Murray and Associates, based in Fort Lauderdale, FL is one of the leading naval architectural firms in the U.S. With more than 20 years of experience, they have built their reputation on providing solutions to their client’s most challenging projects, oftenwith innovative, 3D technology. The firm began using 3D scanning technology in 1999 - they added the FARO Laser Scanner in 2014. Jake Rosenbaum, Director of Information Systems for Murray and Associates, noted, “Prior to 2014 we primarily used the digital point cloud as a means of capturing the hull surfaces of existing vessels for use in our 3D modeling software. That data was used to create a surface model that could be used for conducting stability calculations, producing renderings, and planning proposed modifications to vessels.”

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CASE STUDY
Leading Naval Architectural Firm Leverages
3D to Solve Large Scale Problems
Gene V. Roe, Ph.D., P.E., PLS | Founder/Author | Lidar News | 603-818-2189 | Gene.roe@lidarnews.com
Background
Murray and Associates, based in Fort Lauderdale, FL is one of the leading naval architectural firms in the U.S. With more than
20 years of experience, they have built their reputation on providing solutions to their client’s most challenging projects, often
with innovative, 3D technology.
The firm began using 3D scanning technology in 1999 - they added the FARO Laser Scanner in 2014. Jake Rosenbaum,
Director of Information Systems for Murray and Associates, noted, “Prior to 2014 we primarily used the digital point cloud
as a means of capturing the hull surfaces of existing vessels for use in our 3D modeling software. That data was used to
create a surface model that could be used for conducting stability calculations, producing renderings, and planning proposed
modifications to vessels.”
Jake continued, “Since 2014 we have been using our own FARO Focus3D
X 130 Laser Scanner, together with FARO SCENE,
ReCap™
and PointSense software. These tools have allowed us to better define the structural boundaries onboard existing
commercial ships and recreational vessels, to assist us in providing our customers with complete 3D pipe routing services.”
Highlighted are two Murray and Associates recent projects that demonstrate the benefits of using 3D laser scanning.
Cruise Ship Scrubber Repair
A large cruise line operator hired Murray & Associates to make upgrades to the exhaust scrubber on the vessel’s exhaust
stack. The first step was to capture the existing ship’s environment at specific locations. This allowed Murray & Associates to
define the obstacles and boundaries within the space, place the required equipment and route new 3D piping. The project
was led by Murray & Associates Naval Architect Antonij Zecevic, who explained, “By superimposing the new piping and
equipment on top of the digital point cloud, interferences could be identified and corrected prior to the final design. Once the
3D pipe routing is finalized, a final check is made prior to producing a complete package of pipe spools and arrangement
drawings for use by the installers.”
One of the key challenges of this project was the difficulty
in trying to capture the complete 3D environment of the
ships mechanical spaces while it was still in operation.
Vessel motions due to the seas, vibrations from large
machinery, high velocity ventilation air-flow, and high ambient
temperatures were just a few of the challenges. Combining
these challenges with the complexity of the space, and all
of the objects within it, accurately capturing this environment
was nearly impossible without the 3D laser scanner.
The raw data was first processed in FARO SCENE software
and the design work was done in AutoCAD®
and a Recap™
file was created. PointSense was then used to identify
connecting points. Figures 1 and 2 are screen shots from
SCENE at specific project locations.
Figure 1. Existing piping inside exhaust stacks

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Leading Naval Architectural Firm Leverages 3D to Solve Large Scale Problems
The final deliverables for the scrubber project included
a complete set of pipe spool and arrangement drawings.
The physical pipe spools are then pre-fabricated and sent
to the ship, where they are installed while the ship is in
operation, so as to prevent any disruption of its schedule.
From figures 3 and 4 it is clear to see the complexity of the
vessel’s machinery spaces, and the numerous objects that
are required to be accurately captured during the scanning
process. Antonij noted, “Documenting all of this information
without the 3D scanning technology is nearly impossible.
Without 3D technology, the physical piping would likely have
to be field routed, requiring more time and expense. A precise
Bill of Material wouldn’t be possible, causing material waste,
and potential interferences and issues may not be foreseen.”
Below are a few samples of 3D pipes superimposed over
the digital point cloud, pipe spools and pipe arrangement
drawings, as well as 3D model – “as installed” comparisons.
Figure 3. New piping and existing environment synergy Figure 4. Scrubbers process water equipment placed within existing
pump room
Figure 5. Process water equipment and piping modeled using
ShipConstructor – Deck 01
Figure 6. Deck 01 process water equipment and piping installed
Figure 2. Economizers steam manifold

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Container Ship Repair
A container ship was involved in a collision with another large ship, resulting in significant damage to one side of the ship.
Portions of the shell plating, framing, and ballast tanks were damaged and required repair. It was of utmost importance to
complete these repairs as soon as possible, so that the ship could continue with its scheduled trade voyages.
Knowing that the ships structure was symmetrical, they were able to scan both the damaged and undamaged sides of the
vessel, both internally and externally. These scans were then mirrored atop of one another to determine the overall extent of
the ship’s damage, and assist in developing a 3D structural model of all of the replacement steel components.
Once the actual scans were registered and correctly aligned to the ship’s global coordinate system, a ReCap™
file was created.
That ReCap file was then imported into AutoCAD®
and the geometry was developed in 3D as an overlay on the digital point
cloud using PointSense. The model was then compared to reference dimensions taken by traditional 2D measurements, as
a final check.
Jake Rosenbaum explained, “Using this model, structural components were then CNC cut and assembled off-site as a series
of repair modules that were then fitted to the ship. This method resulted in a ‘glove like’ fit of the new steel sections. All of this
work was done in a very short time frame, allowing the ship to return to service as quickly as possible.”
Below are a few pictures showing the results that were accomplished by combining the FARO 3D scanning technology, and
Murray & Associates’ engineering and industry know-how.
Leading Naval Architectural Firm Leverages 3D to Solve Large Scale Problems
Figure 7. Deck 02 process water and cooling water equipment and piping
3D model
Figure 8. Deck02 process and cooling water equipment and piping installed
Figure 9. Ship’s deck scan Figure 10. Ships hull scan

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Future Improvements
Murray and Associates works in a highly demanding environment that presents a unique set of challenges that FARO is
addressing with future product upgrades.
When asked about areas where the technology could be improved, Jake saw the need for better target-based registering
algorithms for easier, less time consuming registering of scans. He noted, “Since many of our scans are taken inside the vessel
(enclosed steel box), only target-based registering is possible.”
View more of FARO’s case studies at www.faro.com
Leading Naval Architectural Firm Leverages 3D to Solve Large Scale Problems
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Figure 13. Units 1-4 and 6 fitted Figure 14. Ship is ready for service
Figure 11. Vessels damaged structure Figure 12. Fitting of Unit 6