The new “LR-GN-066 Guidance Notes for Digital 3D Models” provide shipyards, designers and owners with a framework for using intelligent 3D models in lieu of traditional 2D plans during the early stages of structural plan approval, the company said in a press release. The publication reflects the growing use of digital design environments in modern shipbuilding, with 3D models becoming the primary source of engineering information across design, construction and manufacturing workflows. The guidance sets out how 3D models can be used to support the structural plan approval process and defines the characteristics such models should possess. For shipyards and design offices already working in 3D environments, the Guidance Notes provide a clearer route for integrating those models into the approval process. Use of the Guidance Notes is voluntary and non-prescriptive, and the framework is intended to be applicable across a variety of software ecosystems.