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2011 Napa Ltd NAPA User Meeting 2011

Workshop 1

New Block System and Aveva Marine Interface


Tommi Kurki, Napa Ltd






1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 2
2. BLIM table ..................................................................................................................................... 2
3. Example cases ............................................................................................................................... 2
4. AM interface .................................................................................................................................. 5



























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Workshop 1
New Block System and Aveva Marine Interface




Napa Ltd 2011 NAPA User Meeting 2011
1. Introduction
This workshop introduces the new block system implemented in NAPA. The methods and the ways to use
the new block system are demonstrated with example cases. Also, the benefits, compared to the old block
system, are shown.

Currently, a block can be defined in a more detailed level. The plates and the stiffeners can be trimmed as
the user wants to have them in building blocks. In common cases, a block is difficult (or even impossible) to
define by using only geometrical limits such as planes and surfaces. In addition to the geometrical limits, it is
convenient to include or exclude objects or define offset from the geometrical limit. A BLIM table is
introduced to enable the detailed control of objects.

Also, this workshop demonstrates the usage of the AM interface in NAPA, which is used for exporting blocks
into the Aveva Marine system.

2. BLI M table
The BLIM table defines the additional features for block limits. It is possible to define that a certain object is
completely outside or inside of the limit, or that the object is actually limited at some distance from the
geometrical limit. As the behaviour is defined to the block limit, no duplicate definitions are needed to
neighbouring blocks. All the blocks sharing the limit will be affected. For example, when an object is included
in a block, it is automatically excluded from the neighbouring block.

Trimming and definition methods given in the BLIM table:

LIMIT Name of the block limit, mandatory information
STYPE Structure type, obeys wild cards (*), optional information
NAME Object name, obeys wild cards (*), optional information
GTYPE Geometry type, optional information
LOCTN Location, value applied at the block limit, absolute numerical value in metres (0.200), or
smaller/greater than sign (< / >), mandatory information

The suffix of the BLIM table must be equal to the suffix of the BLOCKS table in order to be applied with the
block system; i.e. the name of the BLIM table must be BLIM*STD in conjunction with BLOCKS*STD.

3. Example cases
The following example cases guide the user on how to define different types of block limits and trimming
methods to achieve the desired block composition. The name of the block system is STD, which means that
the block limits are defined in BLOCKS*STD table. In conjunction with BLOCKS*STD a BLIM*STD is defined
to control the object in more detail at the block boundaries.

In the following example, the user has defined the block limits in the BLOCKS*STD table. The definition of
block B2.1.1 is shown in Figure 1.


Figure 1. Blocks table. The geometrical limits of the blocks are defined in the table. Both surface names and
absolute co-ordinates can be used for the geometrical limits of the block.

The geometrical limits of the block are defined with six surfaces defined in the DEF task in this example. The
surfaces are planes in the example. The limits, given in the BLOCK table, slice the 3D Steel model according
to the given co-ordinates.
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Workshop 1
New Block System and Aveva Marine Interface




Napa Ltd 2011 NAPA User Meeting 2011

In some cases, the goal is to get the side shell stiffeners to belong to only one block if the block limit is
rather close to a deck structure, for example. See the figure below. The control for the side shell stiffeners is
shown in the example definition in the BLIM*STD table below. The name of the limiting surface in z direction
is PZ2. The name of the side shell object is SHELL_S. So, 0.200 m offset value is given at PZ2 limit resulting
in that the side shell stiffeners are defined to belong to the block above, see that in Figures 4 and 5.

Figure 2. Block B2.1.1 with geometrical limits


Figure 3. BLIM table. The definition cuts the stiffeners at SHELL_S with 0.2 m at block boundary PZ2.


Figure 4. Block B2.1.1, detailed control of the side shell stiffeners at zmax limit

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Workshop 1
New Block System and Aveva Marine Interface




Napa Ltd 2011 NAPA User Meeting 2011

Figure 5. Block B3.1.1 which is the block above B2.1.1. The side shell stiffeners are included in B3.1.1 and
they extend 0.2 m beyond the side shell plating, which is cut with the geometrical limits.
Also, it is a common practice that rather short stiffeners are not necessarily included in one block but it is
more practical to include the small stiffener parts in the block where the main part of the stiffener is located.
See the example below. The control for the longitudinal stiffeners in the bottom hull and the girders is
shown below.


Figure 6. On the left: block B3.1.1 and on the right: block B2.1.1 (prior to the BLIM definition)

Figure 7. The definition on the second row trims all stiffeners with a 0.15 m offset at the block limit PX3.

These definitions result in a situation where all the stiffeners passing through block limit PX3 are trimmed to
be included in block B3.1.1.

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Workshop 1
New Block System and Aveva Marine Interface




Napa Ltd 2011 NAPA User Meeting 2011

Figure 8. On the left: block B3.1.1 and on the right: block B2.1.1 (after the BLIM definition)

4. AM interface
The NAPA Steel - Aveva Marine link enables the transfer of an existing NAPA Steel model into the Aveva
Marine (previously known as Tribon Hull) design system. The link program generates input data (scheme
files) for the Steel structures modelled with NAPA Steel. The generation of the Aveva Marine model is based
on the topology of the Steel model, which means that panels and stiffeners are defined by using references
to other panels, when possible. The link program completes the generated model by adding some additional
details not yet supported by NAPA Steel, for example, connection codes and bevels. Some project or
company-specific design rules can be applied by using control tables. See a more detailed description in the
NAPA Steel manual, Chapter 18.