Computer Design

This is a five-day course ending Friday

What is the computer-aided design (CAD) program called Rhino that is so popular with designers? How does one use it to model a boat on a computer? What all is needed to cut with a CNC machine? By the end of this course with designer/boatbuilder Clint Chase, you will have a better appreciation of these essential questions and some of the answers. Moreover, you will end up with a toolbox full of computer skills and a 3D model of a boat hull. Clint will share his unique knowledge and skills in bringing boats to life from Rhino to the shop floor.

The week will be busy but fun as you learn the many facets to drawing your own boat design on the computer. Everyone will be starting with an existing lines plan of a simple skiff, dory, or other hard chine hull shape—perhaps one you’ve drawn in the ELEMENTS OF BOAT DESIGN course or on your own. While you are welcome to bring a round-bilged hull design with you, we will be focusing on the simpler hull form of a multichine or lapstrake boat, which makes learning Rhino easier and more effective. Your boat design must come to class scanned into your laptop as a JPEG file. In addition, you will be asked to download Rhino and take a few self-guided tutorials in preparation for the class.

As the week progresses, students will learn to navigate in Rhino and become proficient with its tools and the list of commands that enable the lines to take shape on the screen. Demonstrations and discussions of the basic and more subtle aspects of computer lofting, lofting a round-bilged hull shape, hydrostatic calculations, creation of layouts in Rhino and CNC cutting files, and problem-solving will flow together through the week. You will print your work on a large-format printer on Friday, and we’ll visit a nearby shop and see how a boat kit can be cut on a large CNC router.

Everyone in the class will be bringing a variety of experience and knowledge and a willingness to help each other so each student leaves with new friends and the fundamentals of computer design.

Special Requirements: You will need a PC laptop with 64-bit Intel or AMD processor; 8MB RAM; video graphics capability; and a free 90-day trial version of Rhino 7 loaded and ready to go. Minimally, a 15 ½” screen size is recommended, as is a comfortable mouse with pad. Students should have solid experience with lofting or drafting table. WoodenBoat School’s LOFTING or ELEMENTS OF BOAT DESIGN courses provide excellent prerequisite information for this COMPUTER DESIGN course.