The desire to work faster and more accurately led Mühlhoff to consider moving to the type of high-end modeling software he saw used in other industries. Knowing that accurate, easy-to-use surface modeling was his most critical need, Mühlhoff evaluated two systems, Catia and NX. He found NX™ software to be superior in both respects – accuracy and ease of use – and he purchased this solution for his business. The ease of use he perceived turned out to be real. He was able to design a ship within weeks of installing the new software, without any formal training.
Now when Mühlhoff takes on a new project, he typically receives AutoCAD data from the customer. Although he could import that data into NX, he finds it easier and faster to recreate the geometry in NX. After drawing the 2D curves in NX, Mühlhoff then applies surfaces to create the shape of the hull. The surfaces he creates in this manner are highly accurate since there is no file translation from program to program. This process is also much faster since Mühlhoff works exclusively in a single environment. NX lets him move seamlessly between 2D, wireframe, surface and solid representations.