so others can learn from your experience?

See Orca3D at upcoming trade shows in Europe

2010-05-18T08:55:00.001-04:00

Want to see Orca3D demonstrated in person? Our European master reseller, Design Systems & Technologies, will be exhibiting Orca3D and other marine design and construction software at three upcoming trade shows:

Date	Trade Show	Location	Booth
May 18-20	Navalia	Vigo, Spain	F21
June 15-17	SeaWork 2010	Southampton, UK	242
June 21-25	Sea Tech Week	Brest, France	13

Please stop by and ask for Nick Danese!

Creating an Orca3D Template

2010-05-17T11:40:00.000-04:00

Many users like to start a new design with a known set of default values. Creating a new Rhino template will save the Orca3D data found in the Orca3D Properties dialog. This data includes:

Project Name
Company Name
Logo File
Current Orca3D Units
Model Orientation
View Settings
Fluid Type
Equilibrium Thresholds
Mesh Settings

Since this is a Rhino Template, the Rhino length units can also be set to a default value.

To save an Orca3D Template, set the Orca3D data and Rhino length units to the desired values. The Notes field can also be populated with a description of the Template or other miscellaneous notes. Next, choose File > Save As Template… from the Rhino menu or type the command SaveAsTemplate. The Save Template File dialog will open, allowing the new template file to be named and its save location selected. If the Orca3D Template is saved with the Rhino templates, this template will now be available in the list of templates when Rhino starts up or a new file is created.

Foreshortening the view to help with fairing

2010-05-12T16:46:00.000-04:00

When fairing a control net, it's sometimes helpful to "compress" the hull in the longitudinal axis, to exaggerate the curvature. This is especially important on hulls with high length-to-beam and length-to-depth ratios. One way to do this is to actually scale the model in the longitudinal dimension by some factor less than 1 (for example, 0.25 or 0.5). If you do this, you'll need to re-define the station locations.

Rhino has a different way to do it that only scales the view, and not the actual model. However, the scales that are specified are the horizontal and vertical scales (the Perspective view is not affected). If you adjust the horizontal scale, the length in the Planview and Profile (or Top and Front) will be foreshortened. In the Bodyplan (or Right) view, the beam will foreshortened. While not ideal, this can still be very helpful in the other views.

To do this, open the Rhino Properties dialog (File/Properties). Go to Rhino Options/Appearance/Advanced Settings/Wireframe/Other Settings. In the right side of the dialog, you can enter a Horizontal Scale. (If you want to apply it to something other than Wireframe, such as Shaded, select that instead.)

TerraFlat 3D, new patterning plug-in for Rhino

2010-05-03T12:03:00.000-04:00

Tri-D Technologies has introduced a new plug-in for Rhino, TerraFlat 3D. TerraFlat3D will analyze and flatten 3D shapes for 2D patterning and manufacturing. Terraflat is used for:

composite boats
automobile parts
shoe prototyping
awnings
glass applications
furniture patterning

Specific functions include:

Ability to read all popular 3D CAD formats (including high-end NURBS files from CATIA, Unigraphics, IDEAS, Pro-E, SolidWorks, Inventor)
Color-coded strain analysis where relief cuts are required
Automatic cut lines generated by “understanding” the seams
Free-flow manual cuts anywhere along a complex NURBS surface (unique to the industry)
Based on Tri-Ds AccuCut technology

Terraflat has been tested against other programs for developing metal plate, and the results are good. The developers are looking for input from the marine industry as they continue to develop this plug-in. An evaluation version is available on their website, at http://www.terraflat.com/.

"New Features" webinar recording available

2010-04-28T08:33:00.000-04:00

If you missed the recent webinar that presented the new features in the latest update, you can watch the recorded version at www.orca3d.com/webinars. This 50-minute live demonstration covered topics such as T-Splines compatibility, Hull Assistant updates, the foil wizard, custom loading conditions, and more.

Orca3D Offset Table Now Available as a Separate, Free Plug-in

2010-04-22T08:57:00.004-04:00

The offset table function in Orca3D was developed as a separate plug-in, and it required that Orca3D be installed in order to run properly. Now it is capable of running entirely without Orca3D, and is available as a free download. If you own Orca3D, you do not need to download the plug-in; it's already installed on your system.

If you don't own Orca3D, but would like to be able to create offset tables that open in Excel, download the Orca3DOffsetTable.rhp plug-in. Start Rhino, then drag and drop the rhp file onto the Rhino window to load it (or user pluginmanager). Type the command OrcaOffsetTable, and follow the prompts. Note that in the absence of Orca3D, it assumes that X is the longitudinal direction, Y is transverse, and Z is vertical. Curves that lie in a constant X plane are treated as stations, those in a constant Y plane are buttocks, and waterlines lie in constant Z plane.

Next webinar: "New Features in Orca3D Version 1.1.0"

2010-04-21T08:28:00.002-04:00

Join us for a webinar on Tuesday, April 27th, when we'll demonstrate some of the new features in Version 1.1.0 of Orca3D, as well as some of the improvements that have been made. Topics such as custom loading conditions for hydrostatics & stability, hull assistant libraries, T-Splines integration, weight & cost tracking, and others will be covered. After the presentation, there will be a question and answer session.

Date: Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Time: 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM EDT What time will it be in my time zone?

To register, click on the link below:
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/222843563
After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

RhinoMarine to Orca3D Translator

2010-04-15T15:14:00.004-04:00

If you have previously used RhinoMarine, your models may have data that is specific to RhinoMarine, such as sections, weight/cost items, points of interest, and other settings such as non-length units, fluid type and density, company name, logo file location, and project description. With the cooperation of the RhinoMarine developers, we have created a standalone program to convert this information into a format that is compatible with Orca3D.

The program can convert multiple 3dm files at once, and creates new files as output, so your original files are not changed.

The translator is free; there is a link to download it on the RhinoMarine transition page.

Orca3D Update available; Version 1.1.0

2010-04-14T09:47:00.006-04:00

We’re pleased to announce the latest update to Orca3D, which incorporates many of the suggestions and comments that we’ve received from our customers and beta testers. Thank you to all who have given us feedback!

Version 1.1.0 is now posted on our website. This is a free update for licensed users; if you have evaluated but not purchased Orca3D, your 15 day evaluation period may have expired. Instructions to request an extension are given at the end of this message.

A link to download the update is given below. Please read through the following information before you download.

Licensing: You will need to uninstall your existing version of Orca3D through Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs. You will not need to make any changes to your license.

Running in Windows Vista or Windows 7: If this is a new installation on a computer running Windows Vista or Windows 7, after installing Orca3D, you must run Rhino once using the Windows “Run as administrator” option in order to install and start the Orca3D License Service. This is most easily accomplished by right-clicking on the Rhino desktop icon and selecting "Run as administrator." This is only required once; thereafter you may start Rhino in the usual fashion. If you do not perform the steps above, you may receive an Orca3D License Service error. You can then transfer your license from your previous computer (instructions are given in the Orca3D Help file).

Rhino Version: This version requires that you are running Rhino V4, Service Release 6 or later. If you don’t have SR6 or later, please download it here: http://download.rhino3d.com/rhino/4.0/sr/.

What’s New: The update adds new features, improves existing features, and fixes a few bugs. A complete list of the changes is available at http://www.orca3d.com/download/service_release.htm, and just a few of the highlights are summarized below. Short videos demonstrating some of these features are available at http://www.orca3d.com/support/NewRelease_videos.htm.

Custom loading conditions for hydrostatics and stability calculations
Full T-Splines compatibility
Hull Assistant settings may now be saved to a library
Foil Assistant
User may now specify the longitudinal, transverse, and vertical coordinate directions
Improved management of Weight/Cost items
Simplified settings for mesh density for hydrostatic calculations (default mesh is also finer)
User-defined list of hydrostatic properties (up to 4) displayed in real-time and Hull Assistant hydrostatics
Sailboat Hull Assistant now has separate controls for flare and deadrise
Ship Hull Assistant has been vastly improved, allowing much better control of the shape
Export of csv file with hydrostatics and stability results; easy to import into CE-Pro

As always, we encourage feedback.

Read this blog, post in the forum, send an email to support@orca3d.com, or call us!

Go to http://www.orca3d.com/download/download.htm to download the update. If you have downloaded in the past, send an email to support@orca3d.com to receive the download link.

Need an extension of your evaluation period?

1. Install this release of Orca3D as described above.

2. Start Rhino; you will see a message stating that Orca3D does not have a valid license, and asking if you'd like to activate or extend your evaluation. Click Yes.

3. The Orca3D License Manager utility will appear (it may be behind Rhino on your desktop). Select "Phone/Email License".

4. Send the Installation ID to support@orca3d.com, with a note requesting an extension of your evaluation period. We will email the Unlocking Key to you. In the meantime, you may continue to use Rhino.

T-Splines: A Technology for Marine Design with Minimal Control Points

2010-04-01T15:59:00.002-04:00

T-splines are a very interesting class of surfaces that eliminate some of the shortcomings of NURBS, and they have been implemented in a Rhino plug-in. They look to be very useful for modeling hulls with local features such as skegs, bulbs, and fading chines, and also extremely useful for more complex surfaces such as sculpted superstructures. The next release of Orca3D will fully support T-spline surfaces; real-time sections, hydrostatics, weight & cost properties, etc. all work with a T-spline surface just as they do with a Rhino NURBS surface. You can read more about this interesting technology at http://www.tsplines.com/. Also, a paper was presented at the recent Chesapeake Powerboat Symposium by Matt Sederberg on T-splines, and there is a link to download it on our website.

Control Point Editing

2010-01-06T10:15:00.004-05:00

Designing hull surfaces (and other surfaces as well) is usually best done by direct editing of the surface's control points. This approach will almost always yield a surface that is more fair than building a surface by using Rhino's loft, sweep, or network commands.

There are many ways to edit the control points, beginning with simple dragging of the points. Rhino and Orca3D have a number of features to help with this; Orca3D's construction planes for editing in the Perspective view; Rhino's osnaps, snapping to the grid, and ortho; and of course the real-time update of sections and hydrostatics that Orca3D provides.

But there's more to editing control points than simple moves. Rhino has multiple options for scaling one or more points, Orca3D's 'orcamove' dialog makes it easy to position points relative to one another in Cartesian or polar coordinates, and with Rhino's 'rotate' command you can rotate a single control point or entire row or column.

There are other useful but less well-known commands, such as 'moveuvn' which allows you to move control points in the u, v, or normal direction, 'setpt' which makes it easy to align a group of control points to the same X, Y, or Z value, and others.

Brian James of Robert McNeel & Associates has put together a nice introductory video that describes control point editing. Even if you're an experienced Rhino user, you might pick up a tip or two. To watch the video, go to http://vimeo.com/album/57041 (there are a number of other Rhino-based tutorial videos there as well).

Multihull resistance prediction

2009-12-08T11:19:00.002-05:00

We are sometimes asked about resistance calculations for multihulls in Orca3D. Orca3D doesn't have a resistance method that is specifically for multihulls; however, the planing hull and displacement hull analysis can be used to predict the resistance of a single hull, assuming it fits within the valid parameters of the method (which is shown on the report along with the resistance data). Obviously you need to enter the parameters for a single hull (e.g. half of the total displacement), and then double the predicted resistance to get the total resistance (for a catamaran). Depending on the type of multihull, you may want to add some margin for interference drag between the hulls.

If you try to run a prediction for your multihull and get an error, you may want to consider these common sources of error:

not selecting only half of the hull (and only up to the chine for planing hulls)
incorrect model orientation (positive X should be in the aft direction, positive Z in the up direction)
incorrect outward normal direction on the surface(s). When you select Direction in the Analyze menu, the arrows should point into the water.
not positioning the centerline of the hull surface (even if it's a multihull) on the Y=0 plane

Note that the current release (1.0.14) has an issue where once you get an error while in the dialog (for example, you enter an invalid speed value), you need to save your file, exit Rhino, and re-start it. This has been fixed in the next release. The next release will also allow you to orient the model in any direction in the coordinate system (i.e.,doesn't require that positive X be in the aft direction).

Also, we sometimes see that people have not set the units as they expect; you may want to go into Orca3D roperties, and in the Units section, be sure that the speed is set to knots and the power unit to HP.

If you feel that you need a prediction method that is specifically designed for multihulls, you may want to consider the NavCad software from HydroComp, Inc. (HydroComp supplies the resistance library that is used in Orca3D). You can read about NavCad at www.hydrocompinc.com. We'd also recommend reading the technical paper "Predicting Catamaran Resistance with NavCad" from HydroComp on multihull resistance prediction, at http://www.hydrocompinc.com/knowledge/whitepapers/HC105-NavCadCatResistance.pdf.

Selecting Control Points

2009-11-30T17:06:00.003-05:00

Selecting control points (whether Orca3D control points, or the standard Rhino control points), is normally done by simply clicking on the point. This method is usually very effective, but what happens when control points are stacked on top of one another, or are very close? How do you make sure that you've selected the correct control point?

Rhino has a set of functions that make this very easy, by allowing you to select a control point, and then select the next or previous control point in either the U or V direction. These functions are located on the Select Points toolbar, which can be enabled using Toolbar Layout in the Tools menu. For example, in the image above, selecting NextV will select the point on the same column, at the sheerline. NextU will select the next point forward on the same row. There are also "add" versions of these functions, so for example you can add the NextU to your current selection.

If you have multiple points that are stacked, start by selecting a control point that is outside of the stack, on the side next to the control point that you want. Then just "step into" the stacked points with NextU, NextV, PrevU, or PrevV to get the control point that you want.

See Orca3D at METS in Amsterdam

2009-11-03T14:36:00.003-05:00

Orca3D will be demonstrated at METS in Amsterdam, November 17-19. We will be in the stand of our European Master Reseller, Design Systems & Technologies (Stand 04.408, in the French pavilion). We will be joined by representatives from Robert McNeel & Associates (the developers of Rhino) and HydroComp (the developer of the drag prediction library that is used in Orca3D). This is a great opportunity to get an in-depth demonstration of the software, and speak with experts. We always enjoy seeing current users as well as those who are evaluating the software.

Complete information on METS is available at http://www.mets.metstrade.com/mets2009/e/home. We look forward to seeing you there!

Running Orca3D on a Mac

2009-09-01T15:51:00.003-04:00

While we haven't done any testing and don't officially support Orca3D on a Mac, there was an interesting post on the Orca3D forum recently by Victor Soto, a Rhino and Orca3D reseller in Peru. He used Sun Microsystems' VirtualBox software to create a virtual XP computer on his Mac, and is running Rhino and Orca3D successfully. Click here to see his post on the forum. A reply to his original post shows a screen capture of the settings that he used.

RhinoMarine announcement

2009-09-01T15:08:00.002-04:00

As of September 1st, 2009, Alion Science and Technology has suspended sales, maintenance, and support for RhinoMarine. Click here to view the announcement letter that Alion sent yesterday to their users. As a courtesy to RhinoMarine users, DRS Defense Solutions Advanced Technology Center (ATC) is available to provide limited technical support for RhinoMarine through the end of 2010, as well as replacement Site Keys. Because we won't have access to the RhinoMarine source code, we will not be able to make changes or fixes to the program, and there will surely be some questions that we won't be able to answer. But with our experience in naval architecture and with this type of Rhino plug-in software, we hope to be able to answer most questions. Alion has authorized us to provide replacement Site Keys for existing RhinoMarine users, so if you lose your license due to a hard disk crash, a new computer, etc. we can generate a new Site Key for you. With these resources, you should be able to confidently continue the use of your copy of RhinoMarine.

If you are a user of RhinoMarine, please click here for information on technical support and discounted pricing on Orca3D.

Attend an introductory Orca3D webinar on May 21st and save 20%!

2009-05-14T14:20:00.005-04:00

We will be holding an introductory webinar entitled "Extending Rhino's capabilities for the naval architect" on Thursday, May 21st at 0900 Eastern Daylight Time (1300 UTC, 1500 Central European Time). The webinar will feature a live presentation of the four functional areas of Orca3D: Hull Design & Fairing, Intact Hydrostatics & Stability, Resistance & Power Prediction, and Weight & Cost Tracking, and will last for approximately 40 minutes.

Attendees will receive a coupon code good for a 20% discount on Orca3D purchases made within 30 days of the webinar. To register for the webinar, visit the webinar page on our website, where you'll also find links to recorded versions of previous webinars: http://www.orca3d.com/support/support_webinars.htm

See you there!

Interesting capsize and flotation study using Orca3D

2009-04-21T09:06:00.003-04:00

Scott Graham of Graham Marine, Inc. is restoring a wooden Lightning class sailboat, and wanted to look at various options for adding flotation to make it easier to recover from a capsize. After building a detailed model in Rhino that accounts for the thickness of all of the parts, he looked at adding watertight bulkheads, airbags in various locations, and foam under the gunwales. Using Orca3D, he computed righting arm curves that include the effect of the crew and the buoyant mast for each configuration. Click here to see his results, as presented on the Lightning Class website.

2009-04-09T13:13:00.002-04:00

Webinar "Speed/Power Analysis with Orca3D" available on Orca3D.com

We've added a webinar to our website, entitled "Speed/Power Analysis with Orca3D". This 30-minute recording of a recent live presentation provides background on the resistance methods in Orca3D, and demonstrates their use. Click here to go to the webinar page on Orca3D.com.

Webinar "Extending Rhino's capabilities for the naval architect" available on Orca3D.com

2009-03-04T08:53:00.002-05:00

We've added a webinar to our website, entitled "Extending Rhino's capabilities for the naval architect". This 35-minute recording of a recent live presentation demonstrates the main features of each of the four functional areas of Orca3D: Hull Design & Fairing, Intact Hydrostatics & Stability, Resistance & Power Prediction, and Weight & Cost Tracking. Click here to go to the webinar page on Orca3D.com.

Special discounts for Westlawn and Landing School Students

2009-02-16T09:44:00.002-05:00

We've just announced special discounts on Orca3D/Rhino bundles for Westlawn and Landing School students. Active students from either school receive a 10% discount when purchasing Orca3D together with Rhino or the Rhino/Flamingo/Penguin/Bongo bundle. Click here for details.

November Upgrade discounts extended

2008-12-02T17:47:00.002-05:00

Due to the Thanksgiving holiday in the US during the last week of November, some customers in missed the opportunity to take advantage of the Orca3D competitive upgrade discounts. The deadline has now been extended to Monday, December 8th. If you currently use FastShip, FastYacht, or RhinoMarine 4, you can save up to 50%. Please visit www.orca3d.com/order/order.htm for details.

Make it easier to see the control points on a surface

2008-12-02T16:51:00.006-05:00

While working in Rhino, sometimes the view can become cluttered, making it difficult to see the part of the model that you're interested in. This can be particularly true when fairing a hull; for example, when working in the Right or Bodyplan viewport and moving control points in the bow, the aft portion of the hull clutters the view.

One solution to this is Rhino's clippingplane command. A clipping plane is a plane in space beyond which any geometry becomes invisible. Clipping planes are specific to a viewport, and any viewport may have multiple clipping planes.

To create a clipping plane, type the command clippingplane into Rhino's command line (it's not available in a menu, but there is an icon on the Viewport Layout toolbar). Click in the viewport in which you want the clipping plane to apply, and then draw a rectangle (the size of the rectangle doesn't matter; the clipping plane is infinite). Now, drag the clipping plane in one of the other viewports to change its location. The clipping plane has a pointer that shows the direction of the visible geometry. Use the flip command to turn it around. By turning on the control points of the clipping plane, you can rotate the plane, and drag it to dynamically clip the view.

A second option to make it easier to see your control net is the cullcontrolpolygon command (the icon is available on the Point Editing toolbar). This command, which is a toggle, hides any portion of the control polygon (the lines connecting the control points) that are in the background. This is easily seen in the Perspective viewport as you rotate the hull with the Orca control points on.

Rhino's Right view will now show just the aft portion of the control polygon (assuming forward is negative X in your model), and the Bodyplan view of the Orca3D viewports will show the forward portion of the control polygon.

Orca3D Update Available: Version 1.0.14

2008-11-07T17:14:00.003-05:00

A new version of Orca3D, Version 1.0.14, has now been posted to our website. Please visit www.orca3d.com/download/download.htm. This is a free update for licensed users.

This new version adds features, improves existing features, and fixes a few bugs, most notably issues with European keyboard settings. These are summarized below; as always, we encourage feedback. Please visit the forum at www.orca3d.com/forum, or send an email to support@orca3d.com.

Release 1.0.14 (November 7, 2008)

New Features:

· OrcaInsertChine: A new command was added to allow a user to insert a chine (i.e. slope discontinuity) into a surface along an iso-parameter. The command allows the user to choose the parametric direction, u or v.

Enhanced Features:

· OrcaAssignWeightCost: The form for assigning weight/cost to a Rhino geometry object has been modified to allow the user to create new materials by selecting “Add New Material(s)…” from the dropdown list.

· OrcaAssignWeightCost: The command now allows selection of more than one object at a time for assigning weight/cost properties. A “Clear” button was added to the form for assigning weight/cost properties to allow a user to remove weight/cost properties from selected objects.

· OrcaReportWeightAndCost: Added a progress bar during weight/cost report generation since calculations can be time consuming.

· OrcaCreatePlaningHull: The Planing Hull Assistant has been modified so that the resulting hull surface is degree 3 in both parametric directions. It had been degree 2 in one direction.

· OrcaPlaningAnalysis, OrcaHoltropAnalysis: The resistance analysis commands have been modified to allow the user to export the calculation to HydroComp NavCad and SwiftCraft files.

· OrcaWrapCorner: Added a check to see if the selected surface is trimmed. If so the user is notified that the command will remove trimming information and given the option to proceed or quit.

· OrcaHydrostatics: The OrcaHydrostatics command is now scriptable.

Bug Fixes:

· Internationalization: Made numerous changes to facilitate using Orca3D with international keyboard settings. In order to be consistent with Rhino, Orca3D requires all input using “.” as the decimal separator and “,” as the list separator.

· Hydrostatics: Fixed a unit conversion error in output of righting moment in lb-ft units.

· OrcaCreateLinesDrawing: Fixed a bug in display of block and prismatic coefficients when length and volume units are not consistent. Fixed a bug in display of wetted surface area value.

· OrcaReportWeightAndCost: Fixed a bug in which cost item output was sometimes denoted as having been set directly when it was computed from the associated geometry properties.

Orca3D Discounts during November

2008-11-04T15:54:00.002-05:00

The response to the initial release of the Orca3D marine plug-in for Rhino has been fantastic. If you haven’t already taken advantage of the competitive upgrade pricing that we’re offering, now is the time to act. Through the end of November, we are offering a discount of up to 50% to current users of specific competing software.

For more information:
Pricing: www.orca3d.com/order/order.htm
Software description: www.orca3d.com

Purchasing:
-from a local reseller: http://www.orca3d.com/order/order_reseller.htm
-directly from DRS: http://www.orca3d.com/order/order_direct.htm
(The price is the same whether you purchase directly or through a reseller. We encourage you to purchase through a reseller if there is one close to you.)

For technical questions:
http://www.orca3d.com/forum
support@orca3d.com

Remember, the discount will not be available after November 30th, so don’t wait; purchase now.

Design Hydrostatics: What is the Design Condition for?

2008-11-04T15:51:00.000-05:00

Simply put, Design Hydrostatics is a subset of the complete Hydrostatics & Stability calculation. The idea is to make it possible to compute hydrostatics with a single button click.

Without Design Hydrostatics, the usual steps to compute hydrostatics are:

1. Select the surface(s) and/or mesh(es) to be included in the calculations
2. Start the Orca3D Hydrostatics & Stability command (Orca3D->Stability->Compute Hydrostatics & Stability)
3. Define the flotation condition (weight/cg or flotation plane, etc.)
4. Set the options (Mirror about Centerplane, etc.)
5. Click Calculate

While this gives you a lot of flexibility and options, many times while you're shaping the hull you just want the hydrostatics at a particular flotation plane or weight/cg, and you don't want to have go through each of these steps every time. The Design Hydrostatics allows you to define a special condition (the "Design Condition") once, and then while you're working with the hull you only need to click the Compute Design Hydrostatics icon to get hydrostatics computed in that condition.

To define the Design Condition, go to Orca3D->Stability->Define Design Condition. Select the surface(s) and/or mesh(es) to be included, define the flotation plane, and check any options (such as Mirror about Centerplane). The Design Condition is now defined, and to get hydrostatics quickly just click on the Compute Design Hydrostatics button.

Keep in mind that if you delete one of the surfaces or meshes that were included in your Design Condition, you will need to redefine the Design Condition. Also, the surfaces or meshes that you select for a standard Hydrostatics & Stability calculation will now become the surfaces and meshes for the Design Condition, unless you redefine it.

Orca3D has been released!

2008-10-01T19:27:00.001-04:00

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." And, a journey of a thousand lines of code begins with a single line, which is exactly what happened 18 months ago when the development of the Orca3D marine design software began.

Developed entirely from scratch as a plug-in to the popular Rhinoceros 3D modeling program, Orca3D includes many powerful and innovative features for naval architects, whether they are designing ships, yachts, or other floating structures.

The release of Orca3D began with the first Work-in-Progress (WIP) release on February 29th. After four more WIP's, downloads by over 1000 users worldwide, lots of feedback from users, and addition of new features, Orca3D 1.0 is ready for commercial release. But this doesn't mean that it's finished. Development of the software is on-going, and the naval architects who developed Orca3D have plenty of plans for future releases. Many ideas for new features and improvements will come from the user community.

This release includes functionality for Weight & Cost Tracking, adds the Holtrop resistance prediction method for displacement hulls, and has a number of minor fixes and improvements.

Information on pricing and purchasing Orca3D is available at www.orca3d.com/order/order.htm. During the month of October, we are offering deeply discounted competitive upgrade prices for users of RhinoMarine and FastShip/FastYacht. Note that the upgrade price will increase on November 1st, and will no longer be available after November 30th. Details can be found on the order page. You will also find information on resellers; if there is a reseller in your area, we encourage you to purchase through them.

Orca3D is available for download at http://www.orca3d.com/, and you may try it free for 15 days as a fully functional evaluation version. Note: If you used WIP3, your evaluation period has now expired. If you would like to extend your evaluation period in order to try this release, follow these steps:

1. Install this release of Orca3D
2. Start Rhino; you will see a message stating that Orca3D does not have a valid license, and asking if you'd like to activate or extend your evaluation. Click Yes.
3. The Orca3D License Manager utility will appear (it may be behind Rhino on your desktop). Select "Phone/Email License".
4. Send the Installation ID to support@orca3d.com, with a note requesting an extension of your evaluation period. We will email the Unlocking Key to you. In the meantime, you may continue to use Rhino.

If you have questions about purchasing or evaluating Orca3D, please contact us at sales@orca3d.com. If you have questions about the capabilities or use of the software, please write to support@orca3d.com.

We especially want to thank those who have downloaded and evaluated Orca3D. Many of you have provided invaluable feedback, and we hope that process will continue!

I hope we’ll be able to see you at IBEX (booth 1214/1216) in Miami Beach next week, or in Amsterdam at METS (booth # 04.408, Oost Hall / Hall 4) in November.

Orca3D to be demonstrated at METS in Amsterdam

2008-10-01T11:20:00.001-04:00

Orca3D will be demonstrated at the METS tradeshow in Amsterdam, November 18-20. We will be in booth # 04.408 (Oost Hall / Hall 4), together with Design Systems & Technologies, Robert McNeel and Associates (the developer of Rhino), and HydroComp, Inc. Please plan to visit and see the latest software. As always, we enjoy seeing old friends and making new ones!

Orca3D WIP 4.1 Now Available

2008-09-02T15:55:00.001-04:00

We have posted an update to WIP 4 that remedies some issues that have been reported by users. Specifically:

Units: Fixed several issues related to units used in hydrostatics and speed/power calculations.

Orientation: Fixed a bug in model orientation settings which occurred when reading in files saved in earlier WIP releases. This could potentially lead to nonsensical results in both hydrostatics and resistance calculations.

Formatting: Modified the number format used in the section area and section girth hydrostatics output.

This is an important update, and we recommend that all users download and install this release. The complete Release Notes with the details of the improvements in WIP4.1 can be found at http://www.orca3d.com/support/manual/index.html?orca_release_notes.htm.

Thank you to those who have given us feedback and comments. They are helpful and welcome!

Fourth Orca3D WIP Released

2008-08-27T14:36:00.005-04:00

We're pleased to announce the fourth release of Orca3D, a marine design and analysis plug-in for Rhinoceros. Orca3D is developed by a team of naval architects and developers who are experienced in the creation, distribution, and support of marine applications, including plug-ins for the Rhino environment. Complete information, including Release Notes, is available at www.orca3d.com/upload/orca3dnews_08_28_08.htm.

With this release, Orca3D is very close to being ready to officially release. Pricing information for new licenses and upgrades is now available on our website, at www.orca3d.com/order/order.htm. Upgrade pricing is significantly lower than list price, and is available to current users of RhinoMarine V4 and FastYacht/FastShip (proof of eligibility will be required; see the website for details). For the first 30 days after release, the Upgrade price has been lowered even further. After 60 days, the Upgrade price will no longer be available.

Before installing Orca3D, please be sure that you are running Rhino Version 4, Service Release 3; Orca3D will not function with earlier versions of Rhino. Please use the menu above or click here to download the installation file.

Feel free to send comments and suggestions as you use the WIP. We appreciate your interest!

Third WIP of Orca3D now available

2008-08-14T10:44:00.002-04:00

We’re pleased to announce the third Work-in-Progress (WIP) release of Orca3D, which incorporates many of the suggestions and comments that we’ve received from users of the first WIP. Thank you to all of those who have been providing feedback.

The second WIP expires on July 1st, so it will no longer load. Please download and install the third WIP, which will expire on September 1st. If the commercial release is not ready before then, a fourth WIP will be posted.

For a description of the changes in this WIP, please visit http://www.orca3d.com/upload/orca3dnews_06_30_08.htm.

To download the latest WIP, visit www.orca3d.com, and click on the Download menu.

As always, we look forward to your comments!