Propcad News

HydroComp is a well-established, small engineering firm focused on hydrodynamic and propulsion system simulation, providing design tools for engineers and naval architects to focus on vessel performance, including emissions. Don MacPherson, HydroComp’s long-tenured Technical Director, discusses the impacts of tightening emissions regulations, with insights on maximizing new vessel designs and refits.Don, maritime has been in the crosshairs of regulators to reduce emissions. What do you see as the top new regulatory issues that are impacting ship and boat design…

HydroComp launched its new PropCad 2020 software for the geometric design of marine propellers. PropCad automatically prepares 2D drawings, 3D CAD models and much more.All HydroComp 2020 products have been upgraded with a new internal code-and-control set. This has increased the speed and stability of the program across existing Window’s platforms. These changes are largely behind the scenes, but users will notice some visual changes in PropCad and HydroComp’s other programs.The Propeller CAD Import utility includes algorithm revisions to greatly increase the supported file-size…

New features greatly improve process workflow for propeller designers…HydroComp PropCad 2019 includes several new exciting additions to make PropCad more effective and easier to use – whether you’re extracting design data from full 3D CAD files or you’re inputting your own custom distribution data, these new features greatly improve the workflow process for propeller designers, manufacturing engineers, and marine researchers.Full-Screen Mode for 2D Drawings, 3D Models, and ReportsTo support the continuing trend of larger screens and multiple monitors, PropCad has been extended to support a dockable and fully sizable display window. To access this feature…

A new utility automates feature extraction from 3D CAD data.Marine propellers can last a long time – it is not uncommon to find a vessel running on its original set of propellers. Sometimes, these propellers even outlive the companies that produced them. For example, some large volume propeller manufacturers have permanently closed their doors and patterns, molds, and design data have been scattered to unknown corners of the globe. It’s fair to say that while the propeller manufacturing industry has seen growth…

The latest release of HydroComp's PropCad 2018 Premium Edition includes a new utility to simplify the extraction of propeller features from full 3D CAD files, drastically reducing the time and effort needed to recreate an existing propeller or product model.HydroComp, a Durham, N.H. based maritime software and consultancy services provider, released the new utility as part of the PropCad Premium feature set. The Import CAD File utility provides a way to reverse the propeller design process, allowing for the rapid extraction of propeller design data from 3D geometries.

HydroComp PropElements 2017 – the propeller “design for performance” code from HydroComp,Inc. of Durham NH USA – is the latest build of the company’s commercial software for marine propeller design and analysis. Propeller specialists will find it an essential addition to their software tools, and also tackles the component-level hydrodynamic needs of naval architects. Why PropElements? Still an uncharted domain for many naval architects, propeller design is an iterative process following a typical design spiral – from initial sizing through detail design. System-level propulsion design and analysis tools (such as HydroComp NavCad) are used in early design stages to identify principal propeller parameters (e.g.…

Hydrocomp’s ProCad facilitates in-house Process Control of Propeller Design and Manufacture. Maritime Tactical Systems Inc. (MARTAC) is a Florida-based company building next-generation unmanned vessels for military applications. In preparation for the “Rim of the Pacific” (RIMPAC) military exercises in Pearl Harbor this last July, MARTAC needed a new propeller design for their MANTAS series high-speed vessels. Unfortunately, their current supplier was not meeting delivery schedules for the high-quality surface-piercing propellers that they need…

HydroComp, Inc. was established in 1984 to provide powering analysis services to naval architects and shipbuilders. Best known for its award-winning NavCad software, HydroComp is regarded as the premier source for performance prediction software, consulting, and knowledge. The firm’s offerings include NavCad, NavCad Premium, PropCad, PropCad Premium, PropElements, PropExpert, SwiftCraft, and SwiftTrial software. The firm has 8 employees. Sometimes the least sophisticated vehicle is the hardest to analyze. With respect to resistance, this is definitely the case with barges.

It is common practice to inspect marine propellers to ensure the manufactured product meets the thickness and pitch specified by the design. PropCad Premium now introduces a tool for propeller builders and manufacturers - Inspection Maps, which allows users to create customized layout templates for measuring blade coordinates, blade thickness and local pitch. HydroComp’s Inspection Maps is a tool to aid in the measurement and inspection of marine propellers during the manufacturing process.

HydroComp announced its PropCad software for the geometric modeling of marine propellers has receieved an upgrade. Now, PropCad Premium introduces another powerful feature, the Pattern Corrections tool. HydroComp’s Pattern Corrections tool reduces manipulation of the propeller design within a 3D CAD tool. Pattern Corrections allows users to directly specify machine stock and shrinkage to create machining models, casting patterns and mold geometries. An advantage is that these corrections are applied directly to the propeller parameters…

Hydrocomp’s newest release of PropCad incorporates 3 years of enhancements. Propellers are surprisingly complex devices, especially considering most are a solid piece of metal with no moving parts. The variation in vessels and operational requirements leads to wildly different designs, from noise-sensitive propellers for luxury cruiseliners to wide-blade sets for tugs. With different combinations of diameters, pitches, blade styles, and blade counts, there is no limit to the design alternatives available.

HydroComp PropCad is software for geometric modeling of marine propellers for design and manufacture that provides automatic preparation of 2D design drawings, 3D offsets, thickness classification reports and CAD/CAM data. Used in more than 40 countries for quickly generating propellers and design variants from small outboard production lines to large merchant ship propellers, manufacturers, researchers and designers rely on PropCad for their modeling needs. The latest 2014 release of PropCad features a new table-driven interface…

The impact of technology on one of the world’s other oldest professions has been nothing short of revolutionary, in some cases forcing the marine industry to finally lay aside centuries of thinking and time-honored, if not always accurate, tools. The digital age has not only transformed almost every aspect of seafaring vessels and the processes undertaken on board, but it has sharpened and strengthened the calculations and equations used to measure, shape, process, speed, track and image the steps involved in creating parts, solving problems and rendering reality-based training.

HydroComp, Inc. began as a business venture in 1984 to meet the specific needs of naval architects and shipbuilders in the area of resistance and power predictions. Thirty years later, HydroComp has grown into a multifaceted corporation with clients from design to construction to academia in more than 60 countries. Founded in 1984 in New Hampshire, U.S. by Jill Aaron (Managing Director) and Donald MacPherson (Technical Director), HydroComp was a pioneer in the very specific area of applied hydrodynamics. This focus shaped a line of unique naval architectural software packages beginning with our flagship product NavCad, and which now include SwiftCraft, PropExpert, PropCad, SwiftTrial and most recently, PropElements.

HydroComp, Inc. added of Adam Kaplan to the staff in Durham, New Hampshire USA as Project Engineer. Adam will be the lead for development of new versions of PropExpert and PropCad software. He is also on the front-line of customer support to HydroComp’s worldwide users. Mr. Kaplan is not a new face to HydroComp; he started as engineering intern at HydroComp during his mechanical engineering studies at the University of New Hampshire College of Engineering and Physical Sciences where he earned both his B.S. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering.

PropElements is a new software product from HydroComp for detail propeller design and analysis. Propeller specialists will find it an essential addition to their propeller design toolbox, but it also was developed to elegantly address the system-level hydrodynamic needs of naval architects, as well. Useful for both design and analysis, PropElements provides the ability to uniquely capture the performance of a particular propeller on a particular vessel. Users can prepare a noise-sensitive wake-adapted propeller design for a vessel, for example. Or analyze the behavior of an existing propeller.

HydroComp Inc. announced that it is participating in the IOWA Project. Recreating a model of a fully functioning historical battleship requires time, passion, and dedication. Donn McKinney’s passion will soon produce a fully operational and functional replica of four Iowa Class battleships ships: The U.S.S. Missouri (BB-63), U.S.S. Iowa (BB-61), U.S.S. New Jersey (BB-62) and U.S.S. Wisconsin (BB-64). Several donors have teamed with McKinney on this project. HydroComp was called upon to assist with the recreation of the ship propellers.

Twenty-five years ago HydroComp was formed with a mission to provide naval architects and ship builders with resistance and propulsion analysis solutions. HydroComp was formed as a corporation in 1984 by Jill Aaron, Managing Director, and Donald MacPherson, Technical Director. This partnership continues to direct HydroComp's evolution and growth. HydroComp now serves software customers and consulting clients in over 50 countries. NavCad is still HydroComp's flagship product, with users in all corners of the world from design to construction to academia. In addition to NavCad, HydroComp's software products grew to include PropExpert, PropCad, and SwiftCraft programs for propeller sizing & analysis, propeller CAD, and resistance and powering.

Europort 2001 — the 30th edition of the exhibition — scheduled for November 13 to 17 at the Amsterdam RAI, is traditionally an event where companies from around the globe debut innovative new marine equipment and technology. While the exhibition is often considered a regional affair, the event indeed fulfills its international billing with a roster of more than 550 companies from around the globe, and halls filled with ship owners and operators with an equal international distribution. In 1999 exhibition management stated that the event drew more than 30,000 visitors from 88 countries. This year's event will offer a few extras, including a special focus on inland shipping.

Autoship Systems Corporation (ASC) has developed a complete CAD/CAM suite to meet the CAD/CAM needs in marine vessel design and construction, including two key programs in the CAD/CAM suite: Autostructure 3.0 and Production Manager 3.0. Autostructure and Production Manager are key components in the Autoship CAD/CAM suite, offering shipyards complete solutions in structural design, pre-construction drawing preparation and part nesting. Autostructure is used to create a 3D model of a vessel structure and to output the parts of that model in CAD format. The CAD representation can be used either to prepare construction drawings or for input to NC cutting processors.

The early 1980s witnessed the birth of the first generation Autohydro by Coastdesign Inc. (now called Autoship Systems Corporation (ASC)). Autohydro was one of a very few PC-based first principles stability and longitudinal strength programs available on the market of the day. Running in DOS, Autohydro quickly became world-renowned as a robust, dependable design and analysis tool for the creation of trim and stability books. Even today, some users of these early versions of Autohydro call ASC asking for advice. Since those early times, ASC has continued to improve Autohydro. The most recent release, Autohydro 6.0, includes many new features that hundreds of naval architects around the world rely on for their hydrostatic and strength calculations.