ClamVision 6.6 is the biggest update to the software in several years, and most of it is visible the moment you open a project. Here is what changed and why it matters on the barge.
The machine on screen is now a real 3D model
Earlier versions drew the barge, boom, and bucket as flat shapes. Version 6.6 replaces those with three-dimensional models of the machine, driven by the same sensor stream that drives everything else: cable counters, encoders, inclinometers, and GPS.
The practical difference is depth perception. When the boom swings and the bucket drops, the operator sees the reach, the dig depth, and the lateral position in one view instead of mentally combining a plan view and a readout. Excavator dredges get the same treatment, with the boom, stick, and bucket moving as the real arm moves.
Along the way we reworked the model code so new machine types can be added without touching the rest of the program, and we spent a full week chasing down the edge cases that show up when a model is pushed to odd angles and extreme reaches.
Rectangular cutter heads
Cutter heads are not all cylinders. ClamVision 6.6 lets you define a rectangular cutter, so the footprint ClamVision records in the work surface and the bite log matches the tool that is actually in the water. If your production numbers have ever looked slightly off because the software assumed a round head, this is the fix.
Multi-vessel tracking
A spread rarely has one machine on it. With 6.6, every vessel running ClamVision can share one project, and each one sees the others’ live positions on the plan view. A survey boat, a second dredge, and the office laptop all look at the same picture.
This is the foundation for the Relay Server and DredgeHQ connectivity described on the Fleet & Multi-Vessel page.
Smaller changes you will notice
- Bite log columns were expanded, and the work surface report was improved.
- Elevation and depth modes are cleaner, so switching between them behaves predictably.
- Settings forms were rebuilt on a new framework. The dialogs are more consistent and quicker to work through during setup.
- Bucket invert handling was improved for cutter and bucket orientation.
- Satellite imagery loading was debugged for projects where the imagery layer failed to appear.
Under the hood
Two changes earlier in the year set up this release:
- Dredge Quality Management. In April we made a round of improvements to ClamVision’s DQM logging to tighten compliance on federal work.
- Wider hardware support. ClamVision now runs on OpenGL 4.1 as well as 4.3, so it works on older graphics hardware and on more field laptops.
Version 6.6 also ships with a new installer, a cleaner versioning scheme, and an upgrade of the underlying CAD library, which is the groundwork for the file-handling improvements coming later this year.