JReality CM Creator

Capabilities

CM Creator is designed to support four major capabilities:

creation of Compartmentalized Models;
engineering analyses of Compartmentalized Models;
prototyping of Compartmentalized Models;
export of Compartmentalized Models to later stage CAD tools.

Creation

The geometric data model created by CM Creator is centered on the modeling of interior geometry. Of course, the program must also model exterior geometry because one cannot model an interior without first having an exterior.

Although the focus is interior geometry, the primary building block of the CM Creator data model is, ironically, not geometric at all but rather a construct called an "assembly". An assembly is conceptually a container, into which may be placed two things:

geometry, in the form of exterior surfaces, and
other assemblies.

CM Creator requires all geometry be created within the context of an assembly. The exterior surface within some assemblies may be subdivided, which is where interior geometry enters the picture.

The primary purpose of assemblies is to organize the data model. This occurs when an assembly is placed within or, more correctly, "attached to," another assembly. The result is a hierarchical arrangement of assemblies, and their constituent exterior and interior geometry, into something called the "assembly attachment hierarchy." Other data structures, such as various transforms and coordinate mappings, define the spacial relationships within the assembly attachment hierarchy.

The root assembly of the assembly attachment hierarchy is a special assembly that can contain only other assemblies. This assembly is called a "Compartmentalized Model." Thus, another definition of a Compartmentalized Model is "the root assembly of the assembly attachment hierarchy."

Engineering Analyses

The geometric data model used by CM Creator is designed to support a wide spectrum of engineering analyses to support rapid creation of conceptual designs to a level of detail that can confirm the validity of selected Feasibility Study candidates, especially those generated using feasibility study tools such as ship synthesis models. Such analyses include, but are not limited to, computation of

external geometric properties including areas, centers, and gyradii of external walls, roofs, foundations, hull forms, pressure shells, etc;
internal volumetric properties including compartment volumes and centers;
internal geometric properties including areas, centers, and gyradii of internal walls or bulkheads, floors or decks, and overheads;
weights, centers, and mass gyradii of external surfaces; internal partitions; fluids in tanks; and outfit, furnishings and cargo that correlate to deck area or compartment volume;
intact and damaged stability analyses of ships;
motions analyses of ships, aircraft and spacecraft that depend on total vehicle moment of inertia.

CM Creator is designed with an expandable architecture that allows new analyses to be added almost without limit. Obviously, the earliest versions of CM Creator, which focused on creation of the Compartmentalized Model itself, had no analysis capability. Later versions will add various engineering analyses, starting with computation of geometric properties such as areas, volumes, and centers since these geometric properties are central to many other types of analyses.

Prototyping

The geometric data model used by CM Creator is designed to support creation of physical scale-model prototypes, including both exterior and interior geometry, based on 3D printing. In some cases, prototyping may require the Compartmentalized Model be created at a level of detail beyond that required to confirm the validity of Feasibility Studies, but always less than that required to build a full-scale structure (the domain of other CAD tools).

The current program development schedule prioritizes prototyping after implementation of geometric properties, but before other types of analyses such as weight estimation. However, this could change depending on the level of development support that may become available in the future.

Export to Later Stage CAD Tools

The geometric data model used by CM Creator should be convertible to file formats compatible with most other CAD tools, although the reverse may not always be true. Fortunately, reverse data conversion should not be necessary since design projects rarely, if ever, progress from a later design stage to an earlier one.

The current program development schedule does not explicitly prioritize exporting the CM Creator data model to file formats compatible with other CAD tools, but anticipates specific conversions being implemented as the need arises.