| GHS |
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| Minimum
hardware required: |
PI
133 (64 Mb for Win NT) |
| Operating
system(s): |
Windows
2000, XP, Vista |
| Most
recent version date & number: |
Oct 2009, v.11.98 |
| Number
of installations: |
1000+ |
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| GHS
- General HydroStatics |
| BHS
- Basic Hydrostatics |
| Additional
modules |
| WMG
- Windows Manager for GHS |
| GHS
LM - GHS Load Master/Monitor |
| GHS
Salvage |
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| GHS
is the most comprehensive (in absolute) and powerful (in the microcomputer
world) stability calculator. GHS does not stop at calculating static
stability parameters, but checks for positive stability in every
condition and configuration.
GHS supports variable density
cargo, staggered heel/flotation plane conditions (hopper dredges,
barges, etc.) as well as any compartment damage combination. Longitudinal
strength, floodable lengths, probabilistic damage, automatic class
criteria checking, fully customizable output formatting (any language),
etc., are only a few of the features found in GHS. |
In
addition, GHS offers a full depth programming language for the writing
of macro routines, and linking to user-developed programs, thereby
fully automating work to unrivaled heights. GHS includes several
industry standard interfaces, and supports a large number of printers
for the outputting of graphs and tables. |
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Capabilities
& New features |
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-
Load
condition graphics
-
Full and short versions of A-265 (VIII) probabilistic damage
calculation
-
Ship torsional moment and torque
-
Bulkhead shear correction factor
-
Calibration of tank data from external sources (e.g. tank tables).
Produces an "equivalent" model matching stability,
hydrostatics, free surface and moment of inertia, content weight
and centre of gravity, etc. (nb: "equivalent" models
may not be suited for longitudinal strength calculation).
-
GHS-LM models only require tank tables (no more need for drawings
as input)
-
SeaSafe hull interface
-
Transparent network printer support
-
Introduction of custom headers and footers in reports via user-defined
text and bitmap files
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Colour-printer
support for graphs
-
Complex boom arrangements including multiple hook loads
-
HBL: hydrostatically balanced loading for tankers
-
Support of API forces and KN units
-
Support of external MAXVCG tables
-
Water-on-Deck calculations
-
Support of 2 shear force limits for hogging and sagging bending
moments
-
Calculation of the Revised SDI for vessels 80-100 m (IMO regulation
25-3)
-
Several new print setting options
-
Introduction of the new variable DAMSTAT indicating whether
any of the ship's tanks are damaged
-
Longitudinal Strength is computed both at specified frame locations
(FRA) and at model section locations.
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| GHS
is an extraordinary computer software system which causes ordinary
PCs to become powerful hydrostatics/ stability computing machines.
Developed by Creative Systems
specifically for the PC and refined over a period of several years,
GHS has become widely recognized as the most productive tool of
its kind. It surpasses traditional mainframe-based systems such
as SHCP both in capability and efficiency.
In constant use by major design
firms and shipyards, GHS is well proven, reliable, and well accepted
by regulatory agencies. GHS is truly general-purpose. Not only does
it handle ship hulls, but also anything that floats or contains
liquid - or both. It has been used to analyze and/or design submarines,
SWATHs, dry docks, drilling platforms, 10-foot sailboats, 300-meter
freighters, floating bridges, and even a floating golf course. When
the going gets tough, GHS keeps going: churning out intermediate
stages of flooding, simulating the spilling of cargo, and optimizing
against complex stability criteria - automatically.
Since marine technology is not
static, neither is GHS. In response to feedback from users and the
increasing sophistication of stability standards, we're constantly
extending and improving GHS to ensure its continued leadership and
excellence.
GHS is simply the most efficient
way to do common stability jobs, and the only way to do the hard
ones. GHS is General HydroStatics. |
Here is the fleet of software modules
which compose the GHS system:
-
GHS :
The main program - handles all of the stability computations.
-
AF :
Advanced Features - includes IMO probabilistic damage.
-
CG :
Condition Graphics - Illustrates the loaded condition of any
vessel
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FL :
Floodable Lengths - mainly for preliminary design (GHS does
"damstab").
-
GS :
Grain Shift - calculates volumetric heeling moment for grain
cargos.
-
HM :
Hull Maker - makes certain hull models very quickly.
-
LE :
Load Editor - a timesaver for working out loading conditions.
-
LS :
Longitudinal Strength - shear, bending, stress, and deflection.
-
MB :
Multi Body - Allows GHS to model the interactions of multiple
vessels
-
MC :
Model Converter - converts shapes from SHCP and HEC; to/from
CAD, OFE and IDF files.
-
PI :
Programming Interface - a procedure library to link program
extensions directly into GHS.
-
PM :
Part Maker - makes vessel models. You have to use it to believe
it.
-
TS :
Tank Soundings - special-purpose formats (GHS does soundings
generally).
While the most powerful installations include all of the GHS
modules, we realize that some users do not require them all.
Therefore, all modules except GHS, PM, and MC are optional.
In addition, third party module: WMG
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| What
Makes GHS Special?
There are a number of PC-based stability
programs from which to choose. They all claim to do most of the
same calculations GHS does; some cost more and a few cost a lot
less. So what makes GHS so special - and more than worth its price?
Part of the answer lies
in the special features. Automatic handling of the IMO "Severe
Wind and Rolling" and "Probabilistic Damage" criteria,
for example - a tremendous time saver. True CG shifts of tank contents
both transversely and longitudinally for better realism and accuracy.
Heeling about any axis (essential for some shapes - drilling units
for example - and where longitudinal stability is a problem). And
the unsurpassed ease of modeling complex structures and detailed
interiors saves more man hours on a regular basis than perhaps anything
else.
Part of the answer is certainly about efficiency - especially on
the big jobs. Efficiency means doing a job accurately, correctly
and on schedule. Computers naturally do things accurately, but whether
a job is done correctly still depends on the person who prepares
the inputs for the computer - and people are by nature prone to
making mistakes. When mistakes have to be corrected, the schedule
(and the profits) sometimes go out the window. But GHS helps a lot.
First, with its macro commands it reduces the chances of human error
by reducing input repetition. And secondly, when things have to
be redone you can make a correction and rerun a complex report with
very little extra effort. |
A large part of why GHS is special has to do with its basic approach
to the stability problem. Most programs follow a more-or-less traditional
approach based on techniques developed before computers existed.
But GHS is a wind from a new quarter. You won't notice the difference
in a list of features - and you can even use it without noticing
the difference (if you are thinking in the traditional way). But
once you discover the direct, simulation-oriented approach which
GHS encourages, you will never want to see another cross curve.
(Of course, if someone insists on cross curves, you can get them
from GHS.)
But there is something else in the "specialness" of GHS
which we have trouble describing. Perhaps it's something intangible.
People either grow fond of a computer program or grow to hate it.
One shipyard architect said, "GHS is my right hand". An
executive in a prominent design firm told us, "GHS is our life's
blood". A man who helped design the original SHCP is reported
to have said, "I can't face SHCP anymore - I've got to get
GHS". After using GHS for about three years, a well known naval
architect wrote, "GHS is absolutely stupendous in its completeness,
versatility, and its accuracy". After using GHS in a research
project, the project director wrote us a note saying, "I figure
GHS saved us about two years of work". That's what makes GHS
special.
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| GHS
(The Main Program)
You can do the ordinary things so
easily with GHS that first-time users believe it's a simple program.
But when they're still discovering features after a year or longer,
they tend to have a different opinion.
Hydrostatics can be easy,
but it can become involved and complex at times. GHS does not ignore
the complexities of reality. It helps you think them through and
solve the problems while recognizing the subtleties.
When you approach a hydrostatics
analysis you have to make some decisions about how much detail there
should be. You build a geometrical model of the vessel with the
appropriate degree of detail. Then you run GHS with the model to
simulate the vessel's resistance to heeling moments in various conditions
- to an appropriate degree of detail. Preliminary designs can be
modeled with less detail so that they can be quickly cycled through
modification phases. Final designs will have more detail. The amount
of detail which GHS handles is large, but not unlimited. With reasonable
point densities, a hull including a dozen or so appendages, twohundred
tanks and compartments, plus up to two hundred distinct non-liquid
weight items is the limit.
How fast is GHS? It depends on
how detailed your model is and what you want it to do. If you build
a fancy model with a couple of hundred tanks and set it up to find
maximum VCG in a dozen loading conditions, each multiplied by a
number of damage scenarios with intermediate stages of flooding,
you will need to be prepared to do something else while GHS is crunching
numbers. |
But if you just want a righting arm curve from an average model,
it will take less than a minute (much less on a fast computer).
Damage stability is straightforward with GHS; and what happens with
loaded or empty tanks with and without damage is all taken care
of automatically. True CG shifts in tanks are the norm (the traditional
but less-accurate free surface "correction" is optional).
Heeling moments from the wind
plane and other sources are available, as are several kinds of waves.
GHS does almost everything with few restrictions - heel and trim
are unlimited, for example (great for salvage work). You can even
change the heeling axis - heel on a diagonal or even do a fore-and-aft
righting arm curve.
Stability criteria are built
in but not cast in concrete. You can choose your own limits and
roll your own combinations. Tell GHS your criteria and it will find
the maximum VCG - even with damage, wind or wave, or all three together.
No description of this program
would be complete without a mention of the macro facility. Being
command-oriented (vs. menu-oriented, although menus can be used),
GHS is actually a language in which you express the design of the
report you want to create - using the terms of your own building
blocks, which are called "macro commands". It's the lever
with which you can easily move a mountain of data.
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| GHS
Plots
Pictures in a printed report are helpful. The GHS report generator
takes the entire output stream, inserts the graphics, and puts the
entire report out on the printer - all automatically. This operation
is almost invisible because the program makes all of its decisions
automatically. The only decision you have to make is whether you
want graphs in your report. If you do, then the report generator
does the job with no questions asked. The report generating facility
in GHS is actually a complex piece of software, in spite of its
apparent simplicity; and a close examination of the output it produces
proves the point.
GHS produces all of its output by means of ordinary pin, inkjet,
and laser printers on standard 8.5" wide paper. We have made
no attempt to support pen plotters because doing so seems to be
contrary to some of the philosophy behind GHS. This may take a bit
of explanation:
We believe that the proper goal in designing software is to direct
the resources of the computer toward accomplishing the whole task,
not just to mechanize a step in the process. In the case at hand,
we looked at the traditional production and use of plotted hydrostatic
data and decided not to support the production of large-format plots. |
We realized that while it helps the understanding of a process
or trend to see the relevant data in a graphical form, there is
seldom a need to actually use the graph as a source of data for
working out a problem, since GHS on a personal computer can solve
the problem directly. The plots available from GHS using either
a 24-pin dot matrix printer, a high resolution inkjet, or a laser
printer are about as precise as those made with a pen plotter;
and they can be read accurately enough to be as useful as those
drawn on larger-sized paper. They're also much easier to handle.
Currently, GHS produces the following kinds of graphs:
-
Hydrostatic Properties
-
Maximum VCG Curves
-
Curves of Form
-
Longitudinal
Strength Curves
-
Sectional Area
Curves
-
GM vs. Tank Loading
Curves
-
Cross Curves
of Stability
-
Tank Soundings
and Characteristics
-
Righting Arm
and Area Curves
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| GHS
Extensibility
By extensible we mean that GHS provides
facilities for its own extension and expansion. It gives you the
ability to create new features and procedures. This extensibility
is of four major kinds:
1) Macro Commands. A macro
command is a new command which you design yourself. The concept
is that you can encapsulate your own procedures so that they become
part of your "customized GHS". This is an extremely powerful
and easily-used feature.
2) Menu Systems. You can design
and create various menu-driven "applications" within GHS.
A MENU command is provided which, together with macro commands,
allows you to create programs for specific applications which can
then be used by someone with little or no knowledge of GHS. |
3) Programming Interface. Virtually any conceivable feature or calculation
can be added to GHS with this facility. It allows you to integrate
your own programs into the GHS environment while giving you access
to the underlying data and "hydrostatics engine".
4) File Interfaces. Several kinds
of "industry-standard" data files are recognized by GHS.
This facilitates communication between GHS and other programs so
that you can assemble a system of software extending into areas
not covered by GHS.
Extensibility means that you
are not locked into one way of doing things. It also increases your
options for enhancing and developing GHS to meet specific requirements.
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| Part
Maker
In order to understand Part Maker,
you need to understand that in GHS we literally build a model of
the vessel, and base all calculations on the model - not on intermediate
abstractions such as Bonjean Curves. This is true not just of the
hull(s) but also of the tanks, compartments, appendages - everything
which contributes to the buoyancy or windage.
Of course, we are speaking
of a mathematical model comprised of numbers; but the effect is
very much like that of a physical model. You can view the model
from various angles and manipulate its individual Parts.
What is a Part? Just those things
which you want to handle when doing stability work. Each tank, for
example, would be a Part; and obviously the hull would be a Part.
Normally, the hulls of a multi-hull vessel would all be put into
one Part, since there is usually no need to see their separate hydrostatic
properties. But a ship in a dry dock would typically be a separate
Part from the dry dock hull.
Still, Parts can be quite complex
- such as a hull with several appendages. So GHS allows you to build
your Parts from pieces called Components.
Take the case of a thruster tunnel.
It not only modifies the hull, being a "negative appendage",
but it probably modifies one or more tanks also. If you have ever
manually constructed stations in the way of a thruster tunnel because
the tunnel indentation had to be integral with the hull shape, you
will love Part Maker. |
It not only constructs the cylindrical tunnel with one simple command
but it fits the tunnel to the hull and will even fit tanks around
the tunnel!
In short, Components allow you to build complex Parts accurately
and quickly without causing unnecessary detail to clutter the reports.
Part Maker is a solid modeling
tool designed specifically for hydrostatics models. It makes tanks,
compartments, appendages, sponsons, camber, shell, insulation and
fits them all together. It can scale, shift, stretch, combine, and
display models.
Part Maker essentially extends
the GHS command language so that the construction of a model can
be described. Just as important as the final model itself is your
expression of how you build the model; and this you can preserve
for future reference. We call it the Run File. If you want to change
the model in any way, simply edit your Run File and run Part Maker
again.
Because it gives you so much
power, we consider Part Maker to be an essential part of GHS. Rowing
is fine if you have the time. But if you want to get there fast,
you need a motor and you need Part Maker.
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| GHSCOM
provides access to the GHS (General HydroStatics) main calculating
engine through Microsoft COM technologies. This allows GHS to be
tightly integrated into other programs. Any application written
in a language that supports the COM calling convention can link
to GHS through the GHSCOM module. Such languages are,
• C/C++
• C#
• Delphi
• Java (COM Bridge)
• Visual Basic
• Visual Basic for Applications (VBA)
• VB Script
VBA is of particular interest since common application programs
support VBA including Microsoft Office and AutoCAD. This means that
a GHS user can write VBA functions in Excel, for example, and with
very little effort have a spreadsheet with cells that call GHS functions.
|
GHSCOM
is an optional module of GHS and cannot be used independently
of a GHS license.
The GHSCOM interface is simple. It provides for sending commands
to GHS and for retrieving variable values. Standard GHS file output
resulting from the execution of commands can also be produced.
No screen window for input or output is provided since those functions
are to be supplied in the user's host program. This precludes
the use of Load Editor and any other GHS commands that require
screen output or take keyboard input.
Other commands not available through GHSCOM are those having to
do with general file handling and execution control -- things
that are easily done in the language of the host program.
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Advanced
Features
The Advanced Features
(AF) module adds certain tools to GHS which are very useful for
certain kinds of vessels but are not needed by all GHS users.In
its present version the AF module contains two tools; one for
intact stability, the other for damage stability.
- Intact Stability
Addressing a special problem which occurs with submarines, floating
drydocks, and other submersible structures, a table and plot of
transverse GM as a function of tank loading is produced. This
makes it easy to spot low GM phases in a submerging or emerging
operation.
|
- Damage Stability
Our implementation of the IMO probabilistic damage evaluation
for cargo and RO-RO passenger vessels is also provided in the
AF module. This is a complex rule which assigns probabilities
to various extents of damage and probabilities of survival related
to the stability characteristics in damaged conditions. A summation
of these probabilities over all survivable extents of damage yields
a "Subdivision Index" which is compared to a minimum
requirement for the particular vessel.
Functionally, the AF module
is smoothly integrated with the GHS main program so that they
appear as one program.
Return
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| Condition
Graphic
Enhances reports from GHS Features
- Illustrates the loading condition
of any vessel
- Accurately pictures tank levels
- Shows the waterline at actual drafts
- Shows the ship rotated to actual
heel and trim
- Both on-screen and printed renditions
- Color and black-and-white printouts
- Simple activation through the DISPLAY
STATUS command
- Selectable views and cut locations:
plan, profile and body
- Reversible profile view to clearly
show tanks on both sides
- Includes the standard GHS header
- Optional custom footer includes
user's logo
Return |
Floodable
Lengths
FL does the traditional floodable length
calculations, based on symmetrical flooding and sinkage to a margin
line or to a condition of minimum GM. It presents floodable length
data at regular intervals along the length of the vessel, including
not only the length of flooding but also the trim, sinkage, margin,
and GM.
This is a preliminary-design
tool, since it does not use any actual compartment boundaries
which may be in the vessel model, but rather "designs"
its own simple compartments which are as large as they can be
to satisfy the margin line and GM requirements.
Given the ease of modeling
and modifying compartments using Part Maker, it is quite possible
to do a better job of preliminary design using damage stability
(with GHS), especially when the assumptions of uniform symmetrical
flooding and the simplistic stability criteria of FL are not valid.
But floodable lengths are still useful ... and they are sometimes
required.
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Grain
Shift
The Grain Shift (GS) program calculates volume, volumetric
heeling moment, and vertical center of gravity as a function of
ullage. It works well for any tank, but is especially applicable
to grain holds.
Grain
cargo is neither perfectly solid nor liquid. If a hold is not
completely full, the surface of the grain can shift and remain
inclined toward one side in response to the rolling of the ship,
resulting is a somewhat permanent transverse and vertical shift
of the center of gravity.
GS is
especially equipped to account for the various structural complexities
sometimes found in grain holds which obstruct the surface of the
grain. Void pockets are modeled as components of the hold. As
the cargo shifts within a pocket some of its void may escape to
another pocket.
Grain
Shift produces screen and printer plots of volume, volumetric
heeling moment, and VCG as a function of ullage.
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Hull
Maker
The concept behind this module is that a suitable approximation
to a hull form can, in many cases, be generated from very little
input data. For example, the principal dimensions, type of ship,
and a few particulars about sheer, deadrise, bulge radius, etc.
are enough to specify the mid sections. With some additional information
about the ends, a hull model can be generated without actually
giving any offsets.
In its
present form, Hull Maker is restricted to barge shapes and is
actually more commonly known as "BARGE". It is capable
of modeling some barges exactly and almost all barges fairly closely.
Once a barge hull is created, Part Maker can be used to augment
it, adding appendages and superstructure if necessary.
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Load
Editor
Load Editor is an interactive interface through which you can
quickly access certain commonly-used GHS features. For example,
with a single keystroke you can change the loading of a tank and
instantly observe the result of the change relative to a specific
set of stability criteria.
Load Editor has two applications. One is the design evaluation
of a vessel's stability, where various loading combinations are
being investigated to determine maximum cargo loading or to explore
dangerous combinations of partial loads. The other application
is in the actual operation of a vessel to monitor the stability
and strength margins related to a loaded condition (see GHS LM).
The Load Editor screen resembles a spreadsheet where each load
item is represented by a line on the screen. Pressing the arrow
keys moves the visible marker about on the screen, thus enabling
you to point to any item and make changes. Loads can be entered
as percentage full; volume or sounding; or by actual weight or
percentage present for non-liquid loads.
The top of the screen is dedicated to showing the vessel's drafts,
trim, displacement, overall CG, GM, maximum VCG, and VCG margin
which change instantly in response to the operators inputs. The
bottom of the screen shows profile and plan views of the vessel
with tank boundaries and weight locations. Longitudinal bending
stress and deflection are computed by pressing a key which temporarily
brings in the LS module. The deflection so computed can even be
retained and reflected in the draft readings.
Whether in the architect's office or on board a vessel, Load Editor
is an efficient and accurate tool for working out the stability
and strength margins.
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Longitudinal
Strength
If you dislike the drudgery of assembling a weight curve for
longitudinal bending, you will appreciate LS. It does the assembling
for you. Give it weight density information in pieces and it produces
the composite weight curve automatically. The pieces you give
it need not be constant, they can vary as a function of length;
or they can be concentrated at a point. Even more helpful, LS
automatically adds in the weight density curves for tank loads.
If you supply section modulus, you get stress; or if you just
give section moments of inertia you can still get deflection.
LS produces and presents the detailed strength curves along with
a summary showing maximum values and locations. You also get fine-looking
and serviceable plots of the curves.
Of course, LS works with waves and with damage. It is not restricted
to upright conditions - for those situations where bending in
other directions is important.
Where deflection is important, LS can be used, with suitable calibration,
to predict deflection so that the resulting drafts and hydrostatic
properties can be examined with the hog or sag.
In spite of all its rigor, LS usually takes just a few seconds
to produce an answer. And being tightly integrated with GHS, it
is quite easy to use.
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Model
Converter
MC converts geometry data to the GHS Geometry File format from various
other formats and vice versa. Currently it does the following conversions:
SHCP and HEC hull and tank definitions to GHS Geometry
CAD drawings (DXF) to and from GHS Geometry
Offset (OFE) files to and from GHS Geometry
IMSA Data Files (IDF) to and from GHS Geometry
PIAS (EAG) offsets to and from GHS Geometry
SHCP Conversions
Since there is a significant difference in the way in which SHCP
and GHS interpret offsets, MC reads and processes the SHCP data
in the same manner in which SHCP does. However, MC does a much more
thorough job of checking the SHCP offsets for errors than SHCP does
itself. Many of these errors, if undetected, can lead to serious
errors in SHCP calculations. So we would say that even if you are
using SHCP you need MC to check for errors!
Compared to the SHCP method of
representing hull geometry, GHS uses a simpler representation which
is more reliable and more suitable for automatic computation. (SHCP
bases its representation on the requirements of Simpson's first
rule for area integration.) However, the GHS representation (based
on the requirements of trapezoidal integration) requires roughly
twice as many points and stations to achieve a comparable level
of precision. MC adds these points and stations automatically. |
One interesting feature of the SHCP-to-GHS
conversion is that longitudinal and transverse aberrations (due
to incorrect station spacing in the SHCP model) become visible
after the conversion. Even when the SHCP model is considered "clean"
because no transverse "blips" are present, there may
be "longitudinal blips" which would appear in the area
curve only at certain waterplane orientations and would therefore
be difficult to detect. The GHS form of representation avoids
this problem, since all area curves are closely related to the
model as it appears by inspection.
DXF Conversions
MC will read and write DXF files (2D or 3D). This allows a shape
to be created in a CAD program (including digitizing from an existing
body plan) and then converted into a Geometry File for use within
GHS. It also allows stations from a Geometry File to be copied
into a CAD drawing.
OFE and PIAS Conversions
The OFE file format is used by some hull design systems as a means
of exchanging shape data between programs. MC will both read and
write OFE files. The PIAS EAG format is a simple offset list.
IDF Conversions
The IDF file format is described as "a neutral file format
for exchange of hull description data between marine programs".
MC converts the "SECTION" entity which describes the
hull in terms of sectional curves. MC will both read and write
IDF files.
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Multi-Body
The Multi-body module allows General
HydroStatics (GHS) and GHS
LM (GHS Load Monitor) software to handle multiple floating bodies
with points of contact between them. Ground contact can be included
simultaneously.
> Applications include:
-onboard load monitor for tug-barge units;
-detailed simulation of loading and unloading floating objects by
partially submerging the carrier:
- complex salvage procedure modeling;
- ice breaker simulation;
- dry docking;
- articulated floating structures.
Equilibrium of the entire multi-body system is found automatically
and the forces at the points of contact are reported. |
This new capability is available
through an optional software module being called simply "Multi-Body"
or MB. It is tightly integrated with GHS so that the usual features
of the program can be used in conjunction with it.
The MB module allows GHS to model the interactions of multiple
vessels in a wide variety of configurations when latched together
or resting on each other. It models each vessel in a separate
side-by-side session of GHS and quickly solves for simultaneous
equilibrium whenever anything in the system changes. For example,
the effect of changing the load in a tank on one vessel can be
seen also in the draft, trim and heel of the vessel with which
it is in contact as well as in the contact force. The contact
forces are automatically included in stability, longitudinal strength
and torque calculations.
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Programming
Interface
The GHS Programming Interface (PI) consists of a procedure
library to which the user can link his own programs. This allows
you unlimited freedom in developing your own extensions to GHS.
A command
called "CUSTOM" is the gateway through which user-written
commands are integrated with the GHS environment. Thus one or
more special commands can be added to the system to do things
which are presently outside its scope, or to change the way in
which things are presently done.
The
Programming Interface consists of a library linkable to programs
written in specific programming languages. It includes over 50
procedures covering access to the geometry data and various calculations.
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Surface
Areas
The purpose of SA is to calculate hull and deck surface areas
and centers of gravity. This is not the same as wetted surface
(which is provided in the Main Program) but rather it takes the
entire area of the hull component up to the deck edge and provides
not only the area but the center of the surface, making it useful
for weight estimates. At present, the SA module is in a very preliminary
form. It is being made available to GHS users "as is"
without additional charge.
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Tank
Soundings
Tank sounding tables are interesting because of the variety of formats
and requirements which are encountered. Since some of those requirements
are quite specific, we made a special module to handle them.
GHS also produces tank
sounding tables with a considerable amount of flexibility in the
makeup of the table. While the tank tables from the GHS main program
are intended primarily for design work, the TS module produces sounding
tables for use in the field. TS offers five table formats:
1) Gallons vs. Sounding in inches,
arranged in vertical columns;
2) Gallons vs. Sounding in feet and inches, arranged in a 12-column
table;
3) Gallons, Cubic Feet, Center of Buoyancy, Moments of Inertia vs.
Sounding in feet;
4) Same as 3 except a Trim Correction column replaces the Longitudinal
Moment of Inertia; |
5) Cubic Feet, Gallons and Long Tons vs. Sounding and Ullage in
feet and inches.
Either U.S. or Imperial gallons may be selected for any of the
formats. None of these formats allow metric units.
Formats 1 and 2 are more compact than any of the formats available
in GHS and are therefore especially attractive for use in the
field if only volumes are needed.
Formats 2, 3, and 4 meet specific
US Navy requirements. Formats 3 and 4 include special interpolations
at breakpoints.
Format 5 shows both sounding
and ullage simultaneously.
We expect that eventually,
computers will be so accessible, reliable, and common that tank
sounding tables on paper will cease to be produced. Until that
happens we can add new formats to the TS program to meet any special
needs.
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Because it is fundamentally simulation-oriented, GHS is an excellent
tool for answering the "what if" questions involved in
salvage operations. And since it does not limit trim and heel angles,
you can simulate any orientation in which you might find a distressed
vessel - from upright to upside down to standing on end.
Several other features are also of special interest to the salvage
engineer:
Quick model generation
GHS provides a means of very rapidly constructing a hull model
from a small amount of information. Even rough dimensions together
with a general knowledge of the hull form are sufficient to produce
a useful model. Weight estimates can then be obtained from the operating
drafts. The ability to import hull models expressed in various data
formats is also provided.
Damage simulation
Damage limited by compartmentalization and damage in the form of
hull deformations are readily simulated. Both types of damage can
be present together and both can be nonsymmetrical. three modes
of tank damage are provided, including pressure balancing for accurate
oil outfolw calculations.
Partial flooding
Since GHS computes the weights and centers of all contained fluids
at any given vessel orientation, partially flooded spaces are accurately
represented.
Ground
reaction calculation
The locations and magnitudes of the forces exerted by the ground
when a vessel is stranded is easily determined. GHS provides a very
flexible and realistic ground reaction mechanism. |
Stability
and stress when damaged and grounded
Damaged, flooded and groundedstability, and longitudinal strength
calculations are easily and quickly obtained.
Downflooding and spilling
Downflooding points can be modeled and their heights above or
below the water are readily obtained. Spilling of water on deck
from a tank can also be calculated.
Sealed and vented tanks
Tanks may be pressure-balanced at the point of damage, with vented
or sealed tops. This allows accurate calculations of cargo loss
when damaged.
Complex models
Situations where a ship is combined with a dry dock or is being
loaded onto a barge are easily modeled. Other complex structures
such as floating drilling units and various pontoon structures are
also readily handled.
Menu systems
In order to simplify the use of GHS in the field, menu systems can
be built which directly address the various requirements of salvage
work. A standard salvage-oriented menu system is provided.
Extensibility
Because GHS is general and extensible, other salvage-specific features
can be added by building onto its basic facilities. The ability
to make such additions is available to the user. |
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| BHS
is similar in many ways to GHS, being a derivative or "subset"
of the larger program. BHS includes hydrostatic properties, curves
of form, cross curves of stability, load condition status, heeling
and trimming moments, wind heeling derivation, righting arm curves
and areas (with constant trim or constant trim moment), tank characteristics
and soundings, damage stability, stability on waves, intermediate
stages of flooding, tank CG shifts, and much more. BHS produces
high-quality reports with graphs and has the same wide recognition
and acceptance as GHS. On the model-building side of the system,
BHS comes with Section Editor - the graphical hull modeling tool
- and a version of Part Maker which makes it easy to build all sorts
of tanks and compartments into the model. Most of the GHS optional
modules are also available with BHS. |
These
are Model Converter, Longitudinal Strength, Load Editor, Floodable
Lengths, Tank Soundings, Grain Shift, and Hull Maker. What BHS lacks
relative to GHS are, most noticeably, some of the features from
Part Maker which help with the creation of appendages (but appendages
can also be created using Section Editor); it also omits the automatic
stability criterion evaluation facilities of GHS; the maximum-VCG
solving; BHS cannot change the axis of heel; it lacks the tonnage
calculation; and it does not have access to the Advanced Features
or the Programming Interface modules. Since BHS includes most of
the features of GHS, its price makes it a great value. It also retains
its value because it can be traded in with credit for its full purchase
price for an upgrade to GHS. |
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"GHS"
has been the personal computer stability standard since its introduction
about 25 years ago, by virtue of its rich feature set and unrivalled
power. Although most GHS components are in fact 32 bit native Windows®
programs, the user interface does not include a pull-down menu.
WMG4 adds Windows standard features to some of GHS modules (pull-down
menus, etc.), and completely replaces others with user-friendly
Windows® programs.
The WMG
- Windows Software Library modules are: |
GHS
Enhancer (v4.0) (not upgraded in WMG v5.0)
General HydroStatics (GHS) is a general purpose 16 bit DOS or 32 bit Windows stability program developed and licensed by Creative Systems, Inc.. GHS has become the personal computer stability standard since its introduction in 1984, by virtue of its rich feature set and unrivaled power. Both versions of GHS use the command entry style of interface, similar to old DOS commands. The reason for this approach is that it allows a far larger command set than can be implemented in a menu interface.
There are, however, a significant number of frequently used command combinations. GHS Enhancer (GHSE) is an interface that adds menu functionality and other enhancements to the General HydroStatics (GHS), Basic HydroStatics (BHS), and Basic Hydrostatics Yacht (BHSY) programs by Creative Systems Inc. when operating in the following environments:
Beginning with the 32 bit version of GHS v7.50, Creative Systems added a rudimentary set of native menus. On versions before 7.50, GHS Enhancer adds a standard menu bar to the window. After version 7.50, GHS Enhancer augments the existing menu bar with additional menus. GHS Enhancer v4.0.08 or later is required for use with 32 bit GHS v7.50 or later.
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GHS Enhancer also solves a long-standing problem with running GHS in Windows - setting the current directory. When launching GHS Enhancer, you will first be prompted to select the working folder, which defaults to the last folder accessed by any of the WMG components. The current folder name is then inserted into the new window's title bar, so you always know where you areey assignments
and macro names are placed in customizable menus.
In GHS Enhancer, both menus and typed commands are supported. The most commonly used commands are contained in menus, and any other commands may be typed into the GHS window, or run from standard run files. When running files from GHS Enhancer's file menu, macro names and function key assignments are automatically placed into menus.
In addition to GHS Enhancer's other features, it also provides direct access to GHS's on line help library, and includes searching features not available anywhere else.

GHS Enhancer remains at version 4.0 (no version 5.0 is available). This program will be gradually phased out as Creative Systems (the developers of GHS/BHS/BHSY) completes its conversion to a full 32 bit Windows program with useful menus. Existing users of version 4.0 do not need to purchase upgrades. |
| Part
Maker Enhancer (v4.0) (not upgraded in WMG v5.0)
PartMaker Enhancer (PME) is an interface that adds menu functionality and other enhancements to the Part Maker program by Creative Systems Inc. when operating in the following environments:
- DOS Part Maker under Windows 98/ME
- Windows Part Maker under Windows 98/ME/NT4/2000/XP (PartMaker for Windows is under development by Creative Systems)
The Part Maker program lacks the menu driven
interface which makes using Windows programs so much easier. PartMaker Enhancer extends Part Maker with the addition of menus and other dialogs, which makes it much easier to use.
In PartMaker Enhancer, both menus and typed commands are supported. The most commonly used commands are contained in menus, and any other commands may be typed into the Part Maker window, or run from standard run files. |
In addition to PartMaker Enhancer's other features, it also provides direct access to Part Maker's on line help library, and includes searching features not available anywhere else.

PartMaker Enhancer remains at version 4.0 (no version 5.0 is available). This program will be gradually phased out as Creative Systems (the developers of PartMaker) completes its conversion to a full 32 bit Windows program with useful menus. Existing users of version 4.0 do not need to purchase upgrades. |
Chart Virtuoso
(v5.0)
The Chart Virtuoso module displays, edits, and
prints GHS graphics (.PF/.GRP) files, such as Maximum VCG curves, Righting Arms,
etc.. Its capabilities include options for selecting the principal axis data
& orientation, and showing or hiding curves. It can even merge different plots together!
Reads & displays GHS™ generated charts (both text and chart pages).
-
Select the data set you want to use for the principal axis, and its direction.
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Select the data set (curves) you want to display.
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Individually re-scale the displayed curves.
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Export charts in AutoCAD™ DXF format.
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Export charts in Rich Text Format (RTF), readable by most word processing programs.
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Copy charts to the clipboard.
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Save your customizations to file.
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Select the fonts, display format, margins, colors, and page orientation.
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Merge maximum VCG curve sets.
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Edit text pages. (new!)
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Edit graphics page commands. (new!)
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Edit graphics page curve data. (new!)
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Insert additional text pages. (new!)
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Delete individual pages. (new!)
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One of the great benefits afforded by Chart
Virtuoso is the ability to generate reports completely within your computer with
its export features. In combination with word processing or page layout
programs, an entire report can be assembled in a single computer file. Contrast
that with the typical piles of printouts!

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Geometry
File Modeler (v5.0)
The Geometry File Modeler creates, displays, and edits geometry files. The GHS modeling system uses a hierarchical system of "parts", "components", and "shapes". Parts are composed of one or more components. For example, the HULL part may be composed of the basic hull component, a skeg component, a bulb component, and a deducting bow thruster component. Components are pointers to shapes, and provide information on the side, effectiveness, and reference point. Shapes contains the basic coordinate geometry. A single shape may be referenced by several components. For example, a sump's shape may be used as a component of a wet hold, and also a deducting component from the tank underneath.
A typical display is shown below, showing the
standard three views (profile, plan & axonometric) in resizable panes. Each view pane may be zoomed independently. A drop list of model parts is presented in the upper left corner. Next to that is the components drop list, which contains the components of the currently displayed part. The Render menu allows visualization of 3-dimensional part surfaces, as shown in the example below. Other buttons control part, component, and shape editors, part & component selection, rotation (360 degrees both horizontally and vertically), section selection, and point selection.

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Main features include:
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Multiple documents interface can open several geometry files & shape editor sessions simultaneously.
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Manipulate all geometry file model data without using a text editor.
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Import and export shape geometry using OFE or OF4 file formats.
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Export AutoCAD(R) DXF files in 2-D or 3-D format.
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Use the Part Editor to copy components from part to part.
- Use the Component Editor to change a component's shape assignment
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Use the 3-D Shape Editor to enter & modify coordinate data, and cut waterlines & buttock lines.
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Copy images of your models to the clipboard for pasting into documents.
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Colors may be user defined, or the standard white or black backgrounds schemes may be used.
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Automatically remove excess coordinate data to increase GHS computation speed.
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Cut buttocks and waterlines into shapes.
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Add parallel mid-body plugs with keel drag.
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Scale & shift your model in any direction, which is helpful in the early design stage when vessel dimensions are being determined.
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Render your geometry file in stunning 3-D for a realistic view of your model.
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Reorder your parts and components. (new in v5.0)
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Mirror sections about a shape's centerline automatically.(new in v5.0)
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Reverse section point order (sometimes an imported file will have points in the wrong order). - (new in v5.0)
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Rotate sections about a longitudinal line. (new in v5.0)
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Digitize sections from an image file. (new in v5.0)
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EditX
(v5.0)
EditX is a text editor primarily used for creating and editing text command files for use with scientific applications. It is similar in functionality to Microsoft's® NotePad™ that comes with Windows, except that it can display multiple files simultaneously.
In addition to the standard editing features, EditX
allows you to turn off or on word wrapping, and allows you to specify which file
extensions your want to associate with EditX. For example, you could associate
the ".run" file extension with EditX, so that your can open all ".run" files with EditX from Windows Explorer.
New in version 5.0 is a button bar of open
documents, and optional printing of page headers showing the file name and page
numbers.
And the best part... Its free with the purchase of any other WMG module!
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Midship
Section Calculator (v5.0)
Midship Section Calculator (MSC) calculates
sectional properties of ship cross sections in a CAD-like environment. Why
calculate section properties with spreadsheets, which leave you guessing if you
included everything? MSC's graphic interface continually shows you what you have
included. If you are performing ship design or salvage tasks, MSC is the tool
you need!
Although primarily intended as a tool for calculating properties of large composite sections, MSC can also be used to calculate simple beam & plate combinations. With the capability to rotate sections, unusual beam combinations can also be evaluated.

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Features of Midship Section Calculator include:
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Structural shape library.
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Structural shape building tools.
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Structural shape rotation, mirroring, and snapping to plates.
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Plates are defined by their endpoints, thickness, and molded line convention.
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A plate sequencing tool for entering a sequence of plates.
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Plate importing from GHS geometry files. (new in v5.0)
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Plates can be optionally snapped to other plate's endpoints or sides.
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Construction tools make it easy to copy, array, and mirror shape and plate elements.
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Change the units on the fly between inches, feet, millimeters, centimeters, or meters.
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Optional snap grid. (new in v5.0)
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Optional overall centroid display. (new in v5.0)
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Export models to AutoCAD DXF files. (new in v5.0)
- Optionally save calculations to tab delimited text files. (new in v5.0)
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Extractor
(v5.0)
Many programs produce extensive amounts of text
output, which repeats in an organized manner. Extractor is used for extracting tabular data from such text output files, using user-defined search parameters. Extracted data can then be moved to a spreadsheet type program for further analysis.
Some Spreadsheet type programs can read text files, and even organize the data into cells. In many cases this is much more than you want. With Extractor, you specify which specific data you want, and ignore the rest. For example, consider the following text output from a vessel stability program:

Using Extractor, you could easily extract a spreadsheet table such as this:
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Draft |
Trim |
Displacement |
GMT |
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11.819 |
Fwd 0.52 |
448.83 |
9.70 |
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11.182 |
Fwd 0.60 |
394.44 |
10.08 |
Extractor's key features include:
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You define what data you want extracted by
specifying key words to look for (such as "Total Weight"), the row and column offset from the key word to the extraction text, and the number of characters to extract. You may also have Extractor search for the start of the nearest word to the extraction position, for the case when the column offset is not constant. To extract entire tables, the Row Count may be set greater than 1. The Configuration Wizard allows you to preview the file you will be extracting from, and simply select a sample Search Text and sample Extraction Text.
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Panel
Weight Estimator (v5.0)
Panel Weight Estimator (PWE) enables you to quickly generate a steel, aluminum, fiberglass, or wood weight estimate of hull structure using a panel approach. PWE is not a detail type weight estimating program, where you account for every individual stiffener. Instead, PWE lets you assemble triangular panels in groups, and assign unit weights to the panels (such as pounds per square foot or kilograms per square meter). The unit weight includes panel stiffeners and girders! A built in tool helps you determine the unit weight, and assign it to panels.
To start the process, you should have a hull defined in Creative Systems's geometry file format, or in Multisurf's OFE or OF4 formats. A companion program to PWE called Geometry File Modeler may also be used for this purpose. This is then imported into PWE, which converts the sectional data into triangular surface panels. You then organize the imported panels into groups, and assign panel weights. Any standard units of measure may be used, both English and Metric. Additional panels can then be added, fitted to existing panels.
Once you have created your model, you can:
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Calculate & save weights and centers.
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Calculate the weight distribution, & save to a Chart Virtuoso file, tab delimited text file, or GHS command file. Weight curve simplification is optional.
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Calculate & save areas for painting.
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Export the 3-D panel model to AutoCAD via the DXF file format.
PWE version 5.0 has been updated with the following
improvements:
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Panel selection handles have been removed (now select anywhere inside panels).
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Added manual outline entering for automatic panel filling.
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Updated display to use Microsoft's fast DirectX 8 rendering engine.
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Both Wire-frame and Rendered view modes available (rendering is no longer a temporary display).
A typical display is shown below, showing a rendered sample weight model. The shell panel groups have been turned off to allow viewing of the inside of the model. |

In order to quickly assign panel unit weights, PWE includes a Unit Weight Estimator as shown below:

How accurate is Panel Weight Estimator is a
frequent question. The answer rests with you, as the model builder. The more
accurate you are with panel unit weight assignments, the better your results
will be. The technique used by PWE was used to calculate the steel weight of a
passenger ferry, and the results were practically identical to the shipyard's
full steel weight takeoff. If you want a very good steel weight estimate in a
relatively little amount of time, PWE is the program you need. |
| System
Requirements
The following hardware and software is needed to
run WMG version 5:
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Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows NT 4.0 (Service Pack 4), Windows 2000,
Windows XP
- 16 megabytes of Random Access Memory (RAM) in addition to operating system requirements.
- Pentium or higher CPU (Pentium III or later recommended) .
- Familiarity with the Windows operating system and the GHS system.
- Microsoft DirectX 8 or later (for rendering in Geometry File Modeler and Panel Weight Estimator)
- Video display adapter with hardware abstraction layer (HAL) support (for rendering functions).
- Recommended: Creative Systems modules "GHS" v6.18 or later (16 or 32 bit), and "PartMaker" v2.20 or later .
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Where GHS & PartMaker version numbers are noted above, Creative Systems has upgraded their programs to allow interfacing with WMG, or WMG was modified to reflect revised command syntax. Later versions are also supported.
We no longer claim support the Windows 95 operating system. If you have Windows 95 and are interested in purchasing WMG, we recommend that you
download (6462 ko) the demonstration version first, and test it out on your system. International Settings :
The Windows Control Panel's "Regional Settings" allows setting the numeric format. WMG version 5.0 allows the user to enter data using the control panel's numeric style, or U.S. decimal period style. Numeric display output is always consistent with the control panel's numeric style setting. |
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