GHS Version 19.50 Update
New features, changes, and bug fixes since version 19.00
=========== MAJOR NEW FEATURES =========
New Tank Versus Displacer PARTS Volume Comparison Features
PART /VOL [/TABle] [/PERM] [/NOProfile] was added to report a plot and
optional table comparing the distribution of sectional area for all tanks fully
loaded versus all displacers fully immersed. All parts are treated as 100%
permeable unless /PERM is present to retain their original permeabilities.
A vessel profile overlays the plot unless /NOPROFILE is present. If no report
is open, the plot and optional preceding table are shown in a preview window.
PART /VOL provides a quick check for various problems that can occur during
model building. Areas where the tank area curve is higher than the displacer
area curve may indicate overlapping tank volumes. Areas where the tank area
curve drops away from the displacer curve may indicate missing interior volume,
which can be a problem for damage stability.
New LIMITS for Freeboard and Point Height Features
LIMIT FREEBD[0] [AT EQU|EQU0] > freeboard was added to limit the lowest
deck-edge freeboard above waterplane (ignoring margins if FREEBD0 is used)
at equilibrium (disregarding external moments if EQU0 is used). FREEBOARD[0]
can be used as a synonym for FREEBD[0].
LIMIT HEIGHT AT POINT [n1 [TO n2]] >|< minmax was added to limit height
at equilibrium of both flooding and nonflooding points in a specified range
of Critical Point numbers (or all if no range is given). Unlike other limit
types, the greater than (">") or less than ("<") sign direction is significant,
determining whether to limit lowest height above a minimum or greatest height
below a maximum; note criterions may define HEIGHT limits in both directions.
New ADD Weight Distribution and Combining Features
ADD /LEN and /PLEN parameters may be applied not only after a single weight,
but now also after each of several weights combined with semicolons.
ADD "description" "[reference]*" and WEIGHT * commands preserve distribution
and inertia when combining referenced items. The old behavior of combining
into a single point is available when the /POINT parameter is present. Note
WEIGHT * now preserves lateral plane area (as ADD combining always did).
New GMTMMT Free Surface Features
GMTMMT moment /FSM parameter was added to use formal free surface moments for
all tanks when determining the metacentric height used for locating the VCG.
New Maximum VCG (MAXVCG) Features
MAXVCG marks any Max VCG value that could go no higher without failing to
find equilibrium despite positive limit values with an asterisk, explained in
the report footer as the very similar situation "Capsized at Max".
New Damaged and Spilling Tank SOLVE Improvements
SOLVE now holds constant the flooded or spilling modes of TYPE DAMAGED tanks
until an equilibrium waterline is found, then adjusts modes based on whether
their tank damage Reference Points are below or above the external waterline,
resolving to find a new equilibrium if any damaged tank mode changed.
SOLVE precision reflected in system variables RAH, GMT, LOAD2, TVOLUME, etc.
was improved when empty spilling tanks are present.
New Icon Improvements
Icons for programs and associated file types have been improved and new ones
added to help identify at a glance programs such as HELP, SE, CG, PM, and
Print Preview.
New Advanced Features (AF)
DAMSTAB tables now display in their Divisions column a series of two or more
inboard or upper layers as a range instead of as an enumerated list (such as
i1-N instead of i1+i2...+iN), reducing its length and potentially the number
of otherwise blank lines.
DIVISIONS report width was increased to allow more Parts on each line, thereby
reducing report length.
New Load Editor (LE, LEw) Features
LOAD EDIT /CRANE and /HMMT input boxes permit direct entry of negative angles
by no longer adding to their old values when beginning entry with "+" or "-"
(note adding can still be done by beginning with "*+" or "*-").
Load Editor now identifies WDF water-displaced fuel tanks by magenta color in
the Sounding column (same color as FLOODED tank lines).
New Longitudinal Strength (LS) and Torque Features
LS /NOPRINT /FRAME added $BLN, $BLP, $SLN, and $SLP user variable frame
suffixes for returning the bending moment negative limit, bending moment
positive limit, shear force negative limit, and shear force positive limit at
the suffixed frame description.
TORQUE /NOPRINT /FRAME addded $TL user variable frame suffix for returning
the torque moment limit at the suffixed frame description.
New Sensor Interface (SI) and Tank Gauging Features
CUSTOM (GHSERIAL) START added support for RS-485 serial communication (instead
of default RS-232 connection interface) using the $INTERFACE RS-485 parameter
(hyphen optional).
CUSTOM (GHSERIAL) implemented Modbus diagnostic functions to return query data
for slave health heartbeat test and to toggle listen-only mode.
New Part Maker (PM) and Model Converter (MC) Features
ENTER PM command added READ filespec /VARS parameter to declare any variable
names placed in the Geometry File with their values.
READ forbids spaces in part and component names, advising FIXUP; previously
only the first word before the space was used for the name, risking ambiguity
since auxiliary programs replace space with "_".
FIXUP display warns whenever invalid characters (other than alphanumerics,
"-", "_", and "#") in part and component names are replaced with "_".
New PRINT, Plotting, and REPORT Improvements
PRINT /PREVIEW was enhanced with T command and right-click menu option to cycle
thin, thick, thicker, and thickest plot curve size, corresponding to /Thick:t:ct
parameter for ct=2,4,6,8.
PRINT CONFIGURE added /Thick[:t[:ct]] support along with corresponding menus
Report->Setup printer->Plot line thickness and Plot curve thickness.
======= Miscellaneous New Features =======
CHANGE (partlist) "description"|RESTORE may now be used for non-tank parts
to change the description seen in COMP /VOLUME and PDESCR system variable.
COMMENTS and READ commands now display all (instead of first 10) comment lines.
VARY command may no longer be abbreviated to VA or VAR, thereby allowing use
of these abbreviations (along with V) for the VARIABLES command.
======= Bug Fixes =======
CONTENT /COLOR changes were not automatically updating DISPLAY STATUS /SYNC.
DISPLAY PRINT /YESCRTPT was sometimes omitting the plan view (since 18.76 only).
DISPLAY STATUS /SPAWN issued from a Load Editor macro was getting confused
with any synchronized LOAD EDIT /CG window instead of spawning a separate
persistent CG display of the present loading condition.
DISPLAY STATUS /SYNC risked trapping spurious "Bad filename or number" if
"SHE SANK" occurred during synchronized Condition Graphics (since 18.94 only).
DISPLAY STATUS 3D /SYNC was neglecting TYPE sail transformations (since 19.10
only).
DISPLAY STATUS 3D now supports /NOCRIT to omit showing Critical Points that
were added to 3D views in version 18.80.
DISPLAY STATUS 3D was applying double effect for TYPE sail transformation
parameters like /MOVE and /SWING.
DISPLAY STATUS 3D was sometimes incorrectly showing TYPE /TILT transformations.
DISPLAY STATUS 3D was trapping a run-time error if any Critical Point number
below the maximum Critical Point number was undefined.
DISPLAY and SE commands were redrawing a highlighted component after selecting
a different part using the color appropriate for the new part instead of the
part containing the component.
DIVISIONS /FLD:crtn parameter was ineffective (since 17.02A only).
ENTER PM command COMMENT was trapping a run-time error if more than maximum 20
comment lines.
ENTER PM command DELETE partname.S for displacer and sail parts was also
deleting any matching partname regardless of side suffix (since 18.72 only).
ENTER PM statement FIT without TOP and BOTTOM statements was producing bad
results for non-intersecting stations in rare cases.
ENTER PM statement JOIN was generating degenerate stations in rare cases.
ENTER PM statement SHAPE now safely creates a shape copy if the component
centerline side status differs from when the shape was originally created
(e.g. a shape created with COMPONENT.C then reused to create COMPONENT.S),
matching what was already happening after writing and reading the geometry.
ENTER PM statement SHELL for negative shell thicknesses or interior FIT to
components having positive shells sometimes caused bad points or lost stations
(since 17.86 only).
ENTER PMX command SHELL was fixed for BARGE.EXE.
ENTER PMX evaluation of expressions surrounded in braces "{" and "}" was fixed
when quoted (e.g. "{name}"), nested (e.g. {name{name2}}) or delayed by doubling
(e.g. {{name}}) to align with how these are evaluated in the main program.
ENTER PMX supports nested braces in expressions.
ERASE without /NORecycle parameter now tries to permanently delete files
if recycling failed (as may happen on a drive with Recycle Bin disabled).
FILL, FIXUP, and other commands applying Model Converter were neglecting to
show progress and any warnings on the screen, even though geometry conversion
was otherwise operating properly (since 18.62 only).
FIXUP was failing when components with lowercase names needed filling to
avoid "Section spacing too great" errors.
LIMIT [ABS] RA AT angle1 TO angle2 was not remembering to apply the lesser
of the two angles after saving and restoring from a Save File.
LS /PLOT:SCALE10 was not always ensuring powers of 10 for scale factors when
used together with /SIZE parameter.
LS risked trapping "invalid location" run-time error when no Fixed Weight is
present (since 18.76 only).
LS was still sometimes failing to combine point weights and ground points at
the same location due to tiny rounding differences (though improved in 18.12).
LSLIM MMT:Midrange curve between minimum and maximum bending limits was
sometimes not being plotted correctly.
Main program startup was sometimes failing due to premature license expiration,
especially when crossing time zones or managing multiple temporary licenses.
MAXVCG sometimes risked terminating below actual maximum VCG occuring where
equilibrium could not be found.
MAXVCG was still sometimes risking terminating below actual maximum VCG occuring
where equilibrium could not be found (since 18.72 only).
MC using Tank Profile Files risked trapping "invalid location" run-time error.
PRINT and SHELL commands trapped a run-time error in BHS (since 19.02 only).
PRINT was not showing Condition Graphics sounding tube points and Grain Shift
escape points in reports.
RA /GRAPH:ONLY (without FIT) immediately following DISPLAY STATUS was
garbling the report file page.
RA /LIM was failing to find EQU angle after a SOLVE in rare damaged cases.
RA was not always showing the precise GM at Equilibrium when one of the listed
angles was somewhat close to EQU.
ROUTINE and MACRO /FUNCTION names must consist of letters, digits, and the
underscore ("_") character, not beginning with a digit.
ROUTINE nested execution risked trapping "invalid location" run-time error.
ROUTINE termination using the EXIT command was trapping a run-time error.
SE command WRITE was stripping out any GF variables.
SHELL was truncating the command line to 260 characters (since 18.12B only).
SOLVE command was unnecessarily trapping "No equilibrium found" in rare cases.
STABILITY SETUP after CLEAR ALL was sometimes trapping "No such variable"
(since 16.64 only).
STABILITY SHEET reports were sometimes hanging.
TEMPLATE definitions containing block comments meant to ignore everything
between unquoted "{*" and "*}" were trapping an error.
TORQUE for distributed weights with multiple semicolon-separated segments
was incorrectly using the overall transverse and vertical centers of gravity
instead of the individual ones for each segment.
VARY settings were not preserved by SAVE and WRITE commands.
WEIGHT REPORT was suppressing print output if no Light Ship weight was defined.
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