structure and nesting

ShipConstructor

By ARL - Albacore Research Ltd.

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Sep-01

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Contents

Structure and Nesting 1 Overview....................................................................................................................................1 Menus.........................................................................................................................................1

ShipConstructor Menu 3 Overview....................................................................................................................................3 Project Settings ..........................................................................................................................4 Navigator Dialog........................................................................................................................5

3D Unit tab ..................................................................................................................6 2D Group tab ...............................................................................................................9 Properties ...................................................................................................................12 Nest Tab.....................................................................................................................13 Profile Tab .................................................................................................................15 Assembly Tab ............................................................................................................16 Standard Tab..............................................................................................................19 Interference Tab.........................................................................................................20 Outfit Tab...................................................................................................................21 Piping Tab..................................................................................................................22 Workshop Tab ...........................................................................................................22 Template tab ..............................................................................................................22 Export Tab .................................................................................................................23

Project Menu ............................................................................................................................24 Project - New Project.................................................................................................24 Project - New Unit .....................................................................................................27 Project - Activate Manager ........................................................................................28 Project - Create XREF Project Drawing ....................................................................28 Project - Lock and Unlock Files ................................................................................28 Project - Transfer Groups to Unit ..............................................................................29

View.........................................................................................................................................30 Planar Group menu ..................................................................................................................31

Planar - New ..............................................................................................................31 Planar - Visibility.......................................................................................................31 Planar - Transfer Entities to Group ............................................................................32 Planar - Layer Off ......................................................................................................32

Curved Group menu.................................................................................................................33 Curved Group - New Curved Group.........................................................................33 Curved Group - Insert Curved Plates........................................................................33

XREF Groups...........................................................................................................................37 Piping Penetrations...................................................................................................................38 AutoPlant Piping Penetrations .................................................................................................38

Project - Piping Penetrations / Import from AutoPlant ..............................................38 Project - Piping Penetrations / List ............................................................................38 Project - Piping Penetrations / Check ........................................................................39

Check Interferences..................................................................................................................39

Structural interferences ..............................................................................................39 Pipe Penetration Interferences ...................................................................................41

Licensing..................................................................................................................................41 Check Menu .............................................................................................................................43

Check - 3D Unit DWG ..............................................................................................43 Check - Planar Group DWG’s ...................................................................................44 Check - Inactive Parts ................................................................................................46 Check – List Unused Geometry.................................................................................46 Check – Nests ............................................................................................................47

About ShipConstructor.............................................................................................................47

SC Structure Menu 49 Overview..................................................................................................................................49 Toolpath ...................................................................................................................................50 Select Process...........................................................................................................................51 Solid Menu...............................................................................................................................51

Solid - New Plate .......................................................................................................51 Solid - Stiffener Menu ...............................................................................................52 Solid - Stiffener – New Twisted ................................................................................60 Solid - Faceplate Menu ..............................................................................................67

Solid - Flange Plate ..................................................................................................................70 Part Menu.................................................................................................................................73

Part - Define...............................................................................................................74 Part - List ...................................................................................................................79 Part - Add Objects......................................................................................................80 Part – Insert Scallop...................................................................................................80 Part - Mirror...............................................................................................................81 Part - Undefine...........................................................................................................81 Part - Edit Properties..................................................................................................82 Part - Deactivate.........................................................................................................82 Part - Reactivate.........................................................................................................83 Part - Piecemark.........................................................................................................83 Part - Mark With OOP Text.......................................................................................83 Part – Mirror text Marking.........................................................................................84

Insert Standard Part ..................................................................................................................84 Detailing Menu ........................................................................................................................85

Detailing - Break Intersection....................................................................................86 Detailing - Break Distance.........................................................................................87 Detailing - 3D to 2D Poly ..........................................................................................87 Detailing - Mark Group with drawings......................................................................88 Detailing - Thickness Throw Lines............................................................................89 Detailing - Insert Stiffener Cutout .............................................................................91 Detailing - Insert Stiffener Cutouts from Group ........................................................95 Detailing - Reference Lines - NEW...........................................................................96 Detailing – Replicate Entities to Other Groups..........................................................98 Detailing – Move Entities to Other Groups ...............................................................99 Detailing - Scallop ...................................................................................................100 Detailing - Fillet.......................................................................................................101 Detailing – Orthographic Projection ........................................................................101 Detailing - Remove Vertices below Tolerance ........................................................102 Detailing - Convert Ellipse or Spline to Polyline.....................................................102 Detailing - Insert Orientation Icon ...........................................................................103 Detailing - Insert Weld-Shrinkage Icon ...................................................................103

Activate UCS .........................................................................................................................104 Snap........................................................................................................................................106

Check Group DWG................................................................................................................107 List Unused Geometry ...........................................................................................................108 Hide Objects...........................................................................................................................108 Un-Hide Objects ....................................................................................................................108 Unhide All Objects.................................................................................................................109 Utilities Menu ........................................................................................................................109

Utilities - Create Bevel Text ....................................................................................109 Utilities - Layer........................................................................................................109 Utilities – Create Quality Matrix .............................................................................111 Utilities - Show extended data .................................................................................112

Variable Menus 115 Overview................................................................................................................................115

SC Build Strategy Menu 117 Overview................................................................................................................................117 Terminology...........................................................................................................................117 Creating Build Strategy Drawings .........................................................................................118 Develop Build Strategy ..........................................................................................................119

Changing the logical build sequence .......................................................................120 Assign To Assemblies .............................................................................................121 Levels.......................................................................................................................121

SC Assembly Menu 123 Overview................................................................................................................................123 Navigator - Assembly Tab .....................................................................................................124

Navigator - Update Keymap ....................................................................................124 Navigator - Open Keymap .......................................................................................124 Navigator - Open Assembly.....................................................................................125 Navigator - New Assembly......................................................................................125

Assembly Visibility................................................................................................................127 Assembly Update Parts ..........................................................................................................127 Annotation Sub-Menu............................................................................................................127

Annotation - Create..................................................................................................128 Annotation - Quick ..................................................................................................129 Annotation - Copy ...................................................................................................130 Annotation - Erase Duplicate piece marks...............................................................130 Annotation - Mark Endcuts......................................................................................130

Insert Keywords .....................................................................................................................131 Icons menu .............................................................................................................................131

Icons - Orientation ...................................................................................................131 Inserts Icons - User Icon ..........................................................................................132 Icons - CG Point ......................................................................................................132

Flip UCS ................................................................................................................................133 Move UCS..............................................................................................................................133 Set Viewport Keymap ............................................................................................................133

SC Profile Plots 135 Overview................................................................................................................................135 Navigator - Profile Plots.........................................................................................................136 Setting a base dimension style ...............................................................................................136 SC Profile Plots - Insert Profile Plots.....................................................................................138 SC Profile Plots - Options ......................................................................................................140

SC Profile Plots - Zoom .........................................................................................................142 SC Profile Plots - Print Plots ..................................................................................................143 SC Profile Plots - Check Profile Drawings ............................................................................143

SC Nesting Menu 145 Overview................................................................................................................................145 Nesting Preparation................................................................................................................146

Manager Nesting Settings ........................................................................................146 Stock independent nest settings ...............................................................................146 Stock dependent nest settings ..................................................................................147 Machine dependent nest settings..............................................................................147 Organizing Nesting ..................................................................................................148 Nesting Terminology ...............................................................................................148

Nesting Toolbar......................................................................................................................149 Navigator Nest Tab ................................................................................................................150

Open.........................................................................................................................150 New..........................................................................................................................150

Nesting - Nest Drawing Sub-Menu ........................................................................................151 Nest - New ...............................................................................................................152 Nest - Delete ............................................................................................................153 Nest - Rename..........................................................................................................153 Nest - Find ...............................................................................................................153 Nest - Change Stock Plate........................................................................................154 Nest - Plot ................................................................................................................154

Remnant Sub-Menu ...............................................................................................................155 New..........................................................................................................................155 Delete.......................................................................................................................157

Part Sub-Menu .......................................................................................................................157 Insert (ShipConstructor)...........................................................................................158 Insert (AutoNest) .....................................................................................................159 Re-insert...................................................................................................................163 Un-Nest....................................................................................................................163 Slide Along ..............................................................................................................163 Move / Rotate ..........................................................................................................165 Rotate Shortest Dim.................................................................................................166 List ...........................................................................................................................167 Snap .........................................................................................................................167 Align with H or V ....................................................................................................168 List Un-Nested Parts - New .....................................................................................169 Assign to Nest..........................................................................................................170 Un-Assign from Nest ...............................................................................................170

Layers Sub-Menu ...................................................................................................................171 Visibility ..................................................................................................................171 Activate All..............................................................................................................171 Flip NC-Pyros ..........................................................................................................171

Insert Keywords .....................................................................................................................172 Auto Label from BOM Index.................................................................................................172 Label properties......................................................................................................................173 Check Nests and BOM...........................................................................................................173 Update Nests and BOM .........................................................................................................174 Check for Overlap - New .......................................................................................................174 NC-Pyros Sub-Menu..............................................................................................................175

Export to NC-Pyros .................................................................................................175 Import from NC-Pyros.............................................................................................176

Bridge Sub Menu ...................................................................................................................177

Bridge - Insert Bridge ..............................................................................................177 Bridge - Delete All...................................................................................................179

SC Standards Menu 181 Overview................................................................................................................................181 Structural Standards ...............................................................................................................182

Standard Part - New.................................................................................................182 Standard Part - Rename ...........................................................................................184 Standard Part - Un-Define .......................................................................................184

Outfitting Standards ...............................................................................................................184 Profile Standards ....................................................................................................................184

Manager Profile & Plate Library .............................................................................185 Creating your own profile stock ..............................................................................185

Templates 189 Overview................................................................................................................................189

SC Assembly Template 191 Overview................................................................................................................................191 Assembly Template menu......................................................................................................191

Investigating the supplied template..........................................................................191 Creating an Assembly or Spool Drawing Template.................................................192 SC Assembly Template - Set Viewport Keymap.....................................................193 SC Assembly Template - Insert Keywords..............................................................194 Assigning Assembly Templates...............................................................................194

SC Nest Template 197 Overview................................................................................................................................197

SC Nest Template - Define Border ..........................................................................197 SC Nest Template - Define Border ..........................................................................197

SC Orientation Icon Menu 199 Overview................................................................................................................................199 SC Orientation Icon - Setup ...................................................................................................199

User Icon 201 Overview................................................................................................................................201

SC Profile Plots Template 203 Overview................................................................................................................................203 SC Profile Plot Template - Plot - Define Border....................................................................204 SC Profile Plot Template - Plot - Define Border....................................................................205 SC Profile Plot / Sub Plot / Define Sub Border......................................................................206 SC Profile Plot / Insert Keywords ..........................................................................................207

Weld Shrinkage Icon 209 Overview................................................................................................................................209

SC Workshop Menu 211

Overview................................................................................................................................211 Insert Group .............................................................................................................211 Insert Part.................................................................................................................212

Index 215

ShipConstructor Structure & Nesting Structure and Nesting 1

Structure and Nesting

Overview ShipConstructor can be purchased with several optional program modules. These modules are covered in separate manuals. These manuals are

• Structure & Nesting

• Piping & Outfitting

• ShipCAM

• NC-Pyros

• Manager

This manual describes the modules Structure and Nesting.

Menus Structure and Nesting functions are available from several menus. The two main menus are always available. These are:

• ShipConstructor Menu

• SC Structure Menu

Several other menus are only available when in a type of drawing that requires the functions on the menu. These are:

• SC Build Strategy Menu

• SC Assembly Menu

• SC Profile Plots Menu

• SC Nesting Menu

• SC Standards Menu

• SC Assembly Templates Menu

• SC Nest Templates Menu

• SC Orientation Icon Menu

• SC Workshop Menu

Structure and Nesting ShipConstructor Structure & Nesting 2

The ShipConstructor menu provides functions to create and navigate the project drawing, to view and to check.

The SC Structure menu provides functions for part detailing, solid modeling, part definition and checking.

The SC Build Strategy menu provides function to set up and modify your build strategy.

The SC Assembly menu provides functions to create and manage workshop drawings.

The SC Nesting menu provides functions for nesting parts and exporting to NC-Pyros

The SC Standards menu provides functions for the definition of standard brackets and similar parts.

The SC Assembly Templates menu provides functions to set up and modify your assembly drawing templates to suit your company’s requirements.

The SC Nest Templates menu provides functions to set up and modify your nest drawing templates to suit your company’s requirements.

The SC Orientation Icon menu provides functions to set up and modify your orientation icon to suit your company’s requirements.

The SC Weld Shrinkage menu provides functions to set up and modify your weld shrinkage icon templates to suit your company’s requirements.

The SC Workshop menu provides function to set up and modify workshop and classification drawings.

ShipConstructor Structure & Nesting ShipConstructor Menu 3

ShipConstructor Menu

Overview

Navigator

New Planar Group

ShipReport

Lock Files

XREF drawings

These ShipConstructor menu functions are mainly used while working in the:

• 3D unit drawing • Interference drawing

The functions are described in the order that they appear on the menu.

ShipConstructor Menu ShipConstructor Structure & Nesting 4

Project Settings Menu: Tools / Options / ShipConstructor Toolbar: None

The dialog allows you to change several ShipConstructor settings. These include:

• Auto Shade - If checked a group drawing will be automatically shade every time a solid is made.

• Quick part list - Check this button if the part list dialog display is too slow. This happens if the database is very large or if you have a slow network. Instead of displaying the part name and several main properties for each part in the same group drawing, only the block number is displayed. However, you can still use the right-click-menu to display the complete properties dialog for any part in the list.

Regular Part List.

Quick Part List

• AutoSave - Controls if a drawing is saved after every part edit or any number of part edit. Saving after part edit is important in order to avoid un-synchronization between a group drawing and the ShipConstructor database file.


Navigator Dialog The Navigator is a convenient way to navigate through the large number of drawings involved in ship design project. The Navigator is a tabbed dialog that lets you navigate effortlessly through the many drawings that make up a ShipConstructor project. There is one tab for every major area of drawings, such as 3D Unit, 2D Group, Nest, Assembly, Standard, Interference, Outfit, Piping, Workshop, Template, and Export.

Each tab in the Navigator provides buttons to create new drawings, and open existing ones. All drawings are displayed in a tree control with easily understandable icons identifying the drawing types. After a very short time you will be comfortably navigating though the numerous drawings, which would normally be a major headache.

These are the tabs available on the Navigator:

• 3D Unit - To register a project and unit to work on.

• 2D Group - To create and access the individual structural drawings.

• Nest - To create and access the nesting drawings.

• Profile - To create and access profile plot drawings.

• Assembly - To create and access 3D assembly drawings.

• Standard - To create and access standards such as brackets.

• Interference - To create and access interference drawings.

• Outfit - To create and access outfit drawings.

• Piping - To create and access piping drawings.

• Workshop - To create and access workshop or general arrangement drawings.

• Template - To create and access the various template drawings.

• Export - To create and access export drawings.

Menu: ShipConstructor / Navigator…

Toolbar:

Command line: SCNAVIGATE


3D Unit tab The 3D Unit tab lets you register a unit to work on, a unit drawing, and reload the settings from the ShipConstructor database.

Register Changed You have to register a project and select a unit within the project in order to work on any of its drawings. After registration ShipConstructor will access only drawings belonging to the registered unit. You can at any point register another unit.

1. Click the Register button.

2. The Register Unit dialog is displayed.

• Project - Displays the project that is currently loaded. Click the Change Project button to select a different project.

• Unit – Ones a project is selected, ShipConstructor looks up all units within the project and displays them in the Unit list. Select the unit you wish to work on and click Ok.

• Preview – Shows a preview of the unit drawing you selected.


3. The Logon dialog is displayed. Select the login name and type the password. Click OK.

4. The licensing dialog is displayed. The licensing has changed compared to earlier versions. ShipConstructor can now be

purchased in several different modules and several different levels. As you may have a combination of one or more local locks on you computer, plus one or more network locks on the network, the licenses that you require can be acquired as a mix of local and network locks.

• Search – Sets the options which locks to search. It may take several seconds to find licenses on a network lock.

Thus you may want to limit the search to your local lock, if that is all you need.

• Automatically get all available licenses – Gets all licenses from the local lock. This is a good default option, unless you need to get some licenses from the network lock.

• Network lock – Check this option if you also want to search for licenses on the network lock.


• Network Settings – Displays the Network License Settings dialog . Search for lock will search the network for ShipConstructor network locks. If you network is large you may want to limit the search to a single IP address of the computer that has the network lock attached to it.

• Module – The available module name on the lock.

• Parts – The number of parts relating to that module in the ShipConstructor Manager database.

• Level – The level of license for the module available on the lock. ShipConstructor modules can be purchased in levels 1 through 5 and unlimited.

• For Structure, Nest and Automatic Nest the number of parts per level is 500. This means level 3 allows you to work on projects with a maximum of 1500 structural parts.

• For Pipe the number of parts per level is 250. This means level 3 allows you to work on projects with a maximum of 750 structural parts.

• For Outfit the number of parts per level is 50. This means level 3 allows you to work on projects with a maximum of 150 structural parts.

• For Strategy and Rebis the number of parts are not applicable.

• Lic Left. – The number of licenses left on the lock. This number will always be 1 for local locks, or 0 if the locks does is not licensed for a specific module. On a network lock there may be any number of licenses for a specific module available.

• Lic Total – The total number of license the lock is licensed for.

• Lock Info – General information about the lock.

• License – The name of the lock. Usually the company the lock is licensed for.

• Lock Expiry date – The date when the lock expires.

• Days Left - How many days until the lock expires.

• Show this window during Project Register – Turn this option off, if you always check out the same licenses or only use a local lock. Use the menu item ShipConstructor / License to display this dialog.

ShipConstructor now knows all drawings that belonging to the unit and you can access them using the Navigator tabs.

Open Opens the 3D unit drawing of the registered unit.

Reload DB Reloads the settings from the ShipConstructor database. Use this function whenever you change any of the setting in Manager. The Manager settings are changed using the dialog below.


Registered Unit This section in the dialog tells you which project and unit you are currently logged. Being logged into a unit required ShipConstructor to link to a ShipConstructor database. In general this database is the same folder as all the units. However, you could make different arrangements. If you move the project from one location to another ShipConstructor could be unable to find the right database. In this case, you have to find the ShipConstructor database manually.

1. Click the button.

2. Use the standard file dialog to locate the desired ShipConstructor database.

2D Group tab The 2D group tab gives access to all 2D group drawings belonging to the registered unit. This tab contains a tree control on the left and several buttons on the right, and a drawing preview window.

Tree control The tree control displays the names of all 2D group drawings. The drawings are organized according to their logical function within the unit, such as frames, longitudinal bulkheads, and decks. Double-click on a name to open the drawing - or - highlight the name of the drawing you want to work on and then click a button on the right for the desired function.


Open Opens the selected planar group drawing.

New Menu: Planar Group / New…

Toolbar:

Command line: SCmakegrp

Navigator: 2D Group tab

Note: See also the chapter about creating new projects near the end of the manual for more information.

You have to be in the unit drawing to use this function. Creates a 2D planar group drawing from the selected entities. ShipConstructor performs a series of tests to ensure that the selected entities conform to the rules of a planar group:

• ShipConstructor checks if the selected entity or entities are planar.

• If more than one entity was selected then ShipConstructor makes sure that they are all in one plane.

• ShipConstructor determines automatically if the group orientation is that of a deck, a frame, a longitudinal bulkhead, or if the group is arbitrarily oriented. An arbitrarily oriented group could be a canted frame, a girder not parallel to centerline or a sloping deck plate.

Consider the sections shown in the CAD drawing below. You can find the same drawing in the Demo project installation folder; the same folder that the database file DEMO.MDB is located. It has the name U12Sections.DWG.

The sections are the same sections that have been used to create the partially finished Demo tutorial product model. They consist of several frame, deck and longitudinal bulkhead sections generated by ShipCAM. The frame sections are special as we used the Cutout Insertion module of ShipCAM to locate, size and insert the cutouts and profile cross-sections automatically. The other special section is the one for the margin plate, as it is a doubly skewed section.

Practice: To follow along you might want to open the drawing U12sections.DWG with the sections and use ShipConstructor to start a brand new project.

The general steps are:

1. Start the New Planar Group command.


2. Select Objects.

3. Select the entities that you want to create the group drawing from. These are generally sections cut through hull surfaces, such as frames, deck, girders. Press ENTER. You have to select entities that are in the same plane to make one single planar group drawing at a time. For example you might select one of the deck sections to set up a deck planar group drawing. For a frame you have to select the actual frame section and all the profile cross -section belonging to that frame.

4. The next dialog is displayed.

5. The function has already checked if the entities selected will create a deck, frame, girder, or are otherwise oriented. Enter

the thickness throw and thickness.

6. Click OK to create the group drawing.

Name: The file name is suggested by using the layer name of the first of the selected entities. ShipCAM and some other hull fairing programs can place the entities they export to CAD on specifically named layers. Preferably the layers indicate the name of a group, as for example FR_110.

Thickness Throw: Select the thickness direction with the radio buttons. Enter the thickness. Within the group drawing you can later use any plate stock with any thickness and throw direction. The thickness entered here is mainly used when calculating intersections between groups, such as frames with decks.

Using existing 2D drawings in ShipConstructor In some cases you might not just have simple sections cut through a hull surface, but you have 2D design drawings with typical frames, decks and so on. It is easy to use and implement them into a 3D ShipConstructor model. For instance, say you want to use a 2D frame drawing in ShipConstructor.

1. Make a copy of the 2D frame drawing.

2. In the copy erase all entities you might not want. There might be several frames in the same drawing.

3. Make sure that the origin of the frame is at 0,0. This should be in world co-ordinate system. Move the frame entities if it is not the case.

4. We assume that you have a project with a unit already. If not make a new project and create a unit with an empty drawing.

5. Open the Unit drawing. This drawing might be of a completely new project with nothing in it or it might already have several planar group drawings.

6. In the unit drawing make sure the WORLD UCS is active.

7. Draw a line at the location of the frame. For example if the frame is at 50.2m draw a line giving the values manually as 50200,0,0 to say 50200,5000,0. Remember ShipConstructor drawings are in mm or inches.

8. Use the New Planar Group function.

9. Select the line at 50200.


10. It is not obvious to ShipConstructor that the line is a frame. The line could be part of a deck or a frame. In the dialog

select Frame and click OK.

11. Enter a name for the frame, set the throw and thickness. Click OK to create the group drawing.

12. Open the 2D Group drawing. It contains just a single line.

13. Type DDINSERT at the command line.

14. Insert the frame drawing you prepared at the origin 0,0,0 by Specify Parameters on Screen and check the Explode

option.

15. The 2D frame drawing is now inserted in 3D space at the correct location, ready for detailing. You just have a little bit of clean up to do.

16. Move all entities to the _PRD production layer.

17. The drawing you brought in might have had defined several new layers in this planar group drawing. We do not need them any more. PURGE all unused layers but make sure to keep _REV and _SLD.

Properties You have to be in the unit drawing to use this function. Displays the Edit Group Properties dialog of the highlighted group. You can change the properties with this dialog. ShipConstructor will change the properties in the unit drawing and also in the planar group drawing. Make sure the planar group drawing you are changing is not currently open by someone else.


Mirror Mirrors the currently highlighted planar group drawing. The function creates all required UCS’s automatically in the 3D unit drawing as well as in the newly created mirrored 2D group drawing.

Use this function for longitudinal girders or any canted planar groups. Any parts defined in the group will be undefined in the mirrored group drawing, but keeping the entities intact. Re-define any parts in the new group drawing.

Unlink Unlinks (deletes) the currently highlighted planar group drawing. This includes deleting the drawing and removing it from the 3D unit drawing. You can choose to keep the entities from the group drawing in the 3D unit drawing, or have ShipConstructor delete them.

Activate UCS This function is only active in the 3D unit drawing. It activates the UCS of the highlighted 2D Group. Each 2D Group has 2 UCS’s associated with it, the construction and thickness throw UCS. Select the desired UCS in the dialog and click OK. You can now draft in the plane of the planar group inside the 3D-unit drawing.

Nest Tab The nest tab gives access to several nesting functions. It displays a tree dialog on the left side, a preview on the right and several buttons.


Open Lets you open a nest drawing.

New Creates a new nest drawing. Each nest drawing can only contain nests using one type of stock. However, a nest drawing may contain several different plate sizes including remnants.

1. Click the New button. The New Drawing dialog is displayed.

2. Enter a name for the new nest drawing. Click OK.

3. The new nest drawing is opened and the New Nest dialog is displayed.


See New Nest for details on the use of the New Nest dialog.

Un-nested Parts Use this function to see if any parts require nesting.

1. Click the un-nested parts button. The next dialog is displayed.

2. In the dialog select the assembly for which you want to check un-nested parts.

3. The right pane will display any parts that require nesting.

Profile Tab The Profile tab lets you open create, and delete profile plot drawings.


Open Opens the currently highlighted profile plot drawing.

New Creates a new profile plot drawing.

Delete Deletes a profile plot drawing. Manager is updated to reflect that the plots for the profile contained in that drawing have been erased.

Assembly Tab The assembly tab lets you open an assembly drawing, create new assembly drawings, update the assembly master, and open the assembly master drawing.


Open Opens the currently highlighted assembly drawing or build strategy drawing.

New Creates new assembly or build strategy drawings. Make sure to perform the following tasks before creating assembly drawings:

• Define all parts in the planar group drawings. • Perform interference checks. • Create Build Strategy drawings and check part assignment to assemblies with the Assembly Visibility function.

Creating Assembly Drawings Follow these steps to create assembly drawings.

1. Select ShipConstructor / Navigator or click .

2. Click the Assembly tab.

3. Select the Assembly Folder icon.

4. Click New.

5. Choose Use templates and BOMs defined in Manager or choose Select a template and BOM. 6. Click Next. 7. In the next dialog check the box in front of DB. All sub assemblies of DB are checked as well. We will create the

assembly drawings for all these assemblies now.

8. Click Finish.


Note: This operation takes some time and also uses a lot of memory. You should at least a Pentium Pro 200 with 128 MB RAM.

One drawing is created for each assembly. Watch closely to see how the views are generated and the keywords replaced.

Creating Build Strategy Drawings Follow these steps to create build strategy drawings.



3. Click New while the build strategy root folder is selected.

4. Choose the drawings you wish to include in this build strategy drawing and click OK. Enter a name in the New Drawing

dialog and click OK.


5. Decide whether you want Production information as well as the solids to be displayed, when you have made your

decision ShipConstructor will create the drawing.

Update Keymap Updates the Keymap drawing, which can be automatically XREF’ed into Assembly drawings to provide an overview of the unit with respect to the assembly drawing.

Open Keymap Opens the Keymap drawing.

Delete Deletes an assembly or build strategy drawing.

Standard Tab The standard tab gives access to standard drawings. Standards are used when many parts will de identical. There are two types of standards, Structural and Outfit.

Open Opens the highlighted standard drawing.

New The New button will change the displayed words depending which portion of the tree you have selected, which are:

• Structural Standards

• Outfitting Standards

• Profile Standards with


o Cross-sections

o Tight Cutouts

o Non-tight Cutouts

New - Structural Standard Creates a new Structural Standard drawing.

For details, refer to the chapter Variable Menus - Standards - Structural Standard menu later in this manual.

New - Outfit Standard Creates a new Structural Outfit drawing.

For details, refer to the chapter Variable Menus - Standards - Outfit Standard menu later in this manual.

New - Profile Standard - Cross Section Creates a new Cross section drawing.

For details, refer to the chapter Variable Menus - Standards - Profile Standards menu later in this manual.

New - Profile Standard - Tight Cutout Creates a new Tight Cutout drawing.

For details, refer to the section Variable Menus - Standards - Profile Standards menu later in this manual.

New - Profile Standard - Non-tight Cutout Creates a new Non-tight Cutout drawing.

For details, refer to the chapter Variable Menus - Standards - Profile Standards menu later in this manual.

Interference Tab The interference tab lets you open interference drawing and create new ones.

Open Opens the highlighted Interference drawing.


New Create a new interference drawing. In the dialog check the drawings that you want to include.

Note: You can also include drawings that are not produced by ShipConstructor. For example you might use a third party piping program. Make sure the pipes are solids; place the drawing into the piping directory. It will now be listed in the dialog and can be added to the new interference drawing automatically.

Outfit Tab The outfit tab gives access to outfit drawings. Please refer to the Outfit menu section later in this manual for details.

Open Opens the highlighted outfit drawing.

New Creates a new outfit drawing. You can have as many outfit drawings as you like.


Delete Deletes the selected outfit drawing and removes all outfit records from the ShipConstructor database.

Piping Tab See Piping manual.

Workshop Tab The workshop tab gives access to workshop drawings. We do not recommend using workshop drawings for production purposes. Use assembly drawings instead. Assembly drawings are a much better tool to relay all required information from engineering to production.

However, you should use this feature to create traditional approval and general arrangement drawings automatically from the 3D model.

In a workshop drawing you can insert 2D group drawings side by side in a 2D fashion. See the “Workshop Menu” chapter for details on how to use workshop drawings.

Open Opens the highlighted workshop drawing.

New Creates a new workshop drawing. You can have as many workshop drawings as you like.

Delete Deletes the selected workshop drawing.

Template tab Gives access to template drawings. See the “Templates” chapter for details on how to use this feature.


Open Opens the highlighted template drawing.

ShipConstructor currently supports six template types. Each template type is supported by a menu. The menus are only available while in the corresponding template drawing. Please refer to the according sections later in this manual for details.

Export Tab The export tab converts ShipConstructor drawings to a format that standard AutoCAD can read. ShipConstructor create several custom objects. You will get PROXY WARNING when opening a ShipConstructor drawing with standard AutoCAD. Other programs might not work at all. Use the Export function to convert ShipConstructor custom entities to standard AutoCAD entities. For example use this function when you want to use a virtual reality viewer, such as 3D Studio. The export function also add additional information that is read by Rebis AutoPlant to enable automatic piping penetrations in ShipConstructor.

New Create a new export drawing. Checkmark the drawings you want to include in the tree dialog.


Project Menu The project menu gives access to functions concerning the project.

Project - New Project Menu: ShipConstructor / Project / New Project…

Toolbar: None

Command line: SCNEWPROJECT

Changed functionality Creates a new project. To create a new project you should have a prepared a ShipConstructor database template file with all settings and stocks as used for this project.

ShipConstructor comes with two ready-made project template files, one with imperial sized stocks and another one with metric sized stocks. You find the templates in the install projects folder. Within projects the folder you will find the DEMO project folder and the PROJECT TEMPLATES folder.

You can customize the IMPERIAL and METRIC templates using Manager.


Tip: Use can base a new project also on a previous project, for example a recent vessel that uses very similar material, settings and drawing templates, as it is for the same customer. You likely have invested many hours in tuning the templates, and setting up standards and stocks. It is often easier and faster to remove what you don’t need, than to create new ones.

To create a new project:

1. Select ShipConstructor / Project / New Project.

2. In general, you should create a new folder. Make sure not to create a new ShipConstructor project in the folder of

another ShipConstructor project. ShipConstructor will get confused.

3. Use the Browse button to select the Destination Folder for the new project. ShipConstructor will create a project folder with the name you enter in the Project name field. By default ShipConstructor will set up frame drawings to look from forward-to-aft. If you wish to create a project that views the ship from aft look forward then check the View From Aft box now. You cannot change this afterwards.

4. Use the Browse button to select the Manager Template to use as the basis for this project. Remember you can use one of the two supplied templates or any existing project. ShipConstructor will delete any project specific items in the database, but retain templates, stocks and general settings. Click Open.

5. Click OK to create the project. The program copies the selected ShipConstructor file and the contents of the folders:

• Standards • Template

6. The function also creates these folders in the project folder:

• NestPrts - location for all individual part drawings for nesting


• Nests - location of all nest drawing for the project • Remnants - location of the remnant drawings created from leftover of nested plates • Piping - location of piping drawings • Outfit - location of outfit group drawings

7. The new project folder will look similar to the following:

8. You can create a new unit at this time or later.

9. If you choose to create a new unit the Add Unit dialog is displayed. Enter the name of the Unit. Make the unit name short

because it will be used in naming group drawings. Click OK.

10. You can choose to save the current drawing as the unit drawing. Save this drawing as the unit drawing only if the

drawing is empty or if it contains the entities that you want to use for the unit. Otherwise do not save the current drawing as the unit drawing. In this case you have to save another drawing later in the unit’s folder with the same name as the unit.

11. You can immediately log on if you saved the drawing. The following dialog is displayed if Manager already contains at least one user.


12. The next dialog is used if Manager does not have any user entries. Enter a log on name and the password.

Tip: You can locate the unit and all related files anywhere on you computer or the network. A unit can later be moved to any other location. In general the unit will be placed in the folder of the project. However, there are cases when you want to place it in a different location. For example you have a slow network, and you are mostly working with the files of a unit. In this case place the unit on your local hard drive to increase speed. Later you can move the unit folder with all contents on the network server inside the project folder.

Possible Error messages: Mismatched versions - Each ShipConstructor release works with a specific Manager release. An error message is displayed in the case that the version of template database file selected is not the correct version. To correct the problem, start manager directly, log into the database to upgrade and then use Database Utilities / Update Current Database and locate any ShipConstructor database of the correct version. See the Manager manual for more information.

Project - New Unit Menu: ShipConstructor / Project / New Unit…

Toolbar: None

Command line: SCNEWUNIT

Changed functionality Use this function to add a new unit to the project. You can use an empty drawing when creating a new unit, or you can have a drawing loaded that contains the sections for the new unit. The sequence of dialogs is the same as for a new project after you choose to add a new unit. See the previous command for details.


Project - Activate Manager Changed functionality Menu: ShipConstructor / Project / Activate Manager

Toolbar:

Command line: SCACTSR

Starts the Manager module and opens the ShipConstructor database associate with the project. Use this function to switch from ShipConstructor to Manager.

Project - Create XREF Project Drawing Menu: ShipConstructor / Project / Create XREF Project Drawing

Toolbar:

Command line: SCPRJDWG

New This function creates a structural drawing; similar to the unit drawing that contains the select group drawings as XREF’s. However, you can include all structural drawings of all units in the project to create one larger drawing with all structure in it.

Project - Lock and Unlock Files Menu: ShipConstructor / Project / Lock / Un-Lock Files

Toolbar: None


Command line: SCGROUPTOUNIT

Use this function to lock or unlock files. After a project or a portion of it is completed you want to lock the files to prevent accidental changes.

Simply select the files you want to lock or unlock and click the lock symbol.

Project - Transfer Groups to Unit Menu: ShipConstructor / Project / Transfer Groups to Unit Toolbar: None

Command line: SCFILELOCK

Transfers selected planar group drawings to a new unit. You have to be in the unit drawing from which you want to transfer the planar group drawings.

Use this function if the unit size gets too large or you decided to change the unit breaks.

1. While in the unit drawing start the Transfer Groups to Unit command.

2. Select the planar groups you want to transfer. Press Enter.

3. The next dialog is displayed. Select the unit you want to transfer the planar group drawings to.

4. As ShipConstructor can not be a 100% sure where the other unit drawing currently is (it might have been moved

manually to another computer on the network), you are asked to locate the unit drawing with the standard file dialog.


5. After completion the target unit drawing is opened with the transferred planar group drawings in it and a success dialog

is displayed.

View Menu: ShipConstructor / View

Toolbar:

Command line: SCSELCTVW

Displays a dialog that lets you select a 3D or 2D view. The dialog has two tabs.

3D Tab: Displays a 3D image of a ship hull. Double-click on any radio button to select a 3D view, or click a button and click OK. You can also enter a viewpoint into the box to set any other viewpoint.

Plan View Tab:


Displays views for the current UCS and the construction UCS if in a planar group drawing. The view names depend on the orientation of the UCS, i.e. BODY FWD TO AFT. It is the easiest way to obtain a plan view to the currently active UCS, specifically if the UCS is canted, such as for a sloping deck.

Planar Group menu The planar group menu offer function to create planar groups, transfer entities from the 3D unit to a planar group, set the group visibility in the 3D unit, and to turn layers off by clicking on an entity on that layer.

Planar - New Menu: ShipConstructor / Planar Group / New…

Toolbar:

Command line: SCMAKEGRP

Navigator: 2D Group tab

See Navigator 2D Group tab for details on this function

Planar - Visibility Menu: ShipConstructor / Planar Group / Visibility

Toolbar:

Command line: SCLYRVISBL

Navigator: None


Use this function to set the visibility of planar groups in the 3D unit drawing. A 3D-unit drawing can display an overwhelming amount of information. In many cases you want to choose to display only certain planar group to get a clear picture of the 3D interaction of parts. This function displays a sophisticated dialog for your control.

Click on the light bulbs to switch any of the layers (PRD - production, SLD-solid, REV-revision) on or off. You can select multiple groups at a time using the shift or ctrl keys in the standard Windows fashion. Click on a group type, such as Frame, to select all groups belonging to that group type.

Planar - Transfer Entities to Group Menu: ShipConstructor / Planar Group / Transfer Entities to Group

Toolbar: None

Command line: SCTRANSFER

Navigator: None

Use this function when you want to transfer drawing entities from the 3D unit drawing into a planar group drawing. To transfer an entity:

1. Start the command.

2. Pick the entities that you want to transfer.

3. Any entity on the planar group to which you want to transfer the entities.

4. The name of the selected group is displayed in a dialog for confirmation.

Planar - Layer Off Menu: ShipConstructor / Planar Group / Layer Off

Toolbar:

Command line: SCGRPHIDE Navigator: None

Use this function to switch any layer off by clicking on any entity on that layer.


Curved Group menu Handles functions to add curved groups to the 3D unit drawing, and to insert curved plates into the group drawing. Use these functions to add shell plating in curved and expanded form to the unit.

Curved Group - New Curved Group

Menu: ShipConstructor / Curved Group / New

Toolbar: None

Command line: SCINSCRVPLT

Navigator: None

Creates a new group drawing for curved shell plating. Expanded curved plates are generated using the PlateExpand module of ShipCAM. Expanded plates are saved as DXF files. Curved plates are treated somewhat different from standard 2D group drawings. All production data of the expanded plate is located in the X-Y plane of the World Co-ordinates system. The group drawing is populated by importing a DXF file saved by the ShipCAM plate expand module. Make sure to use matching versions of ShipCAM and ShipConstructor. The data written by ShipCAM may change from version to version as we update the software and react to user requests. This might make the data incompatible with other versions of ShipConstructor.

While in the ShipCAM Plate-Expand module consider these parameters when saving DXF files of expanded plates for use in ShipConstructor.

• Output all NC data onto the layer _PRD.

• Assign the color according to the settings for outside toolpath, inside, marking and so on to minimize work later in the ShipConstructor drawing.

• Include the curved surface mesh in the DXF file. Make sure to use the mesh reduction option as AutoCAD is not optimized for large meshes. Assign the layer _SLD for it. The mesh will take the place of a solid of regular parts. Reduce the mesh density. AutoCAD is not optimized for displaying dense meshed.

• All non-production data can be placed on other layers. However, we recommend keeping the layers to a minimum.

The function displays the dialog as shown. Enter the name for the new curved plate group. You can place more than one plate into the group drawing.

Curved Group - Insert Curved Plates Menu: ShipConstructor / Curved Group / Insert Curved Plates

Toolbar: None

Command line: SCINSCRVPLT


Navigator: None

Insert curved plates from DXF files into the group drawing and creates a part record in Manager.

1. Open the curved Group drawing, using Navigator.

2. Select ShipConstructor / Curved Group / Insert Curved Plates.

3. With the dialog select the DXF file containing the expanded and curved plate. It would be best if ShipCAM PlateExpand was set to place all expanded plates into the CrvPlt folder of the unit.

4. The DXF file is inserted into the group drawing.


5. The function requests he insertion position of the expanded plate. The inserted geometry consists of the 3D mesh of the

plate as well as the expanded plate and any extra information such as plate checking data and forming templates. By default ORTHO is on, and the suggested position for the expanded plate and the additional data is exactly outboard of the curved plate. (see figure above) Move the expanded plate to the desired location.

6. ShipConstructor creates a part record in the database, but marks it as deactivated. You have to reactivate the part later on when you are ready to define the part.

You might want to insert more plates before finishing each plate.

The following steps have to be carried out before activating the plate:

• Make sure all entities use the right process colors.

• Change the marking lines using Stiffener marking.

• Add a part orientation icon and a weld shrinkage icon if desired.


Lastly you have to reactivate the plate parts. All records already exist in Manager, you just have to let ShipConstructor know exactly which entities you want to use for NC-cutting.

1. Select Planar / Part / Re-Activate or click .

2. The function activates the solid layer. Click on the 3D mesh of the plate.

3. The function switches to the production layer. Select all entities that you want to use for nesting and NC-cutting. The function cannot find a piecemark. That is Ok. Click OK to continue.

4. The function now goes through the regular motions of re-activating the part.

5. Select the assembly to which this plate belongs. Click OK.

6. Select a piecemark size and position.

7. You now have an expanded plate as part of you structural model, ready for nesting, assembly drawings, reports and so on.


Tip: If you have many plates in your drawing, you might not know which one to pick next, as the meshes all fit together. Use the Hide function to temporarily hide the meshes, which you have already activated.

XREF Groups Menu: ShipConstructor / Planar Group / XREF Groups

Toolbar button:

Command line: SCXREF2D

Navigator: None

You can use this function in many ShipConstructor drawings. Here are the main applications:

3D Unit Drawing You can control which drawings are loaded in the 3D unit drawing. By default all planar group drawings are loaded all the time, while none of the other drawings, such as piping and outfitting are loaded. In the case that it takes too long to load the unit drawing, maybe because some of the group drawings are very complex, you could choose to temporarily unload one or more of these drawings. You can also load any piping or outfit drawing to complete the structural model to a product model.

2D Planar Group Drawing In some cases it is helpful to be able to see other group drawings in the current drawing, and or outfit or piping drawings in the planar group drawing to quickly check the 3D relationships between them.

Piping or outfit drawing It would be hindering to show all structural drawings in a piping or planar group drawing. Generally you would just load a few key structural drawings to give you the 3D reference you need to layout your piping or outfitting equipment.

1. Select ShipConstructor / XREF Groups or click .

2. See the drawings that you want to XREF into the current drawing.

3. Click OK.


Note: Be sure to remove XREFs when you have finished with them. Loading the extra drawing costs extra time. To remove all XREFs:

4. Start the function again.

5. In the dialog click Uncheck ALL. 6. Click OK. All XREFs are removed.

Piping Penetrations These functions deal with piping penetrations through structure. See the Piping & Outfitting manual for more information on these functions.

AutoPlant Piping Penetrations Note: This feature can be purchased as an optional module. Piping penetrations work in conjunction with Rebis AutoPlant only. Piping penetrations is an optional add-on module. Please contact us or your nearest dealer for pricing. You will receive an extra manual when you purchase this add-on module.

Project - Piping Penetrations / Import from AutoPlant

Menu: ShipConstructor / AutoPlant Piping Penetrations / Import from AutoPlant Toolbar: None

Command line: _SCPIPEPENSREBIS Imports piping penetrations from the Rebis AutoPlant system. You have to purchase from Rebis the optional module that creates files for the piping penetration.

Using ShipConstructor Structure in conjunction with Rebis AutoPlant piping requires that you export (Navigator / Export tab) structural parts into an export drawing. ShipConstructor attaches AutoPlant specific hidden data to each exported part that allows AutoPlant to identify it when a penetration is marked within AutoPlant. AutoPlant then writes a file with the penetration information and our hidden information allowing ShipConstructor to identify the part that requires the penetration to be implemented. ShipConstructor implements all penetrations automatically as they are read from the penetration file.

Project - Piping Penetrations / List

Menu: ShipConstructor / AutoPlant Piping Penetrations / List Toolbar: None

Command line: _SCPIPEPENLISTREBIS


Project - Piping Penetrations / Check

Menu: ShipConstructor / AutoPlant Piping Penetrations / Check

Toolbar: None

Command line: __SCCHECKPENSREBIS

Check Interferences Menu: ShipConstructor / Check Interferences

Toolbar: None

Command line: SCOPENINTDLG

New items & changed functionality Use this function to check interferences in the interference drawing or a planar group drawing. You have to create a new interference drawing using the Interference tab on the Navigator and open the interference drawing.

Structural interferences 1. Select ShipConstructor / Check Interferences… to check interferences.

2. The bottom right hand side of the dialog allows you to check the types of interferences you want to display and/or check for. Check the boxes in front of the type of interferences you want to check for.

3. In the Interference List dialog click the Run Check button.

4. The function first runs a quick pre-check to find any pair of solids that might intersect. This saves a lot of time, as a true interference check on all solid pairs would take very long. ShipConstructor informs you how many interferences it will check. A Minimum Interference Volume lets you filter out minute interferences that might be due to computer rounding errors, or are so small that they would not be noticed during construction. The default Minimum Interference Volume value is stored in Manager. Click OK to confirm.


5. Some intentional interferences are generated to show you sample results. The data is displayed in the interference List

Dialog shown below. For each interference the part names of of both parts are listed, and the drawings are listed as well.

6. More information about an interference can be obtained by right clicking on an Interference and selecting Solution

which brings up the following dialog. This dialog shows you the physical properties of the Interference and allows the user to enter a suggestion solution.

7. The data can also be made available for printing by selecting the desired Interferences to generate a report for and

pressing the report button, which displays a dialog asking the user to enter a name of the resulting text file and what information to display.


8. Notepad file - This form is good for printing. It allows you to check through all drawings and fix your errors.

9. You can resize the Interference List dialog. You can also continue using AutoCAD and ShipConstructor functions

without closing it. For example, you might want to change the viewpoint while the dialog is open. You can also close the dialog and open it again using the menu.

10. You can use the controls on the right hand side of the dialog, and those on the right click menu to check the details of the interference problem.

11. In the dialog highlight the first interference.

12. Check the Center option.

13. Right click and select View. The command hides all solids except for the two involved in the collision and the interference solid.

14. Click on the “+” plus button to zoom in, and the “-” minus button to zoom out.

Pipe Penetration Interferences See the Piping & Outfitting manual.

Licensing Menu: ShipConstructor / Licensing

Toolbar: None

Command line: SCLICENSE

New Use this to obtain and change licenses for individual program modules.


Displays the licensing dialog . The licensing has changed compared to earlier versions. ShipConstructor can now be purchased in several different modules and several different levels. As you may have a combination of one or more local locks on you computer, plus one or more network locks on the network, the licenses that you require can be acquired as a mix of local and network locks.

• Search – Sets the options which locks to search. It may take several seconds to find licenses on a network lock.

Thus you may want to limit the search to your local lock, if that is all you need.

• Automatically get all available licenses – Gets all licenses from the local lock. This is a good default option, unless you need to get some licenses from the network lock.

• Network lock – Check this option if you also want to search for licenses on the network lock.

• Network Settings – Displays the Network License Settings dialog . Search for lock will search the network for ShipConstructor network locks. If you network is large you may want to limit the search to a single IP address of the computer that has the network lock attached to it.

• Module – The available module name on the lock.

• Parts – The number of parts relating to that module in the ShipConstructor Manager database.

• Level – The level of license for the module available on the lock. ShipConstructor modules can be purchased in levels 1 through 5 and unlimited.

• For Structure, Nest and Automatic Nest the number of parts per level is 500. This means level 3 allows you to work on projects with a maximum of 1500 structural parts.


• For Pipe the number of parts per level is 250. This means level 3 allows you to work on projects with a maximum of 750 structural parts.

• For Outfit the number of parts per level is 50. This means level 3 allows you to work on projects with a maximum of 150 structural parts.

• For Strategy and Rebis the number of parts are not applicable.

• Lic Left. – The number of licenses left on the lock. This number will always be 1 for local locks, or 0 if the locks does is not licensed for a specific module. On a network lock there may be any number of licenses for a specific module available.

• Lic Total – The total number of license the lock is licensed for.

• Lock Info – General information about the lock.

• License – The name of the lock. Usually the company the lock is licensed for.

• Lock Expiry date – The date when the lock expires.

• Days Left - How many days until the lock expires.

• Show this window during Project Register – Turn this option off, if you always check out the same licenses or only use a local lock. Use the menu item ShipConstructor / License to display this dialog.

Check Menu This menu provides function to check the unit drawing and all planar group drawings. Extensive log files report all errors. ShipConstructor can correct most errors automatically.

Check - 3D Unit DWG Menu: ShipConstructor / Check / 3D Unit DWG

Toolbar: None

Command line: SCREPAIRPRJ

Navigator: None

Checks and repairs a 3D unit drawing. Use this function also if your 3D-unit drawing is damaged or lost. In that case create a new empty drawing, save it as the unit drawing, and then check it. ShipConstructor will completely rebuild the 3D-unit drawing from scratch.

At the end of the check you can select to view the log file and the unused geometry dialog.

The Unused geometry dialog displays all entities in the 3D-unit drawing that are not part of planar group drawings. In most cases these are entities that have been forgotten. They should either be transferred to planar group drawings or deleted. A planar group drawing should only contain XREFFES of 2D group drawings.


Check - Planar Group DWG’s Menu: ShipConstructor / Check / Planar Group DWG

Toolbar: None

Command line: SCREPAIRPRJ

Navigator: None

Checks and repairs all planar group drawings. ShipConstructor requires full access to all planar group drawings. Make sure none of the drawings is in use by other users.

This function fixes many common errors.

A log file displays all corrected error.


The Unused geometry dialog displays all entities in any planar group drawing that remains unused. All entities on the production and solid layers should be assigned to parts.

This is a very important feature! Make it a rule to move any entities not required for parts, but that you might want around for reference to the revision layer. This way you will be sure that if a 2D group drawing checks out, that the parts that you nest are exactly what you intended.

Closely observe the fields in the dialog for each entity. You can sort the list by any of the columns by clicking on the column header.

Unused solids indicate that the solid is not assigned to a part yet. This can happen if two solids had been made by mistake for one part, or just because the group drawing is still in the works.

Unused production layer entities should be assigned to parts.

Buttons • View - opens the drawing that contains the selected entity and zoom to it. The entity is automatically selected.

• Zoom In - Zooms closer to the entity.

• Zoom Out - Zooms out from the entity.

• Add to part - Lets you pick a part and add the entity to the part. The revision log is automatically updated. Be sure to run a check on your nests to update any changed parts.

• Move - Lets you move the entity. This is important if the entity is hidden by other entities.

• Erase - Erases the entity.

• Hide in List - Hides the entity in the list, but leaves it unchanged in the drawing.


• Refresh - Refreshes the list.

Check - Inactive Parts Menu: ShipConstructor / Check / Inactive Parts

Toolbar: None

Command line: SCINACTIVEP

Navigator: None

Use this function after running a check on all planar groups. An inactive part record can mean two things:

1. A part has been deactivated for changes, and it was not re-activated. Go to the 2D group drawing and activate the part, then check your nest drawings.

2. The ShipConstructor database file contains records for parts that no longer exist. This should only happen if your computer crashes, or the user deletes a part in a group drawing and then does not save it.

Buttons • View Drawing - Opens the drawing that is supposed to contain the part. Investigate closely any inactive parts are listed

and correct any errors.

• Rebuild List - Checks the database again for in-active record for parts.

• Hide Part - Hides the part in the dialog list. The drawings remain unaffected. Use this if indeed a de-activated part exists and you will re-activate it later.

• Delete Records - Use this button if you find that there is not inactive part in the planar group drawing. This record must be left over by error.

Check – List Unused Geometry Menu: ShipConstructor / Check / List Unused Geometry

Toolbar: None

Command line: SCUNUSEDGEO

Navigator: None

Use this function after you have run a check on an individual group drawing or on the complete unit. For a complete description see Check – Planar Group DWG’s a page earlier in this manual.


Check – Nests Menu: ShipConstructor / Check / Nests

Toolbar: None

Command line: SCCHKNEST

Navigator: None

Used to check the nest within a project. See the nest chapter for details on this function.

About ShipConstructor Displays information about the ShipConstructor version you are running.

ShipConstructor version - The version number of ShipConstructor.

Manager version - The required version of Manager. Each ShipConstructor version requires a specific Manager version. You will get en error message a time of project registration if the versions do not match.


Lock Information - The software is protected by an electronic lock. The licensing information of the lock is displayed.

Acquire Button - If from some reason you do not have a license checked out of a network lock, or you did not have a lock on the computer when you started ShipConstructor which caused ShipConstructor to start in Demo mode, you can get ShipConstructor to check for an available lock/license again. Release Button - If you currently have a network License in use and you wish to give it back to the general license pool so somebody else can use it, then use the release button. This will cause ShipConstructor to revert into Demo mode.

ShipConstructor Structure & Nesting SC Structure Menu 49

SC Structure Menu

Overview The Planar menu provides the functions for use in the planar group drawings. These functions make it easy and fast to detail the drawings, create solids, and create parts.

Several often-used function are also available from the toolbar.

SC Structure Menu ShipConstructor Structure & Nesting 50

Toolpath Menu: SC Structure / Toolpath

Toolbar:

Command line: SCTOOLPATH

Navigator: None Connects entities such as lines, arc, and polylines to closed toolpath. The function eliminates duplicate entities and corrects small gaps. The maximum snap tolerance is set using Manager.

An error dialog is displayed if a gap is discovered.

You can choose to create end circles to make it easy to find the problem.


The function is always followed by a call to Process Color. Select the process color required for the tool path, or pres CANCEL if you do not want to set a process color.

Select Process Menu: SC Structure / Select Process

Toolbar:

Command line: SCPROCESS

Navigator: None

This function assigns a color to a toolpath. The color determines the process used later by NC-Pyros for NC post processing.

These processes are supported.

• Outside Cut - The cutting tool will travel on the outside of the toolpath.

• Inside Cut - The cutting tool will travel on the inside of the toolpath.

• Marking - A marking tool will be used. It will travel on the toolpath.

• Far Side Dashed - This option will cause the part to be mirrored during nesting, thus creating the marking on the far side.

• No Process - These entities will be ignored by NC-Pyros.

Solid Menu This menu provides functions regarding the creation of solids for different types of shipbuilding specific parts.

Solid - New Plate Menu: SC Structure / Solid / New Plate


Toolbar button:

Command line: SCEXTDSOLID

Navigator: None

Takes an entity on the layer _SLD with a closed tool path and creates a solid from it. If the path is not already closed, this function will ask if you wish to have it closed. If so, the program will ask for the entities that are to be closed to be selected and will then proceed to close the path. Otherwise the function will end.

1. Select the toolpaths from which to create the plate solid from. A plate part can only have one outside toolpath, but may

have any number of inside toolpaths, and markings. Inside toolpaths create holes in the part. The function will abort if entities with any other than the defined process colors color are selected.

2. The function displays a dialog to select the stock to use for the plate part, and the throw direction of it. Use the Group Default button to select a stock that has the same thickness as the thickness set for the 2D group drawing. The Plate Throw Direction will also display the default throw direction set for the 2D group drawing.

3. The solid is created using the stock settings from Manager. The color of the solid is the same as set in Manager.

Note: You can change the stock colors in Manager at any time. Make sure to run a check on all 2D group drawings. The check function will update all solid colors to the updated color in Manager.

Solid - Stiffener Menu Stiffeners are created from stock profiles. Manager contains a library of profiles. ShipConstructor distinguishes three principal types of stiffeners:

• Stiffeners that are straight and are attached to a plate.

• Stiffeners that are straight and are not attached to a plate.

• Stiffeners that are curved.


Solid - Stiffener - New Menu: SC Structure / Solid / Stiffener/ New

Toolbar button:

Command line: SCEXTDSTFNR

Navigator: None

Straight stiffener attached to a plate 1. We start with a simple plate part with three marking lines for the stiffeners. All stiffeners will be made from the same

profile and have the same end conditions. We can then make the stiffeners in one go.

2. Start the New Stiffener command. Select objects.

3. Pick on the three stiffener marking lines. Select plate solid:

4. The function activates the solid layer. Pick the plate solid to which the stiffener will be attached to.


5. The function displays the Stiffener dialog.

• Stock - Name of the profile in Manager. The parameters of the stock are displayed below the name.

• Attach to - Select here on which side of the solid you want to attach the profile.

• Toe direction - Select here the toe direction.

• Endcuts - Select the endcut for the start and end.

• Trim1 Trim2 - Discussed later.

• Cross section preview - Displays the cross section drawing.

• Lengthen Shorten - To lengthen or shorten the stiffener.

6. Click OK when all settings are set.

7. The stiffeners are created.


Swap endcuts/<Done>:

8. You have the option to swap the endcuts.

Rules for stiffener start and end position It is sometimes difficult to imagine where ShipConstructor will place the endcuts on the profile. For this reason you have the option to swap endcuts after the stiffeners are created. ShipConstructor uses this rule to determine which side is called the start and which one is called the end.

Imagine yourself standing in front of a workbench. The stiffener is on the workbench with the length from left to right. The foot of the web is closer to you, and the flange is lying down toward the workbench surface. The left side of the stiffener is the start, the other side is the end.

END

START

Another way to look at it is to look at the end of the stiffener. You are looking at the start, is the flange is to the left. You are looking at the end if the flange is to the right.

Straight stiffener not attached to a plate Most often you will use the kind of stiffeners for frames. Often those stiffeners also include trim angles.

Trim angles Consider the figure below. In most cases stiffeners are cut at the end under 90 degrees to the length of the profile, not considering any endcuts.

We will create the stiffener for the side shell in an example as shown in the figure below. The stiffener has to be miter cut at the chine, and cut at the top, such that the end aligns with the end. We will also use a simple radius endcut at both ends.


To follow along you might want to draw a similar example.

1. Start the New Stiffener function. Select lines or 2D polylines to extrude stiffener along:

2. Select the side shell line. Press ENTER. Select plate solid:

3. Press ENTER without selecting anything. This tells the ShipConstructor that this stiffener does not attach to a plate.

4. In the stiffener dialog set the following options.

• Stock - Select a profile of your choice.

• Web direction - Select starboard.

• Toe direction - Your choice.

• End cut - Your choice.

• Trim1 - From the drop down list select Deck. Click Pick and select the deck line.

• Trim2 - From the drop down select Custom. Locate first point in plane:

5. Click one endpoint on the miter line. Locate second point in plane:

6. Click the other endpoint on the miter line.


Locate third point in plane or ENTER for perpendicular to UCS:

7. Press ENTER to cut perpendicular to the frame plane.

The result of the operation is shown in the figure above.

The production report for the same stiffener is show above.

• Endcuts - Both endcuts are listed by their names, one for the start and one for the end.

• Assembly - For each stiffener the assembly that it goes into is listed. The report can be sorted by assembly, making just-in-time production feasible.

• Part name - The name of the stiffener.

• Length - The longest length of the stiffener when square cut before trimming.

• Trim Angles - Angles of cut at the end of the stiffener. Negative angles are cut towards the center of the stiffener when measuring the length at the foot of the web. Positive angles are cut towards the center of the stiffener when measuring the length at the top of the web.


Lengthen Shorten Lengthen or shorten lets you make the stiffener profile longer or shorter than the actual extrusion line. A typical application is the connection of the longitudinal stiffeners with flatbars in the floor of U12. Consider the figure below. The cross sections of the longitudinal profiles have been connected with straight lines. The flatbars to be extruded along these lines have to overlap the longitudinal profiles by 50 mm. Instead of extending the lines manually, just set the lengthen option to 50 for start and end.

In other cases you might stay away from the end of the extrusion line. Just insert a negative value to create a stiffener that is shorter by the given amount.

Curved stiffeners Curved stiffeners are created along a curved path. In general you will use these on shell or deck plating. These stiffeners are not attached to a solid. The function works in general the same as for straight stiffeners not attached to a plate solid.

You will find an example in the tutorial section of this manual.

Note: Inverse bending curves are currently calculated by ShipCAM. We are planning to provide this capability in the future in ShipConstructor.


Solid - Stiffener - Stiffener Menu: SC Structure / Solid / Stiffener/ Edit

Toolbar button:

Command line: SCFLANGE

Navigator: None

This function allows you to change the properties of one or several stiffeners. The dialog is the same as for creating new stiffeners.

Object Property Manager for Stiffeners & Faceplates Menu: Right-click / Properties

Toolbar button: None

Command line: None

Navigator: None

By selecting Properties from the right-click menu while you have a Stiffener or Faceplate selected, you can bring up the AutoCAD Object Property Manager (OPM). All AutoCAD entities can have some of their properties edited from the OPM, and ShipConstructor’s intelligent entities are no exception. Numerous properties including endcuts, stock, toe direction and web direction can all be changed here instead of using the ShipConstructor Edit functions.


Solid - Stiffener – New Twisted Twisted Stiffeners “twist” about their foot point. These types of stiffeners cannot currently be defined in the same manner as regular stiffeners. New to ShipConstructor 2000 is the ability to import ShipCAM “.str” (stringers) files into a drawing as a new object, the Twisted Stiffener. These Twisted Stiffeners can be used in part creation as you would use a normal stiffener; they contribute weight and CG information to the project and can be included in the Stiffener plots.

Solid - Stiffener – New Twisted Menu: SC Structure / Solid / Stiffener / New Twisted


Command line: SCCREATETWIST

Navigator: None


This function allows you insert a new Twisted Stiffener into the current drawing. The drawing has to be a group drawing. You can add the twisted stiffeners to an existing frame, deck, or girder drawing. However, it is recommended that you create a new drawing specifically for the twisted stiffeners. The most convenient way is to create a “fake” deck drawing. Do so by:

• opening the 3D unit drawing,

• activating the WCS,

• drawing a line (any line),

• making a new “deck” group drawing and naming it something like TWS_STIF.

You prepare the stiffener files in the ShipCAM LoftSpace program module. You have to generate stiffener marks on frames and then save these as stringer surfaces. Normally this would be done on frames only. However, this will result in stiffeners that are straight between frames. This is fine as long as there is little longitudinal change between frames. You should cut sections closer than the frames spacing in areas of the hull with large changes., and use these to create the stringer surfaces.

1. Open the twisted stiffener group drawing or any group drawing you wish to add the stiffeners to.

2. Select SC Structure / Solid / Stiffener / New Twisted.

3. Use the open dialog to search for a stringer file to be used to create the twisted stiffener. The stringer file selected will be

treated as the stiffeners Web, the Flange (or Toe) direction will be set during the stiffener editing.

4. The edit twisted stiffener dialog allows you to specify a unit conversion (in case the ShipCAM files were generated in

different units), the toe direction, the stock and the endcuts (if any). The twisted stiffeners can use any stock or endcuts defined for regular stiffeners.


5. The Twisted stiffener looks vary similar to a normal stiffener, however you will notice that the Twisted stiffener displays

an “S” and an “E” at the start and the end respectively. This is to aid in the easy identification of the ends when adding endcuts.

Note: The AutoCAD solid engine is not capable of displaying complex twisted stiffeners. Until that is the case, ShipConstructor displays stiffeners using our own surface technology. However, endcuts cannot be displayed correctly. However, internally the stiffener “knows” which endcuts are used, and this will be report in the profile reports and in the profile plots.

Solid - Stiffener – Edit Twisted Menu: SC Structure / Solid / Stiffener / Edit Twisted



Command line: SCEDITTWIST

Navigator: None

This function allows you edit an existing Twisted Stiffener.

1. Select SC Structure / Solid / Stiffener / Edit Twisted.

2. Select the Twisted Stiffeners you wish to edit.

3. Change the twisted stiffeners properties.

Solid - Stiffener - Insert Cutout Menu: SC Structure / Solid / Stiffener / Insert Cutout

Toolbar button:

Command line: SCCHGSTF

Navigator: None

This function allows you to insert cutouts into stiffeners. The cutouts can either be the ones defined for other stiffeners or for example drain holes. In this example we will insert a drain hole ellipse and a cut out for another stiffener passing through the stiffener.

To be able to follow along with this example open a frame drawing and find an empty area. Draw a horizontal line about 2500mm long. Draw three vertical lines to locate the cutouts on. Two of them trim to the extrusion line, the other one 75 mm away from the extrusion line.

Inserting a lightning hole 1. Extrude a stiffener along the extrusion line using the same settings as below.


2. Select SC Structure / Solid / Stiffener / Insert Cutout or click .

3. Click on the stiffener.

4. In the dialog, select the cutout as shown. Click OK.

Choose Cutout Insert Point<Mirror>:

5. Select the endpoint of one of the short location lines where it intersects with the stiffener foot. A complex command line is displayed. The figure below shows an explanation of the options on an inclined stiffener. ortho - only vertical and horizontal positions are allowed, tangent - only positions tangential to the stiffener are allowed, perpendicular - only positions perpendicular are allowed, custom - any rotation is allowed, back - back to the previous command line, which allows you to pick a new position, offset - the cutout will be offset by the value from the picked point, mirror - mirrors the cutout.

Angle<(Or)tho/(T)angent/(P)erpendicular/(C)ustom/Back/Offset/Mirror>:

6. Type “O” for Offset and press ENTER.


Command: Enter Cutout Offset: 75

7. Enter 75 and press ENTER.

8. Select and orientation you desire and click the left mouse button. Press ENTER. The cutout is inserted as shown.

Inserting a stiffener cutout

1. Select SC Structure / Solid / Stiffener / Insert Cutout or click .


3. In the dialog, select the cutout as shown. Click OK.

4. Select one of the other location lines. Select perpendicular and click the left mouse button. Result below.

Practice: Try out some of the other options as well.

Practice: Try the same on a slanted stiffener.

Practice: Try the same on a curve stiffener.

Solid - Stiffener – Insert Weld Seam Reliefs Menu: SC Structure / Solid / Stiffener / Insert Weld Seam Reliefs


Command line: SCINSERTWELDSEAMRELIEFS

Navigator: None This function inserts reliefs for weld seams into stiffeners.

1. Select SC Structure / Solid / Stiffener / Insert Weld Seam Reliefs. Select stiffeners to insert reliefs:

2. Select the stiffeners into which to insert reliefs. Press Enter.


Specify or select start point:

3. Select the start point of the weld seam line. This has to be a straight line. If using a curved weld seam, then pick only on stiffener at a time, and use the OSNAP NEAREST and pick a point close to the point where the weld seam intersects the stiffener. Press ENTER.

Specify or select end point:

4. Select the end point of the weld seam. This has to be a straight line. If using a curved weld seam, then pick only on stiffener at a time, and use the OSNAP NEAREST and pick a point close to the point where the weld seam intersects the stiffener. Press ENTER.

5. Select the weld seam cutout from the dialog.

Solid - Stiffener - Edit Cutouts Menu: SC Structure / Solid / Stiffener / Edit Cutouts

Toolbar button:

Command line: SCEDCUTOUT

Navigator: None

1. This function allows you edit the cutouts within a stiffener.

2. SC Structure / Solid / Stiffener / Edit Cutouts or click .

3. Click on the stiffener. The dialog is displayed. It lists all cutouts with their properties.

4. Double click on one of the cutouts or right-click and select properties. A dialog that lets you change the properties is

displayed.


5. You can now change any of the parameters of the cutout, including the cutout itself. You can also delete the cutout.

Solid - Stiffener - Remove Cutouts - New Menu: SC Structure / Solid / Stiffener / Remove Cutouts


Command line: SCDELCUTOUT

Navigator: None

This function allows you edit the cutouts within a stiffener.

1. Select SC Structure / Solid / Stiffener/ Remove Cutouts.


3. Click near the cutout you want to remove. The cutout is removed.

Solid - Stiffener - Extract Polyline - New Menu: SC Structure / Solid / Stiffener / Remove Cutouts


Command line: SCPOLYFROMSTF

Navigator: None

This function extracts the polyline from which the stiffener was originally created.

Solid - Faceplate Menu Faceplates are made from flat bar stock set up in the Manager library, and are flatbars welded to plates to reinforce them. They are defined using the edge of a plate part.


Preparation • Faceplates are created from a closed or open polyline.

• The polyline is the edge of a plate part.

• The plate part must exist before you can create a faceplate for it.

• If the polyline is closed you can create an open or closed faceplate.

You need to know where the start and endpoint of the flat bar profile will be. In many cases you will need to draw help lines that indicate the start and end points.

Solid - Faceplate - New Menu: SC Structure / Solid / Faceplate / New

Toolbar button:

Command line: SCFACEPLATE

Navigator: None

1. Select Solid / Faceplate / New. Select Line, Arc, or Polyline for Faceplate creation:

2. Select the toolpath of the plate edge along which to run the faceplate. Select solid:

3. Select the plate solid to which the faceplate will attach.


4. A dialog to select the stock and set parameters is displayed. Select the options as shown.

These are the options that you can set with the dialog.

• Stock - Lets you select the flatbar stock that you want to use for the faceplate. The detail data of the stock is displayed, such as color, width, and thickness.

• Plate Data - Displays the thickness and throw direction of the plate solid you picked. This is for confirmation only.

• Endcuts - Select the endcut type if any.

• Path - You can choose to create an open or closed faceplate.

• Make start and end symbols - If checked the function will place a triangle at the start of the faceplate and a hook at the end. Both point towards the other end of the faceplate. Manager creates production information that allows a worker or automatic bending machine to bend the faceplate without a drawing. During assembly the faceplate has to be inserted in the proper direction to fit. The figure below shows an open faceplate with start and end symbols, and the report data for it.

• Position - Gives you options on how to locate the flatbar on the edge of the plate part.

5. Click OK to continue.

6. If you chose to make a closed faceplate: Select the start point of the faceplate.

7. Click on the desired start point location on the path. Select a point to indicate direction.

8. The function sets OSNAP NEAR. Click in the direction on the path into which you want the faceplate to proceed. Since it will be a closed faceplate, the start and end will be at the same position. However, the bending process needs to know which is start and which is the end.


Pick Face Plate Thickness direction.

9. Pick on the side of the path to which the faceplate solid will throw.

10. If you chose an open faceplate. Select the start point of the faceplate

11. Click on the desired start point location on the path. Select the end point of the faceplate

12. Click on the desired end point location on the path. Select segment for faceplate:

13. The function set OSNAP NEAR. The function breaks the closed path into two segments, which are displayed in two different colors. Pick the segment for the faceplate.

Pick Face Plate Thickness direction.

14. Pick on the side of the path to which the faceplate solid will throw.

Solid - Faceplate - Edit Faceplate Menu: SC Structure / Solid / Faceplate / Edit Faceplate

Toolbar button:

Command line: SCFACEPLATE

Navigator: None

This function edits the faceplate data. You can change any of the parameters shown in the dialog.

Solid - Flange Plate Menu: SC Structure / Solid / Flange Plate

Toolbar button:

Command line: SCFLANGE

Navigator: None

This function flanges a plate. Define the flanging parameters in Manager. Each flange type has a name and several parameters. These are:

• First & Second Relief Radius - Size of a radius inserted at the ends of the flange.


• First & Second Snip Angle - Angle of snipe on both ends of the flange.

• Fold Line Correction - During expansion the web will stretch. To correct this the fold line will be moved closer to the foot of the web. In practice you will use the plate thickness (value 1.0) up to a plate thickness of 20mm (about ¾ inch). If in doubt make a flange test. Cut a square piece of plate from several plate thicknesses. Measure the length of the pieces. Flange each piece and add up the sizes of the web and the flange, subtract twice the plate thickness. Compare the values with the original length. Make adjustments if required.

• Flange Correction - In principal the same as the fold line correction.

• Size - Size of the flange.

To create a flange you must have a plate solid and the outside toolpath that created the solid.

1. Start the flange command. Select polyline segment to flange:

2. Click on the outside toolpath on the segment that you want to flange. The flanging function breaks out of the polyline the straight line segment that you picked on.

Select the direction of the flange:

3. Click in the direction of the expanded flange.


4. The flange dialog is displayed. Set your parameters. Click OK.

5. You have to identify the first and second ends of the fold line if the parameters are different for both ends of the flange. Just click on the end points.

6. In the dialog select your preferences.

• Flange Text - The text that the function places at the center of the flange line.

• Text Size - Size of the text.

• Symbol Size - Near both ends of the fold line will be two diamond shaped symbols. This is the size of the diamonds.

• Shorten Fold Line By - If checked the fold line will be shortened by the value on both ends.

7. Click OK to continue.

8. Next, select the direction of the flange solid.

9. The flange is created.

10. You have to do some clean up work on the end of the flange on the production layer. Trim and connect the lines to a toolpath again.


Part Menu This menu gives access to the many functions concerning parts. Parts are represented as blocks in ShipConstructor drawings.

Several part functions are available from the toolbars.

Define Part Undefine Part

Deactivate Part Reactivate Part

Edit Part

All parts consist of production and solid information:

• Production - All production information is “blocked” together to an AutoCAD block. It consists of all AutoCAD entities, required to produce the part with NC cutting and to enable workers to produce or assemble it. In general you will find:

o One outside toolpath - Used to cut the part out of plate stock.

o None or many inside toolpaths - Used to cut holes into the part.

o None or many marking lines or marking text - Used to generate markings on the plate part, generally produced by a marking head on the NC machine.

o None or many No Process entities - Used for human use only. These will be ignored by automatic cutting equipment.

• Solid - The solids are used for visualization, interference checking and calculation of weight, volume, surface and CG position. Older versions of ShipConstructor used standard ACIS solids. Albacore is using a new and exciting technology called custom objects. You will find that if you do an AutoCAD LIST on a stiffener, it is an ARLSTIFFENER. Custom parts allow us to provide much better functionality to you. For example, the Edit Stiffener


function, and the trim angles have only been possible with the introduction of the ARLSTIFFENER custom object. We are currently working on cutouts in stiffeners, which are only possible using our custom objects.

ARLSTIFFENER Layer: _SLD

Space: Model space

Color: 1 (red) Linetype: CONTINUOUS

Handle = 3D1C

Part Name: U12LBHC-S99

Start: 73920.0 10304.0 2168.0

End: 73920.0 10518.7 3261.0

Stock: BF160X09

Web Direction: Starboard

Toe Direction: Aft

Left Endcut: RAD25

Right Endcut: RAD25

Left Trim Angle: Web: -29.9 Flange: 0.0

Right Trim Angle: Web: -11.1 Flange: 0.0

Open

Constant width 0.0000

at point X=10304.0 Y=2168.0 Z= 0.0

at point X=10518.7 Y=3261.0 Z= 0.0

area 0.0000

There are three different types of structural parts:

• Plate Part - Made from plate stock. The plate stock can be flanged or flat. The production layer contains all entities to produce the plate part.

• Stiffener Part - Made from profile or flatbar stock. The production layer contains only the piecemark.

• Faceplate part - Made from flatbar stock. The production layer contains all entities to produce the plate part.

Part - Define Menu: SC Structure / Part / Define

Toolbar button:

Command line: SCCRPART

Navigator: None

This function defines a part from the solid, or ARL custom object, and the production information. The pertinent part data is added to Manager.

Defining a Plate Part The following are the steps when creating a plate part.

1. Start the Define Part function.

2. The function activates the solid layer. Select solid:

3. Select the plate solid for the new part.

4. The function activates the production layer. Select production objects for part:

5. Select all entities required for production. This includes one and only one outside toolpath, any inside toolpaths, any markings and any no process colors. You will get an error message if you selected more than one outside toolpath or any entity with an undefined color.


6. Correct any problems there might be.

7. The part dialog is displayed.

8. Most data is filled in automatically. Just a few items remain to be set by you. Automatically inserted items include:

• Part name base - The base of the part name is automatically generated using the settings in Manager.

o From drawing name - The base is the name of the current drawing.

o Last Created - Use the last part name.

o Custom - Lets you specify a custom part name using any assembly level. The part name base is created from the assembly the part is assigned to.


• Part name extension - This is the second part of the part name. This portion is created according to the settings in

Manager.

• Part Side in Part Name - Adds a P, C, S, or PS to the end of the part name extension. It is inserted in the grayed third box of the part name, and cannot be changed. It changes if you select a different part side. For example change for P to PS.

• Part Type in Part Name - Start the extension with a character depending on the part type; P for plate part, S for a stiffener, F for a faceplate.

• Assembly - Assigns the part to a specific assembly. The assembly structure is set up in Manager. The part can also be

assigned in Manager to any assembly structure without opening the drawing. Check the Show parts option to show all parts in the Assembly tree. This option is off by default, because on a large project it could slow down the dialog display significantly.

• Type - Part type, Plate, Profile or Flatbar, are the stock types. This field cannot be changed.

• Stock - The name of stock used for the part. The stock can only be changed if: 1. - the stock is a plate stock; 2. - there are two plate stocks with the same thickness, but they differ in the quality of the material.

• Material - Material used. This field can not be changed.

• Paint - Any paint process listed in the paint table. The paint table can be modified in Manager.

• LCG, TCG, VCG - Position of the center of gravity obtained from the solid. The CG position is accurate to several

decimal places for any type of part, simple or complex.

• Weight - Weight of the part. The weight is accurate to several decimal places for any type of part, simple or complex.

• Length - Length of outside and inside cutting paths combined.

• Descriptions - Any description you like. Descriptions are listed in the structural report.


• Mark far side - Check this option if you want to mark the far side of a plate part. This option is automatically checked if the marking entities are all set to far side, indicated by a dashed line style. The far side indicator is added to a marking entity by checking the FAR Side option in the Process dialog. The far side option if also added to any flanging entity if required and the option Flange side determines marking side in Manager.

o Part Side - The side the part is on - port, starboard, center or port and starboard for mirror parts. The initial setting

is determined from the value of the TCG position. A positive value will select the P option, a negative value will select the S option, a value of 0 or very close to 0 will select the C option. If your last part was a PS part then you will be asked if the new part shall also be a PS part.

o Thickness Throw - Shows the throw direction of the plate part.

9. Click OK when done. The part Annotation dialog is displayed. Here you control the appearance of the piecemark for the part. Set the piecemark text size, leader line and OSNAP options. Click OK when done.

Some settings are also controlled with Manager.

• Marking - If checked the piecemarks will be created in marking color.


• No Process - If checked the piecemarks will be created in no process color.

• Std Part as no Process - If checked standard parts, such as brackets, will have the piecemarks created using the no process color.

• Text Size - The default text size used in the annotation dialog.

• Bubble - If checked a bubble will be created around the piecemark.

Select position of piece-mark.

10. Click for the position of the piecemark. The piecemark should be completely contained inside the outside toolpath of the plate part.

11. You can select to move the piecemark using the next dialog, Use this if the position is not satisfactory.

Defining a stiffener or faceplate part There are a few differences when creating a stiffener or faceplate part.

• No production entities - There are no production entities to select. After picking the solid the Part dialog will immediately display.


• Length - The length is the length of the faceplate or stiffener. The neutral axis is used when curved parts are involved.

• Endcuts - Lists the endcuts used for the part.

The piecemark for plate parts and stiffener parts is always in No Process color.

Part - List Menu: SC Structure / Part / List

Toolbar button:

Command line: SCDATALST

Navigator: None

Lists the main properties of all parts in the current 2D group or nest drawing in a list dialog. Sort by any column, ascending or descending, by clicking on the column header.

Right-click on a part to display a menu.


Menu functions are:

• Zoom To - Zooms to the part.

• View in Nest - Opens the nest drawing where this part is nested. Menu item changes View in Group if in a nest drawing.

• Properties - Displays the part properties for editing.

• Add Objects - Lets you add entities to the part. See later in this part of the chapter.

• New - Define a new part. See later in this part of the chapter.

• Deactivate - To deactivate a part. See later in this part of the chapter.

• Reactivate - To reactivate a part. See later in this part of the chapter.

• Undefine - To undefine a part. See later in this part of the chapter.

Warning: It can take some time to display the dialog if you have a slow server, a slow network, a slow computer or a very large Manager file. Use MS Access Tools / Database Utilities / Compact Database to reduce the database overhead. This makes the database file smaller and improves performance. If still too slow, consider upgrading the weakest link in your computer setup. All menu functions in the dialog’s menu are also available directly from the standard menu, which works a lot faster, but is not quite as convenient.

Part - Add Objects Menu: SC Structure / Part / Add Objects


Command line: SCADDPEN

Navigator: None

Adds objects to existing parts. You can select one or more parts to which you can add objects to. For each part you will be asked which objects you want to add. You can only add objects to a plate part. You can only add production entities to a part.

1. Start the Add Objects function. Select parts:

2. Select one or more parts. Select objects to add to U12F112-P01P

3. Select the objects you want to add to the part.

• You cannot add outside tool paths, or illegal colored objects.

• Marking, no process and inside cut are legal process colors.

• You will get a warning if the part is already nested. If you change a nested part, you should run a check on the nest(s). The check will identify all changed parts and allows you to re-nest them automatically.

• If any of the entities is an inside cut, the plate part solid will be modified to reflect the hole.

Part – Insert Scallop Menu: SC Structure / Part / Insert Scallop



Command line: SCADDSCALLOPTOPLATE

Navigator: None

Inserts scallops into an existing plate part. The scallops are semi-circles. You can insert multiple scallops at the same time. This function is useful for weld reliefs.

1. Select SC Structure / Part / Insert Scallop. Default scallop radius = 25.00 mm

Input scallop radius:

2. Enter the desired scallop radius. Press ENTER. Select plate:

3. Click on the plate part to add the scallops to. Select points to add scallop at:

4. Select where scallop(s) should be entered. You have to pick on the tool path. The scallops are entered,

Part - Mirror Menu: SC Structure / Part / Mirror Part Toolbar button: None

Command line: SCMRRPART

Navigator: None

Mirrors one or more parts about the centerline. Each part automatically receives a new part name. You have the option to swap text strings in the mirrored parts, as indicated in the dialog below.

Important: Do not use the AutoCAD mirror command for mirroring parts! This will not work as expected.

Part - Undefine Menu: SC Structure / Part / Undefine also AutoCAD ERASE

Toolbar button:

Command line: SCRMVPRT

Navigator: None

Un-defines a part. You can select one or more parts at the same time. This requires deleting the part record from Manager. You can choose to keep the AutoCAD entities. In this case the part block is exploded and the piecemark is removed. All other production entities and the solid entity are kept.


Note: A warning will be displayed is a part is already nested. The part will be removed from the nest drawing if you proceed.

Tip: You can also use the standard AutoCAD ERASE or EXPLODE commands. ShipConstructor intercepts them and performs all required operations in Manager.

Note: You can use the AutoCAD UNDO to undo the un-defining of parts. For this reason the part record in Manager is marked as erases, but the data is kept, until you leave the drawing. At this point the part record is irreversibly removed from Manager. You will see the “erased” part record, until final removal in Manager. See figure below.

Part - Edit Properties Menu: SC Structure / Part / Edit Properties

Toolbar button:

Command line: SCDATAPCK

Navigator: None

Edits the part data of a part. You can select more than one part. The parts will be edited in sequence one at a time. See Define part for a detailed discussion of the items in the part data dialog.

Part - Deactivate Menu: SC Structure / Part / Deactivate

Toolbar button:


Command line: SCDEACTPRT

Navigator: None

Deactivates a part. Marks a part as deactivated in Manager. This function leaves the piecemark. Only the colors of it are changed and the bubble is hatched. This allows you to re-nest the part at the same location as before. Use this function when you need to remove entities from the part, or make significant changes to it.

Use reactivate part to reactivate a deactivated part.

Part - Reactivate Menu: SC Structure / Part / Reactivate

Toolbar button:

Command line: SCACTSAP

Navigator: None

Reactivates a deactivated part. The function prompts you to select the solid first, then the production entities. Make sure you include the hatched piecemark.

Part - Piecemark Menu: SC Structure / Part / Piecemark


Command line: SCMARKMDFY

Navigator: None

Edits the piecemark. You can change the location and the size of the piecemark. This function uses the same dialogs and steps as when defining a part.

Note: The piecemark insertion point is used as the insertion location in the nest drawing. If a part is already nested, then you should run a nest check, and re-nest all parts that have changed. Make sure to check all part with changed piecemarks, as their position will have shifted, and might interfere with parts next to it.

Part - Mark With OOP Text Menu: SC Structure / Part / Mark With OOP Text Toolbar button: None


Command line: SCNAMEDU

Navigator: None 1. Creates a text string in the current UCS with the name of a part that you pick.

2. Make sure you are in the UCS in which you want the text to appear.

3. Start the function. Select out of plane part:

4. Select the out of plane part. Select position of part name:

5. Select a position for the text. <Rotation angle>/Reference:

6. Rotate the text until in the desired orientation.

7. The text is created in the marking color.

Part – Mirror text Marking Menu: SC Structure / Part / Mirror Text Marking


Command line: SCMRTEXT

Navigator: None Makes a copy of the piecemark text of a part (without the bubble) and mirrors is about center line. Use this function for example if you have a transverse bulkhead with stiffeners attached to it. You only defined the port side stiffeners and dedicated them as P/S parts. Now you would like to mark your plate with stiffener piece marks also on the starboard side. Simple select the stiffener piece marks after starting this function.

Insert Standard Part Menu: SC Structure / Insert Standard

Toolbar button:

Command line: SCINSERTSTD

Navigator: None


Inserts a previously defined standard part. See the Standard menu near the end of the reference section for details on how to create standards.

1. Make sure that you are in the UCS you want the part located in.

2. Start the function. Select the insertion point of the part:

3. Select the insertion point. The part will be inserted with the origin in the standard drawing at the picked position. Rotate standard part:

4. Rotate the part using the mouse. Mirror Part? Yes/<No>

5. Select Yes if the part has to be mirrored.

Detailing Menu The detailing menu provides several functions used during the detailing of parts. Most of the functions automate processes that are specific to shipbuilding.

The menu is accompanied by a toolbar fly-out.


Detailing - Break Intersection Menu: SC Structure / Detailing / Break Intersection

Toolbar button:

Command line: SCBRKINT

Navigator: None

Breaks a line, polyline or arc by finding the intersection of the entity with another entity. Use this function when a long entity has to be broken. Consider a simple example. A large bulkhead is made up of several plates. Each plate has to be defined by a closed outside toolpath. At each seam intersection with an edge the edge has to be split into two entities, each for the toolpath of one plate. See figure.

1. Select SC Structure / Detailing / Break Intersection or click in the fly-out.

Select entity to break:

2. Select the entity to break. Select the breaking point:

3. Pick the intersection point. The object snap is set to automatically to INTERSECTION.

4. The entity is split and both parts are redrawn in different colors.


Note: If the entity to be broken is a polyline, it is possible that AutoCAD selects one of the polyline vertices instead of the intersection. ShipConstructor will display a warning dialog. You can accept the breaking point. Zoom in or Cancel. Accept the breaking point only if you know that the break is on a polyline vertex. Otherwise zoom in and try again. The function will zoom to the original zoom stage, even if you do several “zoom-ins”.

Detailing - Break Distance Menu: SC Structure / Detailing / Break Distance

Toolbar button:

Command line: SCBRKDST

Navigator: None

This function only works for straight lines. All other entities will be rejected. Breaks the selected line based on distance from the end of the line.

1. Select SC Structure / Detailing / Break Distance or click in the detailing

fly-out. Select a line entity to break:

2. Select the entity. Select the end to break from:

3. The OSNAP is set to END. Pick the end from which you want to specify a distance.

4. Dialog requests the distance from the selected end. Enter the distance and click OK. The Line is split and both parts are redrawn in different colors.

Detailing - 3D to 2D Poly

Menu: SC Structure / Detailing / 3D to 2D Polyline

Toolbar button:

Command line: SCCONV

Navigator: None

Converts a 3D entity into a 2D entity on the XY plane of the current UCS. Use this function for example if a polyline is slightly out of plane, or if you defined entities on the thickness throw UCS and want them now in the construction UCS.


• Select SC Structure / Detailing / 3D to 2D Polyline or click in the detailing

fly-out.

• Select the entities to convert.

Detailing - Mark Group with drawings Menu: SC Structure / Detailing / Mark Group with Drawings

Toolbar button:

Command line: SCMARK

Navigator: None

Marks the current group drawing with lines where other group drawings intersect. Consider a frame, which is intersected by decks and girders. ShipConstructor calculates all intersection lines between the frame and any of the decks and girders by calculating the true intersection of two planes in 3D space. One of the planes is defined by the currently active UCS in the frame drawing, the other planes are the construction UCS and thickness throw UCS planes in the other group drawings.

1. Select SC Structure / Detailing / Mark Group with DWGs or click in the detailing

fly-out.

2. The Mark Group Intersections dialog is displayed. Select the groups that you want to mark onto the current drawing.

• Available Planar Groups - The list on the left of the dialog shows all planar groups that intersect the frame. You

can select the groups that you want to mark. By default all planar groups are selected.

• Throw Symbols - Check this option to create a throw symbol as shown in the figure below. The symbol indicates the throw direction from the marking lines. The small vertical lines on the side of the symbol indicate the thickness of the intersecting group. This value is corrected for the intersection angle in case of a skewed (non-perpendicular) intersection. The size box allows you to set the height to the top of the symbol.

Marking Line

Throw Symbol

• Throw Lines - Checking this option creates a thickness line as shown in the next figure.


Thickness Line

• Group Text - Checking this option creates a text, to label the line with the name of the group. The size box is the

size of the text that will be created. You also have the option to “Strip unit prefix”.

Unit prefix removed

Unit prefix not removed 3. Once all values are entered in the dialog as shown, click OK. The markings are created as shown in the next figure. All

lines are 10% longer than the current extents of the drawing. You will have to trim the lines later to their appropriate sizes using standard AutoCAD trimming.

Detailing - Thickness Throw Lines Menu: SC Structure / Detailing / Thickness Throw Lines

Toolbar button:

Command line: SCTTLINES

Navigator: None

Converts simple marking lines into user definable dashed lines with optional thickness throw indicators. Make sure the lines have the desired process color for marking or no processing before you start this function.


1. Select SC Structure / Detailing / Thickness Throw Lines or click in the detailing

fly-out.

2. Select the lines to convert to marking throw lines.

3. The dialog below is displayed. It has the following options.

• Shorten by - Shortens the selected lines on both ends by the specified amount.

• Throw line size - Size of the throw indicator. At the moment this is a short line at the end of the marking line.

• Angle - Angle of the throw line indicator to the marking line.

• Partial Marking - If checked the selected line(s) are broken down into segments. The segmentation is controlled by two parameters:

• Mark Length - The length of the short segments.

• Spacing - The size of the spacing between any two segments.

• Save Throw Line Styles - This new version allows you to save different throw line styles and recall them as required. This is particularly useful when marking expanded shell plating, which may contain many different marking lines crossing each other, such as; frame lines, deck lines, roll lines, sight lines and more. Using different settings for mark length and spacing simplifies identification of the lines. Select the name of the Throw Line Style to use to load the settings.

• Save button - Save the current settings to the current or a new throw line style. In the dialog enter a new name if you want to create a new style. Leave the name if you just want to save the settings for the current style.

• Delete button - Deletes the currently selected throw line style.

4. Click OK to use the select throw line style.

5. If the throw line size is not zero, than you have to pick in the direction to which you want the throw indicator to point, otherwise ShipConstructor has all required information and converts the selected lines using the settings. Shown below are two different partial marking options with and without throw indicators.


Detailing - Insert Stiffener Cutout

Menu: SC Structure / Detailing / Insert Stiffener Cutout

Toolbar button:

Command line: SCINSCUTOUT

Navigator: None Inserts cutout and profiles into the drawing. The cutouts and profiles are set up in Manager.

Manager Profile Library The Manager file contains pre-defined stock profiles. You can also create your own profiles. ShipConstructor is delivered with two ready-made templates with many pre-defined profiles, flatbars and plates. One of the templates is for metric dimensions, the other for imperial dimensions.

Creating your own profile stock A profile stock is a record in the ShipConstructor database file. However, Manager cannot store CAD geometry. The geometry of the profile and the cutout is defined in AutoCAD drawings. The drawings are linked to the Manager record. The dialog below shows the data required in Manager to set up a profile in the library. Beside just entering information such as Name, Mfg. No and so on we also need AutoCAD drawings for the Cross Section shape of the profile, the non-tight cutout, and the tight cutout.


Use the Navigator Standard tab to create required drawings for the profile library.

Profile Cross section drawing Create a new drawing using the Navigator as shown above. Look up the profile cross-section parameter in the supplier’s catalog. The profile must be a 2D polyline, and closed. This has to be the only entity in the drawing. Make sure the foot point of the profile is at 0,0 in WCS.

Tight cutout and non-tight cutout drawing Create a new drawing using the Navigator. The cutout must be an open 2D polyline. This has to be the only entity in the drawing. Make sure the 0,0 point of the cut coincides with origin of the associated profile.

Creating a new profile library entry The new profile library entry is created using Manager.

1. Start Manager.

2. Select Libraries / Stocks.

3. Select the type of new stock you wish to create; i.e. Flatbar, Angle, Tee.


4. Click New Stock.

5. In the dialog type a Name.

6. Select a profile Type from the drop down menu. The options are:

7. Enter a manufacturer number. Optional.

8. Select a material from the drop down list.

9. Click on the Browse button beside the XSection DWG field. Select the AutoCAD drawing with the newly created profile.

10. You can also link a tight and non-tight cutout to the same profile. This is optional. 11. Here are detailed descriptions of the items in the Profile & Plates Library dialog.

• Type of Stock - Plate, Flatbar, Angle, Tee.


• Manufacturer. - The manufacturer number field is optional. You can enter your internal manufacturer or stock number here. It can later be listed in Bills of Materials.

• Color - This is the color that the solid will use when you create a stiffener with this profile. Selecting colors carefully can help you detect incorrect stock selection in a group or unit drawing before production packages are issued.

• Description - Enter any description for the stock.

• Web Neutral axis - The distance of the neutral bending axis from the foot point of the profile.

• Flange Neutral Axis - Distance of the neutral bending axis form the foot point.

• Web Thickness - Thickness of the web. Used in profile plot to generate the hidden line indicating the web.

• Flange Thickness - Thickness of the web. Used in profile plot to generate the hidden line indicating the flange.

• XSectionDWG - This contains the name of an AutoCAD drawing. The drawing contains the cross section of the profile, as found in the supplier’s catalog. The cross section is a single closed polyline. The profile cross-section files are stored in the standards/profile folder.

• Tight Cutout / Non-Tight Cutout - These fields are optional. They point to drawings containing the appropriate cutouts for the profile. The cutouts are open polylines. They are located in the standards/cutout folder.

Cutout and profile insertion 1. Mark the location where you want to insert the profile and cutout.

2. Select SC Structure / Detailing / Insert Stiffener cutouts or click in the detailing

fly-out.

3. From the list select the profile. Check the items that you want inserted. Click OK.

4. Insert the profile cutout at the marked position of the vertical line and the tanktop.

5. Rotate the profile to the desired location.


Detailing - Insert Stiffener Cutouts from Group

Menu: SC Structure / Detailing / Insert Stiffener Cutouts from Group

Toolbar button:

Command line: SCGROUPCUTS

Navigator: None

Changed functionality This function can now trim the cutouts to the toolpath. IMPORTANT: Make sure that there is no ambiguity, such as the molded line an the line representing the thickness of the plate intersection with the plane you are working on.

Inserts cutout and profiles into the drawing from Stiffeners, Faceplates and Twisted Stiffeners in other group drawings. See Detailing - Insert Stiffener Cutout for a description of what cutouts are and how to define them. ShipConstructor checks all the Stiffeners, Faceplates and Twisted Stiffeners in the group drawing chosen by the user to see if they intersect with the current UCS (most often this is the Construction UCS). If any intersections are found ShipConstructor will insert the cutout for that profile (tight or non-tight) in the correct location scaling it to account for the angle at which the profile intersects the plane.

Stiffener Cutout Insertion from Group

1. Select SC Structure/Detailing/Insert Stiffener Cutouts from Group or click in the detailing

fly-out.


2. From the list select the drawings you wish to have cutouts inserted from (note: ShipConstructor only allows you to chose

from a list of Groups intersect the current Group drawing). Check which items you want inserted and click OK when done.

3. ShipConstructor has inserted cutouts for all the Tank Top stiffeners and trimmed them to the tanktop line. However in

this case we only want the ones on the Port side cutouts. Use the AutoCAD erase command to remove all the Starboard cutouts. The cutouts are now ready to be used in the creation of parts.

Detailing - Reference Lines - NEW Menu: SC Structure / Detailing / Reference Lines Command line: SCREFERENCELINE Navigator: None Creates frame, buttock and water lines for reference use. This function will create regular AutoCAD lines spanning the extents of the drawing marking frame, buttock and water line location locations projected onto the current UCS. 1. Select SC Structure / Detailing / Reference Lines.


2. The Reference lines dialog shows you what lines will be inserted (and allows you to pick what types you wish to insert). Not all types of reference lines will be able to be inserted; for example, if the current UCS is parallel to the frames then it won’t be possible to insert any frame lines. The Planes Check boxes allow you to determine what types you will insert. Additionally you can decide to have ShipConstructor display the reference line names by checking Show Text.

3. The reference lines displayed in the dialog are loaded from the Access Database, if you wish to add, remove or change them then press the Edit button to bring up the Edit Locations dialog, as shown below. Use the toolbar to edit the locations.

Add Location at end

Add Location before selected

Delete Location

Delete All Locations

Space Locations

Name Locations

4. Change the locations to suit your needs.

5. Use the Name Location function to name the locations. Highlight the location at which you want to start naming.

6. Then click the Name Locations button.

7. Click OK to name the locations from the current position downwards.


8. You can repeat the same procedure from a new location on. For example you might have halve frame spacing and full frame spacing changing at frame 9. Highlight Frame 0 and do a frame location naming with half frame spacings for the name. Then click on Frame 9 and repeat with full frame spacing.

9. Click OK to save the changes in the Database.

10. Next select the Reference lines you wish to insert.

11. Click OK to generate the Reference Lines.

Detailing – Replicate Entities to Other Groups Menu: SC Structure / Detailing / Replicate Entities to Other Groups Command line: SCDUP Navigator: None Replicate geometry from the current group drawing to other group drawings that are parallel to the current one. For example, you can replicate from a frame to other frames, but not to a deck group. Use this function if significant geometry is identical between several groups. Design the portions that are identical and then replicate to other groups. For example, for a frame the geometry portion below could be identical for many frames. Only the outside shell plating would change slightly from frame to frame.

New - You can now replicate parts as well. ShipConstructor allows now for identical parts to have the same names. ShipConstructor uses an internal identifier to distinguish between two parts with the same name. As a bonus, ShipConstructor


tracks identical parts. Should you try to change a part for which identical exist, then ShipConstructor offers to update the other parts as well or make the current one unique, if it is the only one that changes.

1. Select SC Structure / Replicate Entities to Other Groups.

2. At the prompt, select the entities or parts that are identical in the other groups.

3. In the dialog select the group to which you want to replicate. Only groups parallel to the current one will be displayed. A

dialog will inform you when the copying is finished.

4. New Option - To Other Units. Now you can even replicate to other units.

5. This option displays a dialog with all eligible groups in other units. Select the groups and ShipConstructor will transfer

the entities or identical parts and make all required entries in Manager.

Now it is very easy to manage a long parallel mid-body that consist of several construction units in a short time.

Detailing – Move Entities to Other Groups Menu: SC Structure / Detailing / Move Entities to Other Groups Command line: SCDUP Navigator: None


Moves entities – plain geometry or ShipConstructor parts- to other group drawings. This function does not change the plane the entities are in; unlike the function Replicate Entities to Other Groups.

Detailing - Scallop Menu: SC Structure / Detailing / Scallop

Toolbar button:

Command line: SCRFILLET

Navigator: None

Creates a scallop, also called mouse or rat hole, at the intersection of two entities. The figure below shows two scallops.

1. Select SC Structure / Detailing / Scallop or click . Current radius = 30.000 mm

Radius/Lines/<Intersection>:

• Option: R - Radius: o Check the command line for the current radius. Press “R” if you want to change it.

Scallop radius:

Enter a new radius. Press ENTER.

• Option: I - Intersection:

1. Press “I”. Pick corner to scallop:

2. Pick an intersection for the scallop. The OSNAP is automatically set to INTERSECTION.

3. Pick direction of scallop. For two lines intersecting as a cross you have 4 possibilities for a scallop.

4. The scallop is created.

• Option: L - Lines: Pick First Object:

1. Pick one of the lines. Pick Second Object:

2. Pick the other line. Pick direction of scallop.

3. The scallop is created.


Detailing - Fillet Menu: SC Structure / Detailing / Fillet

Toolbar button:

Command line: SCFILLET

Navigator: None

Acts in a similar manner to the AutoCAD fillet however it provides filleting between two polylines.

1. Select SC Structure / Detailing / Fillet or click .

• Option: R - Radius: Check the command line for the current radius. Press “R” if you want to change it and hit

ENTER, then enter the new radius hitting ENTER when finished.

2. Select the first segment/entity to fillet.

3. Select the second segment/entity to fillet.

4. Detailing - Remove vertices below tolerance.

Detailing – Orthographic Projection Menu: SC Structure / Detailing / Orthographic Projection


Command line: SCPROJ

Navigator: None

Projects lines – simulate circle using many short line segments, explode poly lines – from one UCS onto another UCS. This function is usually used to find the shape on structure on one of the major planes (frame, deck, longitudinal bulkhead) on a skewed plane. The lines are projected either along the X, Y, or Z axis.


Detailing - Remove Vertices below Tolerance Menu: SC Structure / Detailing / Remove Vertices below Tolerance


Command line: SCBELOWTOL

Navigator: None

Removes vertices that are within the given tolerance to a straight line on a polyline. There are several reasons why you want to reduce the number of vertices on polylines:

• Display speed - Many vertices mean lots of items to display. Display speed is specifically of interest when considering solids.

• Computing speed - Interferences will run significantly faster with less complex solids.

• File size - ACIS solids use enormous amounts of disk space.

• NC machine limitations - Many cutting machines will move erratically or start-stop at each little segment if they are too small.

1. Select SC Structure / Detailing / Remove Vertices below Tolerance. Select polylines

2. Select the polyline you want to work on. Press ENTER.

3. Tolerance: <1.0> 3

4. Enter a tolerance.

The example shows two identical frame sections. The upper section has a tolerance of 1mm, the lower one has a tolerance of 3mm. About 0.5mm (1/32”) appears to be a good compromise between speed and accuracy.

Detailing - Convert Ellipse or Spline to Polyline Menu: SC Structure / Detailing / Convert Ellipse to Polyline Toolbar button: None

Command line: SCCONVELLPSE

Navigator: None

Converts an ellipse to a polyline. NC-cutting machines do not understand ellipses. They have to be converted to a polyline instead. The function use the cordal tolerance value set in Manager. You can change the value on the command line. Good values are about 0.5mm for metric and 1/32” for imperial.

NOTE: In ShipConstructor2000 this function has been upgraded to convert Splines as well.


Detailing - Insert Orientation Icon Menu: SC Structure / Detailing / Insert Orientation Icon

Toolbar button:

Command line: SCORNTICON

Navigator: None

1. Inserts an orientation icon from a template drawing. The keywords in the template drawing are replaced with the words in the setup of the icon. All icon entities are assigned the marking color. Use the Navigator Template Tab to access and customize the orientation icon. See the appropriate section the Variable Menus section near the end of this manual for details.

2. Select SC Structure / Detailing / Insert Orientation Icon or click in the detailing

fly-out. Location of Orientation Icon:

3. Pick a location. Make sure that the location is on the same side of the center line as the final location of the icon. At this point the direction of the arrows, and the text for the keywords are determined, depending on the half-breadth location of the pick point.

Second point of displacement:

4. The function places the icon and starts a move command. Pick the final location.

Detailing - Insert Weld-Shrinkage Icon Menu: SC Structure / Detailing / Insert Weld Shrinkage Icon

Toolbar button:

Command line: SCSTRICN

Navigator: None

Inserts a weld shrinkage icon. A weld shrinkage icon lets you define two independent shrinkage directions and shrinkage values for a part. ShipConstructor use the information supplied by the icon to oversize the part during nesting.

Weld shrinkage has only been considered by very few yard in the past. For one, it was quite difficult to resize the part for nesting. ShipConstructor does it automatically for you now. On the other hand the amount of shrinkage to use is not clear as there have not been very many studies yet. Also, weld shrinkage depends very much on many variables, such as ambient


temperature, temperature of the plate, type of welding, and “day of the week”. Some yards have found that weld shrinkage is not reproducible.

Some yards work with estimated absolute values; for example 1mm (1/25”) for each continuous weld. Other yards work with percentage values of 0.5% of the size of the part.

Use the Navigator Template Tab to access and customize the weld shrinkage icon. See the appropriate section the Variable Menus section near the end of this manual for details.

1. Select SC Structure / Detailing / Insert Weld Shrinkage Icon or click in the detailing

fly-out.

2. In the dialog enter the required values. Click OK.

3. Click the location for the icon on the plate part. The icon is inserted as shown.

4. Rotate the icon to the desired position. The direction of the two axes has to be perpendicular to the weld directions. This example here could be for a plate part with 12 stiffeners running perpendicular to the direction of the axis labeled 12.00(abs) and 4 stiffeners running perpendicular to the axis labeled 4.00(abs).

5. Later include the icon when defining the plate part.

Activate UCS Menu: SC Structure / Activate UCS

Toolbar button:

Command line: SCUCSLIST

Navigator: None

Activates a UCS or create new ones.


The left side of the dialog displays all available UCS’s. Below that listed are the currently active UCS and its origin position.

The right side displays the thickness and throw direction of the current group drawing.

New Out of Plane - Creates a UCS that is out of plane of the current UCS. You will mostly use this to place brackets or similar on parts that are in the construction UCS. For example, on the aft bulkhead in the tutorial, there are numerous standard brackets. Each one of those brackets is on an out of plane UCS. You should have entities at the location where you want to create the out of plane UCS. These are usually marking lines, where the bracket attaches.

1. Click The New Out of Plane button. Select origin:

2. Click the origin point. OSNAP END is automatically set. Select point on axis:

3. Select a point along one axis of the UCS. OSNAP END and NEAR are automatically set. Locate third point in plane or ENTER for perpendicular to UCS:

4. Press ENTER for a UCS perpendicular to the current one, or click on a third point for a skewed UCS.

5. The new UCS is created and named.

New parallel button - Creates a new UCS that is parallel to the current one.

5. Click the New Parallel button. Select the new origin:

6. Click on the new origin point.

7. A new UCS is created at the new location, and named automatically.

Activate from Object - Activates a UCS from a selected object. The function distinguishes several different entity types and calculates the UCS for them differently.

Standard AutoCAD entities - ShipConstructor determines the UCS the entity was created in.

ACIS solids - For plate solids ShipConstructor finds the construction or thickness UCS.

ShipConstructor parts - ShipConstructor determines the UCS the entity was created in.


ARLSTIFFENER - ShipConstructor displays the dialog below, and allows you to select one of three UCS's associated with a stiffener.

Activate button - Activates the UCS highlighted in the list.

Snap Menu: Tools / Drafting Settings - ShipConstructor Snap

Toolbar button:

Command line: None

Navigator: None

Updated Brings up the AutoCAD Drafting settings dialog with the ShipConstructor Snap tab selected. ShipConstructor provides several useful drafting settings to simplify working in 3 dimensions.

This dialog is also available through Tools / Drafting Settings.

• Project into UCS - causes the point you pick to be projected into the current UCS, you can choose whether it projects it perpendicularly to the plane (orthogonal), along the WCS X-axis (Longitude), WCS Y-axis (Transverse) or WCS Z-axis (Vertical).


• Absolute Ortho - acts like regular AutoCAD Ortho except that it always aligns with respect to the world coordinate system (WCS), not the user coordinate system (UCS).

• Snap to Free Pipe Ends – When modeling piping in 3D it is occasionally very helpful to switch all other OSNAPS off and only use the Snap to Free Pipe Ends OSNAP to avoid snapping to unwanted items.

Check Group DWG Menu: SC Structure / Check Group DWG Toolbar button: None

Command line: SCFIXPART

Navigator: None

Checks the current group drawing for errors and unused geometry. When detailing is finished, all entities on the production layer should be in part blocks. Any lines, arcs or text would indicate a problem. All entities on the solid layer should be assigned to parts. The figure below lists all types of errors the function detects.


The Unused Geometry List dialog lists all unused entities in a convenient list style. For each entity it lists the Drawing (this function can also be run from the 3D unit drawing, on all groups at the same time), Entity type, Color, Length and Layer. As always, you can sort by any column simply by clicking on the column header.

• View - Zooms to the selected entity.

• Zoom In - Zooms closer to the entity.

• Zoom out - Zooms further out.

• Add to part - Lets you pick a part to which you can add the entity. Use this if the entity was supposed to be added to a part but got left out by mistake.

• Move - Starts the move command on the entity. Use this if the entity is hidden behind another entity.

• Erase - Erases the entity.

• Hide in List - Removes the entity from the list, but does not erase it from the drawing.

• Refresh - Refreshes the list from the current drawing only.

List Unused Geometry Menu: SC Structure / List Unused Geometry Toolbar button: None

Command line: SCUNUSEDGEO

Navigator: None

Displays the same Unused Geometry dialog, which is discussed in detail in Check Current Group DWG just before this item.

Hide Objects Menu: SC Structure / Hide

Toolbar button:

Command line: SCHIDE

Navigator: None

Hides the entities selected. Use this function if you want to temporarily hide one or more entities. Quite often it is difficult to pick certain items with too many entities near by. Use this function to make things easier for you.

The function does not place entities on a hidden layer or similar. It simply sets a flag of the entity so that AutoCAD will not draw it.

Un-Hide Objects Menu: SC Structure / Un-Hide

Toolbar button:

Command line: SCUNHIDE

Navigator: None


Un-hides entities previously hidden. The un-hide function un-hides the entities in reverse order of hiding. If you hid entities using several hide commands, then you require one un-hide for each hide.

Unhide All Objects Menu: SC Structure / Unhide All Toolbar button: None

Command line: SCUNHIDEALL

Navigator: None

Un-hides all entities hidden with the Hide function.

Utilities Menu

Utilities - Create Bevel Text

Utilities - Layer This menu gives access to the layer control functions.

The same functions are supported by a fly-out toolbar.

Move to layer

Copy to layer

Activate to layer

Layer Off

Utilities - Layer - Activate Menu: SC Structure / Utilities / Layer / Activate

Toolbar button:

Command line: SCACTLAYER

Navigator: None

Activates a layer. A selection box with all available layers is displayed and the desired layer can then be selected from the list. All other layers will be switched off so that only the selected layer will be turned on.


Utilities - Layer - Deactivate Menu: SC Structure / Utilities / Layer / Deactivate

Toolbar button:

Command line: SCDELAYER

Navigator: None

Deactivates the layer picked from the list in the dialog. This will not affect any other layers.

Utilities - Layer - Copy Geometry to … Menu: SC Structure / Utilities / Layer / Copy Geometry to …

Toolbar button:

Command line: SCCOPYGEO

Navigator: None

Make another copy of the geometry. Leaves the original entities untouched..

1. Start the function. Select entities to copy to a new layer

2. Select the entities to copy. Press ENTER when done.

3. Select the desired layer from the dialog. Click OK.


Utilities - Layer - Move Geometry to … Menu: SC Structure / Utilities / Layer / Move Geometry to …

Toolbar button:

Command line: SCMOVEGEO

Navigator: None

Moves selected geometry from one layer to another. The original entities are erased.

1. Start the function. Select entities to move to a new layer

2. Select the entities to copy. Press ENTER when done.

Utilities – Create Quality Matrix Menu: SC Structure / Utilities / Create Quality Matrix


Command line: SCQUALMTX

Navigator: None

The quality is a very powerful tool to get the quality of your ships under control. Using this function it is very easy to add a quality control matrix to any drawing, including assembly drawings. You can use this function in any type of ShipConstructor drawing. However, the most common use is within an assembly drawing. This is how to create a quality control matrix.


• Make sure to be in model space with the main viewport active.

• Select a UCS that will display the markers in a convenient direct. If you are measuring in one single plane, then the UCS

should be in that plane. Use Activate UCS / From Object and click on one of the two large plate parts. This sets the UCS to be in the plane of the frame.

• Select SC Structure / Utilities / Quality Control Matrix.

• In the next dialog set the parameters similar to the ones shown. The options Points in 3D and Points in 2D require explaining. In our example we want to check the size of the panels. However, it is cumbersome picking always say the forward side of the plate solid, as we would have to zoom in very closely. Setting the option Points in 2D will ignore all Z co-ordinates after the first point has been picked. Thus only distance in the UCS will be considered.

Pick the points you want to check. Pick points on one plate part to get the quality control matrix for that panel. In our example we inserted two matrices, one for the port and one for the starboard panel. The dimensions are the same, but we wanted to have the opportunity to enter the actually built values into the drawing. For example we can start statistical analysis of our weld shrinkage and any fit up problems that might be reported later on in assembly. It might be that the two panels shrank very dissimilar due to welding variations.

Utilities - Show extended data Menu: SC Structure / Utilities / Show Extended Data


Command line: SCXDATA

Navigator: None


Shows the extended data attached to any entity. This function is mainly used to track down problems. Most ShipConstructor solids have extended data attached.

The figure below shows the extended data of an ARLSTIFFENER.

The figure below shows the extended data of a ShipConstructor plate part solid.

ShipConstructor Structure & Nesting Variable Menus 115

Variable Menus

Overview ShipConstructor displays two permanent menus in the AutoCAD menu bar, ShipConstructor and SC Structure. All other menus are visible only when they are required. These are:

• SCAssembly - When in an assembly drawing.

• SCNesting - When in a nest drawing.

• SC Outfit - When in an outfit drawing.

• SCStandard Part - When in a standard part drawing.

• SCOutfit Standard - When in an outfit standard drawing.

• SCAssembly Template - When in an assembly template drawing.

• SCNest Template - When in a nest template drawing.

• SCOrient Icon - When in an orientation icon template drawing.

• SCStiffener Plots - When in a stiffener plot template drawing.

• SCWorkshop - When in a workshop drawing.

ShipConstructor Structure & Nesting SC Build Strategy Menu 117

SC Build Strategy Menu

Overview New

The Build Strategy menu is only available when in a build strategy drawing.

Build strategy drawings are made by combining all relevant structural, outfitting and piping drawings into one large drawing. In most cases only the solids are used in the build strategy drawing. The drawing is then used to setup and check the build strategy. This is achieved by making a certain assembly stage visible and then checking that all required parts are in that build stage. The user can change the parts involved in a build stage simply by dragging them to another build stage.

Terminology People in different areas or industries have different understanding about the meaning of specific word when it comes to build strategies or assemblies. PWBS Product Work Breakdown Structure - A structural system describing the logical sequence in which parts a put together to form a project. This can also be used in exchange with the term Build Strategy. Build Strategy often has times of execution associated with a specific structural stage. Assembly Level - A generic term to describe the hierarchical system, which will be used to create the build strategy. These are for example from bottom (smallest assembly to largest assembly) PART->PANEL->ASSEMBLY->UNIT->PROJECT. Do not confuse this with the generic term assembly, which can be used to describe any item of several parts. For example, if you say “the assembly XYZ”; this could be a panel, or unit, or else.

Assembly Item - Individually named Build Strategy items of any level. For example you might have three Units called U01, U02, U03, or several PANELS, called DoubleBottom, AftBulkhead, TankTop and so on.

PROJECT Level - Is the top level within a project. It can only contain one item, which has the name of the project. ShipConstructor creates this level and the project item automatically when starting a new project.

UNIT Level - ShipConstructor works in UNITS when it comes to structural modeling. You register a UNIT and work on a unit at a time. This level is predefined when starting a new project. Every project has to have at least one UNIT. The UNIT items are automatically created when you add a UNIT to a project.

SPOOL Level - This level is automatically generated by ShipConstructor. This level is reserve for pipes. SPOOLS can be assigned to any other.

SC Build Strategy Menu ShipConstructor Structure & Nesting 118

Most common production process uses assembly levels similar to these four:

PROJECT - Top most level.

UNIT - Several units within a ship or offshore structure. A small project could consist of only one unit (hull plus wheel house) or many units.

3DASSEMBLY - Often just called ASSEMBLY. In general 3DASSEMBLIES are put together from several panels plus individual parts. Within a unit one would typically have assemblies like the double bottom, a wing tank or similar.

PANEL - Panels may be flat or curved and traditionally consist of one of more plate parts plus several stiffeners.

Feel free to add more assembly levels to the project if you need them. Often the final assembly is carried out using many STAGES that usually combine 3DASSEMBLIES and PANELS. In some cases there are as many as 20 STAGES between the 3DASSEMBLY and the UNIT.

Creating Build Strategy Drawings Follow these steps to create build strategy drawings.



3. Highlight the BuildStrategy folder.


4. Click the New Build Strat. button.

5. Choose the drawings you wish to include in this build strategy drawing and click OK. Enter a name in the New Drawing

dialog and click OK.

6. Decide whether you want Production information as well as the solids to be displayed, when you have made your

decision ShipConstructor will create the drawing. This applies only to structural and outfit parts. Both of these part types consist of the production layer information, for example the cutting path for plate solids, and solid information. In most cases, it is sufficient to use only the solids.

Develop Build Strategy Menu: SCBuild Strategy / Develop Build Strategy

Toolbar:

Command line: SCBUILDSTRATEGY


Navigator: None

Changing the logical build sequence Once in a build strategy drawing, you can use this function to develop your build strategy for this unit. The function displays Build Strategy dialog with the build strategy tree.

1. Create a build strategy drawing if you do not have one yet.

2. Open the build strategy drawing.

3. Set up a 3D view point that suits your requirements.

4. Select SC Build Strategy / Develop Build Strategy or click the Build Strategy button.

5. In the Build Strategy dialog click the “light bulb” off in front of the project level at the very top. The drawing in the

background will be blank now.

6. Click the light bulb on in front of DB the double bottom. The parts and assemblies in the double bottom will be displayed.

7. You can now select parts or two ways:

One - Pick parts in the drawing and their respective names will be highlighted in the Build Strategy tree control.

Two - Pick the parts within the tree control itself. You can also pick complete assemblies in the tree control.

8. Drag the parts and or assemblies to any assembly you like to change the build strategy.

Note: Both the drawing and the build strategy control are active at the same time. This requires some getting used to, as selecting in the drawing will pick entities in the tree control and vice versa. You can use other functions while the build strategy control is running, such as the orbit command to change you viewpoint, or you can change to a shaded or hidden mode.

IMPORTANT: You cannot UNDO a build strategy assignment.


Assign To Assemblies This is another way to assign only parts to assemblies. You cannot assign assemblies to other assemblies. This function has been kept, since many users have been accustomed to it.

1. In the Build Strategy dialog use the light bulbs to make the parts you want to assign visible.

2. Click the Assign To Assemblies button. Command: _SCASSIGNPART Select Part(s) to assign to an assembly

Select Objects:

3. In the main drawing window select the parts you want to assign to a different assembly, then press ENTER.

4. The Assign Parts to Assembly dialog is displayed.

5. Select the assembly you want to assign to and click OK.

Levels Assembly levels have been explained at the beginning of this chapter. This button displays the dialog tha allows you to customize the assembly levels to suit your particular job and manufacturing process.

1. In the Build Strategy dialog click Levels.

2. The Assembly Levels dialog or PWBS dialog display the levels of assembly that are currently defined. ShipConstructor

defines three levels of assembly that cannot be changed. These are - PROJECT, UNIT, SPOOL. The PROJECT level is the highest level and will always contain all parts within the project. No part can reside outside of the project. The


UNIT level consists of all parts within a unit. You cannot assign any part within any structural drawing registered to unit to any other unit. The SPOOL level is reserved for pipes. Spool may be assigned to any structural assembly. Add new levels or move the levels up or down. You can RENAME an assembly level by clicking on it a second time. Remember, you cannot rename ShipConstructor forced levels such as PROJECT, UNIT and SPOOL.

3. Click OK.

ShipConstructor Structure & Nesting SC Assembly Menu 123

SC Assembly Menu

Overview

This menu is only available when in an assembly drawing. It provides access to the CAD-Link’s assembly functions. The general procedure for creating assembly drawings involves:

• Setting up assembly templates if not done so yet. See later in this chapter under templates.

• Creating individual assembly drawings.

• Annotating assembly drawings.

• Plotting assembly drawings.

This set of menus is also supported by a number of toolbar buttons.

Build Strategy

Annotate Part Flyout

Annotate Endcuts

Flip UCS

Move UCS

Orientation Icon

SC Assembly Menu ShipConstructor Structure & Nesting 124

Annotate Part

Quick Annotate

Copy Annotation

The new Navigator now takes over some of the functionality formerly accessed through menus.

Navigator - Assembly Tab

Navigator - Update Keymap Menu: None

Toolbar: None

Command line: None Navigator: Assembly / Update Keymap

Creates a keymap drawing from the 3D-unit drawing for use in an assembly drawing when you want to show the assembly is located in the Unit.

Navigator - Open Keymap Menu: None

Toolbar: None

Command line: None

Navigator: Assembly / Open Keymap

Opens the keymap drawing.


Navigator - Open Assembly Menu: None

Toolbar: None

Command line: None Navigator: Assembly / Open

Opens assembly drawings.

1. Highlight the assembly drawing to open in the tree dialog.

2. Click Open.

Navigator - New Assembly Menu: None

Toolbar: None

Command line: None

Navigator: Assembly / New

Create new assembly drawings.

1. Click New.


2. In the dialog select one of the two options. Click Next.

3. In the Create Assembly Drawings dialog select the assemblies for which you want to create assembly drawings.


4. Click Finish.

Note: This operation takes some time and uses a great amount of memory. For large projects you should have at least 128 MB RAM and a Pentium II 400. You might need to select a small number of drawings each time if your computer cannot produce all of them at the same time.

One drawing is created for each assembly. Watch closely to see how the views are generated and the keywords replaced.

Assembly Visibility Menu: SC Build Strategy / Assembly Visibility …

Toolbar:

Command line: SCASSEMBVIS

Navigator: None

See the SC Build Strategy chapter for this function.

Assembly Update Parts Menu: SC Assembly / Update Parts

Toolbar: None

Command line: SCUPDATEASSDWG

Navigator: None

Use this function to update an assembly drawing after changes to the structural model have been made. You might have one last piping penetration added to a part in the structural model. Instead of starting the assembly drawing from scratch you can simply update the parts and keywords. This is especially useful if a lot of time and effort has been used to annotate the drawing.

The function displays a dialog with several options as shown in the dialog above. All annotations remain untouched. A log file id displayed later to report any problems.

Annotation Sub-Menu


Annotation - Create New Options Annotations now provide two new options on the Annotation dialog:

Style - Lets you select the text style to use.

Orient to View Direction - The labels will always “look” at you, no matter what viewpoint you choose.

Smart Labels The annotation of assembly drawings has been improved. All annotations are now carried out using our newly designed Smart Labels. Smart Labels simplify and speed up annotating assembly drawings tremendously. Smart Labels also provide a function unique to ShipConstructor - they can be set to always “look” at you, even if you change your view position. The properties of the Smart Labels can be changed using the AutoCAD Property Manager. The properties specific to our custom annotations are listed under the Label Properties section (see figure) in the AutoCAD properties dialog. You can also change the bubble style using the properties and use grip points to change the position and rotation of the annotation.

There are now two distinctly different ways to annotate the assembly drawings. You might know the first one from the previous version of ShipConstructor; this one places the annotations in a specific UCS. For this type of annotation you first set a UCS and then annotate the parts. The second type of annotation is new. This new type does not require you to set up a UCS. The annotation will always be facing towards the viewer. You can even dynamically rotate the drawing, while watching all annotations automatically rotating to face you at all times.

Menu: SC Assembly / Annotation / Create

Toolbar:

Command line: SCASSPIECELONG

Navigator: None

Creates an annotation. The function displays the Annotation dialog that allows you to control how the annotation is created. Remember that you have two general options now, one where the piecemark is created on the current UCS and another where it will “look” at you.



2. Click the part to annotate.

3. Select the options from the dialog as explained below.

4. Click OK.

5. Pick the locations and direction for the leader line(s) and the piecemark.

6. Repeat for all other parts.

Note: By default the picked part is highlighted in the assembly tree. The part name is by default the annotation text. You may click on any assembly level above the part to change the annotation text.

• Test - By default the part you picked on, you can no choose to pick on any assembly in the tree dialog on the right to

replace the text or type any text you like.

• Add P/S - Adds a “-P” for parts on the port side, and an “-S” extension for parts on the starboard side. This applies only if a part is designated as P/S in Manager.

• Size - The size of the annotation text.

• Standard - The text style to use.

• Use parts pick-point as location - Uses the pick point as the location for the assembly. Saves one extra pick.

• Rotate manually - Allows you to rotate the annotation text manually.

• Angle - The text angle if Rotate Manually is OFF.

• Orient to View Direction - Check this option to have the annotation “look” at you no matter what viewpoint you choose.

• Create - Creates a leader line if checked.

• Segments - Number of segments in the leader line.

• Leader lines same length - Makes all leader lines the same length.

• Length - Length of the leader line(s).

• Last Segment inline with text - Check this option to create a short piece of leader line in line with the text

• Osnap Settings - The Osnap to use for the annotation or leader line location.

Annotation - Quick Menu: SC Assembly / Annotation / Quick


Toolbar:

Command line: SCASSPIECE

Navigator: None

Creates an annotation for the picked part without displaying the dialog. It uses the same settings as those used in the last use of Assembly / Annotation / Create.

Annotation - Copy Menu: SC Assembly / Annotation / Copy

Toolbar:

Command line: SCCOPYPIECEM

Navigator: None

Copies annotations. The text of the annotation is replaced with the name of the newly-picked part. To copy an annotation:

1. Start the copy annotation command.

2. Click on an annotation to copy.

3. Select a base point for the copy command.

4. Click on a new part to annotate.

5. Select the position for the new annotation. The annotation is created in the same manner, except the text is replaced with the name of the new part.

6. The function remains active until aborted.

Annotation - Erase Duplicate piece marks Menu: SC Assembly / Annotation / Mark Endcuts

Toolbar: None

Command line: SCERASEDUPNAME

Navigator: None.

Erases duplicate piece marks inside of plate parts on the production layer.

Annotation - Mark Endcuts Menu: SC Assembly / Annotation / Mark Endcuts

Toolbar:

Command line: SCASSECMARK

Navigator: None.

Annotates the endcut of a stiffener.

1. Set up a suitable UCS.

2. Start the function.

3. Pick the stiffener to annotate.


4. The dialog is, in principle, the same as the one used for part annotation. Only the assembly tree is inactive, and the endcut name instead of the part name is displayed.

5. Pick the location of the leader line(s) and text.

Insert Keywords Menu: SC Assembly / Insert Keyword

Toolbar: None

Command line: SCINSERTKEYW

Navigator: None

Allows you to insert keywords into the assembly drawing. In general all keywords are inserted in the assembly master. You would use this function if one or just a few assembly drawings are to display some special data that other assembly drawings do not display. See the Templates - Assembly chapter later in this manual for details on inserting keywords.

Icons menu Allows you to insert several icons into assembly drawings.

Icons - Orientation Menu: SC Assembly / Icons / Orientation

Toolbar: None

Command line: SCASSORIENT

Navigator: None

Inserts an orientation icon into the drawing.



2. Select the type of icon you want. The Scale is the length of the direction arrows. Click OK.

3. Pick a location for the icon.

Inserts Icons - User Icon Menu: SC Assembly / Icons / User

Toolbar: None

Command line: SCINSERTUI Navigator: None

Inserts a user icon in the assembly drawing. Use this function to insert weld symbols and similar icons. The user icons are regular drawings, located in the standards/user icon folder.

Icons - CG Point Menu: SC Assembly / Icons / CG Point Toolbar: None

Command line: SCCGPOINT

Navigator: None

Inserts a point at the CG position.


Flip UCS Menu: SC Assembly / Flip UCS

Toolbar:

Command line: SCFLIPUCS Navigator: None

Flips the X-axis of the current UCS. Use this function if the annotation text is displayed in mirror writing to your viewpoint. Re-create the annotation.

Move UCS Menu: SC Assembly / Move UCS

Toolbar:

Command line: SCMOVEUCS

Navigator: None

Moves the UCS to the newly-picked location. Use this function if you want to add text or any other entity on a different level than the current UCS.

Set Viewport Keymap Menu: SC Assembly / Set Viewport Keymap

Toolbar: None

Command line: SCKEYVPORT

Navigator: None

Sets a viewport in the floating model space to display the keymap. See the Template Assembly chapter later in this manual for details on this function.

ShipConstructor Structure & Nesting SC Profile Plots 135

SC Profile Plots

Overview

The SC Profiles menu is only available when in a profile plot drawing.

The stiffener plot functions handle the creation, manipulation and plotting of stiffener plots, simplifying this task significantly. Many companies do not even consider generating these plots because the effort involved in generating them. ShipConstructor makes it economical to provide fully detailed plots for each stiffener.

Stiffener plots are generated automatically by using the assembly structure of the vessel to group and select the stiffeners. As usual, user configurable templates are used to simplify customization of the look and feel of the plots. In fact, a two level template system plus additional options give you powerful control over the stiffener plots. There is one template for the large plot sheet and sub templates for each stiffener. Each large sheet can contain several smaller individual stiffener plots. Any number of large sheets can be within a single drawing. It is advisable to give some thought to how you want to organize your stiffener plots.

SC Profile Plots ShipConstructor Structure & Nesting 136

For example, you could have one drawing for each major assembly. Within the drawing you create the plots for all stiffeners in that assembly. You can then group the stiffener types in rows of plots and sheets within the drawing.

Navigator - Profile Plots You use the Navigator - Profile Plots to create new profile plot drawings. Use the steps below:


2. Select the Stiffener Tab and click New.

3. Create a new drawing with the name DB. Click OK.

4. A new, empty drawing is created.

Setting a base dimension style ShipConstructor will create new dimension styles inside the profile plots drawing based on anyone of the existing styles. Sometimes more than one dimension style is created, as ShipConstructor scales the profiles to match the existing templates. Thus the scaling factor has to be considered when dimensioning to get the correct dimensions. As an example we show how to set the dimension style Standard to fit the requirements.


1. Start the dimension style dialog and make sure that Standard is the current dimension style.

2. Click the Modify button.

3. Select the Lines and Arrows tab. Set all values to fit your requirements. Most sizes depend on the size of your plot template. In most cases the sizes should be around 1-3mm or 1/32-1/8”. In this case most settings are 1mm in size.

4. Select the Text tab. Set all values to fit your requirements. Most sizes depend on the size of your plot template. In most

cases the sizes should be around 1-3mm or 1/32-1/8”. In this case the text height is 1.5mm.


5. Select the Primary Units tab. Set the units as desired.

6. Click the OK button.

SC Profile Plots - Insert Profile Plots Menu: SC Profile Plots / Insert Profile Plots

Toolbar: None

Command line: SCINSERTSTIFFENERS

Navigator: None

In this example we create profile plots for the curved stiffeners in the MDK assembly. These profiles look like the brown one shown in the next figure. These are curved BF240x12 profiles with endcuts on both ends.


1. Select SC Profiles / Create Profile Plots. The following dialog is displayed.

2. Click the Filter button, and set the options as shown. This will limit the display of the Profile Plot Setup to curved

profiles and angles only. BF240x12 are setup as angles in the profile library.


3. Click the check box in front of MDK and un-check the box in front of DKP.

4. Click OK to create the profile plots

SC Profile Plots - Options Menu: SC Profile Plots / Options

Toolbar: None

Command line: SCSTIFFPLOTOPT

Navigator: None

The options menu item lets you modify various settings to configure the profile plots to you requirements.


1. Select SC Profile plots / Options or click the options button in the Profile Plot Setup dialog.

• Plot Template - The large template drawing is set up to hold the individual SubPlots. In our case one template will

hold two SubPlots. See figure. Customize this template to fit your needs.

• SubPlot - A template designed to display one profile and all the related data. Customize this template to fit your needs.

• Dimension Style - Sets up specific parameters for the dimensions.

o Style to Copy - Every time you add plots to a drawing, ShipConstructor has to create a dimension style depending on how the profiles will fit inside the templates (a scaling factor for example). In general you will first adjust a dimension style of your choice and then tell ShipConstructor to use the settings of that style as a basis for the new style.

o Dimension Text Size - Sets the text size independent of the dimension style selected.

o Dimension Spacing - Sets the spacing of the dimension form the object.

• Forming Offsets - Settings that control the options for the offsets for curved profiles.

o Bend from Start - Sets the start of the profile horizontal and lets the profile curve up or down from there. This can result in a very tall plot.


o Bend at Best Point - This will rotate the profile such that it will fit into a rectangle of minimum height.

SC Profile Plots - Zoom Menu: SC Profile Plots / Zoom Toolbar: None

Command line: SCZOOMTOPLOT

Navigator: None Displays a dialog to zoom to individual plots. This function provides an easy means to find the proverbial needle in the haystack.

1. Select SC Profile / Zoom.

2. In the dialog click the plot or sub plot to zoom to and OK.


SC Profile Plots - Print Plots Menu: SC Profile Plots / Print Plots Toolbar: None

Command line: SCSUBPLOTPRINT

Navigator: None This function allows you to print all or selected plots to a printer.

1. Select SC Profile Plots / Print Plots.

• Allow Master Plot Printing - Check this option if you want to print the large plot sheets as well as the sub plot sheets.

• Only Master Plots - Check this option if you do not want to print the sub sheets.

• Plot Style - Select a pre defined plot style.

2. Select the plots you wish to print and click OK.

SC Profile Plots - Check Profile Drawings Menu: SC Profile Plots / Check Profile Drawings Toolbar: None

Command line: SCCHECKPLOTS

Navigator: None This function provides checking and error correction. It determines if the drawings and plotted profiles registered in the Manager database correlate with the actually existing drawings and profile plots within each drawing. For example someone may have delete a profile plot drawing not using ShipConstructor. The check function will find this and make the profiles originally inside of that drawing available for re-plotting.


It is good practice to run this function on a periodic basis to ensure data integrity.

1. Select SC Profile Plots / Check Profile Plots.

• Selected Plots - Lets you select the plots within this drawing.

• Current Drawing only - Checks all plots within this drawing.

• All Stiffener Drawings - Checks all plots in all profile plot drawings.

• Remove unused Dimension Styles - Removes dimension styles not used anymore; you may have deleted specific plots.

ShipConstructor Structure & Nesting SC Nesting Menu 145

SC Nesting Menu

Overview

The nesting menu and the Navigator Nesting tab provide access to all nesting functions. The nesting menu is available when in a nest drawing. Use the Navigator to open and create nest drawings.

SC Nesting Menu ShipConstructor Structure & Nesting 146

Nesting Preparation

Manager Nesting Settings All nesting settings are stored in Manager. Ensure to check all settings before starting nesting.

Stock independent nest settings Project / Settings / Nesting Tab

• Nesting colors - During detailing outside cut, inside cut, marking and no-process entities were given specific colors. You can insert any number of parts into a nest drawing and decide during the nesting process which plate the part will finally be nested on. Only then will the part be assigned to a specific plate. In the meantime the part is un-assigned. The unassigned state is represented by a different coloring scheme. When a part is initially inserted into a nest drawing the colors indicating the NC-process are changed to the Nesting colors. Once the part is assigned to the final plate the colors are changed back.


• Nest Name Prefix - The prefix that ShipConstructor will generate automatically for creating nest names.

Stock dependent nest settings Libraries / Stock / Plates

All settings are per stock. This enables different settings for each stock type. For example you can set a different cutting machine for each material. All steel up to a certain thickness might be cut with a plasma burner, above that thickness all steel is to be cut with another Oxy-fuel cutter, while all aluminum and non-metal material is to be cut with a high-speed router. The settings are:

• Cut Feed - The feed rate for cutting. Either in mm/min or inches/min.

• Bridge Width - Size of bridges. ShipConstructor can bridge parts to keep them together, to minimize piercing, and avoid the loss of small parts into the cutting bed.

• Pierce time - Time it takes to pierce a hole. This is used by NC-Pyros to estimate actual processing time.

• Plate margin - Distance that ShipConstructor will leave between parts and the plate edge.

• Part Gap - Distance that ShipConstructor will leave between 2 parts.

• NCMachine - The NC-cutting machine to use. NC-Pyros, our NC-cutting software stores all settings for each machine in Manager under that same name. This ensures that NC-Pyros will automatically generate the code for the correct machine.

Machine dependent nest settings Libraries / NC Machines


• Mark Feed - Feed rate during marking.

• Fast Feed - Fast travel feed rate.

Organizing Nesting All structural work is carried out on a construction unit basis. However, nesting cannot always be carried out on a unit-by-unit basis. You might be building more than one unit in at a time. Nesting just one unit could also create too much unused plate space. The unused space can be treated as a remnant or drop. A remnant is the unused portion of a stock plate. ShipConstructor manages remnants for you.

Nesting Terminology Nest drawing A nest drawing contains one or more nests of the same stock, but may have different plate sizes including remnants. Many companies decide to use the stock name as the drawing name. Often the unit to which most or all of the parts on the nest belong is integrated as well into the drawing name. For example: U12PL10.DWG contains parts for U12 on PL10 stock plate.

Nests Each nest drawing can have one or more nests. New nests are always based on a template. The nest consists of the actual nest plate, an automatically generated BOM, header fields with automatically updated pertinent information, such as plate size, material, utilization, cutting time estimate and more.

Nest templates The first figure in the chapter shows a finished nest drawing. The border of the nest, the text and the BOM are all created automatically by ShipConstructor. In order to accomplish this task a template is used for the nest when it is initially created. The templates are regular AutoCAD drawings. ShipConstructor comes with a ready-made nest template. You can customize the nest template to suit your needs. We will now look at the supplied template.

1. Select ShipConstructor / Navigator or click . Select the Template tab.

2. Select Nest / Nest01. This is the ready-made template drawing. Click Open.


3. The nest template drawing is opened as shown. Compare the large figure at the beginning of this chapter.

The border of the template is a key element in the nest and should not be deleted. ShipConstructor uses it to determine which elements belong to this nest; this is important when you have many nests in the same drawing. The top of the drawing has entries prepared for the project name, the nest name and more. To the right of each field name is a KEYWORD, for example <PROJECT>. Each keyword is inside of “< >”. Keywords are later automatically replaced by actual data. You can move keywords around, change size or color, or delete them if you do not require the information.

At the bottom left you will find the keyword <NSTINSERTSTOCK>. The stock plate will be inserted at this position. The aspect ratio of the nest template has been set to utilize an 11” by 17” or A3 sheet well when plotted on the sheet in landscape mode. ShipConstructor provides an automatic plotting function that allows you to plot many nests with one command.

Nesting Toolbar The nesting toolbar provides access to the most commonly-used nesting functions. We will discuss the use of all of the functions in this chapter.

Insert Parts

Snap & Gap

Slide

Align

Move & Rotate

Assign to Nest

Nest Layers


Navigator Nest Tab The nest tab gives access to several nesting functions. It displays a tree dialog on the left side, a preview on the right and several buttons.

Open Opens the nest drawing selected in the tree dialog.

New Creates a new nest drawing. Each nest drawing can only contain a nest using one type of stock. However, nests can use different plate sizes.

1. Click the New button. The New Drawing dialog is displayed.

2. Enter a name for the new nest drawing. Click OK.

3. The new nest drawing is opened and the New Nest dialog is displayed.


See New Nest for details on the use of the New Nest dialog.

Un-nested Parts Use this function to see if any parts require nesting.

1. Click the un-nested parts button. The next dialog is displayed.

2. In the dialog, select the assembly for which you want to check un-nested parts.

3. The right pane will display any parts that require nesting.

Nesting - Nest Drawing Sub-Menu The nest menu provides function to create and modify individual nests within a nest drawing.


Nest - New Menu: SC Nesting / Nest / New

Toolbar: None

Command line: SCSTCKPLT

Navigator: None

Inserts a new nest into a nest drawing. Nests are based on a nest template. The template contains keywords. Some of the keywords are replaced with ShipConstructor database data during insertion of a nest, others are replaced at a later stage.


2. The New Nest dialog is displayed.

3. Nest Plates - Displays the names of nest plates already in this nest drawing.

4. Stock Templates - Displays the available templates. Select the one required.

5. Plate Name - The function automatically uses the next available number for the nest name. The type of name prefix can be set in Manager in User settings on the nesting tab.


6. Plate Stock - The plate stock is fixed, unless you are inserting the first nest into the drawing.

7. Size - Displays the available stock sizes. Select the one required.

8. Remnants - Lists all available remnants of the same stock. Use the Create Previews button to create previews for each remnant. You can use a remnant instead of a new stock plate for a nest.

9. Click OK.

10. Pick a location for the new nest.

Nest - Delete Menu: SC Nesting / Nest / Delete

Toolbar: None

Command line: SCDELSTCKPLT

Navigator: None

Deletes a nest. Pick the nest you want to delete. You can pick on the nest border or the actual plate to select the nest. Any part assigned to the delete nest will be updated in Manager. The color of each of these parts will change to the unassigned nesting colors.

Nest - Rename Menu: SC Nesting / Nest / Rename

Toolbar: None

Command line: SCRENNEST

Navigator: None

Renames the selected nest.

Nest - Find Menu: SC Nesting / Nest / Find

Toolbar: None

Command line: SCFINDNEST

Navigator: None

Allows the user to zoom to any nest in the project.


Nest - Change Stock Plate Menu: SC Nesting / Nest / Change Stock Plate Toolbar: None

Command line: SCCNGSTOCK

Navigator: None

Changes the stock plate used for the nest. You can only change the stock size, or change between using a full stock plate or a remnant. You cannot change the stock thickness, or quality of material.

Nest - Plot Menu: SC Nesting / Nest / Plot Toolbar: None

Command line: SCPLOTNESTS

Navigator: None

Plots nests. You can select nests from the list or pick them in the drawing. All selected nests will be plotted to the default printer using the default settings.


Do a manual plot first to check all plotting parameters for the nest.

The function will automatically set the plotted area to the outside border of the nest to plot. One plot will be created for each nest.

Remnant Sub-Menu

To create and delete remnants. Remnants are unused portions of a nest plate. In most cases you can use remnants later on in a project. ShipConstructor allows you to create a nest from a full size nest plate or a remnant nest plate.

New Menu: SC Nesting / Remnant / New

Toolbar: None

Command line: SCNSTNEWRMNT

Navigator: None

Creates a new remnant.

To create a new remnant you first need to draw the border of it first. Draw a closed polyline for the remnant outline. Make sure the to use close for the last leg of the polyline. See the fat polyline in the next figure.


1. Select SC Nesting / Remnant / New. Click on the remnant polyline.

2. ShipConstructor now needs to know which portion of the remnant will be used to cut off the remnant from the nest plate. This portion has to be exported to NC-Pyros as a cut line. NC-Pyros will then instruct the cutting machine to cut the remnant off the plate. You have to pick the start and end point of the cut line.

Select remnant cut line start point:

3. Select where the remnant edge meets the outside of the full plate. Select remnant cut line start end:

4. Select the other point where the remnant edge meets the outside of the full plate. Select cut line to use (Red/Blue):

5. The new remnant dialog requests the remnant name. A name for the mirrored remnant must be separately given when the plate is a like/mirror cut. The two remnants may later be used for a like/mirror nest again or individually for like nests only. Click OK.

6. Select the keywords to use for the remnant marking and set the text size in the next dialog. Click OK.

7. Select the position and orientation for the remnant text.

8. The remnant is now hatched.

It is now possible to use the remnant for a new nest.


Delete Menu: SC Nesting / Remnant / Delete

Toolbar: None

Command line: SCNSTDELRMNT

Navigator: None

Deletes a new remnant. Pick on the remnant to delete. You can also use the standard AutoCAD erase command.

Part Sub-Menu

The part menu handles all functions regarding the nesting of individual parts.

Nesting parts onto nests involves these principal steps:

• Insert the parts into the nest drawing. The parts are presented the largest first. Just place the part in an organized manner in the drawing.

• Nest parts to make best use of nest plate and consider production requirements, such as:

o like and mirror cut;

o sequence of production, keep parts needed at the same time on the same nest;

o plate heat distortion.

• Assign the parts to the nest.

• Check the nest drawings for errors and un-nested parts, This function also updates the BOM’s and finds parts that have changed since being nested.

• Export the nests to NC-Pyros.

• Create NC code.

• Update Nest BOM’s to reflect NC-Pyros data in the header.

• Plot the nests.

• Create nest reports.

• Combine nest reports, with plots and NC-tapes.

• Send to production.


Insert (ShipConstructor) Menu: SC Nesting / Part / Insert

Toolbar:

Command line: SCPRTDWGNEST

Navigator: None

ShipConstructor provides a sophisticated nest dialog that allows you to set several criteria to only nest the parts that you need now.

1. Select SC Nesting / Part / Insert, or click the Insert Parts button.

2. The Nesting Filter dialog is displayed.

• The left side of the dialog displays the assembly tree with all parts that match the filter setting. The assembly tree

makes it easy to nest by construction unit or any other assembly. Click the check box that is in front of the U12 name and all sub-assemblies and parts.

• The bottom of the dialog confirms the number of parts selected for nesting.

• Nesting options allows you to choose between ShipConstructor nesting and AutoNest. Using AutoNest will be described later.

• The top right displays the stock properties used in this nest drawing. In this case we are using PL10 stock.

• On the right side of the dialog are the controls for the filter function. Only parts that match the selected options will be available for nesting. In this case we have the following settings:

• Same as stock plate - Only parts made from PL10 stock can be nested. Un-check this only if you want to “cross-nest”. That is, you want to nest, for example, 8mm brackets onto 10mm stock.

• Not nested - If un-checked the filter will also display parts that are already nested for reference.

• Paint - If checked it allows you to select a paint option. For example you might have some primed plate and only want to nest parts on these that are to be cut from primed plate.


• Side - You can select the side of the vessel the parts are on. In our case we want to nest only PS designated parts. This allows us to do Like & Mirror cutting. A Like & Mirror plate will only be processed once, but cut twice. Many cutting machines can do this at the same time, reducing processing time by half.

3. Set the options.

4. Select the parts to nest. Click OK.

Note 1: The general procedure for inserting parts into a nest drawing is as follows:

• Parts are inserted at the mouse position, automatically rotated to the smallest horizontal rectangle, with the move command active.

• Move the mouse to move the part.

• You can change the rotation using the function keys F5 and F6. Use the “+” plus and “-” minus keys to increase or decrease the rotation steps.

• Be sure to set the OSNAP OFF and ORTHO OFF. Otherwise you might not see the part at all.

Note 2: The largest part is inserted first, the smallest one last.

5. The first part is displayed at the mouse position. ShipConstructor automatically rotates the part to the best horizontal position. The command prompt reads:

Inserting U12F112-P04: (1 of 12)

Rotate F5/F6, Increment +/- <15>

6. Place the parts in a somewhat organized fashion in the nest drawing for later nesting for example as shown in the figure.

Insert (AutoNest) Menu: SC Nesting / Part / Insert


Toolbar:

Command line: SCPRTDWGNEST

Navigator: None

If you have AutoNest, or have purchase a version along with ShipConstructor then you can use the AutoNest to automatically nest parts.

1. Select SC Nesting / Part / Insert, or click the Insert Parts button.

2. The Nesting Filter dialog is displayed.

3. This time select the AutoNest option at the bottom before continuing on.

4. Set the desired options (see Part-Insert / ShipConstructor above for a complete description of the options).

5. Select the parts to nest and click OK.

6. If some very complex parts have been selected with more than 799 vertexes then ShipConstructor will automatically

reduce the parts vertexes to 799 for the purposes of AutoNest calculations. The actual part will remain unchanged when it is inserted into the nest drawing. The reason for this is that AutoNest has vertex limit of 800, which is sufficient for most parts, but some may require reducing. In this case the above dialog will come up warning you that some of the parts have been reduced and give you 3 options.

• Nest All - Continue with the nesting process nesting all the parts.


• UnReduced - Nest only those parts that didn’t need reducing.

• Cancel - Cancel the nesting operation.

At the bottom of the dialog is a check box, which allows you to specify that you want to automatically run the nest overlap check function when the autonesting is complete.

7. Next ShipConstructor will want to know how many and what sizes of plates you will wish to use. The next dialog shows

you all the sizes available for the current plate thickness and allows you to enter priority you wish to give each plate size (lower is a higher priority) and how many of each plate size you wish to make available for the nesting process. When AutoNest runs of the highest priority plate size it will begin nesting on the next highest priority plate size. When you have configured the plates and priorities to your liking click OK.

8. Due to the fact that AutoNest is a third party program to which ShipConstructor sends a request that it nest the requested

parts on a plates of the requested size, ShipConstructor then has to wait while AutoNest completes its nesting. An AutoNest Progress bar will display the progress of the nesting operation; once AutoNest is finished ShipConstructor will resume.


9. Next the stock plate section dialog pops up so you can choose the template you wish to be used with the newly nested

plates. Choose a template and click OK to continue.

10. Next the insertion options dialog will come up letting you control how the nests are inserted.

11. Insert manually - You choose the position of all the nest plates one at a time.

12. Tile horizontally - You will pick the location of the first nest and all subsequent nests will be tiled horizontally.

13. Tile vertically - You will pick the location of the first nest and all subsequent nests will be tiled horizontally.

14. New row/column with each plate size - Whether or not to start a new row/column for each plate size.

15. Limit of nests per row/column - If checked the number in the box will be the maximum number of nests it will use in a row/column before starting a new one.

16. Spacing - How much to separate the nests by when automatically tiling them.


17. If you are tiling choose the position of the first nest, if you are inserting manually then you will be prompted to pick the

insert point for each nest.

Re-insert Menu: SC Nesting / Part / Reinsert Toolbar: None

Command line: SCNSTUPPRT

Navigator: None

Reinserts the selected parts using the latest change state. Run the check function before using this function. The check function isolates all parts that require re-nesting.

Un-Nest Menu: SC Nesting / Part / Unnest Toolbar: None

Command line: SCRMVPARTPICK

Navigator: None

Un-nests the selected parts. The parts are removed from the nest drawing. Manager is automatically updated.

Slide Along Menu: SC Nesting / Part / Slide Along

Toolbar:

Command line: SCALGNPRTS

Navigator: None

The slide function allows you to slide one part along the plate edge or any number of other parts. On the part to slide you have to select two points. The first point is the slide point the second point indicates a tangent direction. The tangent direction will be aligned with the outside of the other part or the plate edge. A ghost image is displayed around the sliding part to indicate the gap.


Part to slide

Slide point

Tangent point

Part to slidealong

We want to slide the margin bracket shown in the figure into the gap between the two parts shown. The upper edge will be sliding along the upper part.

1. Move one margin bracket into a position similar to the one shown in the figure above.

2. Click the Slide button. Select part to slide:

3. Click on the margin bracket. Select slide point:

4. Select the slide point, a point on the upper edge of the margin bracket. OSNAP END and NEAR are on. Select tangent point:

5. Select a tangent point to the right on the same upper edge of the margin bracket. Select part(s) to slide along:

6. Select the parts above and below the margin bracket.

7. Move the mouse. The bracket part will follow the mouse pointer. The margin bracket will rotate such that it will be tangential to the part that it is sliding along. The part automatically keeps the distance set in Manager from the nearest part. The ghost line around the part indicates the new position.

8. The prompt displays: F5 - toggle orient mode; F6 - Rotate 180 deg.:

<Tangent mode>

9. Press function key F6, if the part is on the wrong side of the part to slide along (sliding inside the other part instead of along the outside). This will toggle the side the part is on. Next figure.


The slide function supports three slide modes. Press the function key F5 to activate these modes:

• Tangent mode - In this mode the sliding part will be aligned tangentially on the part sliding along.

• Two-point mode - The two selected points on the sliding part will be on the outside or inside toolpath of the part sliding along. This mode is valuable when placing smaller parts inside of holes.

• No rotate mode - The rotation of the part does not change the direction as it slides along. Practice all three modes. Press the F5 key to toggle the mode. Move the mouse to see the effect of the three different modes.

10. Make sure you are in the tangent mode. Press F5 if not until the command line displays tangent mode.

11. Move the mouse. Watch the ghost of the sliding part as you slide it. Achieve a position as shown in the next figure and click the mouse to place the part here. Make sure that the ghost outline does not intersect with the part on the other side.

Move / Rotate Menu: Nesting / Part / Move & Rotate

Toolbar:

Command line: SCMOVEGHOST

Navigator: None

Moves and rotates parts. In some cases it is the easiest to move and rotate the part around until it fits an empty space.

In this example we now fit one of the margin brackets into the empty space shown in the figure.

1. Click the Move & Rotate button.

2. Click on a margin bracket.

3. Select a base point anywhere inside the margin bracket.


4. Move the bracket with the mouse. Rotate F5/F6, Increment +/- < 5>

5. You can use the F5 & F6 function keys to rotate the part. Each press of the function key rotates the part by the angle indicated in brackets “<5>” on the command line. Use the “+” plus and “-” minus keys to increase or decrease the increments.

6. Obtain a position similar to that shown in the next figure.

Rotate Shortest Dim Menu: SC Nesting / Part / Rotate Shortest Dimension

Toolbar: None

Command line: SCROTPART

Navigator: None

Rotates the part such that it fits into the smallest horizontal or vertical rectangle.

Consider the bracket part shown.


2. Pick the part.

3. Press H for horizontal. The part is rotated as shown in the figure.


4. Start the command again.

5. Pick the same part.

6. Press V for vertical. The vertical dimension is minimized. See figure.

List Menu: SC Nesting / Part / List

Toolbar:

Command line: SCDATALST

Navigator: None

Displays a list of all parts. See SC Structure Group/ Part / List for an explanation on the use of this function.

The right click menu provides some of the functions available in the Nest / Part menu.

Snap Menu: SC Nesting / Part / Snap

Toolbar: None

Command line: SCSNAPPART

Navigator: None

The snap function allows simple part placement against the edge of the plate or another part. In a second step the function spaces the part using the Gap between parts or Plate edge margin settings set in Manager.

Consider the example below. The closest to the bottom of the plate edge has to be aligned and spaces to the plates edge.


1. Click the Snap button. Select part(s):

2. Select lower deck beam part. Press ENTER to finish selecting part. You could also use this function to SNAP several parts at once.

Snap point:

3. At this point ShipConstructor activates OSNAP CENTER, INTERSECTION, and END. Move the mouse over the lower left scallop of the part. Make sure the CENTER snap tip is on (indicated by a circle). If you have problems, click the CENTER OSNAP button to force a CENTER snap only. Click to select the center of the scallop. The prompt displays:

Snap to:

4. Select the lower left corner of the plate. The part snaps to the plate corner.Click direction:

5. The function expects you to pick in the approximate direction to where you want to offset the part from the snap point. In

our case we want to move it by the value to the right and up. The function will snap the closest 45 degrees direction that you pick. Click approximately 45 degrees to the right and up.

6. The part moves by the value set in Manager to the right and up. This keeps the part the perfect distance from the plate edge. See figure.

Align with H or V Menu: SC Nesting / Part / Align with H or V


Toolbar:

Command line: SCALIGNPART

Navigator: None

This function aligns one side of a part with the horizontal or vertical axis.

In this example we want to align the upper edge of the bracket to a horizontal position. See figure.

1. Click the Align button. The prompt displays: Select part(s):

2. Select the part. Select alignment point:

3. Click anywhere on the upper edge of the part. OSNAP NEAREST and END are automatically on. Select align direction point:

4. Click any other point on the same edge of the same part. The two points indicate the direction that we want to align with the vertical or horizontal axis.

Rotate part:

5. ORTHO is now on. Move the mouse until the part is rotated horizontally.

List Un-Nested Parts - New Menu: SC Nesting / Part / List Un-Nested Parts

Toolbar: None

Command line: SCUNNESTED

Navigator: None

Lists all parts that are un-nested for a specified assembly. The assembly can be the complete ship or just a single panel. Use this function to ensure that all parts for a specific assembly will by ready in time for production.

1. Select SC Nesting / Part / List Un-Nested Parts. 2. The following dialog is displayed.


3. In the dialog click the assembly for which you want to check. This can be the whole ship or just a small assembly.

ShipConstructor quickly checks Manager and lists all parts in that assembly that remain un-nested the list is grouped by stock type. Thus you know exactly in what drawings you have to nest more parts.

Assign to Nest Menu: SC Nesting / Part / Assign to Nest

Toolbar:

Command line: SCASNPART

Navigator: None

Assigns one or many parts to a nest.

All parts have to be manually assigned to a specific nest. This records the parts in Manager. After nesting parts neatly onto the plate you assign the parts. You might have noticed that the parts have different colors from when they where initially designed. ShipConstructor changed the colors to indicate to us that they are not yet assigned. To assign parts to a nest:

1. Select Nest / Part / Assign to Nest, or click the Assign to Nest button. Select nest and parts:

2. Using the window or crossing selection to select the nest and the parts for that nest. It does not matter if you pick any other entities. ShipConstructor will only consider parts and nest plates.

3. The color of all parts changes to the originally set colors for outside, inside, marking and no process.

Un-Assign from Nest Menu: SC Nesting / Part / Un-assign from Nest Toolbar: None

Command line: SCUNASNPART

Navigator: None


Un-assigns parts from the nest. The parts remain in the nest drawing. The colors of the parts are changed, to indicate that the parts are no longer assigned.

Layers Sub-Menu This menu controls the visibility of the nesting specific layers.

Visibility Menu: SC Nesting / Layer / Visibility

Toolbar:

Command line: SCSELAYERVIS

Navigator: None

Controls the visibility of the nesting layers. Select the layers that you want to display or hide from the dialog.

Nest Layer - The layers upon which the nested parts, and nests reside on.

Revision Layer - Layer onto which parts are moved if they have been revised since nesting. The Check function performs this task.

NC-Pyros layers - After NC-processing you can insert the NC cutting path, as created by NC-Pyros, into the nest drawing. This overlays the nested parts and the NC cutting path for checking.

Activate All Menu: SC Nesting / Layer / Activate All Toolbar: None

Command line: SCACTALL

Navigator: None

Activates all layers in the nest drawing.

Flip NC-Pyros Menu: SC Nesting / Layer / Flip NC-Pyros

Toolbar: None

Command line: SCFLIPNCP

Navigator: None

Flips between the nesting and NC-Pyros layers. You can flip back and forth. Use this to investigate specific areas of the NC path if problems occur.


Insert Keywords Menu: SC Nesting / Insert Keywords

Toolbar: None


Navigator: None

Inserts keywords into a specific nest. Make sure you place keyword only inside of the nest outside borders. ShipConstructor determines to which nest a keyword belongs by testing in which border it falls. In general you should insert the keywords in the nest template to be used in every nest. Use this function in a nest drawing only if a specific nest requires a specific keyword that the other nests do not require. See the chapter Templates - Nest for details.

Auto Label from BOM Index New Menu: SC Nesting / Auto Label from BOM Index

Toolbar: None

Command line: _SCAUTOLABEL

Navigator: None

Automatically inserts label numbers on each nested part that correspond with the numbers in the BOM. The label properties dialog lets you customize the properties of the labels.


Label properties New Menu: SC Nesting / Auto Label from BOM Index

Toolbar: None

Command line: SCLABELPROP

Navigator: None

The label properties dialog lets you customize the properties of the labels. You can select all entities in the drawing. ShipConstructor will automatically ignore all entities that are not labels.

Check Nests and BOM Menu: SC Nesting / Check Nests and BOM

Toolbar: None

Command line: SCCHKNEST

Navigator: None

Checks a nest drawing for errors and updates the BOM’s.


See the tutorial for a detailed discussion on this function.

Update Nests and BOM Menu: SC Nesting / Update Nests and BOM

Toolbar: None

Command line: SCNSTMPFINSHP

Navigator: None

Updates the nesting keywords and the BOM’s for the selected nests without performing extensive checks as Check Nests and BOM does.

See the tutorial for a discussion on this function.

Check for Overlap - New Menu: SC Nesting / Check for Overlap

Toolbar: None

Command line: SCCHKNSTOVERLAP

Navigator: None

Checks if any of the nested parts overlap each other, are too close to each other or are too close to the edge of the plate. The required gap between parts is set in Manager for each stock.

1. Select SC Nesting / Check all Nests for Overlap. A double progress indicator displays how far the program has checked. It will take about one minute to check the nests.

2. The problems in the nest file will be listed in the dialog shown below.

3. This dialog lists each pair of problem parts and the type of problem or status. There are five different Status levels the

two parts can have.

• Hard - The boundaries of these two parts actually intersect.


• Soft - These two parts don’t intersect but they are closer together than the desired Plate Gap set for this plate stock in Manager.

• Inside - One of these parts is completely inside of the other part.

• Fixed - The detected problem has been fixed.

• Ignored - User specifies that they want to ignore this problem.

4. There are a couple of options available by right clicking a selected overlap.

• Zoom to Part - Zooms to the part currently under the cursor.

• Zoom to Collision - Zooms to the collision of the two parts.

• Check Collision - Checks the currently selected Collision to see if the problems have been fixed. Note: if you have moved these parts around it may detect new problems with other parts, they will then be added to the bottom of the list.

• Ignore - Tells ShipConstructor that you wish to ignore this problem.

For more information, see the Tutorial Section.

NC-Pyros Sub-Menu Provides functions to export nests to NC-Pyros and import cutting paths from NC-Pyros.

Export to NC-Pyros Menu: SC Nesting / Export to NC-Pyros

Toolbar: None

Command line: SCEXPRTSTK

Navigator: None

The final nesting step is to export to NC-Pyros for NC-Processing. NC-Pyros can not read AutoCAD drawings directly. The drawing file must be converted to a DXF file format. Blocks have to be exploded as well. ShipConstructor provides a function to perform all this automatically. At the same time Manager is updated to log the export time.

1. Select SC Nesting / NC-Pyros Export. 2. In the dialog highlight the plates you want to export. Click OK.


• Show only nests from current drawing - If not checked all nests in Manager will be listed. The function will open all drawings and export the nests that have been selected from that drawing.

• Changed since last Export - If checked will only list nests that have been changed since last exporting to NC-Pyros.

3. Click the Options button.

4. The program exports all nests with all parts inside the plate border to an individual drawing.

• Processes, By Color, By Layer - NC-Pyros can process by color or layer. Colors or layers can be used to distinguish between outside, inside, marking, no process, inset, and plate entities.

• Shift Plate to Origin - Check this option if you want to move the lower left edge of the nest plate to 0,0 in the exported drawing. NC-Pyros can do this for you automatically. Other nesting software might not be able to do that.

• Explode Polylines - For NC software that can not read polylines.

• Objects o Only Parts and plate stock - Exports only the nested part, plus the plate edge.

o All inside border - Export every entity that is inside the nest template border.

5. Click OK when all settings are selected.

Import from NC-Pyros Menu: SC Nesting / Import from NC-Pyros

Toolbar: None

Command line: SCINSTPYRO

Navigator: None

Imports DXF files created by NC-Pyros, containing cutting paths for the NC-cutting machine. Use this function to overlay the nested parts with the actual cutting path.


2. In the dialog select the nests to import.

3. Click OK.


4. The function imports the DXF files into temporary drawings, since AutoCAD 14 can not import a DXF file into an existing drawing anymore. This might take a while.

5. The NC-paths are then laid over the nests. ShipConstructor automatically moves the paths to the right position to achieve a perfect match.

The figure below shows the result of this function.

Bridge Sub Menu The bridge sub menu allows insertion and deletion of bridges.

Bridge - Insert Bridge Menu: SC Nesting / Bridge / Insert Bridge

Toolbar:

Command line: SCMKBRIDGE

Navigator: None

ShipConstructor now supports bridging. A bridge connects two parts together and makes one out of them for the purpose of NC-cutting only. There are several reasons why you might want to bridge parts together:

• Reduce piercing - for each part a hole has to be pierce into the plate at the start of cutting. This costs time, especially for thick material and it can also wear out the cutting tool.

• Lost parts - small parts may fall through the grid the plate rests on and never be found again.

• Minimize warping - small slender parts may warp while being cut. Bridges help maintain the shape.

• Keep all parts together for transport.

ShipConstructor bridges are intelligent! We implemented bridges as custom objects. This means that they are displayed only as place holders. The actual toolpath will only get changed when exporting to NC-Pyros. Thus the parts in the nest drawing remain unchanged even after inserting bridges. This allows parts for example to be updated in the nest drawing after bridges have been inserted. For example this might happen when piping penetrations are added to parts. Should a part’s outside get changed then the conversion function will report an error when converting the bridge.

The figure below shows a somewhat extreme bridge before and after the custom entity bridge has been integrated into the toolpath during export to NC-Pyros.


Note: In general two parts will only e connected by one bridge. However, there might be cases where two or more bridges between two parts are required. This will create toolpaths of the outside of the parts which have to be treated as if they where holes. ShipConstructor is smart enough to detect this and perform the required layer or color changes. The next figure shows two parts joined by two bridges. The resulting hole has been detected by ShipConstructor and colored blue.

Inserting bridges.

1. From the nesting toolbar select the “Golden Gate Bridge” icon .

2. The OSNAP is automatically set to NEAREST.

3. Select a position on a part for the start of the bridge.

4. The OSNAP is now set to PERPENDICULAR.

5. Select a position on the other part for the end of the bridge.

6. The bridge is drawn.

ShipConstructor performs several checks to ensure that the bridges can be implemented and also make sense. You might encounter dialogs such as these:


Select Zoom in and try again.

The parts are too far apart to be bridged.

The bridge would violate a condition. For example this might happen if one end of the bridge is too close to a sharp corner of one of the parts.

Bridge - Delete All Menu: SC Nesting / Bridge / Delete All Command line: SCDELBRIDGES

Navigator: None

Deletes all bridges in a nest drawing.

ShipConstructor Structure & Nesting SC Standards Menu 181

SC Standards Menu

Overview

ShipConstructor implements several types of standards. These include:

• Structural

• Outfitting

• Profiles

Standards are accessed using the Navigator. While in a standard drawing special menus are displayed applying to the specific standard only.

SC Standards Menu ShipConstructor Structure & Nesting 182

Structural Standards Structural standards are usually brackets or similar items. Implementing them as structural standards saves time when using them in the structural modeling and enables ShipConstructor to list them separately in the bill-of-materials. Often standard brackets are NC-cut using fixed routines at the NC-cutting machine. For example standard brackets could be cut using multiple torches reducing NC burning time many fold.

Use the Navigator to Open, create a New, or delete a standard drawing.

New Structural Standard creates a new standard drawing. Make sure to use a name that is not too long. AutoCAD14 has a limit of 30 characters for symbols. You will later insert the standard into a group drawing, which in turn is inserted into a 3D unit drawing. If the combination of the names of all of these exceeds 30 characters, then AutoCAD will not be able to display the bracket. Many ShipConstructor or AutoCAD functions could fail then.

While in a standard drawing a special Standard Part menu is displayed. It gives access to the function designed to create and manage standard structural parts.

Standard Part - New Menu: SC Standard Part / New Command line: SCCRPART

Navigator: None

Creates a new standard part.


The figure above displays a typical bracket. Observe the point at the lower left of the bracket. This is the origin (0,0) in the structural standard drawing. The bracket will be inserted with the origin at the cursor position. You will generally choose a location as the origin that is important for the placement of the structural standard. For example if the bracket would always overlap 25mm onto stiffeners, then you could choose a location 25 mm into the bracket as the origin location.

Note: Do not actually insert a point at the origin.

All other rules of creating a regular plate part apply when creating a standard part.

Observe that the regular part dialog is used to display the properties of the standard part. Only most of the fields are grayed, as they cannot be changed or do not apply. For example you will get a chance to assign the assembly when actually inserting the structural standard into the 3D model.

.


Standard Part - Rename Menu: SC Standard Part / Rename

Toolbar: None

Command line: SCSTDPROP

Navigator: None

Renames a standard part. Type the new name in the dialog. The part and the drawing are renamed. ShipConstructor checks that the new name is unique before renaming the part.

Note: You cannot rename a standard part that is in use already.

Standard Part - Un-Define Menu: SC Standard / Un-Define

Toolbar: None

Command line: SCUNDEFINESTDPART

Navigator: None

Un-defines a standard part. The standard drawing remains. Use the Navigator to delete the drawing if desired.

Note: You cannot un-define a standard part that is in use already.

Outfitting Standards See the Piping & Outfitting manual for details on Outfitting standards.

Profile Standards There is no specific menu associated with creating standard profile. All profile standard drawings are accessed using the Navigator. The Profile Standard drawings are “connected” with stock library entries in Manager to build a profile library for you project. A profile stock consists of:

• Profile Cross Section Drawing - A drawing that defines the shape of the profile. You obtain the shape information from the supplier’s catalog.

• Tight Cutout Drawing - A drawing containing the shape of the watertight cutout.

• Non-Tight Cutout Drawing - A drawing containing the shape of the non-tight cutout.

• A record in manager - This record lists all non-graphical information and contains links to the cross section and cutout drawings. ShipConstructor can now use this bundled information to create stiffeners automatically.


Manager Profile & Plate Library The Manager file contains pre-defined stock profiles. You can also create your own profiles. CAD-Link is delivered with two ready-made templates with many pre-defined profiles, flatbars and plates. One of the templates is for metric dimensions, the other for imperial dimensions. You access the profile & plate library using the the following dialog.

Creating your own profile stock A profile stock is a record in the Manager database file. However, Manager cannot store CAD geometry. The geometry of the profile and the cutout are defined in AutoCAD drawings. The drawings are linked to the Manager record. The dialog below shows the data required in Manager to set up a profile in the library. Beside just entering information such as Name, Mfg. No and so on we also need AutoCAD drawings for the Cross Section shape of the profile, the non-tight cutout, and the tight cutout.


Use the Navigator Standard tab to create required drawings for the profile library.

Profile Cross section drawing Create a new drawing using the Navigator as shown above. Look up the profile cross-section parameter in the supplier’s catalog. The profile must be a 2D polyline, and closed. This has to be the only entity in the drawing. Make sure the foot point of the profile is at 0,0 in WCS.


Tight cutout and non-tight cutout drawing Create a new drawing using the Navigator. The cutout must be an open 2D polyline. This has to be the only entity in the drawing. Make sure the 0,0 point of the cut coincides with origin of the associated profile.

Creating a new profile library entry The new profile library entry is created using Manager.

1. Start Manager.

2. Select the Libraries / Stocks.

3. In the dialog click New Stock.

4. Click New Stock.

5. In the dialog type a Name.

6. Select a profile type from the drop down menu. The options are:


7. Enter a manufacturer number. Optional.

8. Select a material from the drop down list.

9. Click on the Browse button beside the XSection DWG field. Select the AutoCAD drawing with the newly created profile.

You can also link a tight and non-tight cutout to the same profile. This is optional. Here are detailed descriptions of the items in the Profile & Plates Library dialog.

• Type of stock - Plate, Flatbar, Angle, Tee.

• Mfg. No. - The manufacturer number field is optional. You can enter your internal manufacturer or stock number here. It can later be listed in Bills of Materials.

• Color - This is the color that the solid will use when you create a stiffener with this profile. Selecting colors carefully can help you detect incorrect stock selection in a group or unit drawing before production packages are issued.

• X-Section drawing - This contains the name of an AutoCAD drawing. The drawing contains the cross section of the profile, as found in the supplier’s catalog. The cross section is a single closed polyline. The profile cross-section files are stored in the standards/profile folder.

• Tight Cutout / Non-Tight Cutout - These fields are optional. They point to drawings containing the appropriate cutouts for the profile. The cutouts are open polylines. They are located in the standards/cutout folder.

• Length & Quantity - Not implemented yet. This is a list of the available lengths for the profile. It will be used for linear nesting.

• Parts using stock - This list shows all parts that use the highlighted stock. This is useful if you want to find parts based on a certain stock that is not available because of supply problems, and you therefore have to redesign the parts using a different stock.

ShipConstructor Structure & Nesting Templates 189

Templates

Overview Templates are a very important part of ShipConstructor, and are essential in making ShipConstructor very powerful and customizable. All templates drawings are created and accessed using the Navigator. Templates are used to modify the look of you drawings and plots. ShipConstructor implements advanced features that go beyond simple title blocks commonly used. ShipConstructor implements sophisticated keywords, which are placeholders for computed data or data from the Manager database. In some templates you can also set up several viewports that allow you to view the same entities from different viewpoints and showing or hiding different layers.

Once a template is configured, ShipConstructor will automatically use it and perform all required tasks to fill in the computed or database data.

ShipConstructor provides templates for the following drawings:

Templates ShipConstructor Structure & Nesting 190

• Assembly - For 3D assembly drawings.

• Nest - For nesting drawings.

• Orientation Icon - For inserting orientation icons into planar group drawings.

• User Icon - You can create any number of drawings that can be easily called upon to be inserted as blocks into any drawing. For example use these to set up you weld icons.

• Stiffener - For profile plot drawings.

• Weld Shrinkage Icon - Inserted as a block into planar group drawings on plate parts to allow the parts to be sized for weld shrinkage compensation.

ShipConstructor Structure & Nesting SC Assembly Template 191

SC Assembly Template

Overview ShipConstructor comes with two prepared assembly template drawings; one for 3D structural assemblies and one for 3D spool drawings. You can use this one as is, modify it, or create new ones.

Assembly Template menu While in an assembly template the Assembly Template menu is displayed to the right of all other menus.

Investigating the supplied template To investigate the supplied assembly template:

1. Make sure you are registered to a project.


3. Click the Template tab. Select Assembly / Assembly ISO1.DWG. The template drawing opens.

4. Make sure you are in paper space.

SC Assembly Template ShipConstructor Structure & Nesting 192

1

32

There are 3 viewports in the template, as indicated by the numbers in the figure. The large viewport is used for the actual assembly, while viewports 2 and 3 are used for the keymap. The keymap shows where in the unit this assembly is located. In the Keymap the unit will be displayed as a wire frame model, while the assembly will be displayed as a solid model.

5. Zoom to the text in the upper center of the drawing. You find several keywords here. These will be automatically replaced by ShipConstructor.

6. Pan to the right to find the keyword <BOM> for the Bill of Material.

7. Pan down the right border of the template drawing. Here you find more keywords.

8. At the bottom right hand corner are the two small viewports for the keymap.

Creating an Assembly or Spool Drawing Template The following steps will create an assembly template from scratch:

1. Start the Navigator and click the Template tab.


2. Click the Assembly folder icon.

3. Click the New Assembly button.

4. Enter a name for the new drawing.

5. Activate paper space.

6. Insert your company title block, or create one.

7. Set up as many viewport as you require.

8. Move and size each viewport individually.

SC Assembly Template - Set Viewport Keymap Menu: SC Assembly Template / Set Viewport Keymap

Toolbar: None

Command line: SCKEYVPORT

Navigator: None

You can assign any viewport to be a keymap viewport or a normal viewport. In the keymap viewport ShipConstructor displays the assembly parts as solids, and the rest of the unit in wire-frame mode. Hiding the lines on this viewport generally allows the assembly to stand out visibly. A normal viewport displays the assembly parts as solids only. This is the viewport where you will annotate parts.

1. Activate paper space.

2. Click in the viewport you want to set.

3. Select SC Assembly Template / Set Viewport Keymap.

SC Assembly Template ShipConstructor Structure & Nesting 194

4. The currently active viewport is set to be keymap or normal.

SC Assembly Template - Insert Keywords Menu: SC Assembly Template / Insert Keywords

Toolbar: None


Navigator: None

Keywords are inserted into the paper space. To insert anyone of the keywords:

1. Activate Paper Space.

2. Select SC Assembly Template / Insert Keywords.

3. In the dialog select the keyword to insert, and set the text options. Click OK. Select position of keyword:

4. Pick the position of the keyword.

5. The keyword is created as regular text. You can use any AutoCAD command to change the appearance of the text, such as size, rotation, color or font.

Assigning Assembly Templates Each template and BOM can be assigned individually to a specific assembly level. Using this option lets you automate the creation of assembly drawings. ShipConstructor will look up the assignment options for each assembly level and use the settings during the creation of each assembly drawing

You assign the templates and BOMs using Manager.

1. Start Manager.

2. Select Bill Of Materials/ Assign Assemblies.

3. Assign an Assembly Template and a Bill Of Material to each Assembly Level.


4. Click Close.

ShipConstructor Structure & Nesting SC Nest Template 197

SC Nest Template

Overview Nest templates are used when creating nest drawings. Keywords are also used extensively in nest templates. Any keyword is replaced with actual values from Manager.

ShipConstructor comes with one ready-made nest template. You can have as many as you like. It consists of a drawing frame. Within the frame are keywords. Keywords are always enclosed in angle brackets “<>”.

The Nest Template menu is only available while in a nest template drawing.

SC Nest Template - Define Border Menu: SC Nest Template / Define Border

Toolbar: None

Command line: SCNESTEMPLT

Navigator: None

Each nest template has to have one border. The border is a closed polyline, usually a rectangle. ShipConstructor uses this border to test which parts and other entities, such as the BOM part of a specific nest. Use the Define Border menu to turn a closed polyline into a border. ShipConstructor uses the border to know which keywords belong to a specific nest.

SC Nest Template - Define Border Menu: SC Nest Template / Define Border

Toolbar: None

Command line: SCNESTEMPLT

Navigator: None

Select Insert Keywords to insert nest keywords into the template.

SC Nest Template ShipConstructor Structure & Nesting 198

In the dialog select the desired keyword, set the text size and text angle. Insert the keyword at the desired location. You can change any of the properties of the keyword, such as size, rotation, text style, or color. ShipConstructor will use the same properties for the actual value.

Important: Every nest template has to have a keyword for the insertion of the nest plate. Without this keyword ShipConstructor does not know where to place the nest plate and nesting will fail. The keyword is <NESTINSERTSTOCK>. The lower left corner of the nest stock plate or remnant will be located at the insertion position of the keyword.

ShipConstructor Structure & Nesting SC Orientation Icon Menu 199

SC Orientation Icon Menu

Overview This menu appears only when in an Orientation icon template drawing. Use the Navigator to open the orientation icon drawing.

The orientation icon is used to identify on plate parts the orientations within the ship hull. This simplifies assembly and avoids costly mistakes. An example of an orientation icon is given below.

SC Orientation Icon - Setup Menu: SC Orientation Icon / Setup Toolbar button: None

Command line: SCORIENTICON

Navigator: None

SC Orientation Icon Menu ShipConstructor Structure & Nesting 200

It sets up parameters that control the appearance of the user orientation icon. Open the direction icon drawing with Navigator.

ShipConstructor comes with one ready-made orientation icon drawing. You can have as many as you wish. The Orientation Icon menu is only available while in an Orientation Icon template.

You can change the look of the orientation icon to meet your demands.

Setup Use the setup to control how ShipConstructor replaces the keywords in the template when placing the icon into a group drawing. For each principle direction there are two keywords. You can choose to use one set or both. The wording for forward aft and so on is customizable and can be done in any language.

ShipConstructor Structure & Nesting User Icon 201

User Icon

Overview There is no menu associated with this type of drawing template.

User icons can be used in assembly drawings. Each user icon is located in a separate drawing. You can draw any type of icon, for example weld symbols. Later you can call up these icons for insertion during the annotation of assembly drawings.

ShipConstructor Structure & Nesting SC Profile Plots Template 203

SC Profile Plots Template

Overview This menu is only available when in a profile plot template drawing.

Use the navigator to create and access stiffener templates. These templates are used when creating profile plots. Two different template types are required:

• Stiffener Template Plot - This is a large template, which will contain several sub-sheets, a bill of material and a drawing header.

• Stiffener Template Sub-Plot - Several of these smaller templates will fit onto a large plot. Within the template the automatically fully annotated stiffener plot will reside.

SC Profile Plots Template ShipConstructor Structure & Nesting 204

SC Profile Plot Template - Plot - Define Border Menu: SC Profile Plot Template / Plot / Define Border Toolbar button: None

Command line: SCADDBORDERXDATA

Navigator: None

The stiffener template plot, as shown below consists of:

• Plot border - A rectangle marking the outside border. Draw a rectangle for this and then use the menu to mark it for ShipConstructor.

• Plot area - A rectangle confining the area in which the sub-plots can be located automatically by ShipConstructor. Draw a rectangle for this and then use the menu to mark it for ShipConstructor.

ShipConstructor uses the border to identify which actual plots and keywords belong to each plot.

1. Draw a rectangle around your title block.

2. Select SC Profile Template / Plot / Define Border. 3. Click the rectangle.


SC Profile Plot Template - Plot - Define Border Menu: SC Profile Plot Template / Plot / Define Area


Command line: SCADDAREAXDATA

Navigator: None


• Plot border - A rectangle marking the outside border. Draw a rectangle for this and then use the menu to mark it for ShipConstructor.

• Plot area - A rectangle confining the area in which the sub-plots can be located automatically by ShipConstructor. Draw a rectangle for this and then use the menu to mark it for ShipConstructor.

ShipConstructor uses the border to identify which actual plots and keywords belong to each plot.

1. Draw a rectangle inside you title block defining the area that you want to use for the individual profile plots.

2. Select SC Profile Template / Plot / Define Area. 3. Click the rectangle.

SC Profile Plots Template ShipConstructor Structure & Nesting 206

SC Profile Plot / Sub Plot / Define Sub Border Menu: SC Profile Plot Template / Sub Plot / Define Sub Border


Command line: SCADDAREAXDATA

Navigator: None


• Sub Plot Border - A rectangle marking the outside border. ShipConstructor uses this rectangle to identify which items belong to a specific sub plot.

• Keywords - The keywords define at what position specific items shall be placed.

1. Draw a rectangle enclosing all items in the sub plot.

2. Select SC Profile Plot Template / Sub Plot / Define Sub Border. 3. Click the rectangle.


SC Profile Plot / Insert Keywords Menu: SC Profile Plot Template / Insert Keywords



Navigator: None

Inserts keywords into the profile sub plot drawing. On keyword is of specific importance. It is the <WEB_POSTION> keyword. The extents of the web position keyword determines the area that the profile can use when plotted when viewd in web view.

ShipConstructor Structure & Nesting Weld Shrinkage Icon 209

Weld Shrinkage Icon

Overview There is no menu associated with this type of drawing template.

The weld shrinkage icon drawings are created and accessed using the Navigator.

The weld shrinkage icon consists of direction indicators, such as the simple two lines shown in the example below. More complex direction indicators could be made. On each of the direction indicator you need a keyword, as shown in the example. The keywords are later replaced with actual weld shrinkage values.

Feel free to modify the look of this drawing or create a new one. Make sure to use the two keywords as indicated in the screen shot below.

Weld Shrinkage Icon ShipConstructor Structure & Nesting 210

ShipConstructor Structure & Nesting SC Workshop Menu •••• 211

SC Workshop Menu

Overview Workshop drawings represent a 2D view of the 3D structural model. One common use is for general arrangement drawings and classification drawings. Several of our customers have used ShipConstructor successfully for the creation of initial design drawings and classification submittal drawings.

Note: We do not recommend using workshop drawings for production. You should use 3D assembly drawings instead. Workshop drawings are an outdated means of providing information to the yard. You may want to use them for approval drawings.

This sub-menu provides functions for workshop drawings. You can also automatically insert planar group drawings and parts into workshop drawings.

Insert Group Menu: SC Workshop / Insert Group Toolbar: None

Command line: SCGRPWSLIST

Navigator: None

Inserts a 2D planar group into a workshop drawing.

212 •••• SC Workshop Menu ShipConstructor Structure & Nesting


2. Select any number of group drawings in the tree dialog. Click OK.

3. A 2D-group drawing is inserted and the move command is started.

4. Move the group drawing to the desired location.

5. Repeat until done.

Note: The 2D Group drawings are inserted as XREFS. Anytime a group drawing changes, the Workshop drawing is updated.

Insert Part Menu: SC Workshop / Insert Part Toolbar: None

Command line: SCPRTWKSHP

Navigator: None

Inserts a part into a workshop drawing.

Note: Parts are inserted as external references. They will be automatically updated when changed. Parts only consist of the production layer entities. The solid layer is missing, as it is not contained in the nest preparation drawings.

ShipConstructor Structure & Nesting SC Workshop Menu •••• 213

ShipConstructor Structure & Nesting Index •••• 215

Index

2 2D group 5, 9–10, 12–13, 22, 31, 33, 43, 45–46, 52, 79,

212

3 3D to 2D 87–88 3D to 2D Polyline 87–88

A Activate All 171 Activate UCS 13, 104, 112 Add Objects 80 Align 168–69 Annotation 77–78, 127–31, 133, 201 ARLSTIFFENER 73–74, 106, 113 Assembly 1–2, 5, 15–19, 22, 36, 57, 69, 75–76, 111–12,

115, 117–18, 120–33, 135–36, 138, 151, 158, 169–70, 183, 190, 191–94, 199, 201, 211

Assembly drawings 5, 16–17, 19, 22, 36, 123, 125–26, 128, 131, 190, 194, 201

Assembly Level 117, 122, 129, 194 Assembly Levels 118, 121 Assembly Master 16, 131 assembly tab 16–18, 118, 124 assembly template 115, 191–94 Assembly Templates 1–2, 123, 194 Assembly Tree 76, 129, 131, 158 Assign 33, 121–22, 157, 170, 183, 193–94 AutoNest 158–61 AutoPlant 23, 38–39

B Bevel Text 109 Bill of Materials 194 BOM 17, 148, 157, 172–74, 192, 194, 197 Break Distance 87 Break Intersection 86

bridge 147, 177–79 Build Strategy 1–2, 17–19, 117–18, 119–21, 127

C CG 60, 73, 76, 132 CG Point 132 CG position 132 Change Stock Plate 154 Check Current Group 108 Check Nests and BOM 173–74 Construction Unit 148, 158 Convert Ellipse to Polyline 102 copy 11, 84, 110–11, 130, 141 Copy Annotation 130 cross-section 92–94, 186, 188 Curved Group 33–34 Curved stiffener 58, 138 Cut Feed 147 cut line 156 Cutout 10, 20, 63–67, 91–95, 184–85, 187–88 cutouts 10, 20, 63, 66–67, 74, 91, 94–96, 188

D Database 4, 6, 8–10, 22, 24–25, 27–28, 35, 42, 46, 80,

91, 97–98, 143, 152, 185, 189 Deactivate 80, 82, 110 Define Part 74, 82 Delete Nest 153

E Edit Cutouts 66 Edit Properties 82 Edit Stiffener 73 Endcut 54–55, 69, 74, 130 Export 5, 11, 23, 38, 157, 175, 177 export to NC-Pyros 175 Extended Data 112–13 Extract Polyline 67

F Face Plate 70 Faceplate 59, 67–70, 74, 76, 78–79 far side 51, 77 Fast Feed 148 flange 55, 61, 70–72, 74, 77, 94 Flange Plate 70 flat bar 67–68 Flip UCS 133

H Hide 37, 45–46, 108–9, 171

216 •••• Index ShipConstructor Structure & Nesting

I Import 38, 60, 175, 176 inactive 46, 131 Inactive Parts 46 Insert Bridge 177 Insert Group 211 Insert Keywords 131, 172, 194, 197, 207 Insert Orientation Icon 103 Insert Part 212 Insert Standard 84 Insert Stiffener 91, 94–95 Insert Stiffener Cutout 91, 95 Inserting Parts 159 interference 3, 5, 17, 20–21, 39–41, 73 interference tab 20, 39 Inverse bending 58

K keymap 19, 124, 133, 192–94 Keywords 18, 103, 127, 131, 149, 152, 156, 172, 174,

189, 192, 194, 197, 200, 204–7, 209

L library 52, 67, 91–93, 139, 184–88

M margin plate 10 Mark Endcuts 130 mark far side 77 Mark Feed 148 Mark Group 88 Mark Group Intersections 88 Mark Group with Drawings 88 Master 16, 131, 143 Material 94, 182, 188, 194 matrix 111–12 Mirror 13, 64, 77, 81, 84–85, 133, 156–57, 159 Mirror Part 81, 85 Model Space 74, 112, 133 Move & Rotate 165 move and rotate 165 Move UCS 133

N Navigator 5, 50, 118, 124, 136, 145, 181, 189, 191, 197,

199, 203, 209, 211 NC-cutting machine 147, 176, 182 NC-Pyros 1–2, 51, 147, 156, 157, 171, 175–77 nest check 83 Nest Name Prefix 147 Nest Reports 157

nest tab 13, 150 Nest Template 115, 148–49, 152, 172, 176, 197–98 Nest templates 1–2, 148, 197 Nesting 1–2, 5, 13, 15, 25, 36, 51, 103, 145–46, 148–

63, 165–79, 188, 190, 198 Nesting colors 146, 153 Nesting Preparation 146 nesting settings 146 Nesting Terminology 148 nesting toolbar 149, 178 neutral axis 79, 94 new assembly 16–17, 125, 193 new nest 14–15, 150–53, 156 New Plate 51 New Project 10–11, 24–27, 117 New Stiffener 53, 56 New Stock 92, 153, 187 New Unit 26–27, 29

O OOP 83 OOP Text 83 Orientation Icon 1, 35, 103, 115, 131, 190, 199–200 Outfit 5, 8, 19–21, 26, 37, 43, 115, 119 Outfit Standard 20, 115 outfit tab 21 Outfitting 1, 19, 37, 41, 117, 181, 184 Overlap 58, 161, 174, 183

P Paint 76, 158 paperspace 191, 193–94 part definition 2 Part detailing 2 Part Gap 147 part list dialog 4 part orientation icon 35 penetrations 23, 38, 177 Piecemark 36, 74, 77–79, 81–84, 128 Pierce time 147 Piping 1, 5, 21–23, 26, 37–38, 41, 107, 117, 127, 177,

184 Piping Penetrations 23, 38 piping tab 22 planar group drawing 10–13, 31, 32, 37–39, 43, 45–46 Plate margin 147 Plate parts 36, 79, 112, 118, 130, 190, 199 plate solid 52–53, 56, 58, 68–69, 71, 74, 112 Plate Solids 105, 119 plate stock 11, 73–74, 76, 153, 175, 176 Plot 5, 15–16, 94, 115, 135–37, 139, 141–44, 149, 154–

55, 157, 190, 203–7 Plotting Assembly Drawings 123 Process 51, 78–79, 89

ShipConstructor Structure & Nesting Index •••• 217

Product Work Breakdown Structure 117 Profile Cross section 92, 184, 186 Profile Library 91–92, 139, 184, 186–87 profile plot 5, 15–16, 94, 135–44, 139, 141, 143–44,

190, 203–7 profile plots 1, 62, 135–44, 203, 205 PROJECT LEVEL 117, 120–21 PWBS 117, 121

Q Quality Control Matrix 111–12 Quality Matrix 111 Quick 4, 39, 129

R Reactivate 35–36, 80, 83 Rebis 8, 23, 38, 43 Reference Lines 96–98 Register Unit 6 Reinsert 163 Remnant 26, 148, 153–56, 198 Remnants 14, 26, 148, 153, 155–56 Remove Cutouts 67 Remove Vertices below Tolerance 101–2 Rename 122, 153, 184 Replicate 98–99 Replicate to other Groups 98 Reports 36, 62, 157 Rotate Shortest Dimension 166

S Scallop 80, 100, 168 Select Process 51 Show Extended Data 112 skewed 10, 88, 101, 105 SLD 12, 32, 33, 52, 74 Slide Along 163–64 slide function 163–65 Snap 50, 86, 106–7, 167 snap function 167 SPOOL Level 118, 122 STAGES 118 standard part 84, 115, 182–84 standards 1–2, 5, 19–20, 25, 85, 94, 132, 181–82, 184,

188 Stiffener Cutouts 95 stiffener plot 115, 135, 203 Stiffener Plots 60, 135 Stock Sizes 153 Stocks 11, 14, 52, 54, 56, 59, 61, 67, 69, 73–74, 76, 91–

93, 146–50, 152–54, 158, 162, 170, 174, 176, 184–88, 198

Structural Standards 19, 182

T Template 5, 17, 22–25, 27, 103–4, 115, 133, 135–37,

141, 148–49, 152, 162, 172, 176, 189, 191–94, 197–201, 203–7, 209

thickness throw 11, 13, 77, 87, 89 Thickness Throw Lines 89 throw line 90 throw symbol 88 tolerance 50, 101–2 toolpath 33, 50–52, 68, 71–73, 74, 78, 86, 95, 165, 177

U UCS 11, 13, 31, 57, 84–85, 87, 95–97, 101, 104–6, 112,

128, 130, 133 Un-assign 170 Undefine 80–81 Un-Hide 108 Unhide All 109 unit 3, 5–6, 8–13, 19, 26–28, 29, 31–34, 37, 43, 46, 61,

89, 94, 108, 117, 120–21, 124, 148, 158, 182, 188, 192–93

UNIT Level 117, 122 Unnest 163 Unused Geometry 43, 45–46, 107–8 Update Nests 174 Update Parts 127 User Icon 132, 190, 201

V viewport 112, 133, 192–94 Visibility 17, 31, 127, 171

W Weld 2, 35, 65–66, 81, 103, 112, 132, 190, 201, 209 Weld Shrinkage 2, 103–4, 190, 209 Weld Shrinkage Icon 103–4, 209 workshop 1, 5, 22, 115, 211–12 workshop tab 22

X XREF 19, 28, 37 Xref Groups 37

structure and nesting

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