Maxsurf 1 Course

[Pablo Sopelana]

The Course Maxsurf 1 is now open:

Maxsurf 1 https://navalapp.com/courses/maxsurf-1/

Master how to model vessels of any type and length with Maxsurf and learn many Naval Architecture and Yacht design concepts along the way! In this course, the instructor will guide you through modeling two vessels using the Maxsurf modeler: a sharp-bilge Pilot Boat and a Sailing Boat with a round bilge. By the end of the course, you will not only know how to model hulls from a linesplan, but you will also have learned how to model details such as appendages, propeller tunnels, bulwarks, cabins, skegs, forecastle decks, and more, how to use modeling techniques and most of the modeling commands, and how to interpret the results obtained and validate your models.

What will you learn?
In this first course of a series dedicated to Maxsurf, we are going to focus on the Maxsurf Modeler.

With the Maxsurf Modeler, we can design a vessel from the first stage of the project, build the model from an existing linesplan (lines drawing), import geometries, perform parametric transformations from existing models, and model primary structural elements, frame geometry, decks, and other reinforcements that must conform to the hull shape. In most cases, designers will start by designing the hull geometry with the Maxsurf Modeler before loading the model into the other applications for further design and analysis.

In this course, the instructor will guide you through modeling two vessels using the Maxsurf Modeler:

• a sharp-bilge (hard-chine) Pilot Boat;
• a Sailing Boat with a round bilge.

In both projects, the instructor will start from an existing linesplan and explain the process and methodology of developing a full 3D model while giving life to the model on the screen. The Pilot Boat will be modeled from the bottom of the hull to specific details, such as the rounded joints of the transom with the side, the cabin, bulwarks, etc. The Sailing Boat will show you how to work with more complex lines. More concretely, with these two projects, you will learn to:

• Model vessels of any length with sharp and round bilge, establishing the optimal methodology to define the surfaces (type, rigidity, quantity, distribution, etc.).
• Know parameters and commands related to the shapes of the surfaces.
• Learn to configure the basic parameters (“inputs”), recognizing their impact on the calculations to be carried out.
• Interpret the results obtained and validate your models.

By the end of the course, you will not only know how to model hulls from a linesplan, but you will also have learned how to model details such as appendages, which have greater complexity, and how to use modeling techniques and most of the modeling commands. You will also be able to apply what you have learned to vessels of any length.

Software License
Navalapp Students enrolled in one or more Courses may have free access to Maxsurf. You can read more about this here.

Course organization
The course is video-based and on-demand and can be followed at your own pace.

It contains videos, quizzes, and downloadable documents and gives you access to the course’s virtual private classroom, where you can interact with the instructor and fellow students.

Students completing the course will obtain the Course Certificate. To obtain the Course Certificate, Students must finish all the lessons, pass the quizzes, and approve the Course Assignment.

– Resources:

• Video lessons.
• Video captions in English.
• Materials (written materials, linesplans, and models).
• Quizzes.
• Final Assignment.
• Course Certificate.

– Classroom:

• Virtual classroom.

 

[bajansailor]

Does this mean that if I sign up for Maxsurf course with you at a cost of 65 euros, I will get a license to use Maxsurf?
Maxsurf 1 https://navalapp.com/courses/maxsurf-1/

If I do get a license, how long will it be for?

 

[Pablo Sopelana]

Does this mean that if I sign up for Maxsurf course with you at a cost of 65 euros, I will get a license to use Maxsurf?
Maxsurf 1 https://navalapp.com/courses/maxsurf-1/

If I do get a license, how long will it be for?

Hi,

The license is the Maxsurf Ultimate Academic Version License, and it applies to Navalapp PRO members enrolled in one or more courses and who are eligible regarding relevant USA, U.K., and E.U. export control laws. The license is valid for as long as the member is a PRO member.

You can read more about Navalapp Memberships here: Sign up – Navalapp https://navalapp.com/sign-up/

You can read more about the license here: Maxsurf license – Navalapp https://navalapp.com/maxsurf-license/

Regarding eligibility, Maxsurf has been manufactured/developed in the USA and is subject to U.S. export control laws, regulations, and requirements. Members included in the BIS Entity List, the BIS Military End Use List, the OFAC Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons "SDN" list, the OFAC Sectorial Sanctions Identifications "SSI" list, and any other similar U.S. and E.U. restricted parties list are not eligible. Neither are they members who are residents or nationals of any country or region subject to a U.S. embargo.

 

[bajansailor]

Righty ho, thanks Pablo.
I would like to learn how to use Maxsurf, and I have no excuse to not sign up now.

 

[Alik]

Why so much grace to Maxsurf?
I am not sure if any serious design office is using it. It is mainly a soft for students who want to press the key and get some screenshots and numbers, without thinking what is inside the 'black box'.
We have designed over 135 designs which are in service without any Maxsurf...

 

[Pablo Sopelana]

Righty ho, thanks Pablo.
I would like to learn how to use Maxsurf, and I have no excuse to not sign up now.

Looking forward bajansailor!

Welcome aboard!

 

[Pablo Sopelana]

Why so much grace to Maxsurf?
I am not sure if any serious design office is using it. It is mainly a soft for students who want to press the key and get some screenshots and numbers, without thinking what is inside the 'black box'.
We have designed over 135 designs which are in service without any Maxsurf...

Why so much grace to Maxsurf?
I am not sure if any serious design office is using it. It is mainly a soft for students who want to press the key and get some screenshots and numbers, without thinking what is inside the 'black box'.
We have designed over 135 designs which are in service without any Maxsurf...

Hi Alik,

Maxsurf is not the only software out there. If you don't use it, it is because you may have your good reasons for not doing it, and I assume you are right about them making sense to you.

On the other hand, many other professionals and DO's are, in fact, using it. I think everybody has to decide on the tools, processes, etc., that work for them, and not everybody will come up with the same solution. And this is how it has to be, and it's perfectly fine.

Regarding tools being a black box, this is the way they work. If we want to avoid reinventing the wheel from scratch every time, everywhere, we have to rely on the work of others to advance and be able to build from higher grounds and achieve even greater results. It would be a great waste of time if every NA/Designer had to create its tools for hydrostatic calculations, modeling, CFD, FEM, scantling, etc. For some tasks, you may want to develop your own tools; for others, you will decide to rely on tools made by others.

But I agree that using tools is not enough. Those using them must be aware that tools are s**t-in-s**t-out black boxes; that's why it is necessary to understand how they work, for what tasks they can be used for, their limitations, define correct inputs, and correctly interpret and give meaning to the results. An initial testing time would also be necessary to indicate to the NA/Designer which tools meet their needs and which don't. Sometimes, you would like to compare the results obtained with your results you obtained "by hand"; sometimes, you will accept a tool because it has been extensively used in the past by many professionals with very good results.

In summary: Everybody has to decide about their own tools. Maxsurf, while not the only one/way, is, in fact, a very useful tool used by many professionals in the field. NA/Designers must understand how the tools they use work, their scope and limitations, how to use them, and how to interpret the results obtained to make a good/correct use of them.

 

[Alik]

Hi Alik,
NA/Designers must understand how the tools they use work, their scope and limitations, how to use them, and how to interpret the results obtained to make a good/correct use of them.

This is absolutely right. However, if you look at this forum, will find a lot of dummy topics 'how to... in Maxsurf?' Why no such questions for other software? The answer is evident: Maxsurf is used widely by students and dummies, who have no knowledge on what is inside the black box. And they actually dont want to know, they want to press the key and get the graphics and numbers that look right. I saw the 'designs' from Maxsurf with resistance of a sailing yacht calculated by Savitsky method, from amateur designer pretending to sell his designs to others; it was presented with great pride

Other soft attracts more professional users. Thus there are no such questions, say, for Wolfson software

In next few years, the World will get more fragmented, with more restrictions to technologies transfer. Thus I believe, there will be more regional software solutions, for naval design as well. We are doing such soft already, on our own - mainly for Asian shipbuilding market.

 

[TANSL]

Since this thread is no longer about learning naval architecture with the help of Maxsurf (perhaps it never has been), but about learning how to use Maxsurf Modeler, I'm going to write some of my thoughts on the matter :

• Maxsurf is a very good tool, there is no doubt.
• Most of the existing boats and ongoing projects have been designed using tools other than Maxsurf. Very few small boat designers use Maxsurf on a regular basis.
• If, as stated in the course advertisement, you start "from an existing linesplan (lines drawing)", Maxsurf Modeler is not, at all, the appropriate tool to obtain the 3D model of that boat. My experience on this topic is quite extensive.
  
• Most, if not all, small boat designers have had to develop their own macros, subroutines or whatever we want to call them, in one of the programming languages, or simply use Excel skills to develop their own calculations. . This is very noteworthy because, among other things, it means that the designer knows how to do the calculations by hand, without the help of the computer. Even in the era that is coming with Artificial Intelligence, it will still be necessary to know how to do things by hand (even if it is not necessary to do them by hand)
• The Maxsurf educational license causes a watermark to appear on all results indicating that the calculations have been made with the educational version. This, for a student, may be great but for a professional it is unpresentable.
• Once you have been taught how to use Maxsurf (maybe for the second or third part of this course), it would be impressive if you were taught how to interpret the results obtained and how to solve those cases in which the results are not adequate.
• Maxsurf is a good tool, I have said it before, but it should not be the end of a course but rather a means to teach a naval architecture course.
• And finally, many Maxsurf users must resort to other applications, Rhino, AutoCAD, etc. to create 3D models of our projects. Thats the reality. Why not, then, give the modeling course based on those other applications, which are more manageable and docile than the Maxsurf Modeler?

These are my thoughts. What do you think?.

 

[Alik]

Quite agree with TANSL. The drawback of pure Maxsurf course will be that we get (already got!) many 'maxsurf naval architects' in the industry. These guys know little on ship design, they only use the magic software; but they believe they are now naval architects.

So if someone wanted to get formalized 'maxsurf naval architect' 'degree', now they have a chance, for 65(?) Euros

I would suggest the format of marine software course, rather than Maxsurf course. To me (sorry to say that, but it is true) Maxsurf user is a stamp of a dummy in the industry.
Sorry, just some thoughts from practicing design office.

 

[TANSL]

There is no doubt that there is a certain market around small boats, which is very profitable. That is why now anyone calls themselves a "boats designer" and anyone gives courses on "boats design" in general. Neither of them ever talk about naval architecture. Astonishing, right?, but true.

 

[Alik]

There is no doubt that there is a certain market around small boats, which is very profitable. That is why now anyone calls themselves a "boats designer" and anyone gives courses on "boats design" in general. Neither of them ever talk about naval architecture. Astonishing, right?, but true.

'Boat designer' is probably right term for someone doing designs of recreational boats. In some countries, such boats are not even certified.

However, to design a 15m passenger craft requires NA knowledge. No self-taught 'boat designer' will go through classification requirements with sufficient expertise, and will not be confident to talk to the class.
Moreover, to design a larger recreational boat under CE with all calcs, etc. requires NA to get involved. I don't believe 'boat designer' can ever understand ISO12217-1 and correctly apply it

However, in my understanding the time of self-employed boat designers is running out.
Small craft design offices (like us) are more targeted into commercial boats and high-speed craft; more work there.
Recreational boat building market is taken over by international brands using their own design teams. Even if they use external design offices, they never advertise it. The exception is some 'brands' in design, however less and less.
Thus, those planning to be in boat design profession should consider getting proper degree, to be competitive. Or to work for a brand.

 

[Pablo Sopelana]

Hi,

Regarding my comments above about the importance of understanding how tools work, for what tasks they can be used, their limitations, defining correct inputs, and correctly interpreting and giving meaning to the results, besides this course, Maxsurf 1, which is a good example of that approach, this course on CFD would be another excellent illustration of that.

Post in BD: CFD Course https://www.boatdesign.net/threads/cfd-course.68694/

Cours page: CFD for Yachts https://navalapp.com/courses/cfd-for-yachts/

 

[Pablo Sopelana]

Another thing I would like to mention is that Navalapp courses are created and taught by Naval Architects (MSc and Ph.D.), Aerospace Engineers, and Field Professionals with a proven industry, research, and/or university record.

Besides, in the search for excellence, evaluation is sought for all of the courses from renowned and recognized institutions like, for example, RINA.

Also, some of the Students are amateurs/passionate, others are professionals from other fields, other are students on a Naval Architecture Degree, and other are indeed professional Naval Architects currently working in Design Offices of any size, from small to big.

The courses which are currently open can be checked here: https://navalapp.com/courses/single-bundle/single/

Other courses are currently being prepared at this moment, and many others are in the pipeline.

 

[Ad Hoc]

Why so much grace to Maxsurf? ..

Correct me if I am wrong, but it does not appear that Pablo is suggesting anything other than - here is a course to learn the software!

Since this thread is no longer about learning naval architecture with the help of Maxsurf ...

Says who?

'Boat designer' is probably right term for someone doing designs of recreational boats. ...

Indeed... just the same as those promoting ISO as a way of "designing" a boat.

It is just a set of rules, and this is just a bit of software....nothing else.

However, I can't see anything in the post about that is proclaiming it to be anything more than - here is AAA software, and if you wish to learn it....click here ....in a paraphrasing way. I don't see it being anything other than that.

The philosophical discussion on Design - per se - ahh that is a very different question and post all together!