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NUPAS-CADMATICs Vision on CAD/CAM System Development in

Todays Shipbuilding Environment

Geert Tepper, Numeriek Centrum Groningen B.V., Groningen/The Netherlands, tepper@ncg.nl
Theodoor de Jonge, Numeriek Centrum Groningen B.V., Groningen/The Netherlands, jonge@ncg.nl

Abstract

The architecture of the 3D model database in Nupas-Cadmatic has been designed in such a way that
it serves multiple purposes for all phases of the shipbuilding process. Besides advanced 3D detail and
production engineering there are various other possibilities that cover the (re)use of the 3D model
and offer significant added value for ship designers, shipbuilders and ship owners. In this paper
Nupas-Cadmatic introduces three new functionalities: Export to FEM, Compartment Modeling and
3D General Arrangement and the Work Breakdown and Assembly Tools.

1. Beyond the 3D geometric ship model

During the past few decades a variety of 3D CAD/CAM systems for shipbuilding have been
developed of which all had the same goal: to speed up, improve and optimize the different activities in
ship design, ship engineering and ship production. The advantages were, and still are substantial,
compared to traditional drawing boards. Almost every modern shipyard or ship design company uses
software in one way or the other in order to keep up in the strong competitive shipbuilding market.
High labor costs and increasing prices of materials force the shipbuilding industry to be innovative,
efficient and to respond quickly to the changing market demands.

Nupas-Cadmatic is the 3D ship design systems in the high level segment. Since its origin in the late
1980s, Nupas-Cadmatic has become a strong player in the market with currently more than 290 users
in 35 countries. Although Nupas-Cadmatic started as a 3D production engineering tool, it rapidly
expanded to a mature and complete 3D ship design, engineering and production system.

In Nupas-Cadmatic the architecture of the 3D model database has been designed in such a way that it
serves multiple purposes for all phases of the shipbuilding process. When the first plate, profile or
pipe comes into existence, the production modules of Nupas-Cadmatic already know of its existence.
In other words, the 3D model database contains all the data and intelligence to provide a continuous
and consistent data flow for each phase of the shipbuilding process. Nupas-Cadmatic also aims to
make the life of the designer easier by offering an advanced topological model, rule-based
engineering, parametric modeling, specification-driven pipe routing, automatic part nesting, etc. in
order to avoid errors and take over boring tasks.

So what more should a 3D ship design system be able to do? We can continue to develop the
intelligent modeling and make it fancier and even more intelligent but we should also realize that
there are limits to what is considered to be necessary and useful or not.

The answer lies in developing functionality that goes beyond the 3D geometric ship model. Nowadays
Nupas-Cadmatic has many powerful functionalities and features that can easily be utilized in new
applications that offer significant added value to ship designers, shipbuilders and ship owners.
Possible new uses of the Nupas-Cadmatic 3D geometric ship model are in the field of finite element
analysis, ship life cycle management, browsing and sharing the model, 3D general arrangement,
compartment modeling and assembly management.

In this paper we introduce three of these new functionalities: Export to FEM, Compartment Modeling
and 3D General Arrangement and the Work Breakdown and Assembly Tools.
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2. Export to FEM model

Final Element Analysis (FEA) of a ships structure is an essential activity in the early design stage of
a new vessel. It is essential because it forms in some cases the basis to receive approval from the
Classification Societies for the structural design. Another essential objective, and these days maybe
even a more important one, is the fact that FEA helps designers to optimize the structural design.
Modern ships have to be fast and light yet stable, safer and more fuel efficient than ever before.

The general problem is that performing a finite element analysis on a ship design is an extremely time
consuming process. Besides the required CPU time to execute the actual FEA, modeling the ship
structure is the other main time consuming part of the process. The model has to be created from
scratch. About 70% of the time to perform a FEA consists of creating the model and existing FEA
software programs do not offer adequate and rapid modeling tools. In addition the fact that various
alternatives for the same ship often have to be considered, one can imagine that optimizing a design is
an extremely expensive matter for which mostly is no time available.

For special ships with particularly heavy constructions or ships that suffer from heavy and special
forces (heavy lift, dredgers) it is important for the ship owner and shipbuilder to create the most
optimal design. Class Societies require FEA proof of designs that deviate from the common structural
rules. This also applies to standard ships where a designer decides to use less or thinner structural
material. Another issue is validating an existing design. It is hardly done because of the amount of
time it takes. Overall there are enough reasons to try to speed up the FEA process.

In 2006 Nupas-Cadmatic started a new development project with German shipbuilder Flensburger
Schiffbau Gesellschaft to achieve a detailed FEA of a new design in the shortest possible time. By
making use of existing fast and advanced 3D modeling techniques of the Nupas-Cadmatic Hull
module, one will be able to reduce the modeling time dramatically and create an optimal FEM model.


Fig.1: The Nupas-Cadmatic model, the generated FEM model and the mesh model of a double bottom.

The development project consists of an Export to FEM application. This application creates a
simplified and idealized FEM model from the 3D structural ship model. Because of the high level of
structural topology in the Nupas-Cadmatic ship model, the application is able to generate the optimal
FEM model quickly. The FEM model is stored in the ANSYS file format for a smooth connection
to the actual FEA. Besides the ANSYS file format the FEM model can also be stored in a general
IGES file format.

2.2 The process of preparing the FEM model

A Finite Element Method (FEM) model in Nupas-Cadmatic Hull consists of a collection of FEM
objects created from selected construction parts from the Nupas-Cadmatic structural model database.
This selection can consist of a specific isolated construction, one or more blocks or even the complete
ship. Because you want to derive a FEM model at any given moment from the 3D structural hull
model (regardless of the level of detail) it needs to be simplified, idealized and optimized in order to
be processed by a FEA software program. The level of detail of the FEM model is handled by so-
called FEM policies. The FEM policies concept is explained in more detail in the next paragraph.
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Fig.2: The Export to FEM process

The process of the export of the FEM model is visualized in Fig.2. During 3D modeling, Nupas-
Cadmatic continuously maintains a FEM database via the Hullserver (the Hullserver is a server
process which serves several applications of the Nupas-Cadmatic system). The FEM database
contains specific data of the construction parts in order to generate the FEM model rapidly.

The user selects the construction parts via the standard Report Generator or via the Hull Viewer. The
user selects the output format, chooses the desired FEM policy and applies several specific FEM
export settings via a user interface. Before pressing the Export button the user is able to preview the
selected construction.

The FEM data of the selection is passed to a preprocessor. The preprocessor skips specific
construction elements according to the selected FEM policy and performs several idealizations to
simplify the model. The next step is to optimize the FEM model via an optimizer where the number of
node points is reduced or increased if necessary. Finally the output file is generated in ANSYS or
IGES format. Depending on the size and detail of the structural model the preprocessor and optimizer
can be rather time consuming. This process can, therefore, also be executed in batch mode.

2.3 FEM Policies

The accuracy or detail level of the exported FEM model is specified in the FEM policy. The default
FEM policies are GLOBAL, ROUGH or FINE and determine the final detail level based on various
settings. A policy is a collection of settings which control the so-called idealizations. The user can
also define his own policies.

Report
Generator
NUPAS-CADMATIC
HULL SERVER
FEM
database
Structural
database
Skip small
parts
Idealization
Optimizer
Selection
criteria
FEM
policy
ANSYS
format
IGES
format
PREPROCESSOR
Skip conditions
Idealizations
Tolerances
BATCH JOB
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A FEM policy:

a. Contains the conditions for skipping small construction parts based on minimum area,
dimensions and weight.
b. Is used to specify in what way construction parts such as plates, brackets, profiles, cutouts and
holes are exported.
c. Determines the FEM element types (SHELL63, BEAM44, etc.) to be used to represent the Nupas-
Cadmatic Hull construction.
d. Determines tolerances such as the number of node points, vector lengths, etc.

2.4 FEM Idealizations

There are a number of standard idealizations that apply to every FEM model:

1. Plates are exported to objects without thickness (Fig.3).
2. The plate contours are modified to fill the gaps caused by reducing the thickness to zero.
3. Node points are positioned on the mould side of the plates.
4. Plates, brackets and profiles are extended to the nearest node point or to the plate contour.
5. All plates, brackets and profiles connected to a plate result in main (mesh)lines and node points
on that plate.
6. Profiles which are not connected to a plate are exported as beams.
7. Girders are handled as T-profiles.
8. If a profile is skipped the cutout is also skipped.

Fig.3: Reducing plate thickness to zero

Other idealizations that are performed by choosing a policy are:

1. Profiles are skipped, exported as (mesh)lines with 2 node points or exported as a beam.
2. Node points of profiles are connected to the nearest node points on the plate contour (possible
shift of profile plane)
3. New node points can be introduced (stationary profile plane)
4. Small parallel profiles in the same plane are connected to each other or to the nearest node point
5. Small parallel profiles in different planes are exported as one single (mesh)line with node points.
To counteract the reduction of profiles the average compensation method will be used.
6. In a global model there are no (mesh)lines with node points representing profiles. The properties
of the profiles are summarized in available element edges or via anisotropic material properties
(the torsional moment of inertia).
7. The effect of holes and cutouts can be simulated by reducing plate thickness (according to various
arithmetic formulas)

Some examples of idealizations can be found in Figs.4 - 7.


Fig.4: Shift of profile plane Fig.5: Parallel profiles in same plane
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Fig.6: Stationary profile plane Fig.7: Parallel profiles in different planes

The end result of the export process is a simplified FEM model in ANSYS or IGES format which is
ready to be processed by a mesh generator and finite element analysis software. Fig.8 shows examples
of the results of the three default FEM policies Global, Rough and Fine.







GLOBAL ROUGH FINE

Fig.8: The effect of policies on the FEM model

The top row images represent the simplified IGES models, the middle row images show the
simplified ANSYS models of the divisions due to the idealizations and the bottom row images show
the ANSYS models after meshing.

2.5 Current version and future developments

The Export to FEM feature received a lot of interest from the Nupas-Cadmatic user community after
the project was announced. There is currently a beta release available in Nupas-Cadmatic version 5.3
which is being tested at several Nupas-Cadmatic sites. The results are promising and the official
release of Export to FEM is expected to be available at the end of 2009.

Some of the future developments to enhance the Export to FEM feature are:

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Increase the number of idealizations and fine tune idealizations
Elaborate the optimizer functionality
Enable batch job handling
Include shell plates
Realize different output file formats for 3
rd
party FEA software

3. Compartment modeling and 3D General Arrangement Design

The process of designing a new ship is a complex combination of various activities, many variables
and numerous known and unknown factors. Each activity provides pieces of information which are
based on several design resources. As you probably recognize from your own experience this often
results easily in having to do work more than once, working with outdated information or even worse
working with the wrong information. The subsequent design steps will also suffer from these harmful
consequences. In this paragraph Nupas-Cadmatic presents its vision on the future development of the
concept of 3D General Arrangement Design to reduce the various drawbacks in conventional initial
design.

3.1 General Arrangement in initial design

The conventional process of initial design is represented in Fig.9. According to the ships
specifications the hull shape is designed, the initial compartments are defined and the usual ship
theory calculations are performed. For these activities a variety of commercial software packages are
available on the market from which the initial results are the basis for the 2D General Arrangement
drawing. The compartment definition is usually not available in a 3D model and is written down in
the ships coordinates.

General
Arrangement
Manual transfer of
change information
Transfer of
Hull shape data
Hull shape Design
3D Compartment
Modelling
Manual transfer of
change information
Ship Theory
(Intact , Damage stability)
Manual transfer of
GA data
3D Compartment
model
FEM analysis
Evacuation
Fire Control
Noise & Vibration
2D General
Arrangement Design

Fig.9: The conventional process of 2D General Arrangement design
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Due to the fact that several disciplines in the shipyard use the compartment definition and give feed-
back to optimize the design, the danger of inconsistent compartment information is clearly present
during this cyclic process. As a consequence of communication failures design mistakes are made and
valuable time is lost.

3.2 3D General Arrangement Design

The solution to the various drawbacks of the conventional way of working is the concept of 3D
General Arrangement Design. Nupas-Cadmatic is currently investigating the development of the
solution to support the initial design phase in a more efficient way than existing software tools. The
aim is to quickly develop a 3D compartment model, optimize that model and most importantly: to
provide accurate and essential design information to the various subsequent engineering stages. This
approach clearly differs from traditional methods of working where compartment modeling, general
arrangement design and detail design are separate activities. The process of 3D General Arrangement
Design is shown in Fig.10.


Fig.10: The process of 3D General Arrangement Design

3.3 The 3D Compartment Tool

As Nupas-Cadmatic already has very enhanced 3D structural modeling capabilities, the 3D
compartment model can be created in the same flexible manner as in basic and detail design. Making
use of the existing Nupas-Cadmatic modeling functionalities offers a number of advantages:

1. Modeling with the use of structural topology
2. Calculations of volumes, sizes, weights, paint areas etc.
3. Applying attributes, properties and rules
4. Generate 2D general arrangement drawings from the model
5. Seamless connection to the detail design phase
NUPAS-CADMATIC
3D General
Arrangement Design
Transfer of
Hull shape data
Hull shape Design
Ship Theory
(Intact, Damage stability )
FEM analysis
Evacuation
Fire Control
Noise & Vibration
NUPAS-CADMATIC
3D Constructional &
Outfitting Design
3D Compartment
model
Import/Export
Interfaces
Transfer of
Compartment model
3D Structural
model
General
Arrangement
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6. Export the 3D model to 3
rd
party software for various purposes

3.3.1 Modeling with the use of structural topology

A compartment is a closed space (volume) which is defined by planes. In Nupas-Cadmatic these
planes are defined topologically. The advantage of a topological definition is its extreme flexibility
when creating and modifying compartments. There are four methods to define the planes:

a. By grid: The system supports a grid definition in 3 directions (length, breadth and height). Each
grid is identified by a unique name. It is possible to have more than one grid definition for height
and breadth.
b. By structural entity: The system supports the creation of construction plates in an arbitrary plane.
The construction plate has a thickness and thickness direction.
c. By hull shape group: The hull shape database contains the surfaces of the shape of a ship. Each
closed surface has a unique group number and is identified by that group number.
d. By manual plane: Besides the above mentioned methods, the user can define a manual plane
where the plane is defined by a minimum of 3 points (or 2 points and a direction).

By using (a mixture of) all 4 above-mentioned methods the user is able to define any compartment
irrespective of the complexity of its. Adjacent compartments are related to each other due to the
topological properties of the compartment model. See also 3.4 Operations on compartments.

3.3.2 Calculations of volumes, sizes, weights, paint areas etc.

Calculations such as determining volumes, areas, weights etc. will be executed on the fly when a
compartment is defined. The results are stored as attributes in the compartment database and are
available for other functions.

3.3.3 Applying attributes, properties and rules

Compartments have attributes. Attributes can be properties, rules and values and play an important
role in determining logistical data (volumes, paint areas) and during rule-based engineering. For
instance: the compartment property watertight determines the rule to use scallops and apply a
minimum thickness of protective coatings in tanks. The same applies to the use of specific material
types or minimum material thickness in specific compartments. The overall advantage is that a high
level of automatic determination can be achieved. The process of compartment modeling will be more
goal-oriented and decisions which are now made by the user can be made (semi) automatically by the
software.

3.3.4 Generate 2D general arrangement drawings from the model

The definitions of the compartments are stored at the ship level so that the ship block boundaries do
not create any restrictions and the definitions will be available for all blocks. It is therefore possible to
generate views of the 3D compartment model for use in drawings. Due to the permanent link between
the model and the views, the drawings are updated automatically according to the changes in
compartments.

3.3.5 Seamless connection to the detail design phase

As the compartment definitions are available for all blocks, the compartment information can be used
during detail design. Attributes that apply to the compartment will also apply to the blocks which are
situated (partly) in the compartment area. This inheritance of attributes will be of use during rule-
based engineering and adopting shipyard standards. Attributes can be used in type definitions of for
instance brackets, profile end types, holes and cutouts. In this way Nupas-Cadmatic assists the
engineer in making the right decisions.
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3.3.6 Exporting the 3D model to third-party software for various purposes

It must be possible to export the compartment model data in a format that can be used by third-party
software systems for use in for instance ship theory applications, simulation of evacuation, onboard
logistics, fire control, noise and vibration engineering etc. The compartment model geometry can be
exported in a geometric format which is surface-based, for instance IGES or SAT format. These
formats can be used for visualization purposes.

3.4 Operations on compartments

In addition to the above-mentioned functionalities a number of specific operations on compartments
will be developed:

a. Modifying
If one of the definitions of which the compartment consists is changed (for instance a new deck plate
is selected or a new grid value is chosen) the compartment will be determined again, recalculated and
visualized accordingly. Due to the topological model, modifications can influence adjacent
compartments as well.

b. Copying
Compartments can be copied throughout the ship (with a certain offset value). Definitions with a
relation to the hull shape will be maintained and can be adjusted manually if necessary. Attributes,
properties and rules will be included.

c. Checks
The final definition of a compartment can be visually checked by presenting the compartment
in distinguishing colors.
The 3D Compartment Tool gives a warning when the compartment is not a fully closed space.
It is possible to have overlapping compartments or undefined (void) spaces in the ship that do
not belong to any compartment. It will be possible to check and visualize these situations.
The 3D Compartment Tool gives a warning when a definition related type (construction plate,
hull shape, and grid value) has been removed from the model. The compartment will keep its
current shape and will not change until the user determines a new definition.

d. Reports
The 3D Compartment Tool will be equipped with a report generator to supply various reports such as
compartment sizes, volumes, paint areas etc. It will also be possible to list (the position of) equipment
and machinery from the initial outfitting model.

3.5 The spin-off of 3D General Arrangement Design

Many systems offer compartment modeling only for ship theory computations, calculation of volumes
and capacities etc. In Nupas-Cadmatic we have advanced integration between the various stages in
design, engineering and production by means of the versatile 3D modeling system. Introducing the 3D
compartment model will surely strengthen the integration and reuse of information for each
disciplines specific needs.

4. Work Breakdown Management and Assembly Tools

One of the most important goals of computerized ship modeling is to produce the (blocks of the) ship.
This means that the structural parts (plates, profiles, brackets, shell frames, etc.) have to be produced
and assembles in a block or section.

Due to the fact that each shipyard has its own specific production and building methods we developed
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an intelligent Work Preparation Manager (WPM) to streamline and manage the complex process of
work breakdown. The goal was to automate this process as much as possible and still offer enough
flexibility to comply with the shipyards working methods.

In Nupas-Cadmatic part production (nesting, cutting, grinding, beveling of plates and profiles) is
taken care of by the plate nesting and profile modules. The assembly management is carried out by
the (semi) automatic work breakdown functions which will be explained in more detail in this
paragraph.


Fig.11: The Nupas-Cadmatic Work Preparation Manager

4.1 The overall process of the building sequence in Nupas-Cadmatic

Managing the assembly order or building sequence of hundreds or thousands of parts is a complex
process which requires a lot of man hours if done manually. Nupas-Cadmatic reduces this laborious
process to a minimum by the use of the built-in intelligent Work Preparation Manager. The 3D model
contains all the information that is needed to assist in determining the work breakdown sequence as
automatic as possible. The user can define up to 12 levels in the work breakdown tree. Four of these
levels are automatically determined by Nupas-Cadmatic and form the base of the work breakdown.

With use of the interactive Work Preparation Manager the CAM engineer finalizes the work
breakdown sequence manually by inserting levels, dragging and dropping parts, sub panels or panels
freely in the work breakdown tree. Besides the tree structure view the model is also visualized in a 3D
view to assist the CAM engineer with his decisions. Once the work breakdown sequence is fixed
Nupas-Cadmatic produces the complete production documentation according to the work breakdown
sequence. This production documentation consists of various automatically generated reports and
lists, 3D panels and assembly sketches, 2D and 3D combination sketches of panels and parts, 2D
panel drawings, jumbo panel sketches and work breakdown animations. Panels and subpanels receive
work breakdown names which are automatically marked on the individual plates. If desired, the CAM
engineer can even renumber all parts according to the new work breakdown sequence.

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The fact that Nupas-Cadmatic also determines the process codes and job codes for each part, means
that the work preparation department receives a full package of detailed information to assemble the
block in the most efficient way. It is of course also possible to transfer all the production data to the
shipyards ERP or MMS system for further processing.

4.2 Automating the work breakdown structure from the 3D model

The automatic work breakdown process starts with the automatic numbering of all the parts and
panels. A panel is a plate with all its attributes (profiles, lugs and brackets). There are several levels of
automatic numbering. The easiest one consists of assigning a unique panel number or name to each
plate. The highest level determines all plates situated in the same plane and then divides the panels in
the same plane into sub panels, Fig.12.

The naming convention in this case is according to the plane values, i.e. frame, breadth and height
values. The sequence of determining the planes in the model can be set in various ways by the user,
for instance from aftship to foreship, from portside to starboard and from bottom to top. During this
process the user can apply several settings to influence the behavior of the automatic numbering.


Fig.12: Automatic panel and subpanel naming

Besides this it is also possible to use the 3D grid system values and naming. In this case
(sub)assemblies and panels receive more comprehensible names such as deck6000, bulkhead-fr146
etc. etc. An important advantage is that the naming convention is also used as text on the individual
parts, panels and assemblies in production. The steelworkers and welders will easily recognize how to
assemble the panels.

The result of the automatic numbering and naming is a reasonable work breakdown structure that is
suitable for manual finalization by the CAM engineer with the help of the Work Preparation Manager
Tool.
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4.3 The Work Preparation Manager Tool

The Nupas-Cadmatic Work Preparation Manager (WPM) is a built-in work breakdown tool to
complete the final assemblies and assembly sequence of a block. Once the automatic part numbering
process has created the basic work breakdown structure, the CAM Engineer is able to compose the
final (sub)assemblies and panels depending on the shipyards building method. The work breakdown
structure is visualized by means of a tree structure and the actual 3D model of the block, Fig.11. The
CAM Engineer can add additional levels in the tree, rename and compose new assemblies, change
assemblies by dragging and dropping single parts or complete (sub)assemblies and determine the
building order for each assembly or panel. During the process of creating the final work breakdown
the Nupas-Cadmatic logistical database is updated on the fly.


Fig.13: The Work Breakdown Tree View

An important feature is that the CAM Engineer is also able to decide upon the building sequence of
each panel and (sub)assembly. The order in the tree automatically represents the sequence of
assembling the individual parts, Fig.13. The sequence can be simulated directly via the built-in work
breakdown animation feature. The animation can be saved as an AVI file to support the steelworkers
in the workshop.

4.4 Concurrent production engineering: working offline

The WPM offers 2 ways of working: online and offline. In the online mode the WPM communicates
directly with the Nupas-Cadmatic logistical database meaning that changes in the work breakdown are
stored immediately in Nupas-Cadmatic. In the offline mode the changes in the work breakdown are
stored locally in the WPM tool and synchronized automatically at a later stage with the Nupas-
Cadmatic logistical database. The latter method can be used in situations where design and production
are executed in geographically different locations i.e. a design company working as subcontractor for
the shipyard. The design office does the block detail and production engineering while the shipyard
determines the work breakdown. After synchronizing the work breakdown data the design office
generates all production documentation according to the shipyards work breakdown. The same
principle can also be applied between the shipyards design and production departments, Figs.14 and
15.

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Fig.14: WPM at the shipyard Fig.15: WPM used in teamwork in offline mode


Fig.16: Automatic created 3D work breakdown views


Fig.17: Automatic generated 3D Work Breakdown sketch
Engineering
Work Preparation
management
Part production
Assembly of
construction
Work Breakdown
definition
Production
documentation
SHIPYARD ENGINEERING OFFICE
SYNCHRONIZE
Engineering
Work Preparation
management
Part production
Assembly of
construction
Work Breakdown
definition
Production
documentation
SHIPYARD
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4.5 Production documentation

Another main advantage of using the intelligent Work Preparation Manager is that all required
production documentation will be generated according to the work breakdown structure at each
desirable level. Most of the documentation is generated automatically in the form of reports, lists, 3D
and 2D panel sketches and drawings. Besides the 3D model presentation, the sketch contains a variety
of information such as labels, weights, CoG, a part list, welding lengths etc, Figs.16 and 17.

The production documentation is derived directly from the Nupas-Cadmatic logistical database and is
always consistent with the status of the actual 3D model. Modifications in the structural 3D model are
reflected directly in the production documentation thereby saving time and avoiding errors.