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.
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.
FAQs
What is Orca3D Marine CFD used for?
Orca3D MarineCFD is for higher-fidelity hydrodynamic and aerodynamic simulations, including resistance, powering, wake surveys, streamlines, pressure data, forces, moments, and specialized analyses.
Does MarineCFD run entirely inside Orca3D?
Not entirely. The workflow starts in Orca3D, but the actual simulation is run in SimericsMP using the input files that Orca3D generates.
When should I choose Marine CFD instead of the Analysis module’s speed/power tools?
Choose Marine CFD when you need higher-fidelity, first-principles-based resistance and powering insight or when your design falls outside the applicability limits of the empirical methods in the Analysis module.
What kinds of studies can Marine CFD perform?
The module includes resistance, powering, wake survey, resistance with propulsors, multiple-speed studies, performance in waves, aerodynamic effects, and more.
What outputs will I be able to review?
Marine CFD supports graphical output on surfaces, mesh review, streamlines, animations and images, free-surface export, time-history data, distributed pressure data, force and moment plots, convergence information, and reporting.
Are there any additional requirements I should know about before evaluating Marine CFD?
Yes. Orca3D Version 3 requires Rhino 7 or 8 on tested Windows 10 or 11 systems. In addition, some report functions in Orca3D require Microsoft Excel.
Technical Validation and Research
Orca3D Marine CFD has been supported by benchmark studies, conference papers, and academic research covering topics such as:
- Planing hull resistance and porpoising prediction
- Ship maneuvering simulation
- High-speed yacht and appendage design
- Search and rescue craft hydrodynamics
- Practical CFD workflows for small design offices
- Semi-automated meshing and setup methods for naval architects
This body of work helps reinforce the value of Orca3D Marine CFD as both a practical design tool and a technically credible simulation platform.
Motions and Hydrodynamics of a High-Speed Search and Rescue Vessel Based on a Time-Efficient Computational Fluid Dynamics Procedure
Master's Degree Thesis, Aalto University, Finland, 2022: Pawel Jan Beszta-Borowski
This thesis proposes a time-effective procedure for numerical prediction of the hydrodynamic performance of a small high-speed craft (HSC) for Search and Rescue (SAR) operations. Following a naval architecture review of available SAR designs, engineering physics and numerical methods for the evaluation of resistance and seakeeping are explained. A method that utilises Reynolds-Averaged Navier Stokes equations-based Computational Fluid Dynamics theory is utilised to predict calm-water resistance and wave-induced motions of a sample SAR vessel operating in regular waves. Simulations are performed using the Orca3D Marine CFD environment, utilising the Simerics CFD package. The method is validated against experimental results found in literature. The comparative study of calm-water resistance allows for analysing the influence of the hull shape on the performance of the craft. Seakeeping analysis is performed in one wave length. Head, oblique and following seas conditions are simulated. In head and oblique seas, obtained results in the time domain present periodic motions. Non-linear pitch motions are displayed, followed by amplitudes of motions calculations. High non-linearity of roll motions in oblique seas is observed. The thesis concludes that for less demanding cases, the proposed procedure offers a time-efficient method to estimate the hydrodynamic performance of the vessel with satisfying accuracy. Further research is required to optimise the method for obtaining results in following seas in an acceptable time frame.
The Simulation of Ship Maneuvering Using a RANS-Based CFD Tool
SNAME Maritime Convention 2019: Chengjie Wang, Joe Snodgrass, Hui Ding
Maneuverability is an important characteristic of a ship, which affects not only the performance during its daily operation but also its safety under urgent conditions, such as danger of collision. Currently, it draws increasing attention from naval architects during the design stage. The characteristics of hydrodynamic derivatives in maneuvering equations are traditionally obtained from towing tank experiments. In this paper, we present several numerical simulations of typical ship maneuvering using a RANS-based computational fluid dynamics tool. In order to resolve the transient phenomena properly, the explicit volume of fluid method is applied to solve the free surface. The motions of the vessel are captured through an embedded 6-DOF dynamic solver. This kind of simulation provides a more direct reference to naval architects for their design and optimization work. All simulations can be achieved with practical turnaround times on a single workstation.
A Computational Study of High-Speed Planing Hull Performance by a RANS based CFD Tool
World Maritime Technology Conference 2018: Chengjie Wang, Hui Ding, Piotr Bandyk, Lawrence Leibman, Joe Snodgrass
The planing hull form has long been employed in modern marine vehicle design. Its favorable performance in the high-speed range makes it a good candidate for powerboats, yachts, and other high-speed vessels. However, it is challenging to get an accurate and cost-effective prediction of resistance as well as dynamics, i.e., porpoising. The semi-empirical and analytic methods widely used today are based on gross hull parameters, limiting their applicability and accuracy. These methods do not provide details of the flow around the hull and cannot reliably predict dynamic instabilities such as porpoising. In this paper, we present numerical simulations of two different high-speed planing hulls using a RANS-based CFD tool, and compare the predicted sinkage, trim, resistance, and other interesting properties and behaviors with experiments. In order to resolve the transient phenomena properly, the explicit Volume of Fluid (VOF) method is applied to solve the free surface. The transient, steady, and possibly unsteady motions of the vessel are captured through an embedded dynamic solver. Good agreement is shown with experiments, including prediction of dynamics, and results can be achieved with practical turn-around times on a single workstation.
The Use of CFD Simulation in the Design of Motor Yachts and their Associated Appendages
SNAME Maritime Convention 2019: Chengjie Wang, Joe Snodgrass, George Hazen, Hui Ding
The design of high-speed vessels is always a challenging job for naval architects. The semi-empirical and analytic methods widely used today are based on gross hull parameters, limiting their applicability and accuracy. These methods do not provide details of the flow around the hull and therefore cannot be applied to some design concepts like stepped hulls. It becomes more challenging when associated appendages are used in the design, like lifting strakes, spray rails, trim tabs, ventilation pipes, etc. Those designs are usually driven by experience or a trial and error process. In this paper, we present numerical studies on multiple high-speed yachts with different appendage configurations, e.g., different layouts of spray rails and/or lifting strakes, different trim tabs, etc., to illustrate how computational fluid dynamics (CFD) can help to guide the design process. The RANS-based CFD tool, SimericsMP+, is used for all simulations and results are compared to towing tank tests and sea trial data. Significant agreement is shown with experiments, including those effects due to appendages, and results can be achieved with practical turnaround times on a single workstation.
The Prediction of the Planing Hull Resistance and Porpoising using RANS based CFD Tool
SNAME Maritime Convention 2017: Chengjie Wang, Hui Ding, Piotr Bandyk
The planing hull form has long been employed in modern marine vehicles design. Its good performance at high speed range makes it a good candidate for powerboats, yachts and high speed vessels. However, it is challenging to get accurate prediction on resistance as well as dynamics, i.e. porpoising. The semi-empirical and analytic methods widely used today are based on gross hull parameters, limiting their applicability and accuracy. These methods do not provide details of the flow around the hull and cannot reliably predict dynamic instabilities such as porpoising. In this paper, we present numerical simulations of a classical planing hull (Fridsma 1969) using a RANS based CFD tool and compare the predicted sinkage, trim, resistance, and porpoising behavior with experiments. In order to resolve the transient phenomena properly, the explicit Volume Of Fluid (VOF) method is applied to solve the free surface. The transient, steady, and possibly unsteady motions of the vessel are captured through an embedded dynamic solver. Good agreement is shown with experiments, including prediction of dynamics, and results can be achieved with practical turn-around times on a single workstation.
Orca3D Marine CFD for the MACC Simulation Grand Challenge
Multi-Agency Craft Conference 2018: Bruce Hays, George Hazen, Chengjie Wang, Larry Leibman
In this paper, we present numerical simulations of the US Navy General Purpose Planing Hull (GPPH) and a classical planing hull (Fridsma 1969) using a RANS based CFD tool, and compare the predicted sinkage, trim, resistance, and porpoising behavior with experiments. In order to resolve the transient phenomena properly, the explicit Volume Of Fluid (VOF) method is applied to solve the free surface. The transient, steady, and possibly unsteady motions of the vessel are captured through an embedded dynamic solver. Good agreement is shown with experiments, including prediction of dynamics, and results can be achieved with practical turn-around times on a single workstation. Semi-automated meshing and setup methods are described, with the goal of allowing naval architects who are not CFD specialists to obtain consistent and reliable results.
Benefits
CFD can help designers make better decisions earlier in the design process by providing deeper visibility into vessel behavior before construction or testing.
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Orca3D Marine CFD Module
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A stand-alone license is installed on one computer for use by a single person, while a network license can be installed on multiple computers within the same organization but allows only one user to access the software at a time.
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