Michael Porter, Marine Design -CAD (Computer-Aided Design)

Michael Porter MARINE DESIGN SYSTEMS ENGINEERING CONSULTING 27 Soule Road Chebeague Island, Maine, U.S.A. 04017 Fax: +1 (207)846-1083 Email: mporter@mp-marine.com	Two Views of a Traditional Maine Lobsterboat
		Computer Aided Design I bought my first computer in 1974, and my first PC-compatible machine several years later - in those days, the move to a PC-compatible was more often than not a step down in computing power, a trade-off of functionality for compatibility. In my case, the trade-off was for an early hull-fairing program and "AutoCAD," the first serious CAD program to run on small computers.
The computer lets us get lots of work done fast - in fact, we would probably need two more draftsmen if we were still doing everything by hand - but more important, it makes changes easy, so we can respond to changed needs or optimize the hull, looking for just the right balance between speed, efficiency, and seaworthiness. We now routinely look at several versions of any new hull, many more than would be cost-effective if everything were faired by hand.			Views of a partially-completed engine-room
Framing for the "Live Anywhere" Boat		We can easily see where tanks and machinery will fit in the hull and make sure there is ample access for servicing. And we can calculate the volumes of tanks, so there are no unwelcome surprises

We can build the boat virtually, looking at how the framing goes together, how the interior fits into the boat, where there is another corner for a tank.

Home About us Recent Designs The "Live Anywhere" Boat The Design Process Computer Aided Design (CAD) Systems Engineering Consulting Client Files Contact us Links	Finally, 2-dimensional drawings are not really a very good way to display a 3-dimensional object like a boat. All through the design process, we can show the client real "pictures" of what the boat will look like, making clear how the boat sits in the water, how the aft cabin is arranged, all the details of the layout.

Computer Aided Design