Hi

(William R. Watt) wrote in message ...
I've used 3 computer programs so far. My own free skiff program to get the
rocker and flare to put the stem heel and transom at the load waterline.
The free Blue Peter program to include the cabin in the table of offsets,
automatically adjust trim to balance the hull, and then compute the
hydrostatic numbers. The free Carlson program for the shapes of the
plywood hull panels. I'm certain that's easier than computing the numbers
and "unfolding" the plywood panels by hand, for me anyway. Did I mention
the programs are free?

Snip

There are several way\s to get the measures from a model down on
paper.
When there , it is somtimes somtimes not an idear to press the button
and "smooth" the resulting mesh , ------- sorry it's a long
explernation why "somtimes not" , but this deal with what unfolding
software you use.
But placing lines on the model that follow a plane, sort like cutting
the model in slices is possible in many way's , even with a camara but
then you still need to place lines on the model first and remember to
correct for the perspective. Acturly before drawings was interduced
back the 16' century, naval shipyards was totaly dependant on models ;
huge vessels was build from measures taken directly on scale models ,
but it was not to be able to acturly build the ship , but to be able
to build another one as good, as the one that showed good abilities.
------- And to be able to steal the good idears of the enemy , when
one of their ships was taken.
Now I will not start critic Carlson software but from what I seen , it
offer very limited oppotunities. But as I said I hardly remember it as
I only tried it once and instantly scrapped it, after testing it up
against my in-house applications. What I remember is that I was most
unplesant with hulls where the unfolding shuld be based on 6 or 8
strait lines forming a hull that smooth perfect with the rendering
smooth rutines but is still an edgy raw model.
--------- maby I shuld explain, that you can draw quite edgy models,
but when you render these the rendering software will smooth all but
show a hull that is much nicer, than if you stay with the raw 3D model
and make that unfold.
My designs of say a 7 meter hull ,divide each panel into maby 800
small strait lines ,making any foult smaller than what a weld or a
glue line will cover, beside as there are still some handywork
involved, a panel cut from a smooth rounded line, consisting of say
700 small strait lines of each one Cm. length , will be a complete
spline after first blow with the hand plane.

Please check the old presentation of the tradisional norwegian pram
redesigned for Cyber-Boat, here there are somthing like 200 small
lines along the boat ;

http://w1.1396.telia.com/~u139600113...olmsbu-1-2.gif

So realy I blame the software that amature builders havn't been able
to find easier user interface, ------ realy untill a 100 years ago and
since that to, lots of perfect designs been produced by builders being
better making a model than doing a drawing , what count is not the
program but the feel and will.

P.C.