This Modeling and Simulation (M&S) project is part of a concerted plan to address methods for more rapidly generating large scale, full-ship analysis models for strength, stress, shock, and acoustic simulation and assessment. As is well known, current CAD-CAE tools and industry approaches are more than adequate on smaller scales, and can even be "seamless" in certain limited situations. However, at full-ship scale they are not practical, particularly as the design progresses into the detailed design stage and prevailing CAD product model definition takes on a "manufacturing definition" flavor, i.e. several hundred thousand structural solid model representations, generally for each manufactured piece of steel or plate. At this scale, the task of identifying and extracting all the appropriate data can be horrendous. Furthermore, too much assembling, de-featuring, and editing is required to obtain an idealization suitable for full ship simulation.

The planned Modeling and Simulation framework will facilitate affordable ship development by integrating a feature-based modeling environment with low and high fidelity analysis and simulation tools for the conceptual, preliminary and detailed design and synthesis of both surface ships and submarines. The system will significantly enhance the overall engineering process of evaluating potential ship concepts. Integrating the design process and the multidisciplinary analyses to support and link different engineering stages from basic concepts to detailed processes will facilitate concurrent engineering, reducing cost and design cycle time. It introduces analysis at the earliest stages of the design process.

The Modeling and Simulation framework will be developed to ensure interoperability across different domains; reuse of simulation components, insertion of new technologies; and flexibility to respond to changing requirements. Key capabilities required to support modeling and simulation framework include:

Develop a common abstract data model
Avoid product specific terminology (as far as possible)
Borrow constructs from STEP, extending as required
Merge common concepts from disparate modeling domains (shock, acoustics, etc.)