How to import external items

MasterShip allows you to import external items, or plate parts. While it can be anything, usually this concerns the import of systems and equipment. Systems and equipment are important to take into account while designing the construction to prevent structural collisions, and to design facilities in the construction such as an engine foundation. Importing these items allows you to include them in your assembly model visually and also adds them to the MasterShip database for use in reports and weight calculations.

How to import external items in MasterShip

This video shows how to import external items into MasterShip from the software perspective. Next to that, we have listed some of the best practices in the shipbuilding industry from the engineering perspective, and how MasterShip functionalities apply below.

For systems and equipment:

• Gather the 3D model of the main diesel engine(s), generator(s), auxillary machines piping systems, etc. etc. Usually this information comes from another department or subcontractor.
• Gather the position of the systems and place it on the right location in your MasterShip 3D assembly model. In AutoCAD you can use the command IMPORT, to import drawings of a variety of file formats into the assembly. This way, the external items will be included visually into the assembly.
• Add the external model to MasterShip using SHIPEDITCUSTOMITEM. With this functionality, the imported item will be included in the MasterShip Project database, and thus in the reports and weight calculations.

For importing plate parts:

• Importing plate parts: Sometimes there is a desire to import plate parts that are modelled in other software into MasterShip. With the command SHIPSOLID2PART a flat solid, surface or region of any file format can be imported into MasterShip. This gives great flexibility. With this command the imported entity is converted into a MasterShip part, and assigned with the correct thickness and part ID.

Since you can import multiple times, while only running this command once, it is even possible to import a complete 3D assembly model!

Output and next steps

Importing external items into MasterShip can be done at anytime during the engineering process, so there are no typical next steps. Good chance it is one of the following: Designing the detailed construction, making arrangement drawings or making CoG and weight calculations.