Copy

This function is used to duplicate the active panels at a location specified by the user. The new location can be defined in the same way as the location in a panel statement or as an incremental value along one of the principal axes. The new panels are generated using the same definition data as the panels initially activated with updates described below, and are then visualized in all views in the picture. After the duplication, the new panels are active.

New names need to be given for the new panels created. This can be done in two ways, either via the Automatic Names option (see Automatic AVEVA Marine Names in Hull Concepts), or via a form. Even if the Automatic Names option is active it is possible to override this and give the names via the form, if Options is given when prompted for blocks for the new panels.

If the form is used, it is initially filled with the names of the active panels. The user should then give new names for each one of the active ones:

• To simplify this the buttons AS OLD and NEW MODULE are available. AS OLD will copy the names of the active panels to the new name fields as a start, while NEW MODULE will change the MODULE field to a new name given in the NEW MODULE field near the bottom of the form. If the first part of the panel name equals the block name this part will also be changed. In the form, MODULE means the same as BLOCK.

• The button Check gives error messages if the new name fields are not filled in, or if any of the new names equal an old one.

• The buttons UP, DOWN, TOP and BOTTOM are used to navigate among form pages if the number of active panels exceeds one form page.

• OC makes the function continue while QUIT ends it. INDICATE has the same effect as QUIT.

While an absolute position can be defined using all alternatives in the "location" form, a relative position can only be defined along any of the three principal axes. If a minus sign is given as the first character using relative position, the corresponding coordinates are decremented. For example, --FR30 means a position 30 frames aft while +LP5 along Z means 5 longitudinal positions towards the top. Relative position is activated by a button in the "location" form.

Note: when defining an absolute position the original normal vector of the panel(s) must be kept. In other cases the definition of for example, the boundary will be incorrect. If for example, a panel is created with its location defined by a frame view looking forward, it will be expressed as three points. Then if an absolute position is given as an X-coordinate, the normal vector will turn 180 degrees. However if a relative position is used instead, the normal vector will always keep its direction.

Apart from updating the pure coordinate references in the definition data before generating the new panels the name references are updated as well. References to hull curves in the three principal planes and to stiffeners on frame- and longitudinal positions are also updated according to the new location.

Also the panel and block name pairs defined in the "new name" form are used as a dictionary when updating the name references in the panels to be generated.

Panels can be copied to multiple positions in two ways:

• First, as the new panels of a previous duplication are active, these panels in turn may be copied after defining new names and a new location.

• The second way is to use repetition both is the new names and in the new location. In the location the same syntax is used for repetition as in the input scheme statements, that is 'start'('step')'end'. E g the frames 21 up to 23 are given by FR21(1)23, each meter from 1 to 5 is given by 1000(1000)5000. In the names the repetition is surrounded by angle brackets to allow for characters after the repetition. E g the "name" AB123-8<12(10)32>P will result in the panel names AB123-812P, AB123-822P and AB123-832P.

  Note: that for a relative position, the coordinate can not contain any repetition, rather the same incremental value is used multiple times if the names are repetitive.

When this way of specifying multiple locations is used the user will be asked whether to store the panels created on one location before continuing with the next location:

• If No is given, the duplication to the following positions are not affected, only the currently active panel is lost.

• Answering All inhibits further confirmation, but only for the other panels in the same location.

If the generation of a component in a new panel fails, an error message will be shown in a pop-up list window. Instead the component will be copied from the old to the new panel, to enable extraction of the input scheme statement used when modifying the panel.

If GPS strings are used, a dialog is presented that allows the user to change these strings on the copied versions of the panel. The dialog is presented only if the logical SBH_COPY_UPDATE_GPS is set to any value.