ShipConstructor is a ship design application built on AutoCAD, used for marine and offshore structures. The three add-ins built for Vuyk Engineering each automate a modelling task that was done by hand and repeated many times per project.
Modelling a bracket in ShipConstructor takes several steps. The Bracket Designer does it from one dialog. The user picks a bracket type, sets the dimensions and places the bracket between two structural members. All of Vuyk's standard bracket types are included, such as soft brackets with curved cutouts, trapezoidal brackets and brackets on a stiffener line.
The bracket types to choose from.
After choosing a type, the user can pick one of the standard sizes for that type or enter every dimension separately. A preview drawing updates as the values change, so the bracket can be checked before it is placed.
Dimensions, standard sizes and the preview.
To place the bracket, the user picks the two members it connects. The add-in creates the geometry, trims it, and adds the ShipConstructor data the bracket needs for production output, so it behaves like a bracket modelled by hand.
Choosing a bracket type and placing it.
The Hole Designer creates cutouts and penetrations through structural members. It works from set parameters in the same way as the Bracket Designer, so holes are the same across a project and across the engineers working on it.
A webframe is a structural pattern that is repeated dozens of times on a typical Vuyk project. The Webframe Tool automates modelling it, which saves that repeated work on every ship.
