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I bought TurboCAD Professional a while back to use for the design
process, but haven't really utilized it yet. Does anyone have any comments
pro or con on that software? I'm willing to dump it if would be wiser to
switch to something else before I get too deep. TurboCAD has additional
modules available for purchase but none specifically for watercraft as far as I
know.
Thanks for your input,
Jim
In a message dated 10/21/2010 11:17:23 P.M. Central Daylight Time,
cast55@telus.net writes:
On
21/10/2010 7:17 PM, kocpnt tds.net wrote:
> Hi Firebolt,
> I'm
certainly old school, however I believe that you first have to
>
determine mission and performance guidelines and THEN after
>
determining the rough size and shape begin determining technical
features.
> Just my two cents!
> Best Regards,
> Jim
K
>
Agreed. There is no substitute for putting pencil to
paper.
That said, spreadsheets are an easy way to do weight / buoyancy
calcs,
electrical calcs, etc. I also use various CAD and FEA
packages for the
mechanical design details, CES software for materials
analysis ( found
here:
http://www.grantadesign.com/products/ces/ ), and a software
package
I wrote myself for pressure hull design in accordance with ABS
regs.
Of course, the beauty of software is that it really allows you to
make
bigger mistakes faster, so you must have some background knowledge
before
using the computer to automate the process. Design is an
iterative
process, starting with your functional requirements:
passenger
capacity: (pilot(s), scientists or technical personnel,
tourists or
laypersons, etc.)
operating theatre: (lake vs. ocean, inshore or offshore,
sea state
capability, etc.)
operating depth: (typical,
maximum)
propulsion: (electric thusters, diesel electric, AIP,
etc.)
operating range: (will dictate battery bank / fuel / life support
capacity)
mission objectives / vehicle role (observation only, videography,
collection, working, etc.)
launch / recovery methods (i.e. trailerable,
ship launched,
self-sufficient, etc.)
maximum cost (if on a budget,
this may be the dominant constraint)
Answer all of the above, and you
will have enough information to begin a
preliminary design. As you
work through the process, formulate specific
questions which you can then
use software tools to help answer. Just
bear in mind that with any
software, garbage in = garbage out. Software
will not design a sub
for you, in much the same way as a hammer will not
build a house for
you. Know what question you are trying to answer
before answering
it, and then check that the answer makes
sense.
-Sean
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