Orca3D MarineCFD
High-Fidelity Marine CFD for Naval Architects
The Orca3D Marine CFD Module combines Orca3D's Rhino-based marine design environment with the power of SimericsMP CFD, giving naval architects access to high-fidelity hydrodynamic simulation without the complexity of a generic CFD workflow. It enables designers to evaluate vessel performance with greater accuracy than traditional empirical methods while remaining within a marine-focused design process.
The module supports resistance and self-propelled analyses for any type of mono- or multi-hull, including complex geometries, appendages, trim tabs, spray rails, and other features that can be difficult to evaluate using simplified prediction methods. Designers can study dynamic trim, sinkage, wave patterns, pressure distribution, streamlines in air and water, and vessel motions through powerful 2D and 3D visualization tools, in calm water or in waves.
By combining automated simulation setup, advanced free-surface CFD, and marine-specific workflows, the Orca3D Marine CFD Module helps designers gain deeper insight into vessel performance, compare design alternatives, and make more informed decisions earlier in the development process.
Key Features
Simulation Setup in Orca3D
Orca3D Marine CFD includes a dedicated setup workflow in Orca3D covering properties, model requirements, the Marine CFD interface, mass properties/flotation, and basic settings. This helps users prepare marine CFD cases from the same design environment.
Resistance and Powering Studies
The CFD workflow includes resistance and powering simulations as core analysis types. This makes the module a higher-fidelity complement to the empirical speed/power tools in the Analysis module.
Wake Survey and Propulsor Cases
Orca3D Marine CFD supports wake survey workflows and resistance analyses with propulsors. These tools help users go beyond simple towing in calm-water estimates and look more deeply at flow behavior around the vessel.
Mesh and Refinement Controls
Users can define grid high level or detailed settings for mesh generation. The entire domain is meshed and ready to run in a matter of minutes, with marine-specific meshing strategies for various hull types to most efficiently capture the vessel and its wake. Areas of particular interest can be meshed more finely with grid refinement zones.
Flow Visualization
The MarineCFD module includes tools for plotting results such as dynamic pressure, fluid velocity, volume fraction, etc. on surfaces, exporting the free surface and streamlines for rendering in Rhino, and saving animations and images. These outputs make the CFD results easier to interpret and present.
Data Plotting and Specialized Analyses
Marine CFD includes user-defined time history plots, such as pitch, heave, resistance, speed, moments, etc. as the simulation is running. Specialized analyses such as maneuvering, roll damping, and wake surveys may be run, expanding the module well beyond a standard resistance run.
Benefits
CFD can help designers make better decisions earlier in the design process by providing deeper visibility into vessel behavior before construction or testing.
How Orca3D Marine CFD Works
There are two parts to the Orca3D Marine CFD package:
- The Orca3D plug-in for Rhino (Analysis module)
- The SimericsMP CFD solver
Both are required to run a CFD simulation.
The Orca3D CFD interface is included in the Analysis module. SimericsMP CFD is licensed directly through Orca3D in several flexible license options, including:
- 3-month license
- 6-month license
- 12-month license
- Intermittent licenses for project-by-project use*
*Intermittent licenses allow CFD access for customers who don't need CFD full time. For example, a 3/12 license includes three one-month activation periods that can be used within a 12-month term.
Ideal Use Cases
Orca3D Marine CFD is especially valuable when you need to go beyond traditional prediction methods and study flow behavior in more detail.
It is well suited for:
- High-speed craft and planing hulls
- Vessels with non-standard hull geometry
- Designs with appendages or hull features such as spray rails, lifting strakes, and trim devices
- Resistance and powering studies
- Motion and dynamic stability analysis
- Comparative design studies during concept development
System Requirements
CFD is computationally intensive, so hardware matters.
- Operating System: Windows 10 or 11
- Memory: At least 32 GB RAM is recommended. More memory may be needed for finer grids or larger simulations. If the system runs out of RAM, it may attempt to use disk storage as virtual memory, which is generally impractical for CFD and can cause simulations to appear frozen.
- Storage: A typical simulation may require 1–3 GB of storage. Simulations with animations or larger output sets may require significantly more, often in the 10–15 GB range.
- Processor: The base commercial license supports up to 16 cores across one or more CPUs (support for any number of cores is available for additional cost). While the software can technically run on fewer cores, a processor with at least 4 cores is recommended for practical turnaround times. Performance scales well with core count, and a 16-core processor can be roughly two to three times faster than an equivalent 4-core machine.
Choose the Right Marine CFD Package
Orca3D Marine CFD Standard provides the core capabilities needed for resistance, powering, flow visualization, and dynamic analysis. Marine CFD Premium adds advanced simulation tools for more complex vessel motions, operating conditions, and specialized analyses.
| Feature | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|
| Resistance Analysis | ✓ | ✓ |
| Self-Propelled Analysis | ✓ | ✓ |
| Air & Water Streamlines | ✓ | ✓ |
| Monohulls & Multihulls | ✓ | ✓ |
| Displacement & Planing Hulls | ✓ | ✓ |
| Hull Appendages & Foils | ✓ | ✓ |
| Porpoising Analysis | ✓ | ✓ |
| Chine Walking Analysis | — | ✓ |
| Propeller Open-Water Analysis | — | ✓ |
| Propeller & Cavitation Analysis Setup | — | ✓ |
| Moving Appendages | — | ✓ |
| Maneuvering | — | ✓ |
| Analysis in Waves | — | ✓ |
| Roll Damping | — | ✓ |
| Fully Submerged Bodies | — | ✓ |
| Rigid Body Dynamics | 3-DOF (Pitch, Heave, Surge) |
6-DOF |
| Parallel Processing | Up to 16 cores included* | Up to 16 cores included* |
Choose Standard for typical resistance, powering, planing-hull, appendage, streamlines, and self-propelled analyses.
Choose Premium when your work requires more advanced vessel dynamics or specialized simulations such as maneuvering, waves, roll damping, moving appendages, propeller analysis, or fully submerged bodies.
*Additional processor cores are available. Not sure which version you need? Request a Marine CFD demo and we'll help you choose the right configuration for your project.
Orca3D Marine CFD Pricing
| License Type | Standard Tier | Premium Tier |
|---|---|---|
| 12 Month Full-Time | $10,000 | $20,000 |
| 6 Month Full-Time | $6,000 | $12,000 |
| 3 Month Full-Time | $3,375 | N/A |
| 6/24 Month Intermittent | $9,000 | $18,000 |
| 6/12 Month Intermittent | $7,500 | $15,000 |
| 3/12 Month Intermittent | $5,000 | $10,000 |
| Bi-Weekly Intermittent | $6,000 | $12,000 |
Prices for computers with up to 16 cores. Contact us for higher core configurations or custom setups.
Intermittent licenses allow CFD access for customers who don't need CFD full time. For example, a 3/12 license includes three one-month activation periods that can be used within a 12-month term.
