madmike
SOC-12
The AutoCAD list command will provide an area of any polylined entity.
I use this to do area takeoff. Once I have an area I can calculate dT.
Thanks. I enjoyed making this one and other variants
Deckplan Software
- Thread starter robject
- Start date
The AutoCAD list command will provide an area of any polylined entity.
I use this to do area takeoff. Once I have an area I can calculate dT.
Thanks. I enjoyed making this one and other variants
DangerousThing
SOC-13
A great plan. And a great app, but CC is less than $50 whereas AutoCAD Lite is around $1,200.
madmike
SOC-12
Yes, I do know that and was not expecting everyone to go out and buy it, rather making comment that I use AutoCAD for my deck plans. I use AutoCAD as a work tool, plus have home use on my notebook. Civil3D is a $10K package and that is well over my requirement level!
I tried CC a while ago and was not that impressed by it. Looks like it has changed considerably over the years though, and for the better.
I certainly believe that vector based drawing programs are the best for deck plan designs.
Funnily enough, I've just been drawing a floorplan for work. Visio has a bunch of objects that work just like that. You use the size & position window to specify the length of a wall, etc, snd if you're using the Room or Space object it tells you the floor area.
Diagram apps - Visio, and yEd (and probably jfig) all do the 'component' aspect of deckplans really well - and can be setup to handle dynamic wall and region resizing to a good extent. However, they come up short in the general curve handling and illustration department. 
[Note: my experience is from RL floorplans - done quite a bit of facilities and infrastructure planning over the years.]
[Note: my experience is from RL floorplans - done quite a bit of facilities and infrastructure planning over the years.]
Wow, how have I gone all these years without knowing about his place?
I've been drawing deckplans and spaceships ever since finding Spacecraft 2100 to 2200 AD as a kid. For the last few years I've even been selling ship designs as .pdf files and .jpeg images (though definitely as a hobby rather than a living : ).
Anyway, I start with graph paper and pencil to rough out the basic design of a ship. Then I used 3DSMax to do the external model and then do the deckplans and everything else in Photoshop. I'll import a nice top-down view of the ship into Photoshop to help keep the floor plans accurate, but vertical space is always a bit iffy. Having a 3D model helps a lot in that regard. Photoshop works really well for doing "faux 3D" using bevels and drop shadows. The lighting effects are nice too. It's a lot of work, but once you build up a library of furniture and such it goes much faster.
Here's an example of the result:
As an aside, until Nov 25th (2012) I'm running my first ever Kickstarter campaign to turn the above deckplan into an actual poster! This first ship is Serenity-esque but the next one is inspired by the free trader Beowulf and so could be useful to folks around here. Check out 0-hr.com if you care.
I've been drawing deckplans and spaceships ever since finding Spacecraft 2100 to 2200 AD as a kid. For the last few years I've even been selling ship designs as .pdf files and .jpeg images (though definitely as a hobby rather than a living : ).
Anyway, I start with graph paper and pencil to rough out the basic design of a ship. Then I used 3DSMax to do the external model and then do the deckplans and everything else in Photoshop. I'll import a nice top-down view of the ship into Photoshop to help keep the floor plans accurate, but vertical space is always a bit iffy. Having a 3D model helps a lot in that regard. Photoshop works really well for doing "faux 3D" using bevels and drop shadows. The lighting effects are nice too. It's a lot of work, but once you build up a library of furniture and such it goes much faster.
Here's an example of the result:
As an aside, until Nov 25th (2012) I'm running my first ever Kickstarter campaign to turn the above deckplan into an actual poster! This first ship is Serenity-esque but the next one is inspired by the free trader Beowulf and so could be useful to folks around here. Check out 0-hr.com if you care.
I've been using Vectorworks as a deckplan tool for a load of ships we at SPICA are doing for an Outer Veil sourcebook. It's a Mac based CAD program (I am lucky enough to have a work copy as it is pretty expensive) it models in 3d and integrates with Sketchup and C4d really well so its easy enough to see if the decks really do fit in and also to model up to a higher standard if needed in C4d.
Here is an work in progress example of one of the Outer Veil ships, these will be vector based pdf images in the final book so they can can be printed at large scale with no loss of detail.
Here is an work in progress example of one of the Outer Veil ships, these will be vector based pdf images in the final book so they can can be printed at large scale with no loss of detail.
Fritz_Brown
Super Moderator
Robject, I might use an inexpensive house plans program. Most of them you can add your own objects and graphics. They will do curved walls (most of them). But, getting inordinately fancy might be hard.
I have used M$ Visio, but I get a copy to use because I use it at work. Unfortunately I still haven't taken the time to actually learn it well. (And, of course, if you had to pay for it on your own, it's expen$ive.)
Oh, and I did a couple of deckplans in Excel. I set the cells to give me a nice grid, then built the plan using the most basic of drawing tools. At the end, I produced a light blue grid to correspond to the cell grid and placed it behind the plan. It wasn't easy, but it worked!
I have used M$ Visio, but I get a copy to use because I use it at work. Unfortunately I still haven't taken the time to actually learn it well. (And, of course, if you had to pay for it on your own, it's expen$ive.)
Oh, and I did a couple of deckplans in Excel. I set the cells to give me a nice grid, then built the plan using the most basic of drawing tools. At the end, I produced a light blue grid to correspond to the cell grid and placed it behind the plan. It wasn't easy, but it worked!
Last edited:
Hi,
While AutoCAD can be fairly expensive, there are some lesser priced clone type programs out there (such as IntelliCAD). Although these may still run a couple hundred dollars, since I use a AutoCAD like program for work, I bought an inexpensive one for home use, and as such use it for hobby stuff like deckplans as well.
FC
While AutoCAD can be fairly expensive, there are some lesser priced clone type programs out there (such as IntelliCAD). Although these may still run a couple hundred dollars, since I use a AutoCAD like program for work, I bought an inexpensive one for home use, and as such use it for hobby stuff like deckplans as well.
FC
Hey it's Ki_Ryn!
I must say your Future Armada stuff has been the deckplan benchmark since you started them.
I especially love the Jo Lynn, it was my Serenity rpg character's ship for quite a while, it really captured that 'verse feel.
Anyway keep up the good work.
Can I second those sentiments?
Anyway, if you're after a challenge, get Mongoose Traveller Fighting Ships and model either the Plankwell or Tigress to your high standards and at miniatures scale...
:devil:
Now that's something I really would pay for!
(It's gotta be the Traveller equivalent of mapping Waterdeep or Castle Greyhawk!)
Last edited:
That's a lot of pages of fuel tank and hangars.
I don't really see it as being all that interesting or useful.
Impressive in scale, yes ... but not useful [IMhO].
