Hi,

I would like to take objects (or even groups of objects) from a stable, horizontal condition into a new stable, non-level condition.

I want to take, say, a sheet metal or bronze object shaped into a box until its dimensions support floatation at the highest level physics allows. For example, if I extrude a perfectly (geometrically/mathematically, as far as ViaCAD is concerned) sheet metal or bronze or aluminum at a given thickness across fresh or salt water of the standard densities, then I would like ViaCAD to tell me that it will or won't float.

Then, I'd like to reduce or increase the "bottom" thickness and in concert with erecting or raising "walls" meant to prevent that newly-sized sheet from being "swamped" or made to fill, take on an angle, and end up sinking.

If you're reading my mind, you can envision a boat or barge taking shape. I am not looking for ViaCAD to be a hydrostatics application, but if we're drawing geometric shapes and being provided densities options and various centers of gravity, then I imagine water with a simulated viscosity and density can support or not-support objects we extrude or pound down into floating objects.

Now, I'd like to assign various floatation markers to the corners of the polygonal volumetric shape externally and add floors or barriers horizontally and vertically (water- or airtight boundaries) -- and these markers need not all be at equal distances from the "base" of the geometry. Thus, one could simulate an unevenly loaded block or pan or disk afloat but at a "list" (tilt, or out-of-trim condition) because, say, I added a marble or unstable (say, a spinning top that actually travels across the material and causes my geometry to actually move, or if not move in real-time out of consideration for RAM or video card limitations it instead generates a report of gridded numbers and iterated snapshots of various tilts or angle conditions) item that induces a new non-level condition of flotation. Then, I'd like to draw in "valves" or pipes that ViaCAD recognizes as "transfer conduits" to facilitate the next stage.

Now, if I take multiple objects of various volumes and dimensions and "stitch" them together (initially, in horizontal fashion, but also later in vertical, symmetric and non-symmetric fashion), it would be nice if ViaCAD assesses the various centers of each and the connecting "valves" betwen each in the assigned liquid/density medium. THEN, after that assessment, I would like ViaCAD to say, "To bring the object/s to equilibrium or level floatation or to a floatation matching the markers you just chose, weight must be added or liquid most be transferred to these areas, up to these heights, volumes, and densities combinations (this could simulate fresh water, fuel, polluted bay water, salt water, etc...)."

NOW, to make things more interesting (or more complicated), I would like to click on an enclosed volume and magically remove the liquid or solid weight from it (I suppose I should not as for the boundary material to be of sufficient strength (based on its own properties plus any stiffening running vertically or horizontally or both along and around, either inside or outside of the boundary) and either vertically "pump overboard" the water, or horizontally do likewise, with the application keeping account of the weight transfer in any direction, along any crazily-routed piping used as the discharge/transfer path. (This could get even more interesting as increasing the area of the removed volumes could create a "moon pool" or well deck...). Oh, it would be nice if the module offers multiple discharge paths to safely and more quickly restore the model to a safe stable point to mimic a need for repairs to a breached boundary.

I would like this to be in the product, or as, say a $200 module. It would be nice if this ties in with an improved, more flexible BOM so that copying and pasting of BOM grids is possible so that external database (txt or .dbf, etc.) or spreadsheet manipulation could occur.

This could be applicable to municipal water tower designers, Army Corps of Engineers, city planners needing to install underground trunks and such, race car designers who want to shift fluids in theoretical race cars, model airplane designers who want to build longer-range craft that experience turbulence but could otherwise shift fluids under command of smart chips onboard or in the R/C unit. Even harbor engineers could design cranes and barges to deal with clearing or dredging work and present their rough drafts to engineers but save time and have more initial control over the scope of work, materials selections, and costs.

So, theoretically, Punch could start yet ANOTHER product line.

Thanks!

But, let's say i reduce my request to this:


"Can you make ViaCAD show a box floating in water, and sink when I add enough weight or instability? I don't need FEA, torsion, sagging/hogging, wind force calculations, powering or friction calculations, still-water bending moments, metacenter or similar data input capability nor such output. I just want crude flotation estimates to make a tad more realistic the hulls I model."

I'm only asking because ViaCAD is cool enough to give part and assembly centers of gravity.

I ran across a number of packages or apps out there, but hobbyists or "otaku" such as myself don't have MOD or DOD budgets to begin to seek purchase, and most of us who don't have PhD one to our name really need something for Dummies, so to speak...

I would suspect that if Punch! doesn't implement it it might be due to it not being demanded by users, but if enough civil engineers are champing at the bit to lessen their dependency on AutoCAD or for-AutoCAD add-ons, then all it might take is for Punch! to be made aware. OTOH, if Punch! incrementally adds such features, it could produce positive and negative side-effects:

Positives:

-- hobbyists and professionals flocking to Punch!
-- possible integration of ViaCAD with DelftShip, PolyCAD, et al without the big-budget requirement

Negatives:

---- initial investment costs (time, money, distraction...)
---- false-threats from competitors' attorneys claiming patent infringement, when in reality, most of this stuff is bounded by limits of physics and exposed through creativity, ingenuity, and demand by students, hobbyists and professionals (or created by Open Source developers with excess time on their hands...)

---- possible unwanted and untimely hostile or friendly takeover bids...


But, the maritime industry is woefully short of professional engineers who are sorely needed to replace the retiring pros. Hobbyists such as myself might indirectly induce undecided teens and career-changing adults to look at the marine industry from a DESIGN perspective.

See some of my crude (hobbyist) ship designs at:

http://dreadyacht.com/4.html

Also, see the real-world schooling attempts to create new ship (maritime/naval/ocean engineering) designers:

http://roclark.com/blog/2008/01...rshipconstructor-course/


AutoShip, ShipConstructor and others (as you likely know) are just wayyyy beyond the budget of hobbyists, yet we have something to contribute (politics aside) to influence things or just to express ourselves, without threatening the livelihood of the pros or the futures of the students.

What i love about ViaCAD (and as yet haven't tried, or tried but failed miserably at in TurboCAD) is extrusions, lofts, and other things that are stripped from or not included in other tools. Also, ViaCAD has NICE coloration of intersected planes and objects. But, if ViaCAD, DelftShip, and TurboCAD could be hybridized, and given an SQLite database engine... and Firefox (as a tool) added on, oh, man... watch out, everybody else...