This is what I want to build: a swim dredge, a floating bucket-line dredge. Up front the bucket ladder eats into the ground, the superstructure holds the trommel and the wash plant, and at the back the stacker belt drops the washed gravel again.
The picture is my first base model, and the dimensions below are the plan for the 3D build.
Illustration: AI-generated
1. Barge hull
The foundation that floats in the water.
- Total length: 35.0 m
- Total width: 16.0 m
- Hull height: 2.5 m, with about 1.0 to 1.5 m above the waterline
2. Superstructure
The housing with the trommel, the wash plant and the engines.
- Length: 22.0 m, set slightly towards the rear of the hull
- Width: 12.0 m
- Height: 10.5 m, usually three floors of about 3.5 m each
3. Bow gantry
The heavy steel frame up front that holds and lowers the bucket ladder on steel cables.
- Height from deck: 14.0 m
- Base width: 8.0 m
- Top width: 4.0 m
4. Bucket ladder
The big boom carrying the bucket chain that digs out the ground.
- Total length: 28.0 to 32.0 m
- Frame width: 2.5 m
- Arm thickness: 2.0 m
5. Tailings stacker
The rear conveyor that discharges the washed gravel and debris.
- Total length: 20.0 m
- Width: 1.5 m
- Incline: fixed, around 20 to 25 degrees
6. Control room
The small cabin on top of the main building where the operator runs the bucket ladder.
- Footprint: 4.0 × 4.0 m
- Height: 3.0 m, sticking out above the roofline
The bucket ladder gets its own mesh with the pivot at the hull attachment, so the digging angle can be animated smoothly later.
What should a machine like this be able to do in the game? Tell me here.