Windesign 6 introduction

Latest VPP software and collaboration tool to be previewed in Southampton

Traditionally the yacht designer had a hand in all aspects of a yacht’s design, think about Herreschoff and Sparkman and Stephens. Since their time the technology available to designers has grown exponentially, to the point where a single person could not hope to be 'hands on' with all the tools available, VPP, CFD, FEA, Solid Modelling etc.

Nevertheless the fundamental role of the yacht designer has not changed, he must deliver the completed yacht to the client, and it must be a coherent, attractive yacht, not a combination of optimised elements that turn out to be less than the sum of their parts.

To maintain this overarching role the designer must find a way to communicate with his technicians. In a Formula 1 team it’s easy they have an established infrastructure, but yacht design and build projects are more ad hoc with different groups of 'experts' assembled on a project by project basis, and the build facilities often remote from the design work. The rapid analysis time and Parametrically based geometry creation and the rapid analysis time of modern codes has also meant that sophisticated analysis in several areas, e.g. mast structural design, mast aerodynamic design, and sail construction, can be usefully undertaken even in relatively modest projects.

In developing the next incarnation of the WinDesign VPP the aim has been three fold; Firstly to provide extended functionality in terms of force and moment balance, component based force models, and improved geometry input, secondly to provide a platform that allows geometry and results to be exchanged securely and accurately among project collaborators, and thirdly to create a VPP frame work that can integrate with the wide range of experimental and computational tools now available.

In short, the analysis tools available to yacht designers are becoming more sophisticated and quicker and cheaper to run, what needs to develop in parallel with this is a software infrastructure that reduces the burden of communication between collaborating technical groups.

The WinDesign 6 Seminar at the University of Southampton on 16 September not only offers a preview of the WinDesign 6 VPP but also the development of the collaboration tool 'Brio' and the open source RANS CFD code OpenFOAM. WinDesign 6 has been developed to integrate seamlessly with these tools.

Venue - University of Southampton, Building 19 (Next to Wolfson Building)
 
Timetable
09:30  Registration and Coffee
10:00 The Vision & Scope of WinDesign 6. Clay Oliver
10:15 Collaborative Tools & Complementary Technologies and for WinDesign 6. Andy Claughton
10:30-13:00  Overview and features of WD6 (includes Coffee break)

- Unified VPP & LPP using surface definitions.
- Component based hydrodynamic and aerodynamic Force models.
- Revised Output and visualisation options.
- Detailed Force data for components, both input
- Pre-processing of CFD data into the WD 6 force prediction model

- Yaw and Vertical force balance.
- Updated look and feel, tabs, feature tree and viewer
- Revised work flow and input options to speed up workflow.
- Simplification of yacht and environment and race modelling control
- “BRIO” collaboration, visualisation and data management & control application.
(Bundled with WD 6)

13:00 Lunch

14:00 BRIO 
- Secure and robust data interchange between yacht designers, sail designers
- Visual presentation of aero and hydro components.
- Pre‐processor to CFD codes (RANS codes e.g. OpenFOAM) Panel Codes e.g. FloLogic.
- Interface

14:45 CFD opportunities for WD6 and BRIO users
15:15 Tea
15:30 Open session
16:30  Close
 
Registration

Please email the following information to wumtia@soton.ac.uk
1. Name of attendee(s)
2. Company name and address for invoice
3. Any special dietary requirements.