RAO Conversions |
 
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RAO Conversions |
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Flexcom, like most other programs, has its own set of conventions regarding the specification of input data. One area of particular importance is the definition of vessel RAO data. Quite often, RAO data is sourced externally (e.g. from a radiation-diffraction program), and the conventions used are rarely consistent with the standard format expected by Flexcom itself.
In order to minimise effort, Flexcom allows you to import RAO data directly from third-party software data files. If the data source corresponds to one of the standard programs listed below, it is not necessary to explicitly define a conversion scheme – you simply select the relevant program from a list provided. Flexcom understands the conventions used in these programs and automatically performs the relevant conversions for you. The programs currently supported are:
If you have RAO data which does not originate from any of the above sources, it is possible to define a custom RAO conversion to describe the various conventions pertaining to the RAO data.
•*VESSEL,INTEGRATED is used to specify all information pertaining to a vessel or vessels. Specifically, the FORMAT= input is used to specify the format of the RAO data, and you may select from a range of standard program formats such as WAMIT, AQWA, MOSES or OrcaFlex.
•*VESSEL is used to specify the initial position and undisplaced orientation of a vessel.
•*RAO is used to specify Response Amplitude Operators for a vessel. Specifically, the FORMAT= input is used to specify the format of the RAO data, and you may select from a range of standard program formats such as WAMIT, AQWA, MOSES or OrcaFlex.
Note also that the old *VESSEL and *RAO keywords have effectively been superseded by the new *VESSEL,INTEGRATED keyword, which accepts RAO data also, thereby eliminating the need for a separate *RAO keyword – hence the ‘integrated’ nature of the new keyword.