Design Question

[Spyder_GS]

OK, I've searched the board and can't find anything. I want to create deckplans accurate to the displacement and dimensions of the craft I am creating. However, I can't find any formulae to allow me to establish the volume of a shape and thus determine the dimensions. I want the floorplans to correctly fit within the hull...can anyone help? How can you determine the outside proportions of the ship from the volume?

Thanks!

 

[Ben W Bell]

You could always use some 3D software that can give you accurate volumes, though that may be taking it a bit far.

 

[Spyder_GS]

I had considered that, though I think most current 3d packages that could perform that function are out of my price range (anything over $30 US).

 

[Shadow Bear]

1st design the vessel according to the rules you wish to use. This will give you a list of items you need to design (staterooms, engineering spaces, air locks, ship's vehicles, fuel tanks, bridge area and computer size.)

2nd decide how many decks you want. Each deck will be about 3 meters in height by most current deck plans.

3rd lay out the areas on graph paper using one square equals 1.5 meters by 1.5 meters scale. Two of these squares will equal one displacement ton.
Remember to allow for hall space and fuel tankage.

4th design the hull shape around the designed components.

Now you can commit the design to a computer graphics program. Try CC2 by Profantasy, they have agreat way to set grids to any size you want and they also have a method to print plans to scale.

 

[vutpakdi]

Shadow Bear's method is a good one though I'd add that the basic hull type (cylinder, wedge, etc) should determine the basic way that you lay out the interior floor plan.

I generally start with large blocks for engineering, the staterooms, cargo bay, etc and do the fuel last. Most decks are 3 m, but since the fuel tanks are more forgiving, they can be used on the edges to fill out the shape as you'd like it.

A method that is out of your price range by an order of magnitude is to use Canvas from Deneba Software (which is what I am using). I lay out the deckplans straight in Canvas (skipping the paper step from Shadow Bear's method). Two of the great things about Canvas is that I can set the grids to scale (so I'm working in meters with grid lines every 0.75 m) and Canvas will tell me the dimensions and area of any enclosed shape. Thus, when I draw out a block (or any other shape), I can immediately see its dimensions in meters and the area. My job would be very difficult without Canvas, but it's a bit much to own just for doing deckplans ($400 list). There is an intro version at $100 list, but I don't know what is missing from the intro version (probably nothing that is critical for deckplans).

Ron

 

[Scarecrow]

Alternatively, draw me some accurate plans and elevations of the hull and I'll knock a volumetric block model together for you in 3D Studio MAX.

Regards

Crow

 

[Spyder_GS]

Thanks for the info everyone, and for the offer Scarecrow. I'll hit the graph paper again (I am a graph paper first then layout in software kinda person).