Integrated Virtual Assembly Environment and its application in ship piping layout

Complex pipe layout plays an important role in ship building. Pipes prefabricating and assembling often depends on testing and rebuilding in outfitting. This leads to more workload, high cost and longer manufacturing cycles. In this paper, a new virtual assembly system called Integrated Virtual Assembly Environment (IVAE) is introduced, in which the ship outfitting can be simulated and process planning can be completed. With the help of assembly constraints management, collision detection and response, assembly sequence and paths planning, users can assemble the parts interactively in a virtual outfitting environment, just as in an actual cabin. As well as for virtual ship outfitting, IVAE can also be used in general product development. As a typical case, the pipe layout in the engine room of a 5000?M³ hydraulic dredge from Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co., Ltd is given to test virtual ship outfitting in IVAE.