Abstract: ObjectivesRegarding the geometric and physical models established by the mainstream domestic 3D ship design software and the system principle and layout drawing models drawn by 2D design tools, there exist issues such as data fragmentation and difficulty in concurrent modeling. In this paper, 2D and 3D ship collaborative cabin layout technology is studied. MethodsBy using composite model construction technology, the ship cabin, equipment design data, analysis and calculation data and drawings are integrated to establish a composite data model for ship cabin layout. On the one hand, this article uses macro command technology to build a correlation mapping between composite models and their parameters. On the other hand, in accordance with the design constraints of the system principle and cabin rules, a correlated data link between the planar cabin layout and the three-dimensional spatial layout was established, forming a system layout scheme with automatic refreshing based on a composite data model. The transition from 2D schematic design to the 3D model design is facilitated through the collaborative technology, achieving the two-way synchronization of the principle design and cabin layout in both 2D and 3D data model. The exploration and application of 2D and 3D ship collaborative cabin layout technology successfully breaks the data barrier between the two-dimensional principle and the three-dimensional arrangement model, enhancing the interdisciplinary collaborative ability during the preliminary ship design phase. The composite modeling technology is the foundation technology studied in this paper, which is a unified object-oriented data management technology. In the preliminary design of ships, the main feature of the system is a series of equipment connected by pipes (cables) to perform a series of tasks together. Ship systems can be regarded as a huge complex system consisting of many equipment, pipelines, etc., which are layered up to form components, third-level systems, second-level systems, and finally the primary system. In this paper, we build equipment sample models integrating 2D/3D visualization models, physical attribute parameters, and other information by using composite modeling technology. We use topology association technology based on macro commands to associate non-model information, such as annotations and attributes, with the unified data model and define 3D physical models. Finally, we use model-driven graphic technology to quickly draw 2D plane and 3D space equipment models, as well as parameter association and other coordinated layout functions based on equipment digital models. In the technical verification stage, the engine room, which is the core area of a ship, is selected as a typical case. Due to its numerous types of equipment and complex systems, it has extremely high requirements for collaborative design. Results The analysis targeted at the design cycle shows that by using the 2D and 3D collaborative layout system of ship equipment driven by the composite model, the layout efficiency is effectively increased to 5%. ConclusionsThrough the successful application of the 2D and 3D collaborative layout technology in the engine room layout, the feasibility and effectiveness of this technology in complex ship systems are fully verified, providing strong support for the popularization and application of this technology in the overall ship design.