My acquaintance with CADMATIC took place back when this software product was called NUPAS-CADMATIC. It happened in VIK-SANDVIK, which at that time had the most licenses for this product. I immediately liked this package for its consistency, ease of learning and ease of use. It was used simultaneously in all offices of the company in different countries, and it seemed that your colleagues were sitting in the next room and not working, for example, in Poland or Serbia.
In fact, NUPAS-CADMATIC was a set of software packages linked to each other through interface files and databases. So for modeling the ship's surface, NAPA was used, from which there was a direct interface to NUPAS-CADMATIC. At that time, VIK-SANDVIK had only two engineers who could model the hull surface. It was a rather laborious and lengthy process. Therefore, when the ShapeImport module appeared in the program, which allowed loading IGES files, Gunnar Hovland, who was then the head of the hull structural department, suggested that I try to load my surface into NUPAS-CADMATIC.
From that moment, the process of adaptation and collaboration between Shape Maker and CADMATIC began. The data transfer interface turned out to be simple and convenient. In addition to the available capabilities, we have added control over the orientation of surfaces, the ability to combine a chain of boundary lines into one line without loss of precision, and some additional options in the IGES file. Since the data transfer uses the same library, data is transferred without loss of precision. This is especially important when transferring trimmed surfaces. Experience has shown that trimmed surfaces are often the source of gaps in the model. The absence of gaps is one of the most important conditions for the successful modeling of body parts and, especially, sheathing sheets. The latest versions of CADMATIC use a new, more accurate shell plates folding algorithm that is especially sensitive to gaps between surfaces.
For a long time, many companies have been using Shape Maker as a design and surface smoothing tool in conjunction with CADMATIC. Moreover, any curved surfaces that are used in modeling the body structures are modeled and transmitted as separate groups. Surfaces of superstructures, deckhouses, anchor pockets and many others. Using Shape Maker in conjunction with CADMATIC saves a lot of time in modeling and surface rendering. Now, many years later, it's safe to say that Gunnar Hovland was right in deciding to use Shape Maker as a basic surface smoothing tool for CADMATIC.