ShipConstructor gets more funding

The development of key features in ShipConstructor, the AutoCAD based 3D product-modeling software for the design and fabrication of ships, will be funded by the Second-Tier Shipyard Design Enhancement Project II, which recently received significant funding from the National Shipbuilding Research Program (NSRP) Advanced Shipbuilding Enterprise. The project, headed by Bender Shipbuilding & Repair, includes seven shipyards and four naval architect firms, representing the core of second-tier shipbuilding and ship design in the United States.

The overall goal of the project is to provide US second-tier shipyards with a state-of-the-art design system that will enhance their global competitiveness. Albacore Research Ltd. (ARL) will extend ShipConstructor?s capabilities to fully meet the design requirements of the U.S. second-tier shipyard industry. Specific features to be developed include integration with the ?Common Parts Catalog? and the ability to ?Split and Merge Projects?.

The Common Parts Catalog, developed by the U.S. first-tier yards, standardizes the definition of purchased part data and related support documents. Provisions for equivalency allow yards to exchange data efficiently, and facilitate the ability to communicate and even utilize parts in stock at other yards. Integrating ShipConstructor with the Common Parts Catalog streamlines the material control system from definition to delivery of the finished product, and even during product lifecycle management.

The ability to split and merge ShipConstructor projects will enable collaboration among shipyards and design agents working on a single project in multiple locations, simplifying outsourcing and sub-contracting. Even in mid-project a yard can sub-contract part of the work and still remain in full control should their own resources not be sufficient.