Overview

Project Number: S2978

Project Title: Point Cloud Conversion to Detailed Design

Period of Performance: FEB21 – FEB25

Objective

Although fully detailed 3D models allow the Planning Yard to utilize 3D visualization and automated interference detection methods, very few are available for the DDG 51 Class destroyer fleet.  For the few that do exist, they likely do not reflect the current in-service conditions of the ship or provide a reliable baseline for supporting SHIPALT design activity.  Manually reproducing these as-configured shipboard conditions is time consuming and may not be cost effective to support Planning Yard design activities for upcoming availabilities. Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) scanning for ship-checked compartments does provide information which is useful for Planning Yard design purposes.  However, LiDAR scan data is not 3D CAD graphical or geometric data in the traditional sense, and it cannot be directly edited or manipulated beyond basic cropping and orientation.

This Naval Shipbuilding and Advanced Manufacturing (NSAM) Center project intends to develop software tools to automate the creation of 3D CAD models from point cloud data.  This can be manipulated, attributed, used for interference checking, and subsequent development of 2D technical drawings.  Processes and tools will be employed to convert digital point cloud data into virtual scenes via digital auditing and model retrieval, and reconstruction can be used across sites.  This will produce neutral format 3D CAD models to be importable into various CAD software platforms.

Benefits/Payoff

This project is projected to achieve total savings of around $7.2M over five years, with return on investment (ROI) of 2.39:1.

Implementation

The technology is expected to begin implementation at the Bath Iron Works, ME, facility in the 1Q FY2025 and reach full availability by the 4Q FY2025.

*Prepared under ONR Contract N00014-24-D-7001 as part of the Navy ManTech Program.

*DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A. Approved for public release: distribution unlimited. DCN# 2024-10-17-189