AUTOCAD 3D SOLID MODELING FOR A SIMPLE BOAT HULL

hull3d.zip
(Extracts to AutoCAD 2002 file hull3d.dwg for the boat below including mast and sails)

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Recommended Link: http://home.fuse.net/yockeyml

Rendered Images of 19th Century U.S. Navy Ships by Steven Yockey
(made using AutoCAD Edge Surfaces)

1) make a profile of the bow shape using as many segment polyline as you like and the same for the stern.
2) go to a perpindicular plane and create the profile of the side; you will need two of them, one for the top and one for the bottom.
3) using these four polylines, create an edge surface; you will probably want to play around with the surftab1 surftab2 variables to get the mesh density to your liking.
4) Almost forgot, these four polylines must connect, one to the next; sometimes I have trouble with this and since they are on different planes it can be a pain to get them to do so.

Once you get the general idea there is alot you can do such as break it into small sections to get a more control over the surface you end up with. The hulls I make have 6 surfaces, two above the waterline and four below.