Boat design woes

[Gazza]

Hi I am brand new to solid edge.

To give a little of my background, interests and what I hope to achieve.I am mad about sailboats.

Built my own cnc router table (1200mm x 1200mm workspace with between 60 - 70mm Zaxis).

Started cad drawing with turbocad for 2D renderings. Eventually using solidworks12 and sketchup for 3D renderings.

I have a set of boat plans which supplies a table of offsets from which the hull shape is developed. This I reduced to obtain a 1:5 scale version with the aim of carving a 3D half hull from the offsets.

Using solidworks, I was able to plot the offsets into individual frames placed on individual planes through the hull's length ( each plane representing the frame stations). I was then able to connect the points plotted with 3D sketching after which I was able to skin the hull giving me a solid model from which I was able to create g-code from.

A year or so ago I managed to do this as a 10th scale model using solidworks and artcam express for g-gode generation.

From this I managed to cut a fairly decent half hull, although not perfect as I found the motor controller board was missing steps and eventually replaced the contol board. The computer running the router table had solidworks installed, but decided to give up the ghost. The computer was and old one with parallel ports with which to send signal to to motor contollers. I am in the process of replacing the computer.

At present I am trying to get up to speed with solid edge by I suppose jumping in the deep end in my learnership of solidedge.

I am hoping there is some kind person out there who is able to assist me in plotting out the table of offsets.

A sort of digital lofting out of the lines.

Regards

[hawcad]

Hi @Gazza

welcome at the Solid Edge Community!

Most steps You have to go for getting the boat body were already mentioned by Yourself.

It nearly is exactly as You have said to processed in the past.

I would suggest to use an Ordered environement - rather than a syncronous environement.

As long as profile sketch data is defining Your geometry, the ordered mode will be the better tool.

Now start a sketch on the first plane position, creating Your first frame profile as a spline I suppose.

Clsoe this sketch, go back and cerate the next one at a parallel plane with Your given distance of the next frame profile plane.

Create the next profile and continue so until You have all Your frame profiles as sketches in Your model space.

And now create the surface or the body using a Lofted feature or a Sweep Feature, depending on either YOu only have the frame profiles or the longitudinal sketches too.

Hope I was able to help.

PS.: see tutroials and help pages and search for loft and sweep

I believe there are examples and tutorials too.

See tutorial 1536 modelling of sync and ordered features

[Gazza]

Hi wolfgang thanks for the reply.

I was originally sketching in the one plane. using 3D sketching has helped me draw a few frames which project orthagonally, however when panning I can see that each frame is not aligned with each other. Is it possible to create a plane on which a frame template exists, from which the next frame/plane drawing is created.

In the attached file the dotted lines represent the frame template.

Regards

[hawcad]

Hi @Gazza

You better should mention, that Your file was amde with an acaemic license,
so it will not be usable for people without an academic license.

Answer will follow

[Gazza]

Hi just re reading your reply.
All I have is a table of offset measurements from this I have developed the longitudinal profile. The frames are developed from a horizontal baseline, a water line and 4 equally stationed sub waterlines.One below waterline and three above. The vertical keelson and gunwhale distances are given. The half breadth of each horizontal forms the spline which forms the frame. The majority of the frames have additional lines at a 45 deg from the intersections of the waterline and WL -1 to help form the buttocks of the spline for each frame.
The aim is to have a half hull form (port or std side) which can be halved along it's length. The model works out as 1600 mm in length. To accommodate the work area parameters of my router table. In essence ending with a forward and aft sections of the port or stbd side. The models will have to also be layer sliced as the cutting height od machine is around 65 mm. The max half beam being 122 mm.

[Gazza]

Sorry about that
I'm using STD10 academic version.

[hawcad]

Hi @Gazza

I have seen several issues I would make different by myself.

• in Solid Edge You can use - I call them - integrated planes, for sketches.
  So You do not need to create a parallel plane extra before need it really.
  Just say Sketch - and use from the plane selector the implicit parallel plane
  You can save entries in the pathfinder and keep everything more clear
• and for connecting any geometry with other geometry we are using the Relations
  Relations are tha a nd o of Solid Edge sketching
  Other software uses construction lines, ect, but SE does it with Relations
• and as in real life, no partnership can work without a good relation!

See image

Again I can suggest to have a look into the tutorials and help pages.

They will explain the basics for You in few lessons, and You will feel more comfortable and You will find SE a lot more usable than without it.

[hawcad]

Hi @Gazza

and - forgotten to mention it before - YOu IMHO will not need so much curves within Your prfoiles.

Just the outside spline will be enough for a surface or the inner two lines to build a closed loop if creating a solid body

To controll the geometry SE uses dimensions.

Nothing really is defined if it is not dimensioned!