Ship Constructor Structure Tutorial

ShipConstructor
Structure Tutorial
By ARL - Albacore Research Ltd.
COPYRIGHT 2003 ALBACORE RESEARCH LTD.

Information in this ShipConstructor manual is the property of Albacore Research Ltd. No part of it can be reproduced,
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whole or in part. All Rights Reserved. ShipConstructor is a trademark of Albacore Research Ltd.
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Your ShipConstructor Team
Andrew Wong Kevin van Donkersgoed

Chris Bracken Larry Varga
Chris Phillips Matthew Barber
Christian Zuger Matthew Fox
Darren Larkins Paul Crawford
Denis Morais Peter Andrews
Eric Dionne Petra Sommerfeld
Jacob Trakhtenberg Philipa Lattey
Jane Sun Rolf Oetter
Jason Paterson Scott Hanson
Jason Rancourt Silke Sommerfeld
Karen Congdon Walter Langer
Cover model courtesy of Bender Shipbuilding and Repair Co.
#304 3960 Quadra St.

Victoria, BC
Canada V8X 4A3
Toll Free: 1-888-210-7420

Phone: 1-250-479-3638
Fax: 1-250-479-0868
info@ShipConstructor.com
support@ShipConstructor.com
arl@ShipConstructor.com
www.ShipConstructor.com
October 03
Contents
Tutorial 1
Overview ................................................................................................................................... 1
Exploring 3
Overview ................................................................................................................................... 3
3D Product Model...................................................................................................................... 3
Generating a 3D Product Model.................................................................................. 3
Group Technology....................................................................................................... 4
Build Strategy.............................................................................................................. 4
Work Group Areas ...................................................................................................... 5
Organizing Your Work and Data............................................................................................... 5
Projects ........................................................................................................................ 6
Units ............................................................................................................................ 7
Planar Group Drawings ............................................................................................... 8
Parts............................................................................................................................. 8
Other Drawings ........................................................................................................... 8
Terminology .............................................................................................................................. 9
Starting ShipConstructor............................................................................................................ 9
Checking Your System Font ..................................................................................... 10
Changing Your System Font (DPI Setting) ............................................................... 11
Exploring the Supplied Data.................................................................................................... 12
The Unit Drawing...................................................................................................... 12
Register a Project....................................................................................................... 13
The Navigator............................................................................................................ 17
Viewing the 3D Unit ................................................................................................. 24
Viewing a Planar Group Drawing ............................................................................. 30
Viewing a Nest Drawing ........................................................................................... 38
Virtual Reality - FlyThrough..................................................................................... 39
Creating Export Drawings......................................................................................... 39
Structure Tutorial 43
Overview ................................................................................................................................. 43
Toolbars ................................................................................................................................... 43
Structural Unit ......................................................................................................................... 46
Longitudinal Members .............................................................................................. 46
Designing Frames .................................................................................................................... 46
Overview ................................................................................................................... 46
Opening a Frame Drawing ........................................................................................ 48
Marking Intersections with Structure / Intersecting UCSs....................................... 49
Scallops ..................................................................................................................... 52
Manager Profiles & Plates Library............................................................................ 54
Cutout and Profile Insertion ...................................................................................... 57
Replicate Objects to Other Groups............................................................................ 58
ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial Contents i

Toolpath .................................................................................................................... 61
Manager Process Color Setup.................................................................................... 62
Inserting the Manholes .............................................................................................. 63
View Progress in the 3D Unit.................................................................................... 64
Plate Solids ................................................................................................................ 66
Creating Stiffeners from Flatbar Stock...................................................................... 67
Defining Stiffener Parts............................................................................................. 72
Part List Dialog ......................................................................................................... 77
Part Orientation Icon ................................................................................................. 78
Weld Shrinkage ......................................................................................................... 79
Defining the Plate Part............................................................................................... 80
Adding Objects to an Existing Part ........................................................................... 83
Frame Deck Girder with Faceplate............................................................................ 84
2D Group Xref........................................................................................................... 86
Finding the Inside End of the Faceplate .................................................................... 89
Finding the Outside End of the Faceplate.................................................................. 90
Faceplate for Deck Girder ......................................................................................... 91
Defining the Faceplate Part ....................................................................................... 93
Flanged Margin Plate ................................................................................................ 95
Correcting the Gap .................................................................................................... 95
Margin Bracket Toolpath .......................................................................................... 98
Margin Bracket Solid .............................................................................................. 100
Margin Bracket Mark Far Side................................................................................ 103
Frame Profile........................................................................................................... 104
Checking Group Drawings ...................................................................................... 107
Creating the Mirror Parts......................................................................................... 108
Review..................................................................................................................... 110
Designing the Center Girder .................................................................................................. 110
Faceplates ................................................................................................................ 110
Double Bottom Girder Part Definition .................................................................... 115
Using Standards ..................................................................................................................... 116
Overview ................................................................................................................. 116
Exploring an Existing Standard............................................................................... 116
Inserting Standard Brackets in the Aft Bulkhead .................................................... 117
Creating an Out of Plane UCS................................................................................. 117
Constructing the Bracket Insertion Point at the Top End of Stiffener ..................... 118
Inserting a Standard Bracket at Top End of Stiffener.............................................. 120
Copying Brackets at Top End of Stiffener .............................................................. 122
Twisted Stiffeners.................................................................................................................. 123
Overview ................................................................................................................. 123
Checking the unit................................................................................................................... 129
Check all Group Drawings ...................................................................................... 130
Interference Checking............................................................................................................ 132
Overview ................................................................................................................. 132
Create the Interference Drawing.............................................................................. 132
Calculating Interferences......................................................................................... 133
Plate Nesting.......................................................................................................................... 137
Overview ................................................................................................................. 137
Nesting Preparation ................................................................................................. 140
Nesting Terminology............................................................................................... 143
AutomaticNest......................................................................................................... 144
Assigning Parts to Nest ........................................................................................... 148
Checking Nests and Creating BOMs....................................................................... 149
Investigating the Nest Header.................................................................................. 151
Nest BOM Count Standards .................................................................................... 151
Checking for Overlap .............................................................................................. 153
ii Contents ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial

Checking for Un-nested Parts.................................................................................. 154
Plotting Nests .......................................................................................................... 155
Bridging................................................................................................................... 155
Exporting to NC-Pyros ............................................................................................ 157
Remnant Control ..................................................................................................... 158
Assembly Drawings............................................................................................................... 160
Overview ................................................................................................................. 160
Assembly Drawing Steps ........................................................................................ 161
Preparing Assembly Templates ............................................................................... 161
AutoAnnotation Styles ............................................................................................ 162
Assigning Assembly Templates, BOMs and AutoAnnotation Styles...................... 164
Build Strategy and Checking Correct Assembly Assignments................................ 165
Creating the Keymap Drawing ................................................................................ 170
Creating Assembly Drawings.................................................................................. 172
Manually Annotating Assembly Drawings ............................................................. 177
Inserting CG Position .............................................................................................. 185
Quality Control Matrix ............................................................................................ 185
Rotating for Assembly Position............................................................................... 187
Plotting Assembly Drawings ................................................................................... 189
Profile Plots ........................................................................................................................... 190
Overview ................................................................................................................. 190
Creating a Stiffener Plot Drawing ........................................................................... 190
Inserting Stiffener Plots........................................................................................... 191
Structure Reports 196

Overview ............................................................................................................................... 196
PWBS Reports ....................................................................................................................... 197
Build Strategy Reports ............................................................................................ 198
Profile Report .......................................................................................................... 200
Standard Parts Reports ............................................................................................ 202
Plate Nest Reports.................................................................................................................. 202
Nests Dialog ............................................................................................................ 202
Condensed Nest Reports.......................................................................................... 203
Detailed Nest Reports.............................................................................................. 206
Profile Nesting 207

Overview ............................................................................................................................... 207
Profile Nesting Toolbar Button ............................................................................... 208
Profile Nesting Preparation.................................................................................................... 208
Profile Nest Manager............................................................................................................. 211
The Profile Nest Manager Toolbar .......................................................................... 214
Manual Profile Nesting............................................................................................ 215
Automatic Profile Nesting....................................................................................... 216
Issuing Nests............................................................................................................ 218
Cutting Nests ........................................................................................................... 219
Using Scrap and Creating Remnant Nests............................................................... 219
Checking Nests........................................................................................................ 221
Profile Nest Reports............................................................................................................... 222
Index 225
ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial Contents iii

Tutorial
Overview
We have prepared a partially finished ShipConstructor demo project for this tutorial. The project consists of two units
called U11 and U12. U11 is a virtually complete unit except for one missing twisted stiffener that will be created during
the demo.
One of the most time-consuming parts of the production preparation process is the detail drafting and definition of all
individual parts. For the purpose of this demo we have finished most of the parts to allow you to carry out all further
steps, even if you decide not to spend time to detail any more parts. However, we suggest that you work through all
portions of the tutorial in order to get a good understanding of the program.
The complete tutorial consists of two manuals:
Structure & Nest Tutorial
Outfitting Tutorial
This manual concentrates on the structure model and may take several hours to complete.
If youre looking to find out about piping, HVAC, outfitting or penetrations check out the Outfitting Tutorial.
This tutorial shows screenshots with ShipConstructor running inside AutoCAD2004. If you are running older versions of
AutoCAD your toolbars and menus will have a different style.
ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial Tutorial 1

Exploring
Overview
ShipConstructor consists of several program modules, which can be purchased separately. The program modules
covered in this tutorial are:
Structure - 3D structural modeling of the ship, assembly drawing generation, profile plots and more.
Nest - manual and automatic plate nesting.
Profile Nest nesting of profile parts.
Manager Stock and standards library, user permission management, reporting.
During this chapter you will explore the supplied demo files and:
Investigate different display options of a 3D unit drawing.
Learn about planar group drawings.
Learn about parts.
Have a quick look at a nest drawing.
3D Product Model
Generating a 3D Product Model

Using ShipConstructor, any shipyard or engineering company, small or large, can implement product modeling
economically using PCs and familiar off-the-shelf software, such as AutoCAD and SQL Server. AutoCAD
proficient people are abundant, and a company can utilize the knowledge of existing staff. There is no need to invest
in exotic hardware or expensive training.
A common misconception is that it takes longer to generate a 3D model than drawing the conventional 2D way. All
of our customers have proven that it is faster to model in 3D than to draft in 2D. Using ShipConstructors advanced
techniques, 3D modeling is not only faster than drafting in 2D, you will also save time in production, prevent re-
work and improve the quality of your product.
ShipConstructor provides many functions to automate repetitive drafting tasks. 3D modeling also allows you to
produce much more sophisticated production documentation than ever before. This includes:
3D assembly drawings with BOMs
Nest plots with BOMs
Structural reports
Profile cut list reports
ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial Exploring 3

Profile fabrication drawings
Nest reports
3D Arrangement drawings
Spool drawings
Penetration Reports
Group Technology
Achieving savings in production requires you to utilize ShipConstructors advanced production documentation to
implement Group Technology (GT) in production. To put it simply, using GT you group together identical or similar
tasks into small work packages. This allows you to perform similar or identical work on a group of production items.
A single person or small group carries out the tasks described in the work package. It is a common misconception
that large investments into robot assembly or panel lines are required to achieve significant savings during assembly.
Simple but thoughtful reorganization of work contents, work areas, tools and good planning will achieve significant
savings and improved product quality without investing large sums of money. Of course, you may choose to take the
next step and automate some of the production processes.
Build Strategy
At some point during the detailing process, you have to plan your build strategy. The build strategy is the sequence
of steps that have to be carried out to go from a single part through several assembly levels to a complete product.
This process is usually done top down, meaning that you start with the ship and break it down into units. Each unit is
then further broken down into stages, assemblies, panels, and minor assemblies.
ShipConstructor helps you simplify this task by giving you full flexibility of the number of assembly levels and the
names you give each level. Using each of the assembly levels, an assembly tree is easily designed. A designer or
planner can then assign each of the CAD parts to any of the assembly tree items to build a complete logical product
model. All that is left to do is work out a time schedule for each item in the assembly tree.
4 Exploring ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial

Figure: Developing a Build Strategy
Work Group Areas

Next, you should think about work areas and the necessary tools to improve productivity. A good example is
producing stiffeners for a panel.
Dont Do It The Old Way!

Many shipyards still provide traditional 2D workshop drawings to production with several frames, decks, and
bulkheads on each large size drawing. The drawings also contain a lot of dimensions, references to details, and
more. A worker reads the drawing, drags an uncut profile from the storage area to the setup area, puts it into place,
marks up the length, drags it back to a cutting place, cuts it to length, looks up the drawing again to see what end
cuts to use, applies the end cuts and then drags the stiffener back to the setup area to fit it into place.
Work Packages save Time and Money

Using ShipConstructor you create a work package consisting of a booklet (20 pages or less) of small size (11x17 or
A3 or smaller) 3D assembly drawings, stiffener plots and cut lists for just the current stage of production. The
stiffener plots and stiffener cut lists provide all information required to produce the stiffeners for the given assembly
or a few assemblies. Thus it is easy to get the right tools and gadgets in place, pull the required raw stock, cut
several profiles to length, apply the end cuts and place them in a little transport container neatly arranged. When all
stiffeners have been created for the assembly the container is moved to the panel area for easy assembly.
Using simple techniques like these resulted in some of our customers realizing a savings of 50% in assembly hours.
Organizing Your Work and Data

In this section, we will explain how ShipConstructor stores all the data. This is done for your information only. You
do not have to know the detailed information given here, since ShipConstructor keeps track of all files and folders

automatically. However, you might be exploring the content of your hard drive and wonder what all these files are
doing on it.
Construction projects generally involve several designers, engineers, planners and drafters. Most companies use a
PC network with a file server and several workstations to perform the many tasks involved in completing a project.
It is good practice to place all project-related files on a server hard drive, which contains a folder called Projects
or Jobs.
Projects
ShipConstructor follows this standard production practice. The work within a yard is usually organized in projects or
jobs. For example, Project 301, 302 or Job 101, 102. ShipConstructor uses the term Project. The ShipConstructor
installation program creates a folder named Projects at the location of your choice.
To organize the data further, ShipConstructor creates sub-folders for each construction unit and several other project
related data. ShipConstructor automatically manages all access to the data files.
Figure: A sample projects folder contents with U11 and U12 as construction units.
Warning: Do NOT move, rename, or delete any of the folders or files manually. You might loose access to the
project. However, you may move complete project folders to other drives or folders. See the Manager manual for
more information on moving projects.
Within the Project folder, you will find only one necessary file, the Project File with the extension, .PRO. This is a
text file that lists:
Where the database data for this project resides (name of the SQL server computer).
What the database is called within the SQL server storage.
Figure: Contents of a PRO file

Units
A job is generally divided into production units or blocks. ShipConstructor uses the term unit. The size of a unit is
often determined by the maximum weight the yard can handle.
Figure: Isometric view of typical construction unit
All files belonging to a unit are stored within the units folder. Within the unit folder and aside from various sub-
folders, you will find only one file, the unit drawing. The name of the unit drawing file is the same as the name of
the unit with the extension DWG. For example, unit U05 will be located in the folder U05 in which you will find the
file U05.DWG.
The unit drawing is the place where you start populating your product model within ShipConstructor. The general
approach involves importing sectional data for frames, decks and longitudinal girders into the unit drawing. The
sectional data may come from ShipCAM or any hull fairing software capable of exporting 3D sections to an
AutoCAD drawing.
Figure: isometric view of sample unit drawing after sectional data is inserted (port side only).

Planar Group Drawings
In general, you start with sections cut through the hull surfaces to set up the structural modeling data. The sections
(frames, decks, longitudinal bulkheads, etc.) are loaded into an empty unit drawing and the 2D planar groups are
created from these sections.
Each major structural planar object will be in one individual planar group drawing. A planar group drawing could be
a frame, a deck, a bulkhead, a face on the deckhouse, etc. All planar group drawings are automatically linked, by
ShipConstructor, to the 3D Unit drawing. In each planar group drawing, any designer will appear to be drafting in
2D.
Parts
Each structural planar group drawing contains one or more parts. Each part consists of:
Production geometry - regular CAD drafted geometry for NC-cutting.

A solid of the part, for visual representation, weight & CG calculation, and interference checking.
A link to the database data. ShipConstructor stores all non-graphical information such as part name, part
type, stock type, processing type, thickness, throw, weight & CG, nesting information, and revision history in
an SQL database.
All drawings and the database are updated automatically anytime a change occurs. There is no need to handle
drawing revisions.
Other Drawings
ShipConstructor utilizes many types of drawings. Dont worry, ShipConstructor provides an exceptional tool, called
the Navigator, which lets you navigate through all drawings quickly and with comfort. Simply select the
component on the left for the general portion of the project you wish to work on: Project (for 3D Units), Structure
(for Planar Groups), Outfit Arrangement, Piping, HVAC, Interference, Build Strategy, Assembly, Nests, Profile
Plots, Template, Standard, Workshop, or Export drawings.
Simply select the drawing you require and open it to perform other functions, such as displaying properties,
unlinking it, and more. All these functions are explained in detail in the tutorial and the command reference
manuals.

Terminology
3D Unit - An AutoCAD drawing linking all planar group drawings in a unit to a 3D product model.
Planar Group - An AutoCAD drawing containing all parts in the same plane, such as a frame, bulkhead,
girder or deck.
Part An object in a model drawing that has been assigned a part number and linked to a part record in the
ShipConstructor database. For structural parts this is an AutoCAD block within a planar group drawing
consisting of production geometry with a piecemark. This part has a relationship with its solid but the block
does not contain the solid.
Figure: Example structural part
Part Data - Data relevant to the part stored in the ShipConstructor database.
Starting ShipConstructor
The installation program created menus in the Programs menu to start any of the ShipConstructor program modules.
1. Click the Start menu button and locate Program Files / Shipconstructor2004 / ShipConstructor. Do
not use the regular AutoCAD shortcut!
2. When AutoCAD starts up I it will load ShipConstructor. If you have MDI (multi-document) mode enabled then
we recommend that you switch it to Single-drawing compatibility mode.
To change the drawing mode, go to the Tools menu and select Options. On the System tab you will see
the following checkbox. Turn it on.
3. Please verify that the menu now shows the ShipConstructor menus called ShipConstructor and SC
Utilities and that the ShipConstructor toolbars are displayed on the left side. You might have to arrange the
toolbars differently if your screen size is too small.

Tip: Arrange the ShipConstructor toolbars on the left side of the AutoCAD application window as shown in the
figure. This way you keep them separate from any other toolbars you have loaded, which prevents confusing the
ShipConstructor buttons with any standard AutoCAD buttons or buttons from other AutoCAD applications you
might have. All screen shots in this tutorial will show the ShipConstructor toolbars at this position.
Checking Your System Font

ShipConstructor uses many dialogs to access all drawings and data conveniently. All dialogs are designed to run
with the small system font (96 DPI). The system font is commonly used to display the text in menus and dialogs. In
Windows NT/2000 this setting is Display / Font Size in Windows XP it is Display / DPI Setting. You may be
using a different system font.
Some of ShipConstructor's dialogs will not display properly with a large system font (120 DPI). Lets find out if
your settings are compatible with ShipConstructor. We will test it with the dialog that suffers the most from a large
system font: the 3D Viewpoint dialog.
1. Select SC Utilities / 3D Viewpoint or click . The dialog is displayed as shown below. The first dialog
shows it with the small system font. We show the bitmap of a ship in 3D and display radio buttons at all corners
of the ship to indicate the view direction. As you can see, all radio buttons are aligned with the underlying
bitmap.

Figure: small font
2. The second screen shot below shows the same dialog, this time with the large system font installed. You can see
here that the radio buttons are not aligned with the underlying ship picture.
Figure: Large Font
Changing Your System Font (DPI Setting)

1. Right click on the Desktop and click on Properties or from the Windows Start menu select Settings /
Control Panel. Then Control Panel, double click on the Display icon.
2. In the Display Properties dialog select the Settings tab.
3. Click the Advanced button.

4. From the Font Size (DPI Setting in Windows XP) drop down list select Small Fonts (Normal Size in
Windows XP).
5. In many cases you will have to reboot the computer. You might also need the installation CD ready if the small
fonts are not yet loaded on your hard drive. Just follow the on screen instructions.
6. Then use the instruction as before to test that the ShipConstructor dialogs will work properly.
7. If the text is too small for you to read, then use a lower screen resolution. In the Display Properties dialog
select a lesser Desktop Area. For example, if you are currently using 1280 by 1024, use 1024 by 768 instead.
Do not use a screen resolution less than 1024 by 768.
Exploring the Supplied Data
The Unit Drawing

We will now open the supplied 3D unit drawing and explore other features of ShipConstructor. Here we go!
The ShipConstructor Toolbar

The ShipConstructor toolbar, shown below, provides four buttons. We will be using three of the buttons extensively.
The Navigator button displays a dialog that enables you to register a project and access any drawings
associated with the unit.
The Xref Groups button displays a dialog that enables you Xref any of the model drawings for the project
into the current drawing.
The Run Manager button starts the Manager module. Manager is used for setting up stocks, setting up
standards and generating reports.

Navigator
Xref Groups
Make New Planar Group Drawing
Run Manager
Register a Project
The 3D Unit drawing shows an assembled view of all planar group drawings in the construction unit. You have to
register the Project at the beginning of a session. The project remains registered until you shut down AutoCAD or
register another project.
1. Select ShipConstructor / Navigator or click . If you are not yet registered to a project, the Register
Project dialog will appear.
2. Click Browse for Project to add the demo project to the list.
3. With the Locate Project File dialog browse for the project file you want. In our case it is located in the folder
where the ShipConstructor project demo files are installed (the default location is
C:\Projects2004\SC2004Demo). Select the SC2004Demo.pro file and click Open.
4. The registration process continues by asking for a logon name and password.

5. Enter
Logon name: demo
Password: demo
6. Then click OK.
7. 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.
The module list within the licensing dialog may appear grayed out or have some/all modules activated as shown
in the following two figures. If you are running the ShipConstructor demo and have not purchased any modules
the module list will appear grayed out and the program will run in demo mode.
Automatically get all available local licenses Gets a license from all the available modules. You
would want to turn this off when you want to specifically choose certain modules out of the licenses that
other disciplines use in a network lock environment.
Network Settings Displays the Network License Settings dialog. The list of License Servers controls
which computers are searched for licenses. The order of the servers determines the order of where the
licenses are checked out from first.

LicenseServer This is the list of computers that have network locks or the local computer, if
the local lock is used. The computers can be specified using TCP/IP address,
\\DOMAIN\computer, or computer. The <Local Computer> address is equivalent to IP: 127.0.0.1.
New Adds a new server to the list.
Delete Deletes the selected server from the list. This list must have at least one computer in it.
If all servers are removed the <Local Computer> is added automatically.
Move Up Moves the selected computer up in the list.
Move Down Moves the selected computer down in the list.
Port Default is 3960. You should not need to change this value unless there is a port conflict
with another program. You would also need to change the ports on all the License Servers.
OK Saves the list and refreshes the modules list in the licensing dialog.
Refresh List Refreshes the module list. Useful when locks are moved or servers are added.
Module Shows which modules are enabled with this lock or locks. The grayed out modules are not
enabled.
Parts The number of parts in the current project of the specified type.
Max Parts The list of available levels from the license servers. This list will only contain available
license levels so you will probably only see 1 or 2 levels at most.
Levels for Structure Module

For Structure, ManualNest and AutomaticNest the number of parts per level is 500. This means
a level 3 allows you to work on projects with a maximum of 1500 structural parts.
For ProfileNest the number of parts per level is 500. This means a level 3 allows you to work on
projects with a maximum of 1500 profile parts.
For BuildStrategy the number of parts per level is 1200. This means a level 3 allows you to work on
projects with a maximum of 3600 total parts.
Lic Avail The number of licenses available. The same as the difference between the total and the number
currently in use.

Lic Total The total number of licenses 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 / Licensing to display this
dialog.
OK Acquires the selected licenses from the License Servers.
Common Licensing Problems
This indicates that ARLLicenseServer Service is not running on a computer you are trying to connect to or
that computer does not exist. Refer to the manager manual for more information on ARLLicenseServer.
8. Press OK to close the licensing dialog.
9. Press Yes to allow the program to run in demo mode.
10. ShipConstructor establishes a connection to the associated SQL project database.

11. The Navigator dialog is displayed.

12. Check the box next to Unit U12.
13. Click the Open button to load the U12 3D unit drawing. This will take a short while. Watch the command line
display at the bottom of the AutoCAD window. You will see that AutoCAD is loading several XREFs into the
3D unit drawing - one for each planar group drawing. You might get a different display depending on what
layers are active.
The Navigator
The Navigator provides access to all project drawings from one convenient location. The individual areas of a
project are accessed using the different pages on the Navigator. This makes file access quick and easy. After a while
you will wonder how you were previously able to find all the drawings associated with a project without a
Navigator.
1. Select ShipConstructor / Navigator or click to open the Navigator again.

Figure: The Navigator
Here is an overview of the Pages and functions we will discuss in this tutorial. Other pages are covered in the
Outfitting Tutorial.
Project Page
To change projects, open the unit drawing, and reload the cached database settings if required.

Structure Page
This page displays all planar group drawings in a tree. You can open any of the drawings, create new ones, change
the properties, mirror a group such as a longitudinal bulkhead, or unlink (delete) a group.
Outfit Arrangement Page

This page enables you to open or create new outfit arrangement drawings. See the Pipe manual and Outfitting
tutorial for details.
Piping Page
The Piping Page deals with pipe, spool and arrangement drawings.
See the Pipe manual and Outfitting Tutorial for more details on this subject.
HVAC Page
The HVAC Page deals with HVAC, spools and arrangement drawings.
See the HVAC manual and Outfitting Tutorial for more details on this subject.
Interference Page
This page enables you to open or create new interference drawings. An interference drawing allows you to
calculate collisions between structure, pipe, outfit, HVAC and any other solids that you might import from other
AutoCAD drawings.

Build Strategy Page
The build strategy page is used to create temporary drawings used to visualize the build strategy as parts are being
grouped and organized.
Assembly Page
This page enables you to open or create new assembly drawings. Assembly drawings show all parts belonging
to a specific assembly. One drawing for each assembly is created.

Nest Page
This page enables you to open or create new plate nest drawings.
Profile Plots Page

This page enables you to open or create new profile detailed fabrication drawings.

Templates Page
This page enables you to open or create new template drawings. Template drawings can be created for assembly
(structural and spool) and nest drawings. There are also templates for a parts direction of orientation Orientation
Icons. You can create as many user icons to be used, as you like. These, for example, could be weld symbols and
symbols for edge preparation.
Standards Page
This page enables you to open or create new standard, structural and outfit drawings. Each standard drawing
contains exactly one reusable standard.

Workshop Page
This page enables you to open or create new workshop drawings. A workshop drawing shows several group
drawings in traditional 2D fashion. For example, several frames are displayed beside a deck and a longitudinal
girder. We do not recommend you use this old fashioned type of information for production. You should use
assembly drawings instead.
Tip: Use these functions to produce 2D general arrangement and class approval drawings from the 3D
model.

Export Page
This page enables you to open or create new export drawings. During export, ShipConstructor converts all custom
ShipConstructor objects to regular AutoCAD objects. Thus, anyone can view this type of drawing. However, the
intelligence of the objects is lost.
2. Close the Navigator
Viewing the 3D Unit

The unit drawing displays all of the planar group drawings and, optionally, outfit drawings and pipe drawings. Each
group drawing can be edited concurrently. The 3D unit drawing always shows the up-to-date state of all drawings
involved.
Several ShipConstructor functions have been specifically designed to enable you to view the unit from all sides and
to control the visibility settings of the unit and/or individual groups.
The Visibility Toolbar

Some of the most commonly used viewing functions are accessed with buttons from the ShipConstructor visibility
toolbar.
3D Viewpoint
Show Production Layers Only
Show Solid Layers Only
Show Solid and Production Layers Only
Layer Visibility
Layers
ShipConstructor implements two main layers in each structural group drawing, the solid (_SLD) and the production
(_PRD) layer. As the names imply, the solid layer holds the solids of the structural parts, while the production layer
holds the NC production geometry of the parts. The unit drawing should start with the production layer visible.

1. While in the unit drawing, click the Production Layers button. Now the drawing should look similar to
the screen shot below. Make sure you have the View / Shade mode set to 2D Wireframe.
2. Click the Solid Layers button. The drawing should change as shown below.
Views
ShipConstructor provides a dialog to set any viewpoint conveniently, using terms familiar to ship designers and
builders, such as body, plan and profile view.

1. Select SC Utilities / 3D Viewpoint or click on the Visibility toolbar.
2. In the dialog, make sure the 3D tab is selected.
3. Select the view BODY LOOKING AFT by clicking on the radio button in front of the ship symbol. In the top
left you will see the description display BODY LOOKING AFT.
4. Click OK. The screen is redrawn with the desired view. The view is always zoomed to the extents of the
drawing.
Practice: Select different views to get a feel for the dialog, such as PLAN LOOKING DOWN or PROFILE STBD
TO PORT. You can also enter viewpoint positions in the data fields at the top right of the dialog.
Please be sure to select FROM FWD STBD UP as the viewpoint when you are done.
Shading the 3D Unit

A 3D wireframe model is often very confusing to the human eye. You have to perform hidden line removal or
shading to get a clearer image of the unit.
The unit drawing should have started with the production layer visible.
1. Click the Solid Layers button to make sure the solid layer is active.
2. Make sure the AutoCAD Shade toolbar is active. Then left click on the Gouraud Shaded button or View /
Shade / Gouraud Shaded
3. The first time you run the Gouraud shaded command, AutoCAD builds a visualization model. This uses
more memory and takes some time. Further shade commands on the same drawing will run faster because
AutoCAD caches that information in memory.
4. The shaded image should look like this:

Using 3D Orbit
The 3D Orbit function allows you to view a shaded model dynamically. Please refer to your AutoCAD manual to
learn about 3D Orbit.
We have found the following procedures to be helpful when viewing a 3D unit drawing:
During 3D Orbit, many different view commands are available from the right-click menu. Use Shading
Modes / Gouraud Shaded. This appears to give the best results.
When not orbiting, all the viewing modes can easily be accessed through the AutoCAD Shade toolbar
Before rotating, use the More / Zoom Extents before rotating. Otherwise, your drawing may move off-
screen.

Note: It is recommended for viewing performance that you work in 2D Wireframe when your drawing contains
many 3D objects
1. Select View 3D Orbit or click to start the Orbit command.

2. Now right-click in the display window to bring up the Orbit menu.
3. Select Shading Modes / Gouraud Shaded. It will take a few seconds for the picture to build.
4. Right click again and select More / Zoom Extents. It is important to set the rotation point within the
displayed image. Without this the image might rotate about a point far outside the screen and the image will
jump outside the display area when using the orbit functions.
5. You can now spin the model around by simply holding down the left mouse button and moving the mouse
around. It is easy to get confused though, so please read the AutoCAD manual or refer to the Help under 3D
Orbit.
6. Select View / Shade / 2D Wireframe or 2D Wireframe to return to a regular display.

Group Visibility
This function allows you to set which layer of each 2D group is visible in the 3D unit drawing. A complete
structural model of a unit tends to become quite complex. Often it becomes necessary to switch items off because
the drawing simply gets too busy. The Visibility dialog provides a convenient way to set the visibility for each
planar group drawing in the unit drawing.
For example, in the previous shaded image the main-deck and the tank-top hide the details of the frames and the
longitudinal girder below. We will now create a shaded image that allows you to see the underlying unit.
On the toolbar, click the 3D Viewpoint button. Select the view From FWD STBD UP.
1. On the toolbar, click the Layer Visibility button. The Visibility dialog is displayed.
2. A tree dialog displays all planar groups. Beside each drawing are light bulbs for the production PRD, solid
SLD and revision REV layers. A lit light bulb indicates that the layer is visible; an off light bulb indicates it is
not visible.
3. Click the light bulbs off for the solid layer of U12MDCK (Unit 12 Main Deck), and U12TTOP (Unit 12
Tank top) as shown above.
4. Click OK.

5. Gouraud Shade the drawing.
6. The figure above shows the view shaded and slightly zoomed in.
7. This shaded view shows clearly that the unit is missing two frames. We will be designing these frames during
the tutorial.
Viewing a Planar Group Drawing

The unit drawing is assembled from several linked individual planar group drawings, which are sorted by their
structural main function - frames, longitudinals, and decks. Another group is curved plate, which represents the shell
plating. Shell plating can be imported from our ShipCAM. The last group type is called arbitrary, which covers
oddly skewed members, such as those found in deckhouse plating.
ShipConstructor provides a sophisticated dialog to give you convenient access to the unit drawings and all linked
planar group drawings.
1. Select ShipConstructor / Navigator or click .

2. Select the Structure Page.

3. In the tree dialog click on U12F107. The Preview window displays a bitmap of the last saved drawing state.
4. Click the Open button. Tip: You can also double click on the planar group name in the tree view to open the
drawing.
5. The planar group drawing is opened.
Working in 2D on a planar group drawing greatly simplifies drafting, compared to working in 3D unit drawing. All
detailing in a planar group drawing is carried out as if working in 2D. Each planar group drawing can be detailed by
another draftsperson in parallel, allowing your team to work on many drawings at the same time. Anytime someone
opens the 3D unit drawing it will show the latest revision state of each planar group drawing.
The tutorial project was set up in the beginning to draft frames from forward looking aft (US Standard). However,
setting the project to draft frames looking forward is simply changing a setting when the project is created.
NOTE: This setting cannot be changed after the project is created.

Activate Layers
The objective in planar group drawings is to define parts for production, visualization, checking, and provide all data
required for production reports and production planning purposes. Each structural part is represented by:
A Solid - The solid is used for shaded or rendered views and virtual reality walk-through animations. The solid
also provides ShipConstructor with information about CG, volume, surface area and extents. The solid of a part
is always assigned to the solid (_SLD) layer.
A Piecemark - The piecemark consists of the name of the part as AutoCAD text and a bubble around it. The
piecemark is always assigned to the production (_PRD) layer.
Production Geometry - This is standard AutoCAD geometry, such as lines, arcs, circles, and polylines,
required for producing the part. In the case of a plate part it consists of the outside, and, if present, inside
toolpaths plus any markings. In the case of a stiffener or faceplate there is no production geometry, just a
piecemark.
1. Make sure you are still in drawing U12F107.
2. Click the toolbar buttons for Production Layers and Solid Layers alternately several times.
Observe the differences between the representations on the production and solid layers.
3. Gouraud shade the drawing while the SLD layer is active.

Parts
A part is a combination of AutoCAD geometry and database data. Each part is represented in the CAD drawing by a
block.
ShipConstructor supports three general structural part types:
Plate Parts - Plate parts are made from plate stock and are generally flat. Plate parts can also be flanged.
Stiffener Parts - Stiffener parts are made from profiles or flatbars. Most stiffeners are straight, but in some
cases they are curved, such as for frames built up from profiles. Additionally Structure supports twisted
stiffeners those whose flange orientation twists about its length.

Stiffener
Part
Stiffener
Solid
Faceplate Parts - Faceplates are made from flatbar. They generally run along the face of a plate part and are
curved or bent.
Plate Parts
Plate parts have to be nested, as they will be NC-cut or manually cut from plate stock. To produce the NC-code for
a plate part we need:
One and only one closed outside toolpath.
One closed inside toolpath for each hole. Multiple inner holes are allowed.
Marking lines for any markings that the automatic marking unit on the NC machine has to mark on the plate.
Examples are: stiffener or bracket locations, or an icon to show the part orientation in the unit.
Text if you want to place the part name and any other text information on the part.
1. Zoom into the lower area of the frame drawing as shown in the following screen shot.

2. Alternate between the Production Layers and Solid Layers . Remember that shading must be
turned off to see the Production Layer.
3. On the production layer the plate part is represented by:
Outside Toolpath - This is a RED closed polyline. It will be used by NC-Pyros to create the NC
instructions for the cutting machine to cut the part out of plate stock with a gas, plasma, water-jet, or laser
cutter.
Inside Toolpath - There are two blue manholes inside the part as closed polylines. They will be used by
NC-Pyros to create the NC instructions for the cutting machine to cut the manholes into the part with a gas,
plasma, water-jet or laser cutter.
Part Piecemark - There is a large piecemark U12F107-P01. NC-Pyros will later on create NC
instructions to mark the piecemark onto the part with a marking or scribing tool.
Marking Lines - Several stiffener-marking lines with throw indicators at the end. In this case intermittent
marking is used. Only the ends of the stiffeners are marked by short lines.
Stiffener Piecemarks - Each stiffener on the plate part is identified by a smaller piecemark.

Plate part
piecemark
Stiffener
Inside cut piecemark
path
Stiffener
marking
Outside cut
path
The actual plate part consists of all the production geometry blocked together. The name of the block is
created by ShipConstructor and is used to link it to the database record.
Stiffener Parts
To simplify drafting, ShipConstructor creates automatically a UCS in the plane of the frame. To the user it appears
that he is working in 2D. In reality, all parts on the frame are drawn in 3D.
Part U12F107-P01 is stiffened by several flatbars. In order to see the flatbars we have to set a 3D viewpoint.
1. Click the 3D Viewpoint and select a viewpoint FROM FWD PRT UP.
2. Activate the solid layer.
3. Zoom into the lower right part of the frame and Gouraud shade it.

4. Toggle between SLD and PRD layers. You will see several vertical flatbars on the plate part. Each flatbar has
an end cut where it connects to the longitudinal stiffeners on the shell and tank-top plating. Turn shading off to
see the PRD layer.
Faceplate Parts
Faceplate parts are made from flatbar stock. They are commonly used inside of through holes, such as manholes, or
on a free side of a plate part to stiffen that edge.
1. To see a faceplate on this frame click the 3D Viewpoint button. In the viewpoint fields on the top of the
dialog enter X=-1 Y=-25 Z=1.
2. Zoom to the upper portion of the frame as shown in the next figure.
3. Gouraud shade the view.

Faceplate
Part
Viewing a Nest Drawing

2. Select the Nest Page in the page list.
3. Select the drawing U12P12 and click Open.
4. The nest drawing is displayed.

Please feel free to investigate the drawing. Pay attention to the BOMs and the headers in each template. All variable
data such as nest name, plate size, weights, cutting lengths and estimated cutting time are calculated and updated
automatically by ShipConstructor.

Virtual Reality - FlyThrough
The ShipConstructor suite now includes a virtual reality flythrough feature that is powered by NavisWorks. The
ShipConstructor FlyThrough module provides a fast, easy to use virtual reality flythrough of your ShipConstructor
models inside AutoCAD.
FlyThrough allows the real-time selection of individual pieces of the model, and allows the user to obtain
information about the selected parts directly from the FlyThrough interface.
This is a very valuable tool for managers and designers alike. Parts may be checked to: ensure they are using the
correct material (color-coded by ShipConstructor) and ensure they match up in 3D. Inadequate access to tight spaces
or any other detailing mistakes that might have been overlooked are easily spotted.
Additionally AVI movies may be generated using NavisWorks for marketing or other purposes.
To enable FlyThrough for a test period of 15 days contact Albacore Research.
Creating Export Drawings

ShipConstructor makes extensive use of custom objects. Regular AutoCAD, as well as virtual reality viewers other
than FlyThrough, cannot display these objects. You must use a ShipConstructor function to convert ShipConstructor
custom objects to standard AutoCAD objects.

2. Select the Export Page in the page list.

3. Click New.
4. In the New Export Drawing dialog select the drawings that you want to include in the export drawing. All
drawings with a check mark will be included in the export drawing.
5. Click OK.
6. In the New Drawing dialog enter a drawing name.
7. Click OK.

8. The resulting drawing contains only standard AutoCAD objects . All of ShipConstructors custom objects have
been converted to standard AutoCAD objects to allow other users without ShipConstructor to use the drawing.
This drawing can be found using the Navigator Export Page.

Structure Tutorial
Overview
The tutorial consists of several sections. It will take several hours to complete the part detailing section. However, it
is not necessary to complete it in order to continue with later sections. You can simply choose to read it through and
continue with any of the next sections.
Within this section you will create several parts. In some cases we have prepared the geometry and all you must do
is the actual part definition. In other cases you will detail the parts from scratch. In particular, you will define frames
112 and 113 from scratch.
Toolbars
We will use ShipConstructor toolbar buttons on a regular basis. Shown below is the Structure toolbar. Please take a
moment to familiarize yourself with the buttons or print a copy of the figure to place beside your computer. Each of
these tools will be discussed as you continue through the tutorial.
Tool Path
Process Color
Plate Solid Flyout
Stiffener Solid Flyout
Faceplate Solid Flyout
Flange Plate Flyout
Detailing Flyout
Scallop
Fillet
Part Flyout
Part List
Insert Standard
Structure Toolbar
This is the main toolbar you will use during detailing. The horizontal rows of buttons beside the main column of
buttons are called flyout toolbars. If a toolbar flyout exists it is indicated by a little black triangle at the bottom right
of an icon.
ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial Structure Tutorial 43

Activate the toolbar flyout by holding down the left mouse button over an icon; this will cause the flyout toolbar to
appear. While the left button is held down, slide the cursor to the icon you want to activate. Then release the mouse
button.
Plate Solid Flyout Overview
Stiffener Flyout Overview

These buttons are used for creating and editing stiffeners and editing and placing down their corresponding cutouts.
Faceplate Flyout Overview

These buttons are used for creating and editing faceplates.
Flange Plate Flyout Overview

These buttons are used to shift geometry to all the different ShipConstructor layers and to toggle layers on and off.
44 Structure Tutorial ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial

Detailing Flyout Overview
These buttons are used mainly during the detailing phase.
Define Part Flyout

These buttons are used to define and undefine parts.

Structural Unit
Let us now discuss the general design of this demo unit. Several aspects of the design of this unit were chosen
purely for teaching purposes. We wanted to ensure that we did not miss any important features you might use during
your daily work. On the other hand, we wanted to keep it simple enough to fit the purpose of a tutorial.
Longitudinal Members
Center Girder - Along the center of the unit runs a longitudinal girder that penetrates all frames, except
bulkhead 106 at the aft of the unit. The thickness of the plate is on both sides of the vessel.
Margin Plate - Near the bilge area is another longitudinal girder called the margin plate. It also penetrates all
frames, except F106. The margin plate is oriented approximately vertical to the shell plating in body view. The half-
breadth of the margin plate changes at each frame; it is double skewed.
Tanktop - The tanktop plate is horizontal. It is limited on both sides by the margin plate.
Main Deck - The main deck is horizontal and flat.
Horizontal Girder - At approximately half height runs a flanged girder plate. It contains cutouts where the
frame or stiffener profiles penetrate.
Designing Frames
Overview
In the first part of the tutorial we will detail frames F112 and F113 as shown in the next figure. All parts in the frame
are symmetrical. We will detail the port side and later create the starboard parts by mirroring.
Double Bottom Panel - Each frame has a double bottom panel. This panel consists of a plate part with stiffener
cutouts and two manholes. The panel is bordered below by the shell plating, at the center by the longitudinal center

girder, on top by the tanktop, and to the right by the margin plate. It is stiffened by several flat bars that lap onto the
longitudinal stiffeners running longitudinally on the shell plating and the tanktop plate.
Flanged Margin Bracket - This is a flanged plate part with a lightening hole. It is welded to the longitudinal
margin plate and lapped with the side profile.
Side Profile - The profile is made from a 240x12 bulb flat that is shaped to fit the hull surface. Both ends are
treated with lapped endcuts.
Deck Girder - This is a plate part with cutouts for the longitudinal stiffeners on the underside of the deck plating. It
is stiffened by a faceplate on the underside. The plate part ties into the center girder and is lapped with the side
profile.
Girder Faceplate - This faceplate part is the rider plate to represent the deck girder as a built-up Tee.

Opening a Frame Drawing
We will now start detailing frame F112.
2. Select the Structure Page in the page list.

3. Select U12F112 from the tree listing on the left, and click Open. The frame drawing is displayed as shown in
the next figure.
4. Click Production Layers to ensure that you are working on the production layer.
At present, the frame consists only of the hull trace. In the lower section, cutouts have been inserted into the hull
trace. The frame was imported from ShipCAM in this form, and is based on sections cut through a 3D surface
model. Both ShipConstructor and ShipCAM can automatically insert cutouts into frames.

Marking Intersections with Structure / Intersecting UCSs
When a draft person is detailing a frame, or any other structural part, it is often necessary to get information about
other structural members that do, or might, intersect the plane of the new part. These intersecting parts may be in the
same group drawing but have different UCSs or may be from another group drawing. As long as a UCS exists for a
part, and is not parallel to a given UCS, its intersection with the UCSs in the current drawing can be marked.
It is necessary to mark on the construction UCS where it is being intersected by the tank top, main deck, center
bulkhead, and the margin plates. All the intersections, with the exception of the margin plates, are orthogonal and
therefore can be determined from other frame drawings. The margin plate is intersecting at a skewed angle and
therefore it would be very difficult to calculate the exact intersection location and intersection thickness at each
frame. ShipConstructor provides a function, for this time consuming process, to create marking lines at locations
where structural UCSs intersect.
1. Select SC Structure / Detailing / Mark Group Intersections or click on the Structure toolbar.
2. The Mark Group Intersections dialog is shown. In the data tree, in the left window labeled UCS to Mark,
the drawing you are presently in is labeled with a current document icon over top of the frame icon .
3. By default, the currently active UCS is always selected in the right window labeled Current Dwg UCS. The
current group drawing construction UCS, labeled U12F112_C is checked.
Each planar group drawing has two UCSs set up by ShipConstructor.
o Construction (molded line) UCS is name <filename>_C. (Eg. U12F112_C)
o Thickness UCS is name <filename>_T. (Eg. U12F112_T)
These two UCSs are parallel. The distance between the planes comes from the thickness of the most common plate
used in the planar group drawing.
4. The UCS To Mark tree (on the left), shows only the drawings from which other UCSs may be selected.

Note: In the event that you attempt to mark a parallel UCS, an error report will be generated
UCS To Mark The window on the left displays the UCSs that may be selected for marking. (Note: The
listed UCSs in the tree potentially may not intersect with any UCS in the current drawing i.e. the xy planes are
parallel ) Select a UCS to mark by left clicking on the check box next to it. This will place a check mark in the
box. If a selection made is parallel to the checked UCSs in the current drawing it will be added to a log file
listing the UCSs that do not intersect each other. The option to view this log file, if it exists, will come up once
the rest of the marking lines have been made.
Current Dwg UCS - The list on the right of the dialog shows all UCSs in the current group drawing (
U12F112.DWG ). The default UCSs were U12F112_C ( the construction UCS ), U12F112_T ( the thickness
UCS ) and the World UCS. Any additional UCSs in the list were created by the draft person through SC
Utilities / Activate UCS during the creation or placement of other parts in the drawing. You can select any or
all of the UCSs listed. By default the current UCS is checked.
Main UCS Only Selecting this will fill the UCS to Mark tree with only the construction and thickness
UCSs.
Construction This will show the construction UCSs available from all group drawings. The
construction UCSs end with _C.
Thickness This will show the thickness UCSs available from all group drawings. The thickness UCSs
end with _T.
Show All UCS Selecting this will fill the UCS to Mark tree so that it shows all the UCSs from all the
group drawings. This is slower than showing the Main UCS Only option because all group drawings are
queried.
UnCheck All Use this function to unselect all of the UCSs to Mark.
Throw Symbols - Check this option to create a throw symbol as shown in the figure above. The symbol
indicates the throw direction from the marking lines. These are only available for construction and thickness
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.
UCS Text - Checking this option creates 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.
5. Once all values are entered in the dialog as shown below, click OK.

6. The markings are created as shown in the next figure. All lines are 10% longer than the extents of the drawing.
You will need to trim the lines later to their appropriate sizes using standard AutoCAD trimming.

Scallops
Note: Before we start the scallop command, please make sure that AutoCAD has the same OSNAP options as
shown in the next dialog. During many of our training sessions, we have noticed that users have disabled some of
the new features in AutoCAD2000/2004. This is mostly an attempt by the user to make AutoCAD2000 act the same
as R12. ShipConstructor relies heavily on new AutoCAD2000/2004 features.
1. From the AutoCAD menu, select Tools / Options. In the dialog click the Drafting tab. Make sure that all
check boxes in the AutoSnap section are checked as shown.
We are now ready to start detailing the bottom panel in this frame. The next figure shows the fully detailed panel.
Scallops, mouse holes or rat holes are often used in the detailing process. ShipConstructor provides a function to
draw these quickly and conveniently. The standard scallop size we will use is 30mm. This part requires four scallops
as indicated in the figure above.
1. Zoom to the lower left area of the current drawing as shown, where the frame trace meets centerline. We need
two 30mm scallops where the frame part meets the center girder.

2. Select SC Utilities / Scallop or click on the Structure toolbar. If no radius was set previously, you will
be prompted to enter a default radius.
Scallop radius:
3. Enter 30 at the prompt and press ENTER.

Current scallop radius = 30.000 mm
Radius/Lines/<Select Center>:
4. The default option is to select the center of the scallop. ShipConstructor automatically changes the OSNAP to
INTERSECTION and END.
5. Click the intersection between the hull frame trace and the port side marking line of the center girder.
Pick direction of scallop:
6. In this case, the desired direction is to the top-right, so click anywhere above and to the right of the
intersection.
7. The scallop is drawn as shown in the next figure.
8. Press ENTER to start the scallop command again.

9. Make another scallop, at the intersection of the tanktop and the center girder.
10. We recommend a clean up after work such as this. Please erase the starboard side vertical line indicating the
far side of the center girder. Also erase the upper tanktop marking line, and the small line near the
bottom scallop left over from the scallop command.
11. The result should look like this.
12. Pan to the right until you arrive at the intersection with the margin plate.
13. Create two scallops at the intersections of the frame hull trace with the margin plate and the tanktop with the
margin plate.
14. To clean up, erase the trimmed portions of the margin plate marking line. Be sure to leave the thickness
line of the margin plate alone.
15. The result should look like the following figure.
Manager Profiles & Plates Library

In the next step we will insert cutouts at the locations where the stiffeners under the tanktop intersect the frame. The
shapes of the cutouts have been previously defined in an AutoCAD drawing, and set up in Manager in the Stocks
Library.

The project database contains pre-defined stock 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.
For this demo we started with the supplied metric database and removed all stocks that are not used in the demo. We
will now take a brief look at the stocks defined in the database file.
1. Select ShipConstructor / Run Manager or click on the ShipConstructor toolbar. Manager will start
and show the Login dialog.
2. Enter:
User Name: demo
Password: demo
3. The following window is shown.
4. Select the Libraries / Stocks menu item to display the Stock Library dialog, then select Bulb Flats in the
tree control on the left.

5. In the list of Bulb Flats on the right highlight the stock BF160X09 and observe the data for it. The data is
summarized in table format which makes viewing the complete set difficult
6. Launch the Edit Stock dialog by double clicking the BF160X09 item in the list or select it and press the Edit
button.
The properties of the profile as well as a preview of the profile are conveniently displayed. Extruded stock
properties are common to all profiles:
Name - The name of the stock.
Material - The material the stock uses. The particulars of each material are set up in the Materials
Library.
Description - This field is also optional and contains a user-defined description of the stock currently
selected.
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. Planning colors
carefully can help you detect incorrect stock selection in a group or unit drawing before production
packages are issued.
Web Thickness - Thickness of the web. Used to draw the hidden lines in the profile plots.

Flange Thickness - Thickness of the flange. Used to draw the hidden lines in the profile plots.
Web Neutral Axis - Distance of the neutral axis from the foot point for bending in the web plane.
Flange Neutral Axis - Distance of the neutral axis from the foot point for bending in the flange plane.
Nesting Gap (kerf) - Used in the Profile Nesting module to space the parts according to the specified
gap.
Min Remnant Length - The minimum length of stock required to form a remnant during the nesting
process.
X-Section Drawing - This contains the name of an AutoCAD drawing. The drawing contains the cross
section of the profile, as found in the suppliers catalog. The cross section is a single closed polyline. The
profile cross-section files are stored in the standards/profile folder inside the project directory.
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.
7. Close the Edit Stock Dialog and the Stocks Library dialog.
8. Return to ShipConstructor now. Remember you do not need to close Manager. Just use the Windows task
bar buttons to switch back to ShipConstructor.
Cutout and Profile Insertion

The tanktop plate has stiffeners on the underside. The stiffeners align with those on the external shell plating. They
are made from BF160X09 stock. This stock is defined in the project database.
Cutouts
We will now insert outlines of the profiles and the related cutouts.
1. Select SC Structure / Detailing / Insert Stiffener Cutouts From Group or click , found on the
detailing fly out. The next dialog is shown.
2. ShipConstructor automatically detects Stiffeners, Faceplates and Twisted Stiffeners intersecting with the current
2D Group and inserts correctly oriented and scaled cutouts. Currently we just want to insert Cutouts from the
U12TTOP, so select U12TTOP from the list and choose Profile and Non-tight cutout as your insertion
options. Click OK then zoom to the drawing extents.

3. ShipConstructor automatically inserts the cutouts and trims them to the line representing tanktop under side.
4. Zoom your view so that you can see the lower part of the frame. Your drawing should look like this:
5. Erase the unused tanktop cutouts as they are not needed.
Replicate Objects to Other Groups

Some of the work we have done so far can be used in other frames. In our case frames 112 and 113 remain to be
finished. Normally we could replicate a portion of what we draft in one frame to all the other frames. So far, only the
cutouts and the trimmed lines we just drew are the same for F112 and F113.
1. Set your view as shown in the figure.

2. Select SC Structure / Detailing / Replicate Objects to Other Groups.
3. Drag a selection window (see figure above) to select the six new profiles and cutouts we created and the
line segments between them, as shown in the box in the above figure. After selecting these objects, the
following dialog will be displayed.
4. In the dialog select only U12F113, as this is the only other frame that is not yet finished. A command line
message will inform you when the copying is finished. Ignore the To Other Units button.
5. We want to confirm now that the replicate command did the job correctly. Select ShipConstructor / Xref
Groups or click .
Note: You do not need a license to use this command. This is very useful if you have clients who you want to view
the 3D model. Just create a CD with your project on it. See the Manager manual for Transferring a Project. The
procedure you need to follow is the To package the project for transfer. Your client needs to install the demo and
then follow the directions outlined in To un-package a project. Then they can just use the XREF command to view
the 3D model.

6. Select U12F113 click OK. U12F113 will be inserted into the drawing of frame 112. U12F112 cannot be
unchecked as it is the current drawing, indicated by the current document icon over top of the frame icon.
7. Set up a 3D viewpoint by clicking and selecting a FWD STBD UP viewpoint.
8. The drawing should look like this. Frame 113 now contains the cutouts under the tanktop as does frame 112.

9. Click again and click Uncheck All to deselect the attached frame 113. Then click OK.
10. Click again and set a body looking aft viewpoint.
Toolpath
In order for ShipConstructor to be able create a toolpath, and NC-Pyros to create NC-Code, the outside of the part
must be a closed 2D polyline (which AutoCAD calls a lightweight polyline, or simply a polyline). ShipConstructor
provides a command to test a toolpath.
1. In drawing U12F112 zoom to the lower portion of the frame. Ensure that the complete area of the structure
below the tanktop between the center girder and the margin plate is visible.
2. Click Toolpath from the toolbar.

3. Select the lower hull trace only as shown in the figure by clicking on it. We now have one portion of the
toolpath selected. Do not press ENTER or right click yet. We still need to add objects to the selection.
4. Now select all objects of the outside toolpath by dragging a window as shown in the figure above. It does not
matter if you select objects that are not part of the toolpath. The command will only connect objects with no
gaps or a gap less than the tolerance specified in Manager. Small gaps will be closed if they do not exceed the
Snap tolerance specified in Manager.
5. Press ENTER.

6. The dialog shows the result of the operation. In this case the toolpath has been generated from 20 objects.
Fifteen objects were unused/invalid, namely the 12 profiles and the 2 UCS-marking items (the throw symbol
and the text). The window selection included a text object, which cannot be part of a toolpath. Click OK. The
actual number of unused/invalid objects may vary depending on the clean up you did.
7. The Process dialog sets the NC processing type for the toolpath. The processing type is important for NC-
code generation using NC-Pyros. The process type in ShipConstructor is determined by color. The following
NC processing types are supported:
Outside Cut - Has to be a closed toolpath. This path will be cut with a gas, plasma, laser or water-jet
cutter. NC-Pyros will instruct the cutting machine to move the cutter on the outside of the line using the
kerf (offset from the actual path) set in the NC cutting machine. Thus, the cut part will be the correct size.
Inside Cut - Has to be a closed toolpath. This will be cut with a gas, plasma, laser or water-jet cutter. NC-
Pyros will instruct the cutting machine to move the cutter on the inside of the line using the kerf (offset
from the actual path) set in the NC cutting machine. Thus, the cut hole will be the correct size.
Marking - Can be a closed or open path or text. These objects will be processed with a marking tool, such
as a zinc-powder marker, a scriber, or an ink-jet print head. NC-Pyros will instruct the marker to travel
directly on the path.
No Process - Can be closed, open or text. These objects will be ignored by NC-Pyros. No code is
generated. However, you can choose to show these objects in the nest as additional or clarifying
information for the user.
8. Select Outside Cut and click OK.
9. The toolpath is now colored in the outside cut color.
Manager Process Color Setup

The process colors that you just saw are set in Manager for the project. You can decide which colors you want to use
at the start of a new project. Let us look into Manager now and see where the color setup is located.
1. Switch to Manager now.
2. Select Settings / Project and select the Colors tab. It shows the colors used for this project. You can
select any colors you like at the start of the project. Do not change the process colors in the middle of a
project, as you would have to update all drawings with the new colors manually.

3. Click Cancel.
Inserting the Manholes

The double bottom part has two manholes for access. The size is 500mm by 366mm with 100mm corner radius.
1. Switch back to ShipConstructor.

2. Make sure you are in drawing U12F112 and the production layer is active.
3. Draft a manhole as shown in the figure using regular CAD drafting. Draw lines at the dimensioned positions
and fillet the corner using a 100mm radius.
4. Use the toolpath command to connect the objects of the manhole to a toolpath.
5. Use the Inside cut process color.

6. Now copy this manhole to create the second one. The distance between the two manholes is 1800mm.
7. The manholes are the same for frame 113. We will replicate the manholes from U12F112 to U12F113. Select
SC Structure / Detailing / Replicate Objects to Other Groups.
8. Select the two manholes.
9. In the dialog select F113 only and click OK.
10. The manholes are replicated to the drawing U12F113.

11. Save the changes.
View Progress in the 3D Unit

We have made good progress in our two frame drawings. We will check the unit drawing to make sure that
everything is in the right position.
1. Select ShipConstructor / Navigator or click . In the dialog click on the Project Page and then click
the Open button to open the 3D Unit drawing of U12.

9. The unit drawing opens. You may see already that the Unit drawing has been updated automatically. You might
also have changed settings in the 3D Unit drawing. In order to stay synchronized with this tutorial, please
perform the following steps.
10. Click the Production Layers button to switch the production layer on. Also, select View / Shade 2D
Wireframe or click to make sure a regular view is established.
11. Click the 3D View button and set the viewpoint to FROM FWD STBD UP.
12. The drawing is much too busy to allow us to get a clear view of our drafting. We will hide some of the
structure. Click the Layer Visibility button. The Visibility dialog is displayed.
13. Set the visibility as shown in the dialog by clicking on the light bulbs. Click the All Off button. Then click ON
the light bulbs as shown. We only want to see frames F112 and F113.

14. Click the 3D View button and select different views to investigate your progress from different view
directions.
Plate Solids
It is now time to create your first plate solid. As you may know already, it is hard to visualize a 3D wire model. It is
much easier to view a drawing with solids, which enables hidden lines removal and even shading and rendering.
Also solids allow us to:
Find the CG position.
Find the solid volume and with the specific density of the material we can calculate the weight.
Perform interference checks between structural parts and with Pipe or Outfit parts.
1. Select ShipConstructor / Navigator or click and open the group drawing U12F112.
2. Zoom to the outside toolpath of the floor with the manholes on which we have been working.
3. Click the Plate Solid button.

4. Select the Outside toolpath and the two manholes. If you select any other objects you will see a warning
message.
5. The Plate Solid dialog allows you to select the plate stock to use for the plate solid. We want to use a 10mm
plate stock and the thickness of the plate is throwing Aft.

6. Make sure you select the PL10 stock and set the Plate Throw Dir to Aft. Click OK. The plate solid is created
7. Click the Gouraud Shade button to shade the frame drawing. It should look the same as in the next
figure.
Creating Stiffeners from Flatbar Stock

The double bottom plate, for which we just created the solid, has to be stiffened by several flatbars. The flatbars
overlap the longitudinal stiffeners by 50mm. The figure below shows a cross section reference of a longitudinal
stiffener under the tanktop.

ShipConstructor creates stiffeners, in this case made from the flatbar, by extruding the cross section along an
extrusion path. The extrusion path will be represented by a straight line from the lower profile to the upper profile.
Creating the Stiffener Extrusion Lines
1. Click the Production Layers button to switch the production layer on.
2. Make sure OSNAP END is on. It is easiest to pick the correct position if this is the only OSNAP on.
3. Hide the outside toolpath temporarily, to avoid snapping problems.

4. Zoom close enough to allow proper snapping to the lower and upper profile representations.
5. Draw a line from the upper outside point of the lower profile (see figure above) to the lower outside point of
the upper profile.
6. Repeat for all profiles. See figure below.

7. Unhide the outside toolpath.
Generating the Flatbar Stiffeners

You are now ready to create flatbar stiffeners along each line.
1. Zoom to see all extrusion lines. (See above).
2. Click the Stiffener Solid button. The prompt reads:

Select lines or 2D polylines to extrude stiffener along:
3. Select all vertical extrusion lines. The prompt reads:
Select plate solid<Enter for none>:
4. ShipConstructor switches from the production layer to the solid layer. Select the plate solid to which the
stiffeners attach. Pick on the edge of the plate solid that you created a few steps ago. Press Enter.
From the plate solid, ShipConstructor looks up the orientation, thickness and the throw direction to calculate the
prompts for the next dialog, such as stiffener throw direction port or starboard.
5. In the dialog select:
Stock: FB100x12
Attach to: Fwd Side
Toe Direction: Port
Endcuts Start and End: LAP075
Trim 1 & Trim 2: None
Lengthen/Shorten Ends: Set this to 50 to achieve an overlap of 50mm of the vertical flatbars with the
longitudinal stiffeners.
Generate Marking Lines: checked

6. Click OK.
7. Because we selected to generate marking lines, the following Marking Line Editor appears.
8. Select the STIFFENERS style and click OK.

9. The production geometry of a part will be used for nesting and NC cutting. Thus, we have to create the
geometry in the same way that we want the NC-cutting machine to cut the part from plate stock, including any
marking. Most companies mark plate parts where stiffeners or brackets attach. We want to create stiffener
markings as shown in the figure. The marking line is 50mm long with a gap of 25mm to the profile. The throw
line is pointing outboard and is 25mm long.
10. You should now see the new stiffener solids. In order to verify the correctness of our work, we will view the
shaded result with the tanktop from a different angle.
11. Click to Xref.

12. In the dialog check the tanktop U12TTOP drawing and click OK. The tanktop drawing is loaded.

13. Click the Solid Layer _SLD button.
14. Click the 3D Viewpoint button and select view FROM FWD PORT DOWN.
15. Zoom to the plate part with the stiffeners.
16. Shade the drawing and use the 3D Orbit function. It should look similar to:

15. Remove the tanktop by clicking the Xref Groups button and clicking Uncheck All and then OK.
16. If you switch to the production layer by clicking and switch back to 2D wireframe mode , you will
see the original lines that you had drawn are now marking lines.
Defining Stiffener Parts

We will now define the parts for the flatbar stiffeners on the bottom plate in F112. Until now we have only created
CAD geometry. ShipConstructor is very powerful in this respect because it gives each part a name, which allows it
to track the part through the complete design and change process. A ShipConstructor part consists of CAD geometry
and data in the project database.
1. In the U12F112 drawing, click the 3D Viewpoint button and select the Plan tab.
2. Select the body view Body Forward to Aft. Click OK.

3. The 3D view changes to a Body Forward to Aft view. We will define our parts in this view.
4. Zoom to the inboard stiffener as shown.
5. Click the Define Part button. The prompt reads:

Select solid:
6. Click on the inboard stiffener solid.
7. The Select Paint dialog is displayed. This dialog is only displayed the first time you create a part to ensure
that the right default paint will be used for this part. During later part creations the same paint will be suggested
for each part. Select NO from the list and click OK.

8. The part properties dialog is displayed as shown. Most data is grayed-out, as it cannot be changed. Only a few
items are user selectable. These are as follows:
Part Name: At the top left is the part name displayed.

Many different conventions are used to create part names. ShipConstructor can support many of them. In
general, a part name is constructed of a part name body, an extension and a suffix. In this case we are
not using the suffix option; the field for it is grayed. In most cases ShipConstructor can create the body, the
extension and the suffix automatically. In this case the body is the name of the group drawing
(U12F112-). Use the Manager settings to change how the body of the part name is created. Several
different extension conventions are commonly used. We will use a letter such as S for stiffener, P
for plate and F for faceplate to indicate the stock type. The extension is followed by a number. It is
good practice to use leading zeros (001, 002, etc.) to ensure proper alphabetic sorting in lists. The
Next# button can be used to find the next available extension of the same type. ShipConstructor detects
duplicate part names and rejects them.
Assembly: This tree dialog displays the assembly to which the part belongs. It is up to the user to define
how the unit will be assembled. In this case we attach the part to a panel called F112 inside the
Assembly called DB (double bottom), which belongs to Unit U12. You may need to expand the tree to
select F112.
Show Parts: If checked, shows all parts in the assembly tree. This option can slow down displaying the
tree if you have thousands of parts and is therefore optional.
Part Block: This is the only completely unique identifier of a part. In some cases, 2 or more parts may
share the same name if they are exact copies of each other. The Part Block is comprised of the letter A
followed by the parts Part ID, which is always unique. This field will remain Undefined until this
process is complete.
Type: Type of stock used. In this case, it is a faceplate or flatbar stock.

Stock: This is the stock name used to make the solid.
Material: A36 as defined by the stock in the project database.
Paint: Set to No. This part will not be painted before assembly.
LCG, TCG, VCG: Center of gravity.
Weight: The weight in kilograms. You can set the weight units in Manager to pounds, short tons, long
tons, kilograms, or metric tons. You can change this at any time. The weight is always calculated on the fly
when needed. If you need a report in pounds, just change the setting in Manager and view the report.
Length: Length of the stiffener in meters. In Manager you can set inches, feet (also as fractions),
millimeters, centimeters, and meters.
Throw: This field describes the thickness throw of a part and can have one of six values: Up, Down, Port,
Starboard, Forward, or Aft.
Descriptions: Each part can have two descriptions. It is up to the user to add the description.
Profile End Treatments: This describes both the Start and End Endcuts of the stiffener along with
information on the angles of the trims applied to both the web and flange of each end. Information will be
displayed here only for stiffener parts.
Part Side: The part side is automatically decided by the value of the transverse center of gravity. A
positive TCG indicates a port side part; a negative TCG indicates a starboard side part.
All this information will be added to the project database and can be recalled at anytime.
9. Enter the settings as shown in the screen shot above. Click OK.
10. The Annotation dialog allows you to set:

Piecemark Size: Enter 25 in this case. It is the text height to be used for the piecemark.
Leader Line: Check this if you want your piecemark to a have a flyout leader line attached to it.
Osnap Settings: Lets you set Osnap options for creating the piecemark.
11. Use the settings as shown in the dialog. Click OK. The prompt reads:
Select position of piecemark:
12. A small indicator circle is placed by ShipConstructor at the position where you picked the solid. This is
useful when you have many parts close together, as you may not remember which one you picked.
13. The piecemark is displayed parallel to the stiffener. Select a position near the stiffener. You can now rotate the
piecemark by moving the cursor or just press ENTER to accept the vertical position. Choose the vertical
position as shown.

Congratulations! You have just created your first part. Now we need to create parts for the rest of the stiffeners.
1. Click the Define Part button again.

2. Select the next stiffener solid.
3. The Part Properties dialog is shown for this part. The part extension is automatically incremented to
S002. You just need to click OK.
4. Create the piecemark as before.
5. Repeat the previous steps for all other stiffeners. The result looks like this:

Part List Dialog
The part list dialog displays all parts within one drawing. It is a convenient way to check the major settings of all
parts and make modifications to any one of the parts. This dialog is modeless, which means that while the dialog is
displayed you can still access the drawing and use any AutoCAD or ShipConstructor command.
1. Click the Part List button. The part list dialog is displayed as shown.
2. The dialog lists all parts with all properties that are user selectable.
3. The dialog has a pop-up menu. Right-click on any part in the list. A menu pops up.

4. Select Properties from the menu. The Part Properties dialog, as seen during part creation, is displayed.
You can now change any parameter that might have been wrongly assigned. Click OK or Cancel to close the
dialog.
5. Close the Part List dialog by clicking on the X in the upper right corner of the dialog.
Part Orientation Icon

A part orientation icon simplifies assembly and prevents potential errors. ShipConstructor can create a part
orientation icon automatically with the appropriate text from a template. The template can be modified to suit your
personal needs. We will simply use the supplied template, which will look like the following figure when used on a
frame. The actual wording changes, depending on the orientation of the part.
1. Zoom to the left side of the double bottom plate part.
2. Click the Part Orientation Icon button.

3. In the dialog you can choose the template icon to use, if you have several defined. You can also choose the size
of the icon. Choose an Icon Scale of 1.
4. The prompt asks for a location of the icon. Click anywhere inside the part. You will choose the final location
later. Make sure that the click point is on the port side, otherwise you will get a reversed icon pointing to
starboard.
5. You can now adjust the final position. A good location is shown in the next figure.

Weld Shrinkage
ShipConstructor can now handle weld shrinkage. Weld shrinkage is the amount a material will shrink when items
such as stiffeners are welded onto the part. Weld shrinkage will differ depending on the type of material, parameters
of welding, start temperature of the part to weld (summer or winter) and more. The welding process has to be
repeated exactly to repeat the same weld shrinkage. Most time weld shrinkage is considered based on statistical test
data when using panel lines. In many cases companies perform test welds and obtain the shrinkage data or base the
values on accuracy control data from previous projects. A good starting point for large vessel steel construction is
1mm of shrinkage per one item of continuous weld. We will use this value in our part definition.
1. Click the Weld Shrinkage button in the detailing flyout toolbar.

2. In the dialog select the settings as shown. Click OK. In our case we have six stiffeners so enter 6 in the X
stretch box.
3. Select the position and orientation for the weld shrinkage icon as shown in the figure below. You will notice
that the rotation of the icon is of the Y axis. This is so you can align it with a stiffener.

During nesting ShipConstructor will oversize the plate part in each direction of the weld shrinkage icon by the value
given. In this case, 6mm in the horizontal axis and 0mm in the vertical axis. The icon can be rotated in any direction
to accommodate weld shrinkage depending on the direction of the welding.
Defining the Plate Part

The bottom plate part can now be defined. Remember that the part definition is used for nesting. All objects that we
want to be processed need to be in the appropriate color.
1. Make sure that all longitudinal stiffener cross-sections are using the No Process color. We will include
them in the part, thus they will be nested. However, because they are in the No Process color, NC-Pyros will
ignore them.
2. Zoom such that you can see the bottom plate part.
3. You can erase the thickness throw icon above the part (see figures)
4. Move the U12TTOP_C, the U12LBHC_C, and the U12MRGNP_C text inside of the part as shown. Reduce
the text size to 50mm if not done so already.
5. Click the Define Part button. The command switches to the solid layer.
Select solid:
6. Click on the plate solid.

7. The command switches to the production layer.

Select production objects for part:
8. Select the outside toolpath and all objects inside of it, including all profile cross-sections and all stiffener
piecemarks. Press ENTER.
9. The first time you create a part you will be prompted to select a default paint setting for it. On later parts, this
dialog will be skipped. However, you can use the Part dialog to change the paint settings.
10. The Part dialog is displayed. Enter all settings as shown below.
Part Name: Set the part name extension to P001 as this is the first plate part. Click OK.
11. Set the Piecemark Size to 50. We want to emphasize the plate part piecemark over the stiffener piecemarks,
which are 25mm.
12. Place the piecemark in a prominent position in the part. See figure. We now have a plate part that is stiffened by
several flatbar stiffeners.

13. Zoom closely into one of the stiffener piecemarks. You will see that the piecemark text is displayed twice.
One is offset a little from the other, and the colors are different. Remember that parts are AutoCAD blocks. We
set up ShipConstructor to include the text of all attached stiffeners into the plate part. To achieve this, the text
has to be duplicated, as we need it once for the actual stiffener part, and once inside the plate part
block for nesting.
14. Save the drawing.
Practice: Check the progress so far in the unit drawing. Please follow the steps earlier in this chapter on opening
the unit drawing, changing the visibility of individual groups and shading the unit drawing. The result should look
like the figure below.

Adding Objects to an Existing Part
Sometimes you will find that you forget to include a marking line or similar when defining a plate part. You can add
objects later on by using the Add Objects function.
To practice this we will add a marking line to the newly created plate part in F112, for instance to attach a bracket or
something similar.
1. In drawing U12F112.
2. Draw a vertical line on the part. Choose a convenient location. Place some text, size 25, angle 90, beside the
line, such as BRACKET.
3. Set the process color of the text and the line to Marking. You will get an error message if you do not assign
specific colors.

4. Select SC Structure / Part / Add Objects.
5. Select the plate part. You can click anywhere on the plate part to select it.
6. Press ENTER to continue.
7. Select the line and the text. Press ENTER. The two objects are added to the part.
Frame Deck Girder with Faceplate

The deck girder is made up of a plate part 500mm deep and a faceplate at the lower side. The plate has cutouts for
the stiffeners under the main deck at the same half-breadth locations as the double bottom part. All corners require
scallops.
Many of the commands used in this part have been used before. We hope that you remember them from the previous
sections. Whenever we use a command used in the previous section, then we will describe its use in an abbreviated
form.
1. In U12F112.DWG, Insert cutouts for the stiffeners running under the main deck. Refer to the previous
sections when we inserted the stiffeners for the tanktop.
2. Remove the main-deck thickness marking line and throw symbol.
3. Trim the deck line to the cutouts.
4. Draw a horizontal line 500mm below the main deck.
5. Zoom to the outside portion of the deck beam as shown.
6. A short portion of the outside hull trace of the frame is needed for the deck girder, but it is also needed for the
profile that makes up the side of the frame. We will make a copy of it onto the revision layer for later. Thus
we can trim it up for our use now and use the copy later on.
7. Select SC Utilities / Layer / Copy Geometry to Layer or click .

8. Click on the outside frame trace. Press ENTER. The Copy Geometry to Layer dialog is displayed.

9. Highlight the layer REV and click OK.
10. Now trim the outside of the toolpath and insert the scallops. See figure.
11. Now finish the portion of the plate that ties into the center girder. Remember to use the port side marking of the
center girder. Use the Mark Group Intersections function to draw the lines of the center girder on the
frame again. Use the UnCheck All button and then select only the U12BHC.

7.5mm off center
12. Create a toolpath for the outside of this plate part now.
13. Create a plate solid for the part using 10mm stock, thickness throw aft.
2D Group Xref
First we will clean up the drawing a little. Erase all help lines and marking lines that we do not need, such as the
marking lines for HGRDR. You can also trim the MRGN line to the tanktop and the hull. Also, please erase the left
over piece of the hull trace. We will later recover it from the copy that we made to the revision layer. The result
should look like this:

In some cases it is very helpful to see the crossing structure from other group drawings. In our case we will load the
longitudinal girder U12LBHC into the frame drawing U12F112. We need to find where the faceplates of the center
girder and the frame tie into each other. We could calculate the location, but errors are easily made.
long. deck girder
frame deck girder
faceplate connection location
1. In U12F112 set the viewpoint FWD PRT UP.
2. Click .

3. In the dialog check U12LBHC and click OK.
4. Zoom to the deck girder intersection between the frame and the longitudinal girder.
5. Activate the production and the solid layers.
6. Gouraud shade the drawing. See figure.

Finding the Inside End of the Faceplate
We want to find the transverse position of the faceplate under the center girder. We will draw a short vertical line on
the frame to mark that position.
1. Switch the drawing shade mode back to 2D wireframe View / Shade / 2D Wireframe.
2. Click to activate the production _PRD and solid _SLD layers.

3. We need to use point filters to draw this line. If you are not familiar with point filters, you might want to read
up on them in the AutoCAD documentation.
4. Start the LINE command. At the prompt type .XY and press ENTER. Make sure to enter the dot in front of
the XY. We are telling AutoCAD only to use the X and Y coordinates of the pick point.
5. Select OSNAP SNAP TO NEAREST.
6. Place the cursor over one of the two lines indicating the near edge of the faceplate on the longitudinal girder and
wait until the SNAPTIP is displayed. Press the mouse button to get the coordinates. The command line reads:
LINE From point: .XY of (need Z):
7. Type 0 at the command prompt, press ENTER.

8. With ORTHO on, draw a short vertical line to mark the position.
9. Click .
10. From the dialog uncheck U12LBHC and click OK.
11. Set a body view.
12. Activate the production layer only.
13. Zoom to the deck girder inboard side.
14. Trim the vertical line to the lower edge of the plate part if required.
15. ID one of the end points on the marking line. It should have an X coordinate of 75mm.
75mm off center

Finding the Outside End of the Faceplate
The next figure shows the situation at the connection of the faceplate outboard with the BF240X12 profile running
down the shell plating side of the hull. We have not created the outside stiffener solid yet. We will do that later. We
need to draw a vertical marking line for the outside end of the faceplate.
1. Zoom to the outside end of the frame deck girder.
2. Click the Activate Layer button and select REV to activate the revision layer.
3. Click the Copy Geometry to Layer button and make a copy of the outside hull trace to the production
_PRD layer.
4. Activate the production _PRD layer.

5. Offset the hull trace 240mm inboard.
6. Draw a line 20mm (thickness of the flatbar for the faceplate) below the lower edge of the deck girder.
7. Draw a line from the intersection of the two new lines vertically upwards.
8. Trim the vertical line at the underside of the girder. See figure.

9. Erase all helping lines except for the vertical line marking the end of the faceplate. This is the outside
endpoint of the faceplate.
Faceplate for Deck Girder

We are now ready to create the faceplate.
1. Zoom so that you can see the deck girder web plate in total.
2. Click the Faceplate Solid button.

Select faceplate path:
Select Line, Arc, or Polyline for Faceplate creation:
3. Select the outside toolpath of the deck girder web plate.
4. The command activates the solid layer and prompts:
Select solid:
5. Click on the plate solid of the girder. ShipConstructor looks up the stock, throw direction and thickness, in
order to be able to calculate the faceplate position.

6. Set the parameters in the next dialog as shown in the figure.
Stock Name: Stock to be used. We use FB150X20. The dialog lists all the particulars of the flatbar stock.
Endcuts: Used to define both the start and end endcuts of the faceplate.
Plate Data: The particulars of the plate stock of the girder to which the faceplate will be attached.
Path: Closed or open. We will make an open faceplate. Closed faceplates are normally used for
manholes.
Make start and end symbols: If checked, ShipConstructor will create symbols to mark the start and the
end of the faceplate on the plate stock. You can NC mark these to enhance assembly accuracy.
Start symbol end symbol
Lengthen(+) Shorten(-): Allows you to make the faceplate longer or shorter than the actually selected
segment length.
Position: There are several predefined positions of the faceplate, plus an option for a user defined
position.
7. Click OK when the settings are done.
Select the start point of the faceplate:
8. Click the start point on the marking line that we drew near the center girder.
Select the end point of the faceplate:
9. Click the end point on the marking line that we drew near the outside.
Select segment for faceplate:
10. ShipConstructor has now divided the outside toolpath of the deck girder web plate into two segments: pick the
segment (OSNAP NEAR is automatically on) for which we want to make the faceplate.
Pick Face Plate Thickness direction
11. Pick anywhere below the girder to indicate on which side of the line the faceplate has to be made.
12. ShipConstructor creates the faceplate and the start and end symbols.
13. Set the viewpoint to FROM FWD STBD UP.

14. Zoom to the inboard portion of the deck girder, activate the production and solid layers and shade it.
Start Symbol
15. Zoom to the outboard portion of the deck girder and note that the end symbol matches the end point of the
flange.
End Symbol
16. Set viewpoint to Body.

17. Activate the production layer.
18. Erase the two marking lines we made to pick the start and end of the faceplate.
Defining the Faceplate Part

We can now define the part for the faceplate. The piecemark for the faceplate will be placed on the web part of the
girder. This way the piecemark will be later marked on the nested part. Assembly will be easy, as the web plate part
has start and end positions as well as the name of the faceplate marked automatically onto it.

Practice: Define the faceplate part as shown in the figure. Make sure you use the following parameters:
Piecemark name extension: F001

Assembly: MDK - main deck. The faceplate, together with the girder portion, will be assembled to the
main deck assembly, NOT the double bottom. When we make assembly drawings this part will be
automatically shown in the deck assembly.
Practice: Place a part orientation icon in the left portion of the girder part.
Practice: Define the deck girder part. For the piecemark use the extension P003, as this will be the third plate
part. P002 will be the flanged margin bracket. Make sure you select all objects for this part that are inside the girder
toolpath.

Practice: Create the same parts for frame 113.
Flanged Margin Plate

The figure below shows a shaded view of a finished flanged margin plate, as we will now create one. The viewpoint
is set to AFT STBD UP. This part has a few special features:
It is flanged. We will learn how to make a flanged part.
It intersects with a skewed longitudinal. The gap between the double bottom plate of the frame and the margin
plate has to be larger than the thickness of the longitudinal because of its skewed orientation.
Correcting the Gap

The margin bracket has to be corrected where it connects to the longitudinal margin plate. The margin plate is 15mm
thick. If you measure the distance between the two marking lines that ShipConstructor created (you used the inside
one to create the double bottom part), you will find that it is 15.2956mm.
This dimension is the opening gap on the construction UCS. We have to increase this value. To find out by how
much, we need to know where the outside of the margin plate is at the aft thickness of the bracket. See figure below.
Double bottom
Margin bracket
Thickness UCS
Construction UCS
Construction UCS opening
Skewed longitudinal

ShipConstructor creates two UCSs in every group drawing: the construction and the thickness UCS.
The construction UCS is at the plane where the planar group is defined; for a frame it is the longitudinal location.
The thickness UCS is at the other side of the specified main thickness of the plating in this group drawing. During
creation of the group drawing ShipConstructor asks you to enter the thickness of the planar group and the throw
direction. For this frame the main thickness is 10mm and the throw direction is aft.
The longitudinal margin plate is 15mm thick and the throw direction is outboard. If we activate the thickness throw
UCS of the frame and then create the marking lines for the margin plate, we will get the outboard intersection as
shown in the figure above.
1. Zoom to the area where the margin bracket ties to the double bottom panel.
2. Click the Activate UCS button.

3. In the dialog select the UCS U12F112_T. The _T indicates the thickness throw UCS. Click Activate.
4. Click the Mark Group Intersections button.

5. In the next dialog make sure the Main UCS Only is selected and the Construction and Thickness are checked
then click OK.

6. A warning will be displayed. Click OK
7. The command creates two marking lines: one for the inside and one for the outside of the margin plate.
8. Click the Activate UCS button and activate the construction UCS U12F112_C.
9. Click the 3D to 2D button and click on the two newly created marking lines. The marking lines were
created on the thickness throw UCS and therefore had a Z value of -10 relative to the construction UCS. We
would not be able to use them for a toolpath.
10. Zoom closely into the lower right scallop of the double bottom part as shown.
Outside on construction UCS
Outside on thickness UCS
Dist. 1.9951
Inside on construction UCS
Inside on thickness UCS

11. You can measure the extra gap width required by obtaining the distance perpendicular from one corner of
the double bottom panel scallop outside marking line. It is 17.2907.
12. Erase all inside marking lines except the one most port.
Margin Bracket Toolpath

We will now define the toolpath for the flanged margin bracket.
1. Zoom to the margin bracket area.

2. You may need to get a copy of the original frame trace from the revision _REV layer before you can proceed.
3. Draw a line at 1750mm height as shown.
4. Offset the hull trace 500mm inboard. You should now have a screen similar to the one shown in the figure
above.
5. Draw a line from the intersection of the horizontal tanktop marking with the margin plate intersection
marking to the intersection of the line at 1750 with the polyline 500 inside the hull trace.
6. Erase the inside hull trace.

7. Trim the remaining lines as shown in the next figure.
8. Create scallops at the connection of the margin bracket to the margin plate.

9. Create a toolpath for the outside of the margin bracket.
10. You might get an error message as shown below. ShipConstructor detected that a gap is produced by an
AutoCAD trimming error. In many cases AutoCAD trims only the segment of the polyline that you picked. In
this case, the gap distance is 15.7720mm. Even if it is a small distance, it will cause the NC code generation to
fail or the part may be damaged due to erratic torch movements.
11. Click on the Create End Circles button.

12. Select Outside Cut for the Process Color. Click OK.
13. ShipConstructor creates circles of the specified diameter around the two open ends of the polyline. In this case
we can see there is a problem at the top right corner of the margin bracket.
Not trimmed properly

14. To fix the problem you need to trim the small portion.
15. Erase the circles.
16. Create a toolpath again. This time it should work.
Margin Bracket Solid

So far, we have ignored the fact that the margin bracket will be flanged. All that we are drawing at the moment is
what will be visible in body view. The flange will be created after we make the solid for the flat plate without the
flange.
Users are no longer required to delete the original flanged part if they want to edit the flange dimensions.
1. Draw a lightening hole circle of 150mm radius at a convenient position inside of the margin bracket.
2. Set the process color to Inside Cut.
3. Create a plate solid for the margin bracket in the regular way. Use PL10 stock and throw direction Aft. Use
the outside toolpath and the lightening hole when creating the solid.
4. Click the Flanged Plate button.

Select polyline segment to flange
5. Click on the segment of the margin bracket outside toolpath that will be flanged. It is the straight-line
segment running under an angle of about 45 degrees. See figure.
Select the direction of the flange:
6. Click to the above inboard side of the flange line segment, to indicate the direction of the expanded flange.
The function activates the solid layer.
Select plate solid:
7. Click on the plate solid for the margin plate. The next dialogs control the appearance of the flange.
8. The demo project has several prepared flanges. You can also set up your own. We are using a flange called
FLG100S45, a 100mm flange with 45-degree snipes on both ends and no relief radii. Click OK when
done.

Flange Size: The size of the flange after folding.
Flange Correction: The plate material stretches during flanging. For most flanging operations up to
about 15mm or inch a correction of 1 times the plate thickness creates flanges of the right size. You can
obtain the correction parameters by flanging rectangular plates of different thicknesses. Then measure the
web and flange size. The change of web and flange size divided by the thickness of the plate stock gives
you the correction factors.
Fold Line Correction: Similar to the flange correction, this factor corrects the fold line due to plate
material stretching.
Plate Thickness: Thickness of the plate solid selected.
1st and 2nd Relief Radius: Radii at the end of the fold line.
1st and 2nd Angle: Snipe angles for the flange.
Direction of Flange: The direction of the flange in relation to the plate orientation. Choose Aft for this
flange.
9. The Flange Options dialog appears. Set the parameters as shown in the figure. The text on the nested plate
part will read FLANGE UP 90 for the flanging operator. The flanging line will be 50mm shorter than the actual
flange.

10. Set a viewpoint of 3, -2, 0.5 and zoom into the flanged part.
11. Gouraud shade the drawing. The result should look like this:
The solid of the margin bracket is now ready. We simply need to fix up the expanded flange.
12. Set a view Body Fwd to Aft again.
13. Activate the production layer _PRD and revert to 2D Wireframe mode .
14. Zoom to the top left corner. Note the added material.
15. The resulting drawing is shown in the next figure.
Note: The flange consists of several marking segments. Each segment and the caret symbols are displayed in a
dashed line style. You might have to change the LTSCALE for example to 30 to be able to see this. The text
FLG UP 90 is also dashed, but a dashed line style is not visible for text. Dashed indicates to ShipConstructor that the
marking is on the far side of the plate part. ShipConstructor will later automatically set the MARK FARSIDE flag
for the part. This will result in the part being nested to be mirrored, as if looking from the aft side. Thus the flange
information will be visible to the person at the flange press.

16. Connect the outside to a toolpath.
Margin Bracket Mark Far Side

We are looking at the margin bracket from forward to aft. The flange is towards the aft. If we NC-cut the part in this
form, then the flange information will be on the down side in the press brake when flanging. This would cause
difficulties as the operator would not see the marking information, and the flange would probably be the wrong size.
In order to have the marking on the other side we need to nest the part mirrored. ShipConstructor can take care of
this automatically by changing the marking line to the far side. Far side marking lines are displayed dashed. Adjust
the LTSCALE if the dashing is not visible. This setting can also be found in Manager in the user settings on the
Symbols tab.
1. Insert a Part Orientation Icon on the margin bracket.
2. Define the part for the margin bracket in the usual way. There will be a warning regarding the marking
lines. The flange line, and carets are dashed, while the part orientation icon is for mark near side (continuous).

3. Select All mark far side and click OK.
4. Observe that the Mark Far Side checkbox is automatically checked, as the marking lines had all been
changed to the far side setting. Assign the part to the main deck MDK, piecemark P002.
Practice: Create a margin bracket the same way for frame 113.
Frame Profile
The outside frame is made up of a BF240X12 curved profile. The profile cross section is defined for the stock in
Manager. We need to prepare the extrusion path. It has to be the exact length and shape of the outside of the profile
in body view. We made a copy of the outside hull trace to the revision _REV layer earlier. We will now retrieve it to
make the extrusion path.
The stiffener has an overlap of 250mm with the deck girder and the margin bracket. We have to trim the hull trace to
these positions to make the exact extrusion path.

1. Make sure you are in drawing U12F112 and the drawing is in body view.
2. Activate the revision layer _REV.
3. Copy the hull frame trace to the production layer _PRD.
5. Trim the frame trace such that it overlaps 250mm with the margin bracket and with the web of the deck girder
as shown.
Tip: Draw the trim lines, and then hide the deck girder and margin bracket. Unhide them after trimming. Do this by
selecting SC Utilities / Hide and then selecting the parts to hide them. Select SC Utilities / Unhide All to bring
them back.
6. Set a 3D Viewpoint FROM FWD STBD UP and zoom to the upper end of the extrusion path.
7. Click the Stiffener Solid button.

8. Select the extrusion path, which is the trimmed hull trace of the frame.
9. Do not pick a plate solid, simply press ENTER. The outside profile is not attached to a specific plate solid.

10. Select the stock BF240X12, use the LAP250 endcuts for start and end, Web Direction is Starboard and
Toe Direction is Fwd. Click OK.
11. Define a part for the frame profile. Assign it the assembly named STRUCTURE.
12. Activate the production layer. Dont delete the construction lines yet as we will delete them in the following
section. However it is good practice to clean up the drawing often.
13. Set a viewpoint as shown in the figure above and shade the drawing to confirm the correctness of our work. It
should look like the above figure.

Checking Group Drawings
It is good practice to check a planar group drawing when all parts are defined. The checking command checks for
dozens of potential errors in the group drawing. After the command finishes a list dialog will show all unused
geometry on the production or the solid layer.
Objects that are on the production layer and are not blocks (parts are blocks) are potential errors. In addition, solids
that are not assigned to a part are potential errors. It is quite easy to forget to include marking, such as the part
orientation icon, into the part when you define it. You should either include all objects on the production layer into
parts or move them to the revision layer.
1. Select SC Structure / Check Group DWG. Some errors can be fixed without user intervention, while
others cannot. The dialog is divided into three sections. Please read the dialog carefully to understand what the
command will perform.
2. Click OK.
3. Make sure both checkboxes are checked. Click OK.

4. The command creates a file called Repair <UnitDrawing Date Time>.txt and loads it in the Windows
Notepad. There should be no errors reported. You should print the file if there are any errors and try to resolve
them.
5. Close Notepad.
6. The Unused Geometry dialog is now visible. You want to move it to one side of the screen. It should list 3
items. These are the trim line for the frame profile and the two trim lines. If you have more items, then you
probably did not clean up properly or you missed items when defining parts. Such items have to be added to the
part. After determining that an object belongs to a part use the Add to Part button and select the part to add the
item to. Note: If you have many unused items, then you might not have created all parts. Close the dialog and
check this first. Then run the check again.

7. To erase items follow these steps. Highlight the first item in the list and click View.
8. The command zooms to the object and highlights it. Zoom Out and In to identify the item.
9. Make sure it should be erased. Click the ERASE button to remove it.
10. Highlight the remaining 2 items. Verify and erase these as well.
11. Click Close.
Note: If you have any solids listed, then you most likely forgot to create parts for them or an aborted command left
one around. Decide if such a solid should be converted to a part or if it should be erased by investigating the solid
and production layers.
Practice: Do the same with U12FR113.
Creating the Mirror Parts

All the parts we have defined need to be mirrored symmetrically on the starboard side. ShipConstructor allows you
to mirror parts. It will automatically assign new names to the parts and enter them into the project database.
Important: Do not use the AutoCAD MIRROR function, as it will not work correctly on ShipConstructor parts!
1. Zoom Extents to see all parts.

2. Activate the production layer. It should look like this.
3. Select SC Structure / Part / Mirror Part.

4. Select all objects on the production layer. Press ENTER.
5. The Mirror Part dialog is displayed. Plate parts usually contain a part orientation icon. The icon can make use
of two text indicators such as PORT and OUTBOARD or STARBOARD and OUTBOARD. These words are
user customizable. You can instruct ShipConstructor to replace these words automatically when mirroring parts.
In our case we want to replace PORT with STBD.
6. Check the Apply to All option, so you will not be prompted for each part. Click OK.
7. The parts will be mirrored to the starboard side. All mirrored parts have been assigned new names
automatically. The project database is updated as well with the new parts. The word PORT will be replaced
with STBD in the starboard versions of the parts.
8. Set the view to FROM FWD PRT UP. Make the _SLD layer visible and Shade the drawing. It should look as
follows.

Practice: Using what you have learned, create the stiffeners and the plate part on F113. Some of the geometry has
already been copied, so it should go a little faster.
Review
This portion has taken quite some time. As you gain expertise the part detailing will become much faster. The
construction unit, as you see in this example, took about 40 man-hours to define using standard design drawings, 4
man-hours to manually nest, and 20 man-hours to create assembly drawings (Non AutoAnnotated).
You have now learned the main commands of part definition. In the next chapter we will handle different cases of
part creation, such as:
Parts with faceplates
Flanged parts
Identical stiffeners that can be copied
Standard brackets
You can continue working through the following chapters or jump directly to the chapter on nesting.
Designing the Center Girder
Faceplates
The longitudinal girder drawing U12LBHC is almost finished. You just have to complete the double bottom girder.
All the geometry for the plate part itself is finished too, but the lightening holes have to be reinforced with
faceplates. We will practice two new procedures in this drawing:
Creating faceplates that form closed rings.
Copying a defined part to many new locations.

Defining the Faceplate Part
We will now define the faceplates for the man-holes in the longitudinal double bottom girder. The girder is partially
finished. The production information for the plate part is complete and the plate solid has also been created.
The lightening hole will be reinforced by a closed faceplate, meaning that the ends touch. The faceplate will be bent
from straight flatbar stock. A minimum distance of the ends from any radius is required for bending. We will place
the ends at the center of the top horizontal segment of the lightening hole.

2. Select the Structure Page and open LngBhd / U12LBHC.

3. Zoom to the lightening hole in the bottom girder panel farthest to the left.
4. Click the Faceplate button.

5. Select the lightening hole toolpath as the path for the faceplate.
6. Select the plate solid.
7. Select the faceplate stock FB150X20. Check Make start and end symbols. Select Position Centered,
Clear endcut information, Select Path Closed. Click OK.
8. For the start point select the mid point of the top segment of the lightning hole. Use MID OSNAP.

9. The OSNAP is automatically set to NEAR. Pick on the top horizontal segment near the mid point in
forward direction to indicate in which direction we want the faceplate to proceed from the start point. The
production report will later contain all bending information for this faceplate part. The direction in which the
faceplate proceeds from the start point is important as the bend information references the start point. However,
in this case the faceplate is symmetrical so it does not technically matter.
10. Pick towards the inside of the toolpath to indicate on which side of the faceplate path the faceplate is to be
located.
11. The faceplate is created. Change to a 3D viewpoint and flat shade the drawing to verify the correctness of
the faceplate.
12. Switch back to a profile view.

13. Zoom to the top horizontal segment of the faceplate.
15. A small triangle in Marking Color indicates the start point and the direction of the faceplate. It will be
marked during NC cutting the part. Thus, it will be easy to position the faceplate correctly.
16. Zoom to the size of the faceplate.

17. Define a part for the faceplate. A correct unused part name is automatically proposed. Assign the part to the
assembly Demo-U12-DB-CTRGRDR.

18. Use a piecemark text size of 25mm. Place the piecemark vertically on the plate at the forward vertical segment
of the lightening hole.
Copying Parts
All lightening holes and respective faceplates in the double bottom center girder are the same size. We can save time
by copying the part and the triangular start-direction symbol at the top. We use the AutoCAD COPY command to
copy parts. ShipConstructor intercepts the copy command and makes the appropriate database entries. Identical parts
have the same names. However, ShipConstructor internally keeps track of the links to the appropriate records in the
database. The triangular start-direction symbol is not part of the faceplate part, and needs to be selected in addition
to the part.
Important: When copying parts, always select only the piecemark - do not select the solid, as it will be
copied automatically by ShipConstructor. For stiffeners and faceplate the only object on the production layer

is the piecemark. For plate parts any production object, such as toolpath, marking holes may also be picked to
identify the part(s) to copy. It is a good idea to activate the production layer before copying parts to avoid picking
any solids in error.
1. Zoom out somewhat to see about 3 or 4 lightening holes. If you have a high-resolution display, you can
probably zoom to see all the lightening holes.
3. Set OSNAP to END only.
4. Start the COPY command normally, and select the piecemark of the faceplate to copy and the direction
symbol.
5. Use the Multiple option of the COPY command to make all the copies at once.
6. Snap to any endpoint on the lightning-hole toolpath, for example the top left arc endpoint.
7. For the new position select the appropriate points on the other lightning-holes
Tip: Use the scroll bars or the mouse center button PAN to proceed to the other lightening holes when
picking the Second point of displacement.
8. Press ENTER or ESC when done.
Note: ShipConstructor knows when a part has identical copies. When you change one of the parts, ShipConstructor
will ask you:
If you want to change all other parts in the same manner, in which case all piecemarks remain the same,
and all part are automatically updated.
If only this one part is to be changed, in which case this part receives a new name and piecemark.
Double Bottom Girder Part Definition

We can now define the girder plate part. As usual, we want to include the piecemarks of the attached faceplates into
the part.
Practice: Define the double bottom girder plate part. Use a piecemark text size of 50mm.
Practice: Run a check on the group drawing. There should be no unused geometry left.

Using Standards
Overview
ShipConstructor allows you to define standards such as brackets. You can then use the standard in any group
drawing. We will use a pre-defined standard bracket on the aft bulkhead.
Exploring an Existing Standard

We will now look at a standard bracket.
Note: In the 98 version the piecemarks for standard part were created in a specific way: by including $$$ at the end
of the part name. This was used to create individually name parts for each use of the standard part. The 99 and 2000
versions of ShipConstructor now handle identical and standard parts such that identical names are allowed.
ShipConstructor keeps the links to the unique database records internally.
2. Click the Standard Page in the component list.

3. Under Structural Standards click on BKT101 and click Open.

4. The bracket drawing is displayed. The bracket is created just like any other plate part would be.
Inserting Standard Brackets in the Aft Bulkhead

Several of these standard brackets are already in use in the drawing of bulkhead 106 to connect the vertical stiffener
on the bulkhead to the ones under the deck. We will now insert the missing ones.
1. Open group drawing U12F106.
2. Set a 3D View FROM FWD STBD UP.
4. Zoom to the upper edge of the bulkhead near the centerline of the bulkhead as shown.
There are already several brackets along the top edge of the bulkhead. The outboard brackets are already in place.
However, three inboard brackets are missing.
Creating an Out of Plane UCS

This group drawing is a frame, thus the standard UCS is in transverse direction. However, the brackets are not in the
plane of the frame, but perpendicular to it. A plate part can only exist in a UCS plane in order to work as in 2D.
Without a UCS, ShipConstructor cannot convert the part to true 2D for nesting.
We need to create what we call an out of plane UCS at the location where the bracket is to be inserted. The
brackets tie stiffeners on the bulkhead to a longitudinal stiffener below the main deck. ShipConstructor provides
commands to create and activate out of plane UCSs easily. We will now create an out of plane UCS at the top end
of one vertical stiffener.

2. The dialog lists all available UCSs. In the list you will find the familiar construction UCS (U12F106_C),
the thickness UCS (U12F106_T), and the WORLD UCS. Additional UCSs are labeled: BT for a Buttock
plane, FR for a Frame plane, WL for a Water Line plane, and OP for Out of Plane. Assigned to the BT, FR and
WL planes are their world UCS values. The OPs are only generated when a UCS was created that was not
parallel to any of the standard planes. In other words - skewed. There may be several UCS that are named
OPnnn. Where nnn is a sequential number. You do not have to remember the UCS names; ShipConstructor
will keep track of them for you and you usually activate them by clicking on an object in that UCS.
3. Make sure U12F106_C is the currently active UCS. The active UCS will be highlighted when the dialog
comes up. If it is not active, select it from the list and click Activate. Press ENTER to start this command again.

4. In the dialog click New Out of Plane.
Select origin.
5. The function sets OSNAP END and NEAR. Click on the upper end of the first vertical stiffener marking
inboard of the most inboard bracket (see figure below).
Select point on axis.
6. The function sets OSNAP NEAR. Pick any other point on the same vertical marking line.
Locate third point in plane or ENTER for perpendicular to UCS:
7. Press ENTER to create a UCS perpendicular to bulkhead 106. The out of plane UCS is created as
indicated by the UCS icon. We can now use it to insert the standard bracket.
Constructing the Bracket Insertion Point at the Top End of Stiffener

We need to insert the bracket such that it overlaps with the vertical stiffener on the bulkhead and the longitudinal
stiffener under the main deck by 50mm. It is a little tricky to find the right insertion point. The bracket is drawn in
the standard drawing with the origin outside the lower left snipe.
We will draw a help line in our new UCS to indicate the insertion point. To make it easier to locate the insertion
point, we will insert the main deck group drawing into the bulkhead drawing. The bracket has to overlap both
stiffeners by 50mm.
1. Make sure the production layer is active.
2. Click .

3. In the dialog check U12MDCK to insert the main deck. Click OK.
4. Activate both the production and solid layers. You will see the stiffener solids.
Draw lines from here
5. Zoom in closely to the stiffener ends in the plane of the current UCS.
6. Draw a horizontal line from the aft lower end of the deck stiffener towards aft. Make sure that ORTHO
is on.
7. Draw a vertical line from the top forward end of the vertical stiffener up.
8. Activate the production layer only.
9. Offset the horizontal line 50mm up and the vertical line 50mm aft. Extend these lines until they intersect.
The intersection of these two lines is the insertion point of the bracket.
10. Draw a line from the intersection of the two offset lines diagonally (ORTHO off) up and aft.
11. Erase the previously drawn lines, except for the diagonal line.
12. Activate the production and solid layers. Compare what you have drawn to the next figure.

Bracket help line
Bracket insertion
point
13. Click . Select Uncheck All to unload the previously inserted main deck drawing.
14. In the dialog click Uncheck All and then click OK.
Inserting a Standard Bracket at Top End of Stiffener

We are now ready to insert the standard bracket at the specified location on the OP UCS.
2. On the toolbar click the Insert Standard Part button.

3. In the dialog select BKT101.DWG and click OK.
4. For the insertion location, choose the lower right end point of the diagonal help line.
5. The command now allows you to rotate the bracket. Make sure ORTHO is on. Rotate the bracket as shown in
the figure.

Mirror part? Yes, <No>
6. Press ENTER to select the default option, No.
7. In the dialog, set Throw direction to Port. Click OK. The stiffeners throw towards the starboard side.
8. The part properties dialog is displayed exactly the same as when defining a part earlier in this chapter. Only
the part name is not changeable. Assign the bracket to Assembly Demo-U12-B106. Click OK.
9. Erase the diagonal help line we just created.

It is now time to verify that we inserted the bracket at the right position.

1. Click .
2. Attach the U12MDCK drawing again.
3. Set the 3D View to FROM FWD PORT DOWN.
4. Activate the solid layer.
5. Zoom to the bracket.
6. Shade the drawing to verify correctness.
7. Click .
Note: You do not need a license to use this command. This is very useful if you have clients who you want to view
the 3D model. Just create a CD with your project on it. See the Manager manual for Transferring a Project. The
procedure you need to follow is the To package the project for transfer. Your client needs to install the demo and
then follow the directions outlined in To un-package a project. Then they can just use the XREF command to view
the 3D model.
8. Click Uncheck All, then click OK.
Copying Brackets at Top End of Stiffener

We need the same bracket at the other two stiffeners towards the centerline. You can insert the standard bracket
using the same procedure. However, we can save time by copying the brackets relative to the endpoint of the
stiffener marking lines.
1. Return to the same view and zoom that we used when inserting the bracket.
3. Zoom such that you can see the newly inserted bracket and the marking lines of the two stiffeners towards the
centerline with the missing brackets. We only copy the missing brackets on the port side of the vessel. The
brackets on the other side will be mirrored.
4. Type COPY.
5. Select the newly inserted bracket.
6. Choose the Multiple option to make more than one copy.
7. For the base point pick the upper end of the stiffener marking line next to the bracket.
8. For the copy point select the upper end of the next stiffener marking line towards inboard.
9. Make the next copy one more time inboard. Do not copy this part to centerline or any stiffener on the
starboard side.
10. Activate the solid and production layers .

11. Shade the drawing. See figure.

Practice: Mirror all the brackets from the port side to the starboard side. Remember to use the command SC
Structure / Part / Mirror Part. Do not use the AutoCAD mirror command.
Twisted Stiffeners
Overview
In this section we will set the current unit to U11. It contains sufficiently curved bottom plates that require twisted
stiffeners.
Twisted Stiffeners twist about their foot point. These types of stiffeners cannot currently be defined in the same
manner as regular stiffeners. ShipConstructor has 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.
Creating a twisted Stiffener

2. Select the Project Page in the component list.
3. Click the checkbox next to U11 to change the current unit to U11.

4. Switch back to the Structure Page and open the longitudinal drawing U11LBHBLG drawing.
5. Select SC Utilities / 3D Viewpoint or click . Set the viewpoint to 1, 0, 1 (FROM FWD UP) as shown in
the following diagram.
6. The drawing contains two canted deck plates with stiffeners and nine twisted stiffeners that lie on the hull shell
plating. To obtain a better sense of what you are looking at Xref some structural group drawings.

7. Click the Xref Groups button. Load drawings U11TTOP and U11BOTTOMSHELL as shown in the
following figure.
8. Select AutoCADs Gouraud shaded mode .
9. Click on the visibility toolbar to display the solid layers only. The drawing should appear as follows.

10. Unload the Xrefs.
11. Zoom to the deck and stringers on the right of your screen (port side of ship). Notice that there are only four
twisted stiffeners whereas on the starboard side there are five equivalent twisted stiffeners.
12. Orbit until you are looking lengthwise down one of the stiffeners and observe the twist.
13. Now from an existing ShipCAM STR file we will create the missing stiffener. Select the menu command SC
Structure / Stiffener / New Twisted.

14. Browse to the Projects2004\SC2004Demo\ShipCAM folder. Specify the 5H.STR stringer file and press
Open.
15. The twisted stiffener is to be fabricated from BF160X09 Bulb flat stock, therefore select it from the stock list.
Additionally, since the ShipCAM drawings were in meters and the SC2004Demo project is using mm as its
base unit, Enable unit conversion. Finally set the toe direction to Down and press OK.
16. The twisted stiffener is automatically created for you.

17. Now the solid exists, but similar to plate solids, must be defined as a part. Select the Define Part button .
18. Select the newly created solid
19. You will see the following dialog the first time you create a part. Choose NO from the list for paint. The paint
represents the process to be applied to the part. It is a way to distribute parts in the production process or to
determine which parts to nest together.
20. Select the Hierarchy level and name as shown below

21. Set the piecemark size to 25 and place it similar to the others. The twisted stiffener is now created.
23. Before proceeding to the next section, switch the current unit to U12 by checking U12 on the Project page in the
Navigator.
Checking the unit

Overview
We have now defined all parts and can prepare the unit for:
Nesting
Assembly drawings
It is good practice to check the unit before proceeding to the next steps. The checking includes:
Check the unit drawing
Check all group drawings
Check for interferences
Check the Unit Drawing

The unit drawing consists of Xrefs of all the group drawings. For each group drawing there is a construction and a
thickness throw UCS in the 3D unit drawing. The check function ensures that all group drawings are properly
recorded in the project database. Also, there should be no objects in the unit drawing, with the exception of the Xrefs
of the group drawings.
This function is very powerful. It will even repair a unit drawing from nothing. For example, if your unit drawing
becomes corrupted and unreadable to AutoCAD, simply create a new empty unit drawing in the unit directory and

call it the same as the unit. Then run the check function. The unit drawing will be completely rebuilt from the
information in the project database and the individual group drawings.
1. Select ShipConstructor / Navigator or click . Open the U12 3D unit drawing through the Project
Page.
2. Select ShipConstructor / Check / 3D Unit DWG. The function locates all group drawings and compares
the information in them with the unit drawing and information stored in the project database. It will attempt to
fix any problems and report anything that might have gone astray.
3. The log file should report no errors in this case.
4. Close Notepad.
5. The Unused Geometry list should be empty. If not, clean up the 3D unit drawing(s) that still have unused
objects on the production layer or make sure that all solids are assigned to parts or erased.
We are now sure that we can proceed to the next step.
Check all Group Drawings

This command operates similar to checking an individual group drawing. We have done this each time we finished a
group drawing. In this case ShipConstructor checks all group drawings at once.
1. Open the U12 3D unit drawing if it is not yet open.
2. Make sure that none of the group drawings are open, either by yourself with a second AutoCAD session
(you could be running two instances of AutoCAD) or by another person on the network. If the drawing is open
by someone their name will appear beside the drawing in the Structure page of the Navigator.
3. Select ShipConstructor / Check / Structure DWGs. The dialog displays which criteria will be checked
for each group drawing.

6. Click OK to start. This command opens each planar group drawing individually, so it may take a while.
7. When it is complete you will see the following dialog. It is possible you will be prompted before it finished if an
error requires input from you.
8. The log file should report no errors.
9. Close Notepad.
10. The Unused Geometry list should be empty. If not, investigate what needs to be fixed. Unused geometry is
anything that is not a part or a solid that is not assigned to a part.

Interference Checking
Overview
The interference checking function detects all collisions of parts. You can also import solids from other modules,
such as Pipe, cabling or Outfit software, and check the interferences. Any AutoCAD solid can also be inserted and
checked against.
Common mistakes are:
Forgetting that another group part is passing through a part, such as a longitudinal girder passing through
frames.
Incorrect throw direction for connecting brackets on stiffeners.
Skewed intersections such as the margin plate through the frames. Forgetting to consider wider gap due to the
skewed intersection angle.
Create the Interference Drawing

First we have to create an interference drawing from the unit drawing. The unit drawing actually displays only the
groups as Xrefs, but the interference drawing will have all the information in it.
1. Open the unit drawing.
2. Select ShipConstructor / Navigator and choose the Interference Page and press the New button.
3. In the dialog select the group drawings and any other drawing (Pipe, Outfit) that you want to include in the
interference check.

4. Enter the name INTERFERE1 for the interference drawing. Click OK.
5. The resulting drawing should look like this when viewed isometrically:
Calculating Interferences
Interference checking has been updated to allow for checking not only of structure, but also various options for Pipe.
This has been done in order to let you focus on certain portions of the unit.
An interference is the collision of two or more solids. Since we expect that everything is correct, for this example we
will force some interferences on purpose. To simulate interferences, move one or two parts a little way in a
transverse direction. For example, grab the floor portion of the most forward frame and move it a small distance
inboard.
Note: ShipConstructor cannot detect interference with shell plating, as AutoCAD does not currently provide
interference checking between solids and surfaces. Shell plating is represented as a surface.
1. Move one or more parts as explained above to force some interferences.

2. Select ShipConstructor / Check Interferences. The following dialog box appears and should be empty.

3. Click the Run Check button.
4. First the function runs a quick pre-check to find any pair of solids that might intersect to reduce the time of the
interference calculations. ShipConstructor informs you how many possible interferences it has detected. A
Minimum Interference Volume lets you filter out very small interferences that might be due to computer
rounding errors, or that are so small that they would not be noticed during construction. The default Minimum
Interference Volume value is set in Manager. By default every object will be checked for interferences to every
object type. Click OK to confirm.
5. The calculation will take a while. As a reference, it takes 35 seconds on a PIII-800.

6. Some intentional interferences were generated to show you sample results. The data is displayed in the
interference List Dialog shown below.

7. Some interference data is immediately available such as:
Names of the two interfering parts.
The suggested solution as noted by the drafter/designer.
8. More information can be obtained by first selecting an interference in the list and then right clicking on that
interference. This will bring up three options View, Solution and Erase. Select Solution to bring up the
following dialog. This dialog shows you the physical properties of the interference and allows the user to enter a
solution.
NOTE: Solutions at this point are not yet stored in the database.
9. The solutions and detail information can be exported to a text file and be printed by 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.

10. Notepad file - This form is good for printing. It allows you to check through all drawings and fix your errors.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. In the dialog highlight the first interference by left clicking on it.
14. Check the Center option.
15. Now right click on the selected interference and then select View. The command hides all solids except for the
two involved in the collision and the interference solid.

16. Click on the + plus button to zoom in, and the - minus button to zoom out.
17. Click in the Interference dialog. Make sure the same interference is still highlighted.
18. Click the Show / All radio button. ShipConstructor now displays all solids.
Practice: Correct any problems you might find. Create a new interference drawing. Check for any remaining
interferences.
Plate Nesting
Overview
Plate Nesting is the process of arranging parts on stock plates or remnants in preparation for NC-processing and NC-
cutting. ShipConstructor provides several functions that allow quick and accurate manual placement of parts on the
plate, with automatic spacing between parts and to the plate edge. You can also use an automatic nesting option to
speed up the nesting process.

Nesting parts for shipbuilding is a complex procedure. Many factors have to be considered when nesting a specific
part on a specific stock plate. Certain decisions can only be made by an experienced draftsperson. Often decisions
depend on the current state of the production progress. Here are a few points to consider when nesting:
Plate stock used - ShipConstructor assigns automatically.
Surface treatment, i.e. raw plate, blasted, primed, - ShipConstructor assigns automatically.

P/S parts & like / mirror plates - ShipConstructor detects automatically.
Assembly sequence, when is the part needed - to be determined by the user.
Best plate utilization under above restriction - to be determined by the user.
Revision tracking - ShipConstructor detects automatically.
It is common that revisions occur while nesting is progressing. ShipConstructor gives you full flexibility to change a
nest at any stage. A check function detects revised parts and parts that have been placed on hold. Parts found to have
changed since being initially nested can be automatically re-nested at the same position.
Flatbar Nesting on Plate

We have now added the ability to nest flatbars to plate (and also to nest extruded flatbar stock automatically through
the optional ProfileNest module). Of course this includes their piece marks and, if needed, the marking of bend
indicators on them. To show flatbar parts in the tree, check the box next to the flat bar stock in the lower right corner
of the Nesting Filter dialog. If you plate nest a flatbar part, the part will not be available to be profile nested and
vise-versa. The following dialog shows the case where a flatbar stock is checked and the flatbar parts are added to
the part tree.
Nest Toolbar
The nesting toolbar provides access to the most commonly used nesting functions. We will discuss the use of each
of them in this chapter.

Insert Parts
Snap
Slide
Align
Move/Rotate
Assign To Nest
Nest Layers
Insert Bridge
Profile Nesting
Nesting Preparation
ShipConstructor uses many settings that are stored in the project database and set in Manager. These settings are the
same for several users working on the same project. ShipConstructor loads these settings every time they are
required from the central project database.
Manager Nesting Settings

All project-wide nesting settings are stored in the project database and set in Manager. Please follow along as we
look at the nest settings for this project.
Nesting Colors and Nest Name Prefix

There are two stages during the nesting. Stage one: parts are inserted in the nest drawing, but not assigned to the
final nest. Quite often, you have to juggle parts between nests to get the best compromise. During this stage, the
parts are colored differently from the original colors. Stage two: parts are assigned to a nest and you can proceed to
generate nest reports and NC-programming. The nest color settings are available on the Nesting Page of the Project
Settings dialog. Use colors that make it easy for you to distinguish between parts in stage one and stage two.
ShipConstructor automatically names the nests. The nest name consist of two parts; the prefix - you can instruct
ShipConstructor which prefix type to use, and a number - ShipConstructor ensures that the next available is used.
1. Start Manager and log in.
2. Select Settings / Project.
3. Select the Nesting Tab.
Nesting colors - During detailing, outside cut, inside cut, marking, and no-process objects 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 unassigned. 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 change to the
Nesting colors. Once the part is assigned to its final plate the colors are changed back.

Nest Name Prefix - The prefix that ShipConstructor will generate automatically for creating nest names.
Drawing Name - Uses the name of the nest drawing plus a running number for the rest of the nest
name. Example: U12PL10-001.
Unit Name - Uses the unit name as the base of the nest drawing name with an extension after that.
Custom - Lets you define the nest drawing name.
4. Close the Settings dialog.
Nest Production Settings

The nest production settings are accessible through another dialog.
1. In Manager, select Libraries / Stocks.
2. Select the Plates page from the list on the left.
3. The right of the dialog lists all plate stocks and their pertinent data, including data required for nesting and NC-
cutting.
4. Select the PL10 plate stock and click the Edit button.

The Edit Stock dialog lets you set up and change the plate stock data including data required for nesting and
NC-cutting.
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 an Oxy-fuel cutter, while all aluminum and non-metal material is to be cut with a
high speed router. The settings are:
Pierce Time - Time it takes to pierce a hole. This is used by NC-Pyros to estimate actual processing time.
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.
Plate Margin - Distance that ShipConstructor will leave between parts and the plate edge.
Part Gap - Distance that ShipConstructor will leave between any two parts.
NC Machine - The NC-cutting machine to use. NC-Pyros, our NC-cutting software stores all settings for each
machine in the project database under that same name. This ensures that NC-Pyros will automatically generate
the code for the correct machine.
Note: Mark Feed and Fast Feed are independent of the plate properties and are set up for the machine in the NC-
Machine library.
Plate Sizes - This lists the plate sizes and quantities available for this particular stock. The database tracks
when and who adds raw material to the project so the ShipConstructor project can reflect the actual yard
practice. See the Manager reference manual for details on the settings in this dialog.

Organizing Nesting
All structural work is carried out on a unit basis. However, nesting might not be carried on a unit-by-unit basis as
you might be building more than one unit 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 keeps track of remnants for you. ShipConstructor allows you to use remnants for nesting parts.
Nesting Terminology
Nest Drawing
A nest drawing contains one or more nests of the same stock and each nest may use a different plate size or
remnant. 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: U12P10.DWG contains
parts for U12 on PL10 stock plate.
Nests
Nests are always based on a nest template. The nest consists of the nest plate, automatically generated BOM,
and 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 look at the supplied template now.
1. Select ShipConstructor / Navigator or click . Select the Template Page.

2. Select Nest / Nest01. This is the ready-made template drawing. Click Open.

3. The nest template drawing is opened. Compare the following figure of the header to 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, which 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 (all in green), 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 his
position. The aspect ratio of this nest template has been set to utilize an 8.5x11 or A4 sheet when plotted in
landscape mode. ShipConstructor provides an automatic plotting function that lets you plot many nests with one
command.
AutomaticNest
ShipConstructor provides an integrated automatic nesting module. AutomaticNest provides a powerful solution to
the time consuming procedure of plate nesting. ShipConstructor also includes manual nesting for fine tuned
placement of parts.
1. Open the ShipConstructor Navigator .

2. Select the U12 unit nest drawing, U12P10. This is an empty drawing has previously been created.

3. Click the Insert Parts button. The Nesting Filter dialog is displayed.
4. Check the checkbox next to the U12 unit in the tree as shown below. This selects all PL10 parts in unit U12 for
nesting.
5. Select the Nesting Options as shown. Specifically make sure you select Automatic.

6. Click OK. You will see the progress of the part being inserted into the drawing.
7. Next, in the automatic nest Settings dialog specify the first nest name. AutomaticNest automatically increments
the nest name as more plates are required during the nesting process.
8. The available 10mm plates assigned to the project are shown in the Plates to Use list. Give priority to the
available plate stocks by ordering them vertically with highest priority first in the list. In this case the 12m x 3m
plate is given top priority and will be used first.
Note the Advanced button in the AutomaticNest settings dialog. This allows users to specify which nest
algorithm should be used during the automatic nesting process.

The nest results may vary greatly depending on the shape of the parts and the type of fit chosen. Only
experienced users will likely know which settings will provide the best results therefore a trial and error
approach is best taken at first. Setup the settings similar to the above dialog.
9. Click OK to continue.
10. ShipConstructor will ask you to choose how the Nests will be inserted. For the purposes of the tutorial choose
Tile horizontally and Limit of nests per row of 5. Click OK to proceed.
11. After the nesting function has calculated the position of the parts, you will see the following prompt on the
AutoCAD command line.
Select insertion point of the first template (<Enter> for the origin):
This represents the lower left origin of the first nest border. Remaining nest borders will spaced as specified in
step 10.
12. Press Enter. The nests are then placed.
13. You will see a log file that reports the results of the nesting and you will see the nested parts.

14. As you can see above AutomaticNest has nested the parts, your results may vary depending on the number and
size of your parts as well as the size of the stock plates onto which they are nested. If you wish to tweak the part
placement and position you can use all the ShipConstructor manual nesting tools detailed in the Structure and
Nest Reference manual.
15. Repeat the process again if desired using a different Type of Fit to observe the varying results.
Assigning Parts to Nest

All parts have to be manually assigned to a specific nest. This records the parts in the project database. Look closely
at the nest drawing. You will see that all the parts that we just nested have colors as specified in Managers nest
settings as previously described in Nesting Colors and Nest Name Prefix. Parts that are not assigned to a nest plate
are displayed in not-assigned colors. We will now assign all parts to the plates.
1. Click the Assign to Nest button.

Select nest and parts:
2. Using the window or crossing selection to select the nest plate and all parts for that nest. It does not matter
if you pick any other objects. ShipConstructor will only consider parts and nest plates. Be sure not to select
multiple nests.
3. The color of all parts changes back to the regular process colors i.e. Outside cut, inside cut, etc.

Checking Nests and Creating BOMs
Before any nest can be issued for processing, the nest has to be checked. ShipConstructor is a multi-user system.
While you are nesting, some else might be revising parts. ShipConstructor will check about a dozen criteria for each
nest and each part. This includes:
Has the part been changed since nesting it?
Is the part assigned to the right drawing and the right nest? Someone could have moved a part to a different nest
but not re-assigned it.
Is the part actually in the database (could be corrupted)?
If the nest is LIKE / MIRROR, ensure only port / starboard parts are on it.
Is the nest properly recorded in the database?
Are there parts not nested that should be?
Preparing the Nest BOM

This tutorial comes with a pre-made BOM for nesting. You typically set up a specific BOM configuration for
nesting once when starting new project to suit the requirements of production. We will just show you here where the
data is stored and how you can change it. The type of information included in the BOM can be customized in
Manager. We will check the settings now.
1. Click the Run Manager button. Manager starts. Log in.

2. Select Bill of Materials / BOM Manager.
3. Select the BOM NEST01.

You can set the following options for the BOM.
AutoNumber Rows - Creates running row number in front of every row in the BOM.
Include Sub-Assembly Parts - Not used for nesting, only for assembly drawings.
Standard Parts By Quantity - Adds up all standard parts and gives a total. If not checked, each
standard part is listed individually.
Standard Quantities By Assembly - Counts standard parts by individual assembly. For example, you
might have 100 identical standard brackets on one nest. However, 70 brackets are required for one

assembly that is welded up in one area of the yard, while the remaining 30 brackets are required at a
different location. Using this option it is easy to distribute the right number of brackets to the individual
assembly sites.
We will do two runs of the nest check and creation of BOMs to clarify some of the options. For the first run use
these settings:
AutoNumber Rows - ON
Include Sub-Assembly Parts - OFF
Standard parts By Quantity - OFF
Standard Quantities By Assembly - OFF
4. Click OK to keep any changes.
Running Nest Check

During this run of nest check we will create the BOM without counting the standard brackets. Each bracket will be
listed individually.
Important: Always run a nest check before issuing a nest for NC-processing. The check function checks for
many errors and reports them to a log file. The BOMs are updated automatically at the same time.
1. Back in ShipConstructor, select SC Nesting / Check Nests.

2. In the dialog select All Nests and make sure Update BOMs is checked. Select the NEST01 BOM.
3. Click OK.
4. This process will take a while. Watch the progress indicator at the bottom of the AutoCAD window.
5. No errors should be reported. See figure.
6. Zoom to nest U12PL10-01 In the lower left of the drawing. Zoom to the top of this nest. We will now
investigate in detail the contents of the nest header.

Investigating the Nest Header
During the nest check ShipConstructor updates the BOM and the keywords in the header of the nest template.
The next figure displays the results of nest U12PL10-01. There are four main areas in the nest template.
Area 1: Contains general information about the nest, such as the names of the project, the drawing file and the nest.
The cut type indicates if the plate will be cut as Like or Like & Mirror. Below this are the operator names and dates
for nesting, NC-processing (with NC-Pyros) and cutting. The process and cut information is not entered yet as these
are still to be done.
Area 2: This area contains the nest information, such as plate size, thickness, stock, material, area, and utilization.
Area 3: This area contains the NC-processing information, such as the length of cutting, marking and rapid travel,
the feed rates, and the projected cutting time. These values will only be available after the plate has been processed
by NC-Pyros.
Area 4: This area shows the weight of the plate, weight of the parts, weight of the remnants if used, and the weight
of the scrap.
Area 5: This area contains the Bill of Material. As shown before, the BOM can be configured using Manager. In
this case the BOM lists every standard bracket individually. This takes too much space.
1
2 3
4
Nest BOM Count Standards

We will now change the settings such that the standard brackets will be listed with quantities instead of individually.
1. Click the Run Manager toolbar button. Manager starts. Log in.
3. Select the BOM NEST01.
4. Set the options as shown below.

AutoNumber Rows - ON
Include Sub-Assembly Parts - OFF
Standard Parts By Quantity - ON
Standard Quantities By Assembly - ON
5. Close the dialog to post the changes to the database.
6. Back in ShipConstructor, select SC Nesting / Update Nests and BOM. This will only update the BOM
without running through all the checks.
7. Select nest U12PL10-01 by clicking on the plate border or the nest border.
8. Select NEST01 in the dialog. Click OK.
9. The new BOM now shows the standard parts at the end of the list. The quantity for each standard is shown in
brackets.

Checking for Overlap
This new function checks to see if parts are spaced too close together or if they collide. This is a very helpful
function to avoid costly surprises later during NC-cutting.
1. Select SC Nesting / Nest Collision Check.
2. Type All.
3. A progress indicator displays how far the program has checked. It will take about one minute to check the nests.
4. The problems in the nest file will be listed in the dialog shown below.
5. 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 dont intersect but they are closer together than the desired Plate Gap set for this
plate stock in the project database.
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.
6. There are several functions 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.
7. Additionally, when you select a collision in the list box it will highlight the two parts involved and draw circles
around the intersection points of the collision to better illustrate the problem.

8. Correct the collision using any of the nesting methods or plain AutoCAD move commands.
9. Run the check again.
Checking for Un-nested Parts

As a last step, you want to check if there are any parts that have not been nested. If you created all parts, then the
double bottom center girder part should be found.
You can do this check in two ways. First you can use the menu item SC Nesting / Part / List Unnested parts.
Second you can run a check on all nests. This will do two things - it will report any errors and update all BOMs, and
it will list all un-nested parts.
1. Select SC Nesting / Check Nests and BOM. In the dialog check All nests in all drawings and list
parts not nested.
2. The function opens all nest drawings and checks all parts. Any parts that might have changed since nesting
will be reported. In our case we did not nest one part defined for the central girder. The log file gives exact
information on all nests.

Practice: Open nest U12PL15.DWG and nest part U12LBHC-P04. There is just enough space on nest U12PL15-
05 in the lower right of the drawing. Assign the part to the nest. Update the BOM for nest U12PL15-05.
Plotting Nests
Nests are usually plotted individually on small sheets, such as 11x17 or A3 paper, and then combined with other
drawings in a work package. In order for this function to work automatically, you have to set the printer you want to
plot to as the default printer. Then set for this printer the desired default paper size and orientation. You should plot
one nest first using the regular AutoCAD plot function to check all settings. To plot nests follow the steps below.
1. With the Navigator open nest U12PL10.
2. Select SC Nesting / Nest / Plot.
3. In the dialog select the nests you want to plot. Alternatively you can also click the Pick Nests button and
select the nests on screen. The picked nests will then be highlighted in the list.
4. Click OK to start plotting.
Bridging
ShipConstructor now supports bridging. A bridge connects two parts together 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 plate they rest on and never be found.
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 placeholders. 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 to be updated in the nest
drawing after bridges have been inserted. For example, this might happen when Pipe penetrations are added to parts.
Should a parts 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 execution.
Note: In general two parts will only be 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 were holes. ShipConstructor is smart enough to detect this and perform the required layer or color changes.
The nest 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 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 bridge can be implemented. You might encounter
dialogs such as these:
Select ZoomIn and try again.
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.
Exporting to NC-Pyros
The final step of nesting is the export to NC-Pyros for NC-Processing. NC-Pyros can not read AutoCAD drawings
directly, so the drawing file must be converted to a DXF file format. ShipConstructor provides a function to perform
this automatically. At the same time the database is updated to log the export time.
1. Select SC Nesting / NC-Pyros / Export to. In the dialog highlight the plates you want to export. Click
OK.
2. Click the Options button. Set the options as shown. Click OK.

3. The program exports all nests with all parts inside the plate border to an individual drawing. The DWG files
are then converted to DXF files.
4. A log file displays the result of the process. See figure.
The nests can now be processed with NC-Pyros. See the NC-Pyros manual for details.
Remnant Control
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.
Creating a Remnant
1. Open nest drawing U12PL12.
2. Zoom to nest lower right nest. This nest already has a remnant. We will erase the remnant, and then generate a
new one to show the process.
3. Use ERASE and click anywhere on the remnant. You can only delete a remnant if it is not used for another
nest already. Remnants are stored in the project database for later use.
4. To create a new remnant we have to draw the border of it first. Draw a closed polyline for the remnant
outline. Make sure to use CLOSE for the last leg of the polyline (observe the thick polyline in the figure
below).

5. Select SC Nesting / Remnant / New.
Select remnant polyline.
6. Click on the remnant polyline.

7. ShipConstructor now needs to know which portion of the remnant shape will be used to cut off the remnant
from the nest plate. This portion has to be exported to NC-Pyros. 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:
8. Select where the remnant edge meets the outside of the full plate.
Select remnant cut line start end:
9. Select the other point where the remnant edge meets the outside of the full plate.
Select cut line to use (Red/Blue):
10. Select the portion (blue or red) that will be the used to trim off the remnant from the plate.
11. 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.
12. Select the keywords to use for the remnant marking and set the text size in the next dialog. Click OK.

13. Select the position and orientation for the remnant text.
14. The remnant is now hatched and the database keeps track of it and makes it available when creating new nests
using the same stock.
It is now possible to use the remnant for a new nest.
Assembly Drawings
Overview
It cannot be emphasized enough: assembly drawings are the key to an accurate and fast assembly that is required to
realize substantial savings in production. Assembly drawings show all parts in 3D so there will be no
misunderstanding on how the parts fit together, or long investigation of several drawings to figure out how things
work. Everything is plain and simple.
Note: dimension the assembly drawings sparingly. Only dimensions for quality control should be given, and these
usually using a quality control matrix.
The basic assembly drawings with BOMs are created automatically by ShipConstructor. The look and layout of
the assembly drawings is controlled through user definable template drawings with multiple viewports and
keywords. The user simply has to annotate the drawings.

Assembly drawings can now have be automatically piecemarked by user defined styles. This relieves the time
consuming step of labeling parts and subassemblies within assembly drawings.
Assembly Drawing Steps

Creating assembly drawings consists of these general steps:
1. Prepare the assembly templates
2. Create AutoAnnotation Styles done once only.
3. Assign assembly templates and BOMs and AutoAnnotation Styles to individual assembly levels
using Manager. Create an Assembly Check drawing.
4. Check for correct assignment of parts to assemblies.
5. Create assembly drawings automatically.
6. Annotate assembly drawings to suit the yards requirements.
7. Plot the assembly drawings.
Preparing Assembly Templates

ShipConstructor comes with one prepared assembly template. You can use this one as is, modify it, or create new
ones. We will now investigate the supplied assembly template.

2. Click the Template Page. Select Assembly / ASMBLY 1 ISO.DWG. The template drawing opens.
3. Make sure the drawing is in paper space.

4. 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 wireframe model, while the assembly
will be displayed as a solid model. Thus highlighting the assembly during plotting with the hidden lines
removed.
5. All keywords are displayed in a color other than white (black) in this template. 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. The columns in the BOM are controlled
by the settings that were set in Manager.
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.
9. Select the large viewport, viewport 1. Verify that the viewport is setup to be AutoAnnotatable and non-keymap
a) Select the menu command SC Assembly Template / Viewport options
b) The selected viewports current state is reflected by the settings in the Viewport Options dialog
Since this viewport is marked as AutoAnnotate, labels can automatically be placed during assembly drawing
generation if the user selects that option.
AutoAnnotation Styles
For the purposes of this tutorial one AutoAnnotation style has already been created for you with settings that give
good results. More than one style can be created and used as described in the Structure reference manual. Later we
will modify some settings and observe the differences.
To View/Edit AutoAnnotation Styles

1. Click in the Assembly Annotations toolbar.

2. Note that only style currently exists.
3. Click the Global Settings button. The labels will be placed at least one paperspace inch from the assembly
and spaced apart from each other at least 0.2 paperspace inches. The labels are placed in model space therefore
the actual distances from the object are scaled according to the viewport zoom factor.
4. Click the Level Settings button. These setting allow specific bubble styles and dimensions to be specified per
hierarchy level. Leave the settings for now.

For a description of the various AutoAnnotation settings see the Structure reference manual
Assigning Assembly Templates, BOMs and AutoAnnotation Styles

Each assembly level (i.e. Project, Unit, Assembly, Panel, etc.) can be assigned different assembly template drawings
and BOM configurations. You assign the templates and BOMs using Manager.
1. Start Manager.
2. Select Settings / Assembly Drawing in Manager.
3. Click in the template-drawing column in the field for the UNIT.
4. Click on the down arrow. For the purpose of this tutorial we have supplied one template, ASMBLY 1
ISO.DWG. You could have more than one template and choose to use a different template for each PWBS
level.
5. You can similarly change the BOM and AutoAnnotation style to be used within an assembly drawing.
6. Click OK.
The BOM assigned in the previous step can be configured. We will now show how this can be done:
2. Select the ASSEMBLY01.

3. Configure the ASSEMBLY01 BOM to your needs. Please refer to the previous section in this tutorial called
Checking Nests and Creating BOMs on page 149 for details on the individual settings available in this
dialog.
Build Strategy and Checking Correct Assembly Assignments

Hundreds of parts have been defined in this unit. Each time a part is defined it is assigned to a specific assembly. It
is easy to make mistakes and we must have a means to find and correct them. Build Strategy drawings allow the user
to do this. You can also use these drawings to rapidly implement planned changes to the assembly structure.
In order to check the correct assignment of all parts and assemblies we need a drawing that contains all parts,
including the starboard versions of parts that are defined as P/S. It is possible to create multiple Build Strategy
drawings each containing some or all of the Group, Pipe and Outfit drawings. For the entire unit the resulting
drawing will be several MB in size.

2. Click the Build Strategy page in the component list.

3. Click New.
4. We wish to include all the drawings in the unit, click OK to continue.

5. Enter a name in the next dialog.

6.
7. This function will take a minute or two, as the full Build Strategy Drawing is about 12 MB in size.
8. Click No to not include production information.

9. The Build Strategy Drawing is created and opened.
10. Set a 3D view point.
ShipConstructor lets you check the correct assignment of parts to assemblies before creating assembly drawings. It
is quite common to find parts that are assigned to the wrong assembly.
1. Select SC Build Strategy / Develop Build Strategy. The Build Strategy dialog displays the assembly tree
for the project.
Note: While this dialog is active you can still access AutoCAD directly to issue commands using the command line,
the menus, or the toolbars. Be sure to click the AutoCAD window first before issuing a command. AutoCAD is
active when the window title bar is blue. The Build Strategy dialog is active when its window title bar is blue.
2. SHADE the drawing or use 3D Orbit in order to improve the visual appearance of the assemblies.
3. Click the light bulb off in front of the Demo. This turns all objects off.
4. Click the light bulb on in front of B106. This turns the parts for aft bulkhead on. See figure.

Checking the build strategy requires you to check each individual assembly by setting the visibility. A part assigned
to the wrong assembly can usually be easily identified. We will simulate the result of a part assigned to the wrong
assembly by following these steps.
1. Click B106 off.
2. Click F112 on. Use F110 to follow along if you did not create the parts for F112 during the earlier part of this
tutorial.

3. In the build strategy drawing or in the Build Strategy dialog select a few parts from the assembly F112. In the
Build Strategy the parts inside of F112 are now visible. The parts selected in the drawing are highlighted in the
build strategy tree of F112.
4. In the Build Strategy dialog drag the selected parts to assembly F111.
5. Switch the light bulb in front of F111 on and then off. It is now easily visible that parts are missing in assembly
F112.

6. In the Build Strategy dialog click off F112 and click on F111. See figure.
Practice: Correct the errors we just introduced into the assembly structures of F107 and F112.
Creating the Keymap Drawing

A keymap is a means of providing an overview of a unit and highlighting the actual assembly within the unit. The
keymap drawing consists of only the outside and inside toolpath of all plate parts. All other objects are removed.
Thus we have a see-through wireframe drawing of the complete unit. This drawing can then be used to be inserted
into the keymap viewports in each assembly drawing.

In general, one or more small viewports are reserved to be keymap viewports, as shown in the figure below. In our
assembly template, we have two small keymap viewports in the lower right area of the drawing. Into this viewport
ShipConstructor also inserts the solids of the actual assembly. Using the hide option for these viewports during
plotting, the assembly stands out in the plot and the user can easily identify where in the unit this assembly fits.
The process of creating a keymap is time consuming, as the program has to collect all plate parts from all drawings
and then extracts just the toolpaths from each part. Thus, you are required to create the keymap drawing before

running the assembly drawing creation. The keymap drawing is an external reference in each assembly drawing,
thus if the keymap changes it will be updated anytime you open an assembly drawing.
You can open the Keymap drawing using the Navigator Assembly Page and selecting Assembly / Keymap.
You can then make custom changes and they will be used in each assembly drawing automatically. For example, in
this case we have removed the outlines of the expanded shell plating, as they confuse the picture.
Creating Assembly Drawings

We can now create individual assembly drawings.

2. Click the Assembly Page.
3. Click Create.

4. Select both options, the first to add the keymap information to the keymap viewports and the second to
AutoAnnotate the assembly drawing.
5. Select Use templates and BOMs defined in Manager as we have already specified the template
ASMBLY1 ISO.DWG in Manager.
6. Click Next.
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. Note that each checked level represents one drawing
created

After selecting DB in the assembly tree note that the Level name is reflected in the upper right corner of the
dialog. In this case DB has been assigned to the ASSEMBLY level as indicated. You can select only the levels
you want to generate drawings for quickly by using the level filter list on the right of the dialog.
For example if you only wanted to select the PANEL levels below DB you would select only the PANEL check
box and then click Set. In this case the assembly DB would be cleared and all others remain selected as they are
of the PANEL level.

7. Click Finish.
Note: This operation takes some time and also uses a lot of memory. If you have at least a 1 GHz processor with
512 MB RAM you can click on assembly U12 to create 15 assembly drawings in just a few minutes. Otherwise,
you might want to limit yourself to the assembly DB, the double bottom.
One drawing is automatically created for each assembly. Watch closely to see how the views are generated and the
keywords replaced.
We will now investigate one of the assembly drawings.


3. Select drawing DemoU12DBF111. Click Open. The drawing is opened as shown below.
4. The drawing should be in paper space.

5. Investigate the drawing while in paper space. Zoom to the keywords in the top center.
6. Pan to the right to the BOM.

7. Pan to the bottom to the keymap layers. The keymap will become clearer when the drawing is shaded or hidden
lines are removed.
Manually Annotating Assembly Drawings

Assembly drawings have to be annotated to be useful for assembly purposes. In many cases you want to indicate
levels of assembly, such as panels and sub-assemblies. ShipConstructor provides functions that simplify the
annotation process.
These are the types of assembly annotations you might want to perform:
Part Names - Generally provided as flyouts.
Assembly Names - Flyouts indicate assembly names, such as MDK (main deck), or DB (double bottom).
Symbols - Such as symbols for welding or throw direction.
Dimensioning - Dimensioning should be kept to a minimum when using structural modeling and assembly
drawings. Using manual techniques required checking dimensions at many stages during production. However,
using structural modeling with all its error checking produces parts that are almost 100% correct. Dimensions
should only be given to check overall dimensions of complex assemblies.
Quality Control Matrix - This is a very useful tool to apply dimensions to an assembly drawing. The most
common use for this matrix is to provide dimensional check options on the assembly drawing.
Assembly Drawing - Manual Annotation
Smart Labels
All annotations are carried out using our Smart Labels. Smart Labels simplify and speed up manual annotation of
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 two distinctly different ways to annotate the assembly drawings. You might know the first one from older
versions 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 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.
Annotating Plate Parts using Specific UCSs

Here we will add another label for the part U12F111-P04.
1. While still in paper space in drawing DEMOU12DBF111, zoom to the large viewport.
2. Switch to Model Space.
3. Click in the large viewport to activate it. A thick border around the viewport indicates that it is the active one.
4. At the command line type UCSICON and press ENTER.
Enter an option [ON/OFF/All/Noorigin/ORigin/Properties] <ON>: OR
5. Then type OR for origin and press ENTER. This will move the UCS icon to the origin, if the origin is within
the visible area of the drawing. Since the world UCS is currently active, the UCS icon will remain in the lower
left corner, as the world origin is about 7200 mm aft of this frame. During the later stage though, the UCS origin
will be in the plane of this frame, and our changes will be more visible to us.

7. In the UCS dialog click Activate from Object.
8. Click on one of the large plate parts in the viewport. This will automatically create a UCS in the plane of the
plate parts with the origin at the centerline. Thus we can now annotate the plate parts with the annotations in the
same plane. The next two figures show the AutoCAD UCS icon before and after activating the UCS of one of
the large plate parts.
9. Click the Annotate Part button.

Select Part:
10. Click the starboard plate part.

11. The Annotation dialog displays the PWBS branches from the project level down to the selected part. The
proposed text for the annotation is always the name of the picked part. However, you can choose any PWBS
level (i.e. F111, DB, U12, or Demo) as the annotation text. You can also type your own text in the text box.
12. Set the dialog options as shown below.

13. Set Text / Size to 100.
14. Check the Text / Bubble option.
15. Un-check Text / Rotate manually and make sure to use an angle of 0 degrees (horizontal).
16. Un-check Text / Orient to View Direction.
17. Check the Leader Line / Create Option.
18. Set Leader line / Segments to 1.
19. Check the Leader line / Last segment inline with text option.
20. Un-check all OSnap Settings.
21. Click OK.
22. With ORTHO ON, drag vertically up and click when at the desired position. See next figure.
Practice: Repeat the same steps for the port side part. ShipConstructor retains the same settings. Just click OK in
the dialog.
Annotating Stiffeners
For the stiffeners we want a UCS that lies in the plane of the stiffener.
1. Zoom to the left most stiffener.

2. Click the Activate UCS button. In the dialog click Activate from Object.
3. Click on the left most flatbar, the one outboard on the starboard side.
4. In the dialog select the option as shown. For a stiffener you can choose one of four UCSs.
5. The UCS icon should appear as shown in the figure above. Since the Z-axis is pointing away from us, the text
of the annotation would be in mirror image. We have to flip the UCS in order to make the annotation readable
from our side.
6. Click the Flip UCS button to ensure the Z-axis is pointing towards us.
7. The text orientation by default aligns itself with the UCS X-axis. We would like the text to be aligned with the
current Y-axis. Therefore the text must be rotated 90 degrees. This is easily accomplished in the Annotation
settings dialog as shown following.

9. Pick the stiffener for which you just created the UCS. The annotation dialog again is displayed. Set the angle to
90 degrees to rotate the label for reasons as described in step 7.

10. Click OK.
11. Drag the leader line downwards. You dont need to worry about the length, as it will be set to 300mm.
Quick Annotation
Use the quick annotation function once you have set your parameters for the annotation. We will create the same
annotations for the next stiffeners until we come to the centerline using the quick annotation option.
Note: You do not have to create a new UCS for the other stiffeners. ShipConstructor will automatically use the
same UCS settings as set up for the first stiffener, and will shift the origin automatically to the plane of the other
picked part.
1. Click the Quick Annotate Part button.

2. Click on the next stiffener. No dialog is displayed.
3. Create the annotation the same as before for all remaining stiffeners on starboard of the center line. Do not do
the stiffeners on the port side yet.

Copy Annotations
You can even save more time by copying annotations. The new annotations will retain the same characteristics, but
the text will reflect the part name you clicked on.
1. Pan to the port side of the frame.
2. Click the Copy Annotation button.

Select annotation.
3. Click on the stiffener annotation that was created last near the center line.
Select base point:
4. Select the connection point of the leader line to the stiffener.

Select part:
5. Click the next stiffener.

Select point:
6. Click on the lower corner of the stiffener. The annotation is created for this part with the same settings as the
one copied.
7. Continue selecting further stiffeners until all are annotated. See figure.
Annotating using Orient to View Direction

We will now annotate assembly F110 using the new Orient to View Direction annotation option. This option
lets you place annotations and later on decide on different viewpoint. The annotation text will always be facing you.

This saves you time when changing your mind about the best view direction for the final plot of the assembly
drawing.
1. Use the Navigator to open assembly drawing Demo12DBF110.
2. Switch to model space and activate the large viewport with the double bottom panel.

Select Part:
4. Click the starboard plate part.

5. Set the dialog options as shown below.
6. Select the Orient to View Direction. This will automatically orient the annotation text to be facing the
viewer. The annotation will update its direction every time you change the viewpoint of the drawing. It will
even update dynamically when using 3DORBIT to rotate the drawing.
7. Click OK.
8. Create the annotation to your liking.
9. The annotation is created such that the text is facing you.
10. Set different viewpoints and observe that the annotation will always face you, not matter what view direction
you are setting.
11. Use the 3D Orbit to rotate the panel dynamically. Watch the annotation face you as you rotate the view.

Inserting CG Position
ShipConstructor provides a function to mark the CG position. This can be important for lifting documentation or
plans to move heavy assemblies.
1. Click the Activate UCS button. In the dialog click Activate from Object.
2. Click on one of the two plate parts to create a UCS in the plane of the frame.
3. Select SC Assembly / Icons / CG Point. The function inserts an AutoCAD POINT at the CG position.
Quality Control Matrix

The Quality Control Matrix 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.

1. Make sure to be in model space with the main viewport active.
2. Select a UCS that will display the markers in a convenient direction. 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.
3. Select SC Utilities / Create Quality Matrix.
4. 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,
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.
5. 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 dissimilarly due to welding variations.

Rotating for Assembly Position
The double bottom will be assembled upside down. It is best to show the each assembly in the actual assembly
orientation.

3. Open assembly drawing DEMOU12STRUCTUREDB.DWG. Notice that many of the subassemblies are not
automatically labeled. This is because the AutoAnnotation process only labels visible components. The
assembly will be rotated to mimic how it will be built thus exposing the assemblies that are underneath the
tanktop.
Note: The above figure does not include the frame F112 that is worked through in the previous part of the tutorial
4. Switch to model space.

5. Activate the large viewport by clicking in it.
6. Insert the CG position icon. We have to insert it before we rotate the assembly to get the correct position.
7. Type ROTATE3D at the command prompt.
8. Type ALL and press ENTER, and again ENTER.
Axis by Object/Last/View/Xaxis/Yaxis/Zaxis/<2points>: x
9. Type X and ENTER for a rotation about the X-axis.

10. Accept the default 0, 0, 0 by pressing ENTER.
11. Type 180 for the rotation angle. Press ENTER.
12. Activate each of the small viewports and zoom extents.
13. Activate the large viewport again.
The double bottom assembly is now rotated up-side-down. As well, the Annotation labels placed during the
AutoAnnotation process are now difficult to see. We will re-AutoAnnotate the assembly to clean up the labels and
produce labels for the components that were previously obscured.

Note: This figure does not include the frame F112 that is worked through in the previous part of the tutorial
Re-AutoAnnotating Assembly Drawings

1. Select the menu command SC Assembly / ReAutoAnnotate drawing.
2. The labels placed previously by the AutoAnnotation process are deleted and reproduced.

Note: This figure does not include the frame F112 that is worked through in the previous part of the tutorial
3. The labels should be cleaned up somewhat as their order could still be improved. Shell plating does not appear
as a solid to the AutoAnnotation process therefore some labels, TTP, F109, and F111 are pointing at objects that
are obscured by the shell plating. This is bad drafting practice.
4. Move the labels using their grip points so that they are ordered as shown in the next figure:
Plotting Assembly Drawings

You can instruct AutoCAD to create a hidden line removed plot. You have to instruct AutoCAD of which viewports
you want to create a plot. To hide lines during plotting:
1. Make sure you are in paper space. Only the currently active viewport will be plotted if you are in model
space.
2. At the command line type MVIEW and ENTER.
ON/OFF/Hideplot/Fit/2/3/4/Restore/<First Point>:
3. Enter Hideplot and press ENTER.

ON/OFF:
4. Enter ON and press ENTER.

Select Objects:
5. Now pick the viewport or viewports for which you want to hide lines. Click on all three viewports.
6. PLOT the drawing now.

Profile Plots
Overview
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.
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.
Creating a Stiffener Plot Drawing

We will now create a stiffener plot drawing for stiffeners of the double bottom using the provided templates. We
will later explain how the templates are customized.

2. Select the Profile Plots Page and click New.

3. Create a new drawing with the name DB. Click OK.
4. A new, empty drawing is created.
Inserting Stiffener Plots

We will now create profile plots for the curved stiffeners in the MDK assembly. These profiles look like the one
shown in the next figure. These are curved BF240x12 profiles with endcuts on both ends.
1. Select SC Profile Plots / Insert 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 (located in U12 / Structure) and un-check the box in front of DKP.

4. Click the Options button and make sure to use the settings shown in the next dialog. Left click on either the
Plot Template or SubPlot field to see a preview.
Plot Template - The large template drawing is set up to hold the individual SubPlots. In our case one template
will hold two SubPlots. See the following figure.

You can customize any of the templates to fit your needs.
SubPlot - A template designed to display one profile and all the related data.
Dimension Style - Sets up specific parameters for the dimensions.
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.
Dimension Text Size - Sets the text size independent of the dimension style selected.
Dimension Spacing - Sets the spacing of the dimension form the object.
Forming Offsets - Settings that control the options for the offsets for curved profiles.
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.
Bend at Best Point - This will rotate the profile such that it will fit into a rectangle of minimum height.
5. Click OK to load the options.

6. Click OK.
7. You are now asked to specify a start point. Click any point within the drawing window, and the stiffener plots
will be created for you.
8. Click in the lower left region of the paper space to draw the stiffener plots.
Specify start point:
9. Select SC Profile Plots / Zoom. Select Sheet-001 and click OK. The function zooms to Sheet-001.

10. Select SC Profile Plots / Zoom, select U12107-S15 then click OK. The function zooms to the sub-sheet of
the selected stiffener. This makes it very easy to find a specific plot.

Structure Reports
Overview
Be sure to read this section even if you have used Manager before.
Open Manager by clicking on

Manager stores all non-graphical data in the project database. The database consists of over 100 tables, and more
than one thousand relationships between the tables, making this the most powerful database used in shipbuilding.
ShipConstructor features the following types of Reports:
PWBS Reports (Product Work Breakdown Structure) - These reports are generated for a specific
Product Work Breakdown Structure (PWBS) such as a unit. It is further divided into specific reports.
SWBS Reports (System Work Breakdown Structure) - These reports are generated for a specific
System Work Breakdown Structure (SWBS) such as the Fresh Water system. See the Outfitting Tutorial for
more information on SWBS Reports.
Plate Nests These reports show information about select plate nests.
Profile Nests These reports show the cut lists for selected profile nests.
Stock Usage These reports show the quantities of stocks used and remaining.
IMPORTANT:
Most reports support two report layouts
Small size paper (Letter / A4).
Large size paper (11x17 / A3),
If your printer does not support the large paper size, then the report will be broken up to fit the smaller pages. Be
sure to select a printer through the Printer Control Panel that supports the paper size you wish to use.
196 Structure Reports ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial

PWBS Reports
PWBS reports organize all parts (Structural, Outfit, HVAC, and Pipe) in the fashion in which they will be
assembled. The general rule for structural parts is that plates and stiffeners are assembled to Panels; several Panels
are assembled to Assemblies; several Assemblies may form a Unit; Several Units form a Ship or Project.
Figure: Hierarchical structure of a ship
Figure: Demo's PWBS Tree
PBWS reports can be divided in the following reports:
ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial Structure Reports 197

Build Strategy - This report displays the build strategy including all assembly levels and/or individual
parts. These reports are customizable.
Profile Shows detailed information for profile production.
Pipe Penetration Shows information about the penetrations. These reports are customizable.
Standard Part - List only the standard part counts.
Pipe Hanger Lists the pipe hangers.
Pipe Fitting (spooled) - List all individual pipe stocks that belong to spools.
Reports can be created for any assembly in the ship or the complete ship. In general you will be creating reports for
a unit or smaller assembly. You then bundle the report with assembly drawings, nest plots, nest reports, and NC
tapes to a work order.
All calculations, such as those for weight and CG are performed on-the-fly during the report generation. You can be
sure that the output is up to date.
Build Strategy Reports

Build Strategy Reports are customizable, allowing you to select which fields you want to include.
1. Start Manager.
2. Select Reports / PWBS
3. In the Ship PWBS dialog highlight Demo / U12 / Structure / DB in the Tree on the left.
4. Click the Reports button. You will see the following Report Dialog.

The demo project has three preconfigured build strategy reports:
Commercial Weight Shows the minimum rectangle dimensions for each plate part
Full Build Strategy Shows the PWBS tree and all the parts
Part Shows a list of all the parts
5. Select the Full Build Strategy Report and click Edit.
6. The Report Definitions dialog is shown. It allows you to design the report.
7. Click Close.

8. Select the Full Build Strategy Report.
9. Click Preview.
10. The report displays all assemblies and parts of the double bottom DB assembly and all sub-assemblies in the
double bottom. The first page you see is the cover page.
11. Click on the next page button at the top to go to the next page.
12. You can close that preview window and preview the Commercial Weight and Part reports.
13. Close the preview window if it is still open.
14. Click Close to close the Report for DB dialog.
Profile Report
This report lists all profiles in the selected assemblies. The profiles are sorted by the manufacturing processes
required. You may have the same flatbar stock used for curved profiles on the shell plating, straight stiffeners

on some panels, and for faceplates to re-enforce some man-holes. The profiles will be listed in three individual
sections of the report.
1. In the PWBS dialog select U12.
2. Click the Reports button. You will see the following Reports for U12 dialog.
3. Select Profile / By Assembly and switch the Size to Small (Letter/A4).

4. Click Preview.
5. The first page is a cover page.
6. Go to the next by clicking the page button at the top of the Report window to switch between pages.
7. This page is the Profile Summary page, listing the profile stocks and total lengths required to manufacture the
profiles for the U12 unit.

8. Go to the next page. It lists the profiles for the first profile size. See that the identical parts U12F106-S01 are
grouped together and Qty shows 8.
9. Close the preview window.
Standard Parts Reports

This report contains a list of all standard parts, such as brackets, used in the selected assembly. For each standard
part the quantity is reported.
Plate Nest Reports

It is essential to have good nest reports in order to know exactly where your parts are and to be able to distribute
each part to the right assembly area. NC-cutting operators are usually supplied with:
Nest plots
NC code produced by NC-Pyros
Nest reports
Nests Dialog
The Nests dialog gives you access to the nest reports. It also displays a list of all nests. For each nest, all parts are
displayed in a convenient list with all important parameters.

1. In Manager, select Reports / Plate Nests.
2. Highlight a nest in the list on the left. The dialog displays important information about the selected nest.
This dialog is only used to look up some information quickly. Use the reporting functions to obtain full reports.
Condensed Nest Reports

Condensed nest reports are used for overview purposes of nests for a unit or the whole ship. Only the most essential
information is displayed in the condensed reports and formatted for convenient reading.
1. In the Nests dialog click the Report button.

2. The Nest Reports dialog is displayed. Here you can choose between Condensed and Detailed reports. You
can also choose to create the Report for an individual nest, nest in a selected unit or all nests in the ship.
3. Select All Nests and select Condensed and Large (11X17/A3) as show below. Click Preview.
4. Investigate the preview or print the report for further inspection.
5. The first page of the report is a cover page with some overview information such as overall plate utilization.

6. The next page contains the overview information for all nests.
7. Close the Preview window.

Detailed Nest Reports
Detailed nest reports give you all the information required for successful NC-cutting and distribution of parts to
assemblies.
1. In the Nest Reports dialog, select All Nests and Detailed as shown below.
2. Click Preview.
3. Investigate the preview or print the report. The following picture shows the preview of page 3 which shows
the details about each nest.

4. Close the Preview window.
Profile Nesting
Overview
Profile Nesting is the process of efficiently arranging profile parts on raw profile stock. ShipConstructor allows complete
flexibility in the way the individual parts are arranged on the stock pieces. You can add specific parts to a single piece of
stock or allow ShipConstructor to place a large number of parts on an entire batch of stock. ShipConstructor allows you
to specify a part gap or kerf between each sequential part on a stock-by-stock basis. You can also specify the minimum
length of scrap material that should be considered for further nesting.
In any project of this type revisions to parts that have already been included in a nest are commonplace. ShipConstructor
will flag a nest that has changed parts and provides checking functions to report and remedy potential problems. Once a
ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial Profile Nesting 207

nest has been issued or cut you will not be allowed to revise any of the parts that belong in that nest without un-
issuing/un-cutting the nest. Likewise you will not be able to edit certain properties for profile stocks after nests have been
created that utilize that stock.
Profile Nesting Toolbar Button

The toolbar button that launches ShipConstructor ProfileNest is available on the lower portion of the standard Nest
toolbar.
Profile Nesting Preparation

The settings for profile nesting are stored in the central project database and can be accessed using Manager. We will
take a quick look at where these settings are in Manager and how they affect the profile nesting process.
1. Select ShipConstructor / Run Manager or click
2. Select Stocks from the Libraries menu.
Selecting a profile stock type from the tree on the left will display all stocks of that type in the list on the right.
3. Select Bulb Flats in the tree and then select the bulb flat stock BF160x09.
4. Click the Edit button at the bottom of the dialog or double click the stock to view its properties.
208 Profile Nesting ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial

5. In this dialog the two stock properties that affect profile nesting are: Nesting Gap (kerf) and Min Remnant
Length.
Nesting Gap (kerf) The minimum distance between two sequential parts on the same nest.
Min Remnant Length The length of the minimum piece of scrap stock that will be usable as a remnant for
further nesting.
6. Click the Stock Lengths button to view the defined raw stock lengths for the BF160x09 stock.

7. You can add raw stock lengths for this stock.
8. Enter 15 in the Length (m): field.
9. Click to add the 15 meter stock to the list.
You can also add or remove a number of pieces for a given length. We will now add 10 pieces of 15m stock.
10. Select the 15 meter row in the list.
11. Enter 10 in the Qty field in the lower left.

12. Click Add Qty to Selected. You will notice that the new pieces have been added to the stock list. Also, notice
that every time quantities are changed, a revision is added to the Additions/Removals list on the right.
Detailed information about Stock management can be found in the Libraries Menu section of the Manager manual.
Profile Nest Manager

1. Switch back to ShipConstructor.
2. Register to the SC2004Demo project as shown previously.
3. Close the Navigator.
4. Select ShipConstructor / Profile Nesting or click .

5. Select unit U12 and all levels below it by checking the box beside U12. Only parts that belong to one of the selected
assemblies will be available for nesting.
6. Click OK. The Profile Nest Manager will appear.

7. Expand the tree on the left to see all Bulb Flats and then select the BF160x09 stock. This will populate the Profile
Nest Manager with data relevant to that stock. The center tree displays all parts using the selected stock and their
lengths. The tree on the right shows the nests that have been created using this stock.
There are several filter options available. The filter options on the lower left of the dialog will filter the parts that are
available for nesting in the center tree. These filters consist of:
Endcut Filter This filter allows you to select endcuts by which you would like to filter the available parts. Only
those parts that have had at least one of the selected endcuts applied will appear for nesting. This allows you to nest
parts with the same endcuts together efficiently.
Bend Filter This filter allows you to filter by profile parts that have a certain type of bend applied to them. Only
those parts that match one of the selected bend types will appear for nesting. This filter allows you to efficiently nest
those parts that will be routed to the same stations for bending on the same pieces of raw stock.
Trim Filter This filter allows you to filter by trimmed profile parts. You can include only profile parts that have
not been trimmed; all profile parts, or only those that have been trimmed by selecting the appropriate combination of
the two checkboxes. This filter allows you to efficiently nest those parts that will be routed to the same stations for
trimming on the same pieces of raw stock.
8. Ensure that filter options are set as in the above dialog.

The Profile Nest Manager Toolbar
Create Nests
This button creates blank nests for use with manual nesting later. To create a number of blank nests:
1. Click the button.
2. Select two of each of the two stock lengths by placing a 2 in the Number to Use column for both lengths.
3. Click the Create Nests button to create the blank nests.
Remove Selected Nests

This button will remove all selected nests. Any parts in the selected nests will be un-nested.
1. Select the BF160X09-0001 12m nest and the BF160X09-0003 15m nest in the right tree as shown below.

2. Click the button to remove the selected nests.
3. Click OK to confirm the delete.
Issue Selected Nests

This button will issue the selected nests. You cannot issue a nest that does not contain any parts. An issued nest is a nest
that has been finalized but has not yet been physically cut. Changes cannot be made to parts in this nest without first un-
issuing the nest. We will issue a few nests after the Automatic Profile Nesting section of this tutorial.
Un-Issue Selected Nests

This button will un-issue the selected issued nests so that revisions can be made to the parts in the nest. We will un-issue
a few nests after the Automatic Profile Nesting section of this tutorial.
Cut Selected Nests

This button will cut the selected nests which have previously been issued. A cut nest is a nest that has been finalized. We
will cut a few nests after the Automatic Profile Nesting section of this tutorial.
Un-Cut Selected Nests

This button will un-cut the selected cut nests and return them to an issued state. We will un-cut a few nests after the
Automatic Profile Nesting section of this tutorial.
Check All Visible Nests

This button will run a check function on all visible nests to find and report any problems with the currently visible nests
in the right hand tree.
Manual Profile Nesting

To begin the manual nesting operation select the nest(s) you would like to manually add parts to in the right tree. In this
case we will add parts to the first nest (BF160X09-0002) in the right hand tree. You can however manually nest parts
into any existing nest.
1. Check the box for the nest called BF160X09-0002 in the Nests tree on the right. Ensure that this is the only nest
you have checked.

2. Select the parts you would like to nest in the unnested parts tree in the middle. For the purposes of this tutorial we
will select the last 2 parts in assembly Demo / U12 / Structure / B106. The two parts in question are called
U12F106-S07 and U12F106-S08.
3. After selecting these two parts and the single nest, click the Add > button to manually add the parts to the selected
nest.
4. If there was not sufficient space for the selected parts in the selected nest you would be asked to provide more stock
so that the profile nesting can continue.
5. In this case both parts should easily fit onto the selected length of stock.
Automatic Profile Nesting

To begin automatically nesting profile parts ensure that there are NO nests selected in the right tree of the dialog. If there
are nests selected, the profile nesting will attempt to add to the selected nests rather than creating new nests.
1. Select all parts beneath the Demo / U12 / Structure / DB / TTP assembly. This can be accomplished by checking
the box next to the TTP assembly.
2. To automatically nest the selected parts, click the Add > button.
3. You will be prompted for the number of pieces of each defined length you would like the profile nesting to use.
You are given both the required length of stock and the currently selected length of stock. Even if the total selected
length is greater than the length needed, there is no guarantee that the selected parts will fit on the selected pieces of
raw stock. The profile nesting will only use as much of the selected stock as is required for the selected parts. Any
unused stock pieces will be returned for later use.
Use 3 pieces of 12m stock and 4 pieces of 15m stock by entering a 3 and 4 in the Number to Use column for the
appropriate lengths as shown above. Click the Create Nests button to continue the process. If you have not
allocated enough stock for the selected parts this dialog will come up again so you can allocate more stock to this

batch.
4. The nests for the selected parts will be created and will appear in the right hand tree in the Profile Nest Manager.

Issuing Nests
When a nest is completed and is ready to be cut it can be issued. Issuing a nest ensures that no further changes can be
made to the parts contained within the nest and signals that the nest is ready to be cut. To issue a nest:
1. Select the nest to be issued in the right hand tree. In this instance we will be issuing the nest called BF160X09-
0010. Check the box next to that nest in the right hand tree of the Profile Nest Manager.
2. Click the button to issue the nest.
The dialog above lists each nest that was selected for issuing and allows you to set a Heat Number for each nest. The
Heat Number is used for Quality Assurance (QA) purposes and can be used to track the batch of raw stock from which
this nest came. We will not give this nest a Heat Number.
Once a nest has been issued, you may use the remaining material as a remnant if it is longer than the Min Remnant
Length set for that stock. You can either choose to use that scrap piece for nesting later, or can automatically create a
remnant nest for each of the issued nests at this time by checking the box at the bottom of the dialog.
We do not wish to create the remnant at this time as we will use the scrap in the next section of this tutorial. As such, we
do not want the checkbox to be checked when we click the OK button at the lower right of the dialog.
3. Click OK to issue the nest.
4. The nest will appear in the right hand tree of the Profile Nest Manager as shown below.

Cutting Nests
Cutting a nest signifies that the parts have been cut from the raw stock and should not be revised unless absolutely
necessary. To cut a nest:
1. Select the nest(s) to cut. In this case, we will select the nest we issued in the last step, namely nest BF160X09-
0010. Select the nest by checking the box next to the nest in the right hand tree.
2. Click the button to cut the selected nests.

3. You are again asked if you want to enter heat numbers.
4. Click OK.
5. The nest will appear in the right hand tree of the Profile Nest Manager as shown below.
Using Scrap and Creating Remnant Nests

Scrap material from issued and cut nests can be used to create remnant nests for both manual and automatic profile
nesting. Regardless of the type of nesting you intend to perform you can select any available scrap from the list at the top
right of the dialog shown below.

For the purposes of this tutorial we will simply create a blank nest using the only available piece of scrap in the project.
1. Click the button to create a new nest.

2. Instead of selecting any of the available raw stock lengths, check the box next to the remnant of length 4.635m in the
upper right of the dialog.
3. Click OK to create a blank nest from this remnant.

4. The nest will be created as shown below.
The name of the new nest begins with the name of the nest from which the scrap came followed by R1 to signify that it is
the first remnant from that nest.
Nest the last part in the assembly called Demo / U12 / Structure / MDK / DKP onto this newly created remnant nest.
The part is called U12MDCK-S004.
5. Check the box Next to U12MDCK-S004 and check the box next to nest BF160X09-0010-R1.
6. Click the Add > button .

Checking Nests
In cases where certain properties regarding the parts in a nest or the stock a nest is using are changed, the nest will be
flagged as requiring attention. An uncut nest that has been thus flagged will look similar to this:
A cut nest that has been flagged as requiring attention will look similar to this:
To force our nests into a condition requiring a check we will change the Nesting Gap (kerf) for the BF160X09 stock.
This setting can be changed through Manager.
1. Click the Done button on the Profile Nest Manager to close this session of nesting.
2. In ShipConstructor, Open the Navigator.
3. Select Structure from the component list.
4. Open the drawing Deck / U12TTOP.
5. Turn on the solid layer by clicking .
6. Select SC Structure / Stiffener / Edit or click .

7. Select the inboard most stiffener on the port side. Press ENTER.
8. Extend the stiffener on the forward end by setting Lengthen(+)/Shorten(-) End to 100.
9. Click OK.
10. Click Update All. This will update all the identical stiffeners on the port side of the tanktop.
11. Open Profile Nesting again as we did in the beginning of this tutorial section and get back to the Profile Nest
Manager.
12. Select the BF160x09 stock in the left hand tree as we did previously in this tutorial section.

13. Ensure that the two checkboxes to the lower right of the Profile Nest Manager are checked as shown below.
14. The right hand tree should look similar to the one shown below.
The indicates that the parts in those nests have been altered.
15. Check the boxes next to the nests.
16. Click the button. The nests will be checked and any problems will be reported.
In this case the extra length you added was available on the stock.
Profile Nest Reports

Output for the profile nesting is managed through the reporting functionality in ShipConstructor Manager. To generate
reports on the nests we have just created in this tutorial:
1. Select ShipConstructor / Run Manager or click .
2. To begin generating profile nest reports, select the Profile Nests option from the Reports menu.

3. The first dialog that comes up provides information about the Profile Nests currently in the project. Selecting a nest
in the list on the left of the dialog will display information about that nest in the right hand list, and will display
information about the parts that belong to the nest in the list at the bottom of the dialog.
NOTE: Double clicking one of the parts in the list will bring up detailed information about that part.
4. Select the nest named BF160X09-0009 in the left list.

5. In the list on the right you will see detailed information about this nest. The information available includes
utilization, total length, and dates for each stage in the nesting process.
6. Of important note is the Has Changed entry at the bottom of the list. If this value is Yes, the nest should be
checked in the Profile Nest Manager in ShipConstructor.
7. Click the Report button to continue.
8. For the purposes of this tutorial we will generate a report for all nests in the project except for those that have no
parts in them.
To accomplish this task we want to set the filters for the report as shown in the above dialog. By un-checking the
Include Empty Nests checkbox we ensure that no empty nests will be included in the reports we are going to
generate.

9. Select the All Nests option to include all nests in the project in the report. Set all other options as shown below.
10. Click the Preview button to generate the report.

11. In the generated report, nests that are to be cut from the same piece of raw stock and all of its remnants are contained
between a set of dashed lines that extend to the left of the page. In the image below the nest named BF160x09-
0008 is the only nest between a set of dashed lines as it does not have any remnants. However, the nest named
BF160x09-0009 and its remnant R1-BF160X09-0009 are both contained between a single set of dashed lines as
they will be cut from the same piece of stock.

Cutout and Profile Insertion 57
D
Defining Stiffener Parts 72
Index Detailing 31, 52, 79, 110

Display Properties 11
E
Endcut Filter 213
Endcuts 69, 75, 92, 106
Export 157
Export Drawings 39
Export Page 24
Extrusion Lines 68
3
3D model 3, 59, 122 F
3D Orbit 27, 71, 167, 184 Faceplate 74, 84, 89, 111
3D Product Model 3, 9 Faceplate Parts 34, 37
filter 174
A Filter Button 192
Flange 57, 93, 100
Angle 101
flanged 98, 110
Annotating 180, 183
Flyout 43, 79
Annotating Assembly drawings 177
Frame 9
Assembly 74
Assembly Drawings 3, 5, 110, 129, 149, 160, 167, 172,
185, 188, 198 G
Assembly Page 20 Gap 57, 61, 95, 153, 221
Assembly Templates 161 Girder 9, 52, 61, 154
AutoCAD 28, 89, 133 Gouraud Shaded 26, 125
AutoCAD Block 9 group drawings 24
AutoCAD objects 41 Group Drawings 124
Group Technology 4
B Group Visibility 29
Bend at Best Point 194
Bend Filter 213 H
Bend from Start 194 Handle 79, 110, 116
Block 36, 82 hull 124
BOM 143, 149, 154, 164, 176 HVAC Page 19
Bridging 155
Build Strategy 4, 165, 198
Build Strategy Page 20 I
Import 123
C Include sub-assembly parts 149
interference 66, 132
CAD 63 Interference Page 19
Catalog 57
Center Girder 110
CG 32, 66, 123, 185, 187, 198 K
Check Group Drawings 107 Keymap 162, 170, 177
Checking the Unit 129
Copy Annotations 183
custom ShipConstructor objects 24
ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial Index 225

L Planar Group 9, 29, 96, 107
Planar Group Drawing 3, 8, 13, 17, 19, 30, 32
Layers 24, 108, 177 Plane 9, 57, 96, 178
Level 128, 163, 173, 179 Plate parts 33, 115, 170, 178, 185
Libraries Menu 208 Plot Template 193
License 59, 122 Plotting Assembly drawings 189
Licensing 14 Production 3, 111, 138, 149, 160, 167, 177
Like / Mirror 139, 149, 151 Production Geometry 8, 36, 70
lock 15 Production Layer 24
Longitudinal 80, 95, 110, 124 Production report 113
Profile 56, 81, 84, 90, 113
M Profile Nesting 207
Profile Plots 3, 56, 190, 191
Manager 12, 54 Profile Plots Page 21
Manager Manual 211 Profile Report 200
Manufacturer 56 Project Page 18
Margin Bracket 47, 98, 102 PWBS 164, 179
Material 56, 66, 75, 79, 151, 155, 218 PWBS Reports 196
Min Remnant Usable Length 209
Mirror Parts 108
Module 57, 144 Q
Quality Control Matrix 160, 177, 185, 186
N
Nest 62, 103, 110, 158, 198, 207 R
Nest Drawing 38 Radius 101
Nest Page 21 RAM 175
Nest Reports 202, 206 Register 129
Nest Toolbar 139 Remnant 57, 158, 218, 224
Nesting 3, 57, 80, 110, 117, 129, 137, 218 Replicate 58, 64
Nesting Filter 145
Network Locks 14
S
O Scallop 53
Scallops 52, 54, 84, 98
Offset 62, 82, 90, 119 Shading 26, 66, 82
outfit 66 ShipConstructor Toolbar 12
Outfit Arrangement Page 19 Solid Layer 24
Overlap 104, 118, 153 SQL server 3, 6
standard 6, 110, 116, 122
P Standard brackets 110, 117, 149
Standard Part Reports 202
Part 9 Standard Parts by Quantity 149
Part Block 74 Standards Page 22
Part Data 9 stiffener 56, 79, 90, 104, 122, 129
Part Detailing 43 Stiffener Parts 33
Part Gap 142, 207 Stock Library 55
Part Name 81 Stock Name 92
Part Orientation Icon 78, 94, 107 Strip Unit Prefix 50
Part Side 75 Structural Reports 3
Penetrations 156 Structure 61
Piecemark 32, 35, 81, 93, 104, 114, 129 Structure and Nest Reference Manual 148, 164
Piecemark Size 75 Structure Page 19
Pipe 66, 156 Structure Reports 196
Pipe Hanger 198 SWBS Reports 196
Piping Page 19 System Font 10
226 Index ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial

T
template 143, 147, 151, 171
template drawings 164
templates 173
Templates 55, 143, 190
Templates Page 22
Throw 75
Throw indicators 35
Throw Symbol 50
Toolpath 61, 170
toolpaths 32, 171
Trim Filter 213
U
UCS 95, 185
Unit 6, 46, 82, 110
Unit Drawing 12
V
Virtual Reality 32, 39
visibility 65, 82, 168
W
Weight 66, 75, 123, 151, 198
Weld Shrinkage 79, 186
Windows 107
Wireframe 65, 89
workshop drawings 5
Workshop Page 23
X
XREF 17, 59, 86, 129
ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial Index 227

Ship Constructor Structure Tutorial

Uploaded by

Ship Constructor Structure Tutorial

Uploaded by

ShipConstructor

By ARL - Albacore Research Ltd.

COPYRIGHT 2003 ALBACORE RESEARCH LTD.

Andrew Wong Kevin van Donkersgoed

Cover model courtesy of Bender Shipbuilding and Repair Co.

#304 3960 Quadra St.

Toll Free: 1-888-210-7420

ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial Contents i

ii Contents ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial

Structure Reports 196

Profile Nesting 207

ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial Contents iii

ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial Tutorial 1

Generating a 3D Product Model

ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial Exploring 3

4 Exploring ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial

Work Group Areas

Dont Do It The Old Way!

Work Packages save Time and Money

Organizing Your Work and Data

ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial Exploring 5

Figure: Contents of a PRO file

6 Exploring ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial

Figure: Isometric view of typical construction unit

ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial Exploring 7

Production geometry - regular CAD drafted geometry for NC-cutting.

8 Exploring ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial

Figure: Example structural part

ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial Exploring 9

Checking Your System Font

10 Exploring ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial

Figure: Large Font

Changing Your System Font (DPI Setting)

ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial Exploring 11

Exploring the Supplied Data

The Unit Drawing

The ShipConstructor Toolbar

12 Exploring ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial

ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial Exploring 13

14 Exploring ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial

Levels for Structure Module

ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial Exploring 15

Common Licensing Problems

10. ShipConstructor establishes a connection to the associated SQL project database.

16 Exploring ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial

1. Select ShipConstructor / Navigator or click to open the Navigator again.

ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial Exploring 17

18 Exploring ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial

Outfit Arrangement Page

ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial Exploring 19

20 Exploring ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial

Profile Plots Page

ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial Exploring 21

22 Exploring ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial

ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial Exploring 23

2. Close the Navigator

Viewing the 3D Unit

The Visibility Toolbar

24 Exploring ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial

ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial Exploring 25

Shading the 3D Unit

26 Exploring ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial

ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial Exploring 27

1. Select View 3D Orbit or click to start the Orbit command.

6. Select View / Shade / 2D Wireframe or 2D Wireframe to return to a regular display.

28 Exploring ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial

ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial Exploring 29

Viewing a Planar Group Drawing

1. Select ShipConstructor / Navigator or click .

30 Exploring ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial

NOTE: This setting cannot be changed after the project is created.

ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial Exploring 31

32 Exploring ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial

ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial Exploring 33

34 Exploring ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial

ShipConstructor Structure Tutorial Exploring 35