Mesh-based morphing method for rapid hull form generation

Morphing is an interpolation technique that changes one form into another through a seamless transition, producing, in the process, an infinite number of 'intermediate' forms between the original and the target. This paper examines the possibility of using the morphing technique for generating a large number of hull forms rapidly based on a number of target forms, existing or newly generated. The paper discusses the technique developed for applying morphing technique to hull form definition. The algorithm first projects the vertices of the original and target 3D surfaces onto 2D planes. After 'regularising' the vertices on 2D, they are projected back on the 3D surfaces. The corresponding vertices of the two surfaces are then used for interpolation. It has been found that the interpolated hull forms can be generated almost instantaneously, allowing the whole algorithm to be embedded in an optimisation program.