HOLISPEC/RCE: Virtual Vessel Simulations

Where other transport industries benefit from large series production, shipbuilding only builds a low number of ships per design. Therefore, the costs for prototyping are too high requiring other prototyping and demonstration solutions. Numerical simulations can provide a solution for this. In order to use numerical simulations in prototyping, proper numerical tools for relevant components are needed, as well as a framework capable of coupling these tools. HOLISHIP proposes a solution by coupling the tools through the Internet, where the tools remain on the server of the owning company, protecting the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), but providing controlled access to the framework. HOLISHIP developments started from the CPACS/RCE framework developed by partner DLR for the aviation industry. RCE is the communication framework used to connect tools and CPACS is the common data interface so that each connected tool uses the same data to calculate with.