Professional paper
Development of a Digital Ship Model as a Foundational Framework for Ship Construction Technology Design
Ivana Kaliterna
; University of Rijeka, Faculty of Engineering, Rijeka, Croatia
*
Marko Hadjina
; University of Rijeka, Faculty of Engineering, Rijeka, Croatia
Davor Bolf
; University of Rijeka, Faculty of Engineering, Rijeka, Croatia
Tin Matulja
; University of Rijeka, Faculty of Engineering, Rijeka, Croatia
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
Shipbuilding is a specific and very complex branch of industry, and each segment of the shipbuilding
process needs to be supported by detailed documentation in line with international standards and
regulations. In an advanced shipbuilding process, the entire process must be supported by the
implementation of modern digital technologies. The application of 3D ship models in today’s
shipbuilding is mainly based on a model created later in the design and construction phase of the ship.
Namely, the technology project may already be in the advanced stage, while the digital model is still in
the development phase. Modern shipbuilding should strive for greater and faster implementation of 3D
models in the design process at the earliest possible stag. A timely model enables a better and higher
quality technology project, and an optimally technologically acceptable method of manufacturing
and assembling the ship’s hull. This paper analyzes the project-technological documentation of ship
construction with an emphasis on the implementation of the 3D Experience software for the creation
of ship models in the earliest possible design phase. This enables better technology design, which
results in a more efficient computer-supported integration of designing, building and ship outfitting.
The advantages of such approach to technology design are manifested through an increase in the
quality of the final product, a lower consumption of working hours, a better redistribution of work
and, ultimately, a reduction in total costs. The basis for the design of the technology described in
this paper is the division of the ship into technological units that are adapted to the technology of a
particular shipyard. An 3D model presented in this paper enables an insight into the structure of the
ship and its technological characteristics significantly before the construction phase of the ship. Such
a technological analysis of the ship model defines a preliminary calculation of the weight and center of
gravity of individual sections of the ship at an early stage of the process. It also reduces the occurrence
of errors and repetitive work in the expensive phase of building and ship outfitting. Ultimately, this
paper emphasizes that the creation detailed digital model of the ship at the earliest possible stage of
the ship design is a fundamental step in the process of digital twin concept implementation, which is
stated as further work of this research.
Keywords
shipbuilding, design, technology, 3D Experience, digital twin
Hrčak ID:
347259
URI
Publication date:
19.5.2026.
Visits: 0 *