Shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) has fully implemented Software provider NAPA’s 3D model ship design tool across its business. NAPA Steel is the structural design branch of the naval architecture software and provides an interactive 3D structural modelling interface.

Once a single flexible model is created for the whole vessel, it can be used throughout the design process, including class society rule checks, creating plan approval drawings, FE (Finite Element) model generation, weight calculation, etc.

“The industry has long been waiting for 3D models to help design ships,” says Shin Hyung Cheol, senior engineer for basic hull ship design at HHI, “as until now, models have to be created manually, taking a long time and many man hours”. Increasing a company’s competitiveness is very important in the current harsh financial environment, and HHI has found a means to do so in the 3D modelling.

The shipbuilder participated in testing and developing NAPA Steel, and reduced design time and man-hours by almost 30% in ship structural design - and is looking at potentially further reductions in future.

You can read more about NAPA’s 3D software in the December 2016 edition of The Marine Professional and catch up on a NAPA webinar describing the HHI case study here.