Hullstat - Professional Stability Reporting for the Modern Naval Architect

Hullform already provides extensive hydrostatic analysis and reporting capacities, but within its own design constraints. Demand has indicated a need for a more flexible tool for file output, and the response to this demand is Hullstat.

Hullstat was initially an "add-in" to the professional versions of Hullform, but has since been included in the standard version.

Overview

The purpose of Hullstat is, in general terms, to allow generation of an output file representing the characteristics of a design, for whatever conditions might affect these characteristics.

Initially, the idea was to produce stability reports, with hydrostatic properties reported for a range of heel, displacement and so on. Later enhancements have allowed addition of many other types of output (See "Getting Creative With Hullstat", below).

Hullstat is sold "embedded" within the Professional version of Hullform. Output reports can be generated which are already formatted, ready for printing with a professional look. Through an ability to use the "RTF" document format (readable by leading Windows word processor programs), tables, emphasised character formatting and sophisticated graphics can be included. Any hydrostatic value which can be calculated using Hullform can be placed into a table, or plotted on a graph.

Reports in standard text format can also be produced, but these can not make use of the program's formatting and graphical abilities.

When used for hydrostatic analyses, Hullstat prepares reports based on:

a "project" file, which specifies the design being studied, file input and output locations, and details of the conditions (loads, tank status etc) which are being included in the report, and
a report template, which determines the nature and format of the information reported.

The project file is updated via Hullstat's own graphical user interface. Templates are edited using whatever word processor or editor software you prefer.

The templates are the key to Hullstat's flexibility. They comprise a mix of standard formatting (tables, etc) and text, and a simple interpreter (programming) language. The former represent the framework into which the results are placed, while the interpreter language commands control the values output.

This structure means that reports can be generated in any language which can be entered into a word processor document, and can be customised to match the format required by almost any regulatory authority.

The program is delivered with several prepared templates, and buyers can either create their own, or have one to their own style prepared for them.

Getting Creative With Hullstat

The ease of communication between Hullform and Hullstat, along with Hullstat's flexible mathematical and file formatting capabilities, has allowed some unplanned benefits.:

By adding a section-by-section immersed-area response, a bending moment template was rendered possible.
As a demonstration, one of Hullform's drag calculation schemes was rendered into Hullstat's interpreter language. This shows that adding a future drag calculation scheme may be feasible, without any change to Hullform.
Allowing return of offset and control point locations has permitted generation of a file export template. This permits movement of Hullform's design information to other software, like spreadsheets, and to other naval architecture software.

Try these links to see Hullstat output samples:

How it is done - a sample Hullstat template
(the one used to generate the tank statics summary)