This release is a free update to existing users. To request a download link, send an email to

To watch short videos that demonstrate some of the new and improved features, click here. To register for a live webinar  on Tuesday, April 29th, demonstrating Version 1.1, click here.

Orca3D Release Notes

Orca3D is a plug-in for designing and analyzing marine structures in Rhinoceros. These release notes describe the status and updates included in the current release of Orca3D.

Important instructions when running in Windows Vista or Windows 7: After installing Orca3D, you must run Rhino once using the Windows "Run as administrator" option in order to install and start the Orca3D License Service. This is most easily accomplished by right-clicking on the Rhino desktop icon and selecting "Run as administrator." This is only required once; thereafter you may start Rhino in the usual fashion. If you do not perform the steps above, you may receive an Orca3D License Service error.

Orca3D Requirements

• Rhino Version 4, SR 6 or higher

• Hardware: See Rhino hardware requirements (http://www.rhino3d.com/4/systemrequirements.htm)

• Operating Systems tested: Windows XP, Vista (all 32-bit)

• Operating Systems not tested: Windows 2000, 64-bit XP, Vista, and Windows 7

• Operating Systems not supported: Windows ME, 98, 95, NT

• Mac: The Intel Mac with Bootcamp or Parallels has not been tested

• Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 (the Orca3D installation will attempt to install it if it is not already on your computer)

• Microsoft Report Viewer Redistributable 2008 (the Orca3D installation will attempt to install it if it is not already on your computer)

• Valid license key (without this, Orca3D will operate as a 15-day fully functional evaluation copy)

Release 1.1.0 (April 2010)

Please note that this release requires Rhino 4, service release 6 or later. 

New Features:

• T-Splines Compatibility: Orca3D has been made to be compatible with the T-Splines plug-in for Rhino (see http://www.tsplines.com). Orca3D sections can be cut through T-Splines objects and these sections will update dynamically as control points are edited. T-Splines objects can also be used for Orca3D hydrostatics analysis and can have Orca3D weight/cost properties assigned to them.
• OrcaCreateFoil:  A new command was added for creating 3D foil shapes based on a 2D cross section. OrcaCreateFoil allows the user to choose a 2D foil section shape and specify the shape in planform including span, root and tip chord lengths, and trapezoidal or elliptical planform. Custom foil sections can be imported. A sample csv file is included to demonstrate how to import new foil offsets. The root and/or tip of the foil can be capped. A bulb body of revolution can optionally be added at the foil tip. This command also allows the user to analyze the volume, weight, and center of mass of the foil prior to creation.
• OrcaCreatePlate:  A new command, OrcaCreatePlate, was added to create a flat Nurbs surface of specified degrees and number of control points. This command also allows the user to specify the location and orientation of the surface.
• OrcaHullAssistant:    A new command, OrcaHullAssistant, has been added that lets the user create and manage hull shapes. This command replaces the previous Orca3D commands, OrcaCreateSailboat, OrcaCreateShipHull,  OrcaCreatePlaningHull, although the scriptable versions of these commands remain in place for script use. OrcaHullAssistant allows the user to save specific combination of hull assistant settings in a library to be retrieved or modified for future use. Hull assistant settings can also be exported/imported to a file.
• OrcaViewports:  A new command, OrcaViewports has been added that lets the user setup viewports in Bodyplan, Profile, Planview, and Perspective views, taking account of the user-specified model orientation in Orca3D Document Properties. Initial display settings for the Orca3D viewports including grid lines display, grid axes, world axes icon, background gradient, control polygon culling, and bow direction can be set using the OrcaProperties command. OrcaViewports replaces the OrcaViewport macro in previous versions.
• OrcaSelWeightCost: A new command, OrcaSelWeightCost, allows users to select "normal" (e.g. unlocked and visible) Rhino objects that have or don't have (at the user's option) Orca3D weight/cost properties associated with them.
• OrcaManageWeightCost: A new command, OrcaManageWeightCost, allows the user to manage Orca3D weight/cost properties. This includes viewing current weight/cost properties including weight/cost totals, adding weight/cost points, and editing/deleting weight/cost properties.
• OrcaProperties/Units: The OrcaProperties command has been modified to allow the user to choose a currency unit label for cost input/output. Note that unlike other Orca3D units, there is no conversion factor associated with cost units. The command was also modified so that when a Custom unit system is chosen, the user can copy units from another non-custom system as a starting point. Also made default speed unit knots for all standard unit systems and the default power unit horsepower for imperial systems and kilowatts for SI systems
• OrcaProperties: OrcaProperties now allows the user to specify the forward and up directions for the current model. This removes the orientation restrictions on other Orca3D commands that required a particular model orientation. Note that specifying the model orientation via OrcaProperties does not transform your Rhino model in any way. It merely provides orientation information to Orca3D about the orientation of your model for use in other Orca3D commands (e.g. hydrostatics, drag analysis, lines drawing). If you wish to change the orientation of your model you need to use the native Rhino transformation commands (e.g. rotate).
• Hydrostatics/weight integration: Orca3D hydrostatics calculations have been integrated with weight properties. In the Orca3D command for defining the design hydrostatics condition (OrcaDefineDesignSimulation), the user now has the option to "Link to Orca3D Weight/Cost Items". This option, available only when defining the design condition with a weight/center, will automatically extract the weight and center of gravity from the total of all currently defined weight/cost properties. This link is "live" in the sense that changes/additions to weight/cost properties will be automatically reflected in the design condition. In the Orca3D command for computing non-design hydrostatics (OrcaHydrostatics), the user now has the options to get the weight/CG from the currently defined weight/cost items or to use a simple weight/cg calculator to define the weight and center. These non-design options are static computations and thus are not automatically updated as weight/cost properties change.
• OrcaHydrostatics: Orca3D hydrostatics now allows the user to define virtually any combination of loading conditions in analysis using the "Custom Conditions" feature. In previous versions of Orca3D, the user could define many loading conditions for an analysis using the ellipsis syntax in the input fields. The resulting output would contain all combinations of the specified input values. Now the user can customize the collection of loading conditions to exclude or modify specific conditions. Further details on this functionality are provided in the Help file.

Enhanced Features:

• User Interface:  Orca3D forms have increased error checking, logical tab orders, and improved resizing behaviors. The real-time hydrostatics form is now dockable and allows the user to choose the hydrostatics information to display. The lines drawing form has been modified to use a tabbed form due to the increased number of user options. The Orca3D toolbar behavior has been modified to allow the user to show names on the toolbar buttons. The Rhino model/filename has been added to the hydrostatics, powering, and weight/cost reports.
• Orca Meshing: Changed default Orca3D meshing parameters (used for hydrostatics and other Orca3D calculations) to obtain a more precise mesh at a cost of a slightly slower computational speed. The user can still set the Orca3D meshing parameters using OrcaProperties. Also changed the Orca3D Document Properties form to have new options for setting mesh parameters. These include "Orca3D Default", "Custom(Basic)", and "Custom(Advanced)". See the help documentation for a complete description.

• OrcaHydrostatics:  Added the ability to use multiple ellipses in lists (eg. 1,2,...,30,35,...,90). Added "Weight to Immerse" and "Moment to Trim" values to the hydrostatics condition detailed output, and added GM_T and GM_L to the hydrostatics condition summary. Modified the station data plot so that immersed area and immersed girth are plotted to a similar scale by using exponential notation. Added list of Rhino objects selected for hydrostatics calculation to hydrostatics output. Users who want to script the OrcaHydrostatics command can now retrieve the resulting hydrostatics values from their script. A sample script demonstrating how to do so is included in the distribution. CSV file hydrostatics output is now an option for both the interactive and scriptable versions of the OrcaHydrostatics command. This provides users with a format they can use to customize their hydrostatics output and also provides a way to write scripts that analyze the hydrostatics output. Added non-dimensional longitudinal locations of center of buoyancy and center of flotation as measured from the aft end of the waterline (measurements from forward waterline ending are already included). Added decimal places to some of the hydrostatics output which is especially useful for smaller models. Improved readability of the computed sectional area curve by removing wetted girth from the plot.
• OrcaDefineDesignSimulation:  If a design hydrostatics condition has already been defined in Orca3D, then the OrcaDefineDesignSimulation command will display the current design condition. Modified "real-time hydrostatics" behavior to make real-time hydrostatics window open immediately after the OrcaDefineDesignSimulation command is complete. Real-time hydrostatics window stays visible now even when the Rhino application is deactivated.
• OrcaAssignWeightCost: Users can now assign Orca3D weight/cost properties to Rhino mesh objects. Also, the form for assigning weight/cost to a Rhino geometry object has been modified to allow the user to filter the types of materials to choose from and to show the name of the Rhino object (when a single object is selected).
• OrcaReportWeightAndCost:  Modified the weight/cost report to use separate pages for weight and cost and to add a column for the dimensional basis used for computing weight/cost, i.e. the length, area, or volume associated with the Rhino object (N/A is reported if all weight or cost values were directly assisnged). For the stock materials page of the report, if a material is not in the user's material library it is denoted by prepending "local" to the material name. Also modified the OrcaReportWeightAndCost command to have a command argument indicating what Rhino objects to include in report (all objects, visible objects, selected objects).
• Orca3D Drag Prediction:  The Orca3D drag prediction library, provided by HydroComp, Inc. has been updated. The new version has improved error checking and allows non-integer speed increments for both Holtrop and Savitsky analyses.
• OrcaCreateLinesDrawing:  Enhancements to the Orca3D lines drawing functionality include: the user is now able to specify which lines to include in the lines plan (Orca3D sections, all curves, selected curves), specify if x,y,z axes are shown in all three views, and specify the longitudinal location at which to split between fore and aft sides of the bodyplan view (stations and perimeter curves). This command now shows the maximum scale that will fit on the sheet size, and allows the user to adjust the text size for the labels. Diagonals, cants, and inclines are projected to their own plane in the lines drawing. Internal surface chines (defined by multiple surface knots) are now drawn in the lines drawing.
• OrcaSections: Modified Orca3D sections behavior so that if a section has a curvature graph turned on, it retains that setting after surface control points are moved and placed. Modified behavior of form for defining Orca3D sections to better handle issues related to negative section spacing values.
• OrcaPointsOn: Orca3D control points now draw net rows/columns corresponding to multiple knots in the surface in a user-specified color. This color is specified using the OrcaProperties command and is referred to as the "Chine Color".
• Planing Hull Assistant: Changed the default interactive behavior of the planing hull assistant so that the "mid-deadrise" angle is linked to the transom deadrise angle by default. This gives more usable hull shapes when modifying transom deadrise. The user can adjust the mid-deadrise angle independently if desired by clicking the associated checkbox.
• Ship Hull Assistant: The Orca3D ship hull assistant has been vastly improved to allow much better control of the hull shape, especially in the forebody. The user can also independently control side slope and deadrise angles, the flare curvature of the hull sides, the stem profile curvature, the forefoot shape, and the bow rounding. See the Orca3D Help file for complete details.
• Sailboat Hull Assistant: The sailboat assistant has been improved to allow independent control of hull flare and deadrise angles.
• Orca3D Hull Assistants: All of the hull assistants were improved to show section preview in a different color from the hull wireframe preview. Currently the section preview color is the same as that specified in the Orca3D properties for the "Chine Color".
• OrcaWrapCorner: Modified the command behavior so that Rhino viewports are not fit to extents after command completion.
• OrcaInsertChine: Modified the command to permit object snapping when selecting the chine insertion point. If intersection snapping is enabled, the chine can be inserted at selected iso-parametric mesh lines by selecting near u-v mesh line intersections. Also fixed a bug in which pressing <ESC> during point selection still inserted the chine.

Bug Fixes:

• Sailboat Hull Assistant:  Now allows negative transom heights (i.e. transom immersion).
• Planing Hull Assistant: Fixed a bug when setting transom deadrise angle to zero in which a non-zero chine width was not properly accounted for.
• Hull Assistants: Fixed a bug in the preview hydrostatics for the Orca3D hull assistants.
• OrcaCreateLinesDrawing:  Fixed a bug that caused a crash if no printers were installed.  Fixed the format of A-sized sheets to fully fit the lines on the paper. Fixed a bug in which the views were sometimes not properly located.
• OrcaMove:  Fixed several bugs that caused crashes.
• OrcaExport: Fixed a bug in export of sections to PIAS format.
• OrcaHydrostatics: Fixed a bug in which running non-design hydrostatics after design hydrostatics were defined, could affect the defined design condition. Also fixed a bug in computing Ax and station of max area when there is parallel midbody and many sections are defined in the PMB. Fixed an intermittent bug in computing immersed girths in certain instances. Fixed a bug in the units label for righting moment. Fixed a bug in presentation of Mt and Ml which is now measured from the resultant flotation plane. Modified computation of non-dimensional station of maximum area to be from the forward end of waterline instead of from the origin. The dimensional location is still measured from the origin. Fixed a bug in serialization of fluid density. Improved the overall stability and robustness of the Orca3D hydrostatics calculation engine.
• OrcaAssignWeightCost: Fixed a bug that caused a crash if a Rhino object is assigned a name containing a backslash ("\"). Rhino point objects that have weight/cost properties assigned to them can only get their CG location from the point itself. You cannot assign the CG for a point object. Also fixed a units bug in the CG calculation for weight/cost points for units other than meters.
• Orca Weight/Cost: Fixed a bug in the Orca3D weight/cost calculation when objects with weight/cost properties were copied or mirrored. Also fixed a bug that occurred when Rhino objects with Orca weight/cost properties were joined or exploded.
• OrcaPlaningAnalysis: Modified section cutting/merging logic for complex geometries with holes, spray rails, tunnels, etc., to make the planing analysis more robust.
• Orca Units: Fixed a units conversion bug for moment values.
• OrcaSections: Fixed a bug in the preview of Orca3D sections for non-orthogonal sections (e.g. diagonals, cants, inclines).