Parametric modelling of marine structures for hydrodynamic calculations

The paper describes a numerical 3D modelling method to develop quadrilateral meshes for panel method calculations with an integrated solution to obtaining the mass properties from the same grid. It aims to offer a more precise and versatile alternative to the spreadsheet type approach repeatedly used in early design stages of marine structures. The given formulae additionally serve to obtain the mass properties of an existing grid without additional software. The input format is in the form of matrices and can be altered within a script. First, the modelling approach is described, followed by the calculation of the mass properties of volume, weight, inertia, and the centre of gravity. After detailing the principles, various examples that encompass different geometric forms such as a torus, an offshore platform, and a ship are provided to demonstrate the usage. The results of the mass property calculations are validated through comparisons with ANSYS and Rhino3D. The hydrodynamic mesh is evaluated in WAMIT by comparing models made with the presented approach to MultiSurf and Rhinoceros3D with its PanelingTools plugin. A measure of performance is also included to provide a basis for loop-type design procedures that utilise the given method.