UM2009 Interfacing NAPA Steel Model with CAD Systems Final

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© 2009 Napa Ltd NAPA User Meeting 2009

Workshop S1

Interfacing NAPA Steel Model with CAD Systems

Tommi Kurki, Napa Ltd Table of contents 1. Introduction..............................................................................................................................2 2. Interfacing with Smart Marine 3D ...............................................................................................2

2.1 How to export geometry to Smart Marine 3D? .........................................................................2 2.2 Outcome ..............................................................................................................................2

3. Interfacing with NUPAS-CADMATIC.............................................................................................3 3.1 NUPAS Hull ...........................................................................................................................3 3.2 CADMATIC............................................................................................................................3 3.3 Opening request ...................................................................................................................5

4. Interfacing with Aveva Marine ....................................................................................................5 4.1 AM Surface Server.................................................................................................................5 4.2 How to export NAPA Steel model? ..........................................................................................6

5. DXF interfacing .........................................................................................................................8 5.1 How to export geometry in DXF format? .................................................................................8

5.1.1 Wireframe 3D ...................................................................................................................8 5.1.2 DXF 2D drawings...............................................................................................................8

6. NAPA Steel IGES export .............................................................................................................9

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© Napa Ltd 2009 NAPA User Meeting 2009

1. Introduction

Interfacing of the NAPA Steel model has improved during the past couple of years. The reuse of the NAPA Steel models in detail CAD systems via well-working interfacing offers flexibility and significant savings in overall design man-hours. This paper presents the current status of NAPA Steel interfacing with Intergraph Smart Marine 3D in Chapter 2, NUPAS-CADMATIC in Chapter 3, and Aveva Marine in Chapter 4. Also, the use of DXF and IGES links is presented in Chapters 5 and 6.

2. Interfacing with Smart Marine 3D

The interface between Smart Marine 3D system and NAPA utilizes IGES format. The current status of the interface is that a hull surface, defined in NAPA, can be exported to Smart Marine 3D system. The reason why the IGES export is improved is the new definition of the hull form introduced in NAPA Release 2009.1. The result of the new hull form definitions is that the hull surface consists of hundreds of patch surfaces, rather than thousands of smaller patches which was the case before this release. The new way results in a smoother hull surface which is easier to modify, and which makes the fairing procedure easier. This also enables better interfacing capabilities to other 3D design systems, such as Catia or Foran. See also the general presentation ‘New Hull Form Design and Fairing Overview’ and the workshop presentation ‘New NAPA Hull Form’ for more detailed descriptions of the improved hull form quality. The current chapter presents the geometry export from the DEF task and interest is paid only for the export of the hull surface. Chapter 6 concentrates on exporting steel structures to IGES format from NAPA Steel. 2.1 How to export geometry to Smart Marine 3D?

The export in NAPA is done in the DEF task. The geometry of the hull surface needs to be converted to IGES standard. The following command gives the full explanation of the TOIGES command and its options, which defines the geometry transformation to IGES format.

DEF?>!EXP TOIGES

The default command without additional options is:

DEF?>TOIGES HULL FILE=’C:/TEMP/hull’

which transforms the geometry of the HULL to C:/TEMP as IGES standard. 2.2 Outcome

A screenshot is shown in Figure 1, where a hull of a tanker, defined in NAPA, is imported to Smart Marine 3D.

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Figure 1 Screenshot from Smart Marine 3D system. A hull of a tanker is imported from NAPA.

3. Interfacing with NUPAS-CADMATIC

NAPA Steel model can be exported to NUPAS Hull and to CADMATIC. Use MGR*CAD for exporting the compartment arrangement or the Steel model. The outfit designer can start in an early stage of design since the surface objects can be created based on the compartment arrangement in NAPA and those surfaces can be transferred to CADMATIC. The full detailed NAPA Steel model can be transferred and updated gradually to CADMATIC as the steel design progresses. 3.1 NUPAS Hull

The interface has been developed by Numeriek Centrum Groningen (NCG) on the basis of the NAPA Application Programming Interface (API). The interface enables the transfer of the complete constructional topology of the NAPA Steel model to the NUPAS 3D topological model. According to NCG, the interface offers NUPAS users flexibility during the initial stage of detailed design. See the full explanation of the interface and its options with the command:

ST?>!exp tomdl

3.2 CADMATIC

The NAPA Steel model can be converted to MDL and GD files and imported to CADMATIC. A full explanation of the interface is available with the command:

ST?>!exp togdl and DEF?>!exp to gdl

The easiest way to create the files needed on CADMATIC’s side is to use the Manager application MGR*CAD, see Figure 2. Define path settings, grouping of structure types, and the structures to be transferred and the Manager application creates one .mdl file for each block and one .gd file for each main object and each stiffener. Click the Update button after the proper settings have been defined.

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Figure 2 View in MGR*CAD

The project used in this example is d-ropax091.db. The limits for the transferred block are 117.6, 124.9, 0.1, 17, -1, 1.7. See Figure 3 where the NAPA Steel structures are imported to CADMATIC. Each colour represents a structure type, which are defined in STR*PRO table in NAPA Steel and the respective codes for the structure types are defined in MGR*CAD, see columns GDLID, GDLIDS, and GDLIDB in Figure 2.

Figure 3 Building block transferred to CADMATIC

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3.3 Opening request

This section describes briefly a feature which is under development and therefore, it is not yet available in Release 2009.1. The communication between outfitting and hull design plays an important role in the design process. The intention of opening request is to manage the statuses of the openings by improving the communication between the outfit department and the hull design department. The result is an up-to-date database of the statuses of the openings which is available for both departments. For example, the status of an opening can be in work, for checking, internally checked and internally approved. Steel designer can update structures via MGR*CAD and the outfitting designer receives automatically updated structures via an application called Cadmatic Agent, which updates the steel structures on CADMATIC’s side. See Figure 4 for the opening request process.

Figure 4 Management of openings

4. Interfacing with Aveva Marine

The NAPA Steel – Aveva Marine link enables the transfer of an existing NAPA Steel model into the AM design system. The link program generates AM input data (XML and scheme files) for the Steel structures modelled with NAPA Steel. The generation of the AM model is based on the topology of the Steel model, which means that panels and stiffeners are defined by using references to other panels when possible. The link program completes the generated model by adding some additional details not yet supported by NAPA Steel, e.g. connection and cut codes. For additional information on NAPA AM interface, see Chapter 17 in NAPA Steel Manual and Appendix 1 for the required data and setup instructions. 4.1 AM Surface Server

Hull surface defined in NAPA can be used in Tribon via the Tribon Surface Server. No geometry is transferred, but at run time, sections are made directly from the NAPA surface. The interface, which uses TBSI.dll, is distributed by Aveva Marine.

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4.2 How to export NAPA Steel model?

The full explanation of AM (Tribon) link is available with the command:

ST?>!ADD .TOTRIBON ?

First, if no control tables exists in the project, run the command:

ST?>!ADD .TOTRIBON /setup

Note that the previous command adds default setup tables to the project and those need to be modified to correspond the shipyard’s standards. For example, to export building block UM1 from NAPA Steel to AM or to Tribon so that the cutouts and notches are omitted use the command:

ST?>!ADD .TOTRIBON /BLO UM1 /SHIP UM /OMIT CN /dir ’C:/temp’

/BLO block_name defines which building block is exported. /SHIP ship_letters defines the ship letters in AM or Tribon. /dir directory_path defines the directory where the created files are stored. Two .sch files are created for each main object. The first, a dummy one, contains the bounding box limits of the object, and the second one contains the actual geometry with references and all available details. Curved panels and shell profiles are stores as .xml files. For each block, one .xml file is created for curved panels, one for shell profiles, and one for seams. The framing system in NAPA is exported to gentab.dat and that defines the framing system in AM or Tribon. The support of reference surface objects (RSOs) is described more closely in Appendix 1. See the visual outcome in Figure 5.

Figure 5 View from Tribon M3 Planar Hull

Figure 6 and Figure 7 indicate the outcome when cutouts and notches are included with the command:

ST?>!ADD .TOTRIBON /BLO UM1 /SHIP UM /dir ’C:/temp’

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Figure 6 A block with cutouts and notches in Tribon 3M Planar Hull

Figure 7 Close-up in Tribon M3 Planar Hull. Notice the cutouts in the tanktop and the notched floor in the figure.

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5. DXF interfacing

NAPA Steel model can be exported to DXF standard. Both 2D and 3D are available. 5.1 How to export geometry in DXF format?

The full explanation of the DXF interface and the related commands are available with:

ST?>!EXP TODXF and ST?>!EXP !SEND

The first explanation is for wireframe 3D DXF and the latter is for 2D DXF drawings. The following two sections describe the different output possibilities with their options. 5.1.1 Wireframe 3D

For example, the following command exports all main objects of a NAPA Steel model to 3D representation in DXF format:

ST?>TODXF ALL MM FILE=’C:/TEMP/D-ROPAX_MAIN_OBJECTS.DXF’

See the outcome in Figure 8.

Figure 8 3D wireframe representation of the main objects of d-ropax

5.1.2 DXF 2D drawings

The following command creates a DXF drawing from NAPA Steel 2D view.

ST?>!send to dxf file=’c:/temp/d-ropax_#90.dxf’

See the outcome on the left side in Figure 9 and a detail of the DXF drawing on the right side.

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Figure 9 DXF drawing from NAPA Steel 2D view

More controlled drawings are achieved with the Drawing Manager; see the workshop presentation ‘Producing Plan Approval Drawings from NAPA Steel’.

6. NAPA Steel IGES export

Chapter 2 introduced the interface between Smart Marine 3D system and NAPA. Also, it was pointed out that the new hull form in NAPA provides better IGES export to other 3D design systems. In general, IGES export from NAPA can be utilized also for other structures than the hull. For example, the following command creates an IGES file of steel structures in NAPA Steel:

ST?>TOIGES ALL MOHB file=’c:/temp/d-ropax-steel-test.igs’

See the steel structures in Figure 10. The command TOIGES obeys limits. So, in this case, the exported structures are those which are in the view. Option MOHB is used to include the Main objects, Openings, Holes, and Brackets to IGES data file.

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Figure 10 NAPA Steel Main Window

The outcome can be viewed for example in MSC Patran, see Figure 11.

Figure 11 Imported structures in MSC Patran

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Appendix 1 NAPA - AM interface setup instructions Required data to setup the AM link (shipyard’s standard)

o Panel naming standard o Stiffener cut/con codes; what codes are used and when, e.g. what are the cut/con

codes when stiffener on deck is ending to a transversal bulkhead o AM / NAPA Steel profile mapping o What are the equivalent AM codes for profiles used in NAPA Steel

o Stiffener profiles o Openings o Cutouts o Brackets

Setting up an AM project (AM’s setting) (part 1)

o Hull surface (equal to hull used in NAPA) must be available o Frame/Long. positions must be equal to NAPA Steel (gentab.dat is created by the link) o Block objects must represent the block system used in NAPA Steel (block initialization

information is created by the link) o Otherwise, the project should be as usual

Importing model to AM (part 2)

In Aveva Marine hull:

1. Set gentab in Initiate Hull Standards a. Open Initiate Hull Model b. Select Frame/long. positions c. Enter gentab.dat as source object for Generate object d. Click Create Object

2. Init block in Initiate Hull Standards

a. Open Initiate Hull Model b. Select Blocks c. Run block.csv

3. Check that auxiliary surfaces are in the surface server list in Initiate Hull Standards

a. Open Initiate Hull Model b. Select Hullref c. Open Additional Surfaces… dialog d. Add all surfaces listed in surfaces.txt (Surface type must be Shell)

4. Create RSOs

a. Input planar RSOs in Log viewer o Early Design -> Update RSO from CSV file o Select RSO.csv o Check log

b. Create planar parts of knuckled RSOs in Log viewer o Hull -> Hull Modelling, Batch o Run RSO.dat o Check .lst files

c. Combine RSO parts in Planar Hull o Draw all RSO planar panels o Planar -> RSO -> Create o Select RSOs to be combined and accept with <Enter> o Enter RSO name – Name must be the same that parts have without “_n”

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5. Create curved panels in Curved Hull

a. Curved -> Batch -> Run XML Input File… o Run block-sea.xml o Run block-lon.xml o Run block-tra.xml o Run block-cpg.xml

6. Create initial planar panels in Log viewer

a. Hull -> Hull Modelling, Batch b. Run block-1.dat c. Check .lst

7. Create planar panels in Log viewer

a. Hull -> Hull Modelling, Batch b. Run block.dat c. Check .lst files for errors

Currently, there is support for RSOs in the NAPA AM link.

o TAB*TBLINK defines which reference surface table (REF*) is used in the creation of the Reference Surface Objects. This table defines all RSOs when RSO option is given.

o The surfaces in the main planes are exported to csv-file. o The other surfaces are exported as panels and the RSOs have to be made manually in

the AM. o The name of the RSOs are given in column TBNAME in the REF* table. If the name is

not given in the REF* table, the name is generated based on the name rule in the link table.

o There will be reference to RSO in the scheme file of a panel, if the reference surface of a main object is found in the REF* table. The search is done with GM.OS() function.

o The REF* table can be used to map a reference surface to any existing RSO in AM.

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UM2009 Interfacing NAPA Steel Model with CAD Systems Final