Should a bulb be integral with the hull component? 


Question:

What is the best way of representing a bulb:

  a) Including the offsets of the bulb in the hull component; or
  b) Having the bulb as a separate component of the hull?



Answer:


It is usually best to have a bulbous bow as a separate component.  You can
FIT the bulb to the hull.  If you have a tank which occupies the bulb and hull
both, you can fit it both to the bulb and the hull.  For example,

     CREATE BALLAST.C
     ENDS -20, 10
     TOP 7
     FIT HULL\HULL.C
     FIT HULL\BULB.C
     /

DISPLAY sometimes has difficulty showing the gap between the bulb
and the stem when the bulb is not a separate component.  In order for it to
show this properly, there must be zero width in the section above the bulb and
below the stem.  (Adding SHELL thickness to the hull will also add it in this
region.)  If there is zero width in this region, you can get
DISPLAY to show the bulb properly by using the /BULB parameter; i.e.

  DISPLAY /BULB