Cumincad : CUMINCAD Papers : Search Results

CumInCAD is a Cumulative Index about publications in Computer Aided Architectural Design
supported by the sibling associations ACADIA, CAADRIA, eCAADe, SIGraDi, ASCAAD and CAAD futures

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_id	4485
authors	Kerckhove, D. de
year	1997
title	Connected Intelligence
source	The Arrival of the Web Society, Somerville House, Toronto
summary	De Kerckhove's beat is the philosophy of emerging media. When media pundits want to know how McLuhan would interpret the societal consequences of the World Wide Web, they call de Kerckhove.
series	other
last changed	2003/04/23 15:14

_id	eea1
authors	Achten, Henri
year	1997
title	Generic Representations - Typical Design without the Use of Types
source	CAAD Futures 1997 [Conference Proceedings / ISBN 0-7923-4726-9] München (Germany), 4-6 August 1997, pp. 117-133
summary	The building type is a (knowledge) structure that is both recognised as a constitutive cognitive element of human thought and as a constitutive computational element in CAAD systems. Questions that seem unresolved up to now about computational approaches to building types are the relationship between the various instances that are generally recognised as belonging to a particular building type, the way a type can deal with varying briefs (or with mixed functional use), and how a type can accommodate different sites. Approaches that aim to model building types as data structures of interrelated variables (so-called 'prototypes') face problems clarifying these questions. It is proposed in this research not to focus on a definition of 'type,' but rather to investigate the role of knowledge connected to building types in the design process. The basic proposition is that the graphic representations used to represent the state of the design object throughout the design process can be used as a medium to encode knowledge of the building type. This proposition claims that graphic representations consistently encode the things they represent, that it is possible to derive the knowledge content of graphic representations, and that there is enough diversity within graphic representations to support a design process of a building belonging to a type. In order to substantiate these claims, it is necessary to analyse graphic representations. In the research work, an approach based on the notion of 'graphic units' is developed. The graphic unit is defined and the analysis of graphic representations on the basis of the graphic unit is demonstrated. This analysis brings forward the knowledge content of single graphic representations. Such knowledge content is declarative knowledge. The graphic unit also provides the means to articulate the transition from one graphic representation to another graphic representation. Such transitions encode procedural knowledge. The principles of a sequence of generic representations are discussed and it is demonstrated how a particular type - the office building type - is implemented in the theoretical work. Computational work on implementation part of a sequence of generic representations of the office building type is discussed. The paper ends with a summary and future work.
series	CAAD Futures
email
last changed	2003/11/21 15:15

_id	2dc0
authors	Arkin, H. and Paciuk, M.
year	1997
title	Evaluating intelligent buildings according to level of service systems integration
source	Automation in Construction 6 (5-6) (1997) pp. 471-479
summary	The intelligent building is supposed to provide the environment and means for an optimal utilization of the building, according to its designation. This extended function of a building can be achieved only by means of an extensive use of building service systems, such as HVAC; electric power; communication; safety and security; transportation; sanitation, etc. Building intelligence is not related to the sophistication of service systems in a building, but rather to the integration among the various service systems, and between the systems and the building structure. Systems' integration can be accomplished through teamwork planning of the building, starting at the initial design stages of the building. This paper examines some existing buildings claimed to be "intelligent", according to their level of systems' integration.
series	journal paper
more	http://www.elsevier.com/locate/autcon
last changed	2003/05/15 21:22

_id	eb53
authors	Asanowicz, K. and Bartnicka, M.
year	1997
title	Computer analysis of visual perception - endoscopy without endoscope
source	Architectural and Urban Simulation Techniques in Research and Education [Proceedings of the 3rd European Architectural Endoscopy Association Conference / ISBN 90-407-1669-2]
summary	This paper presents a method of using computer animation techniques in order to solve problems of visual pollution of city environment. It is our observation that human-inducted degradation of city environmental results from well - intentioned but inappropriate preservation actions by uninformed designers and local administration. Very often, a local municipality administration permits to build bad-fitting surroundings houses. It is usually connected with lack of visual information's about housing areas of a city, its features and characteristics. The CAMUS system (Computer Aided Management of Urban Structure) is being created at the Faculty of Architecture of Bialystok Technical University. One of its integral parts is VIA - Visual Impact of Architecture. The basic element of this system is a geometrical model of the housing areas of Bialystok. This model can be enhanced using rendering packages as they create the basis to check our perception of a given area. An inspiration of this approach was the digital endoscopy presented by J. Breen and M. Stellingwerff at the 2nd EAEA Conferences in Vienna. We are presenting the possibilities of using simple computer programs for analysis of spatial model. This contribution presents those factors of computer presentation which can demonstrate that computers achieve such effects as endoscope and often their use be much more efficient and effective.
keywords	Architectural Endoscopy, Endoscopy, Simulation, Visualisation, Visualization, Real Environments
series	EAEA
email
more	http://www.bk.tudelft.nl/media/eaea/eaea97.html
last changed	2005/09/09 10:43

_id	83a5
authors	Bock, Thomas
year	1997
title	CAD-So What?
source	CAAD Futures 1997 [Conference Proceedings / ISBN 0-7923-4726-9] München (Germany), 4-6 August 1997, pp. 15-43
summary	Computers were applied in construction towards the end of the 50s. In the meantime CA-X technologies rapidly evolved in areas such as integration of application software, 3D modelling and simulation, multimedia systems, artificial intelligence, CAD/CAM, robotics, and computer-based integration of design, construction and facility management. The structural changes under way in the construction industry ask for a transition from mere CAD, where "D" stands for design and drafting, towards CAC, where the second "C" represents construction , thus farther processing the previously generated CAD data .
series	CAAD Futures
email
last changed	2003/11/21 15:16

_id	848a
authors	Caneparo, Luca
year	1997
title	Shared Virtual Reality for Architectural Design
source	CAAD Futures 1997 [Conference Proceedings / ISBN 0-7923-4726-9] München (Germany), 4-6 August 1997, pp. 431-442
summary	The paper presents the implementation of a system of Shared Virtual Reality (SVR) in Internet applied to a large- scale project. The applications of SVR to architectural and urban design are presented in the context of a real project, the new railway junction of Porta Susa and the surrounding urban area in the city centre of Turin, Italy. SVR differs from Virtual Reality in that the experience of virtual spaces is no longer individual, but rather shared across the net with other users simultaneously connected. SVR offers an effective approach to Computer Supported Collaborative Work, because it integrates both the communicative tools to improve collaboration and the distributed environment to elaborate information across the networks.
series	CAAD Futures
email
last changed	2003/05/16 20:58

_id	88f9
authors	Carrara, G., Novembri, G., Zorgno, A.M., Brusasco, P.L.
year	1997
title	Virtual Studio of Design and Technology on Internet (I) - Educator's approach
doi	https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.ecaade.1997.x.n2w
source	Challenges of the Future [15th eCAADe Conference Proceedings / ISBN 0-9523687-3-0] Vienna (Austria) 17-20 September 1997
summary	This paper presents a teaching experience involving students and professors from various universities, in Italy and abroad, which began in 1996 and is still on going. The Virtual Studios on the Internet (VSI) have some features in common with the Teaching Studios planned for the new programme of the faculties of Architecture in Italian universities. These are the definition of a common design theme, and the participation of disciplinary teachers. The greatest difference is in the modes of collaboration, which is achieved through information and communication technologies. The chief result of this is that the various work groups in different places can work and collaborate at the same time: the computer networks provide the means to express, communicate and share the design project.
keywords	CAAD, Teaching of architectural design, Shared virtual reality, Virtualdesign studio, Collective intelligence.
series	eCAADe
email
more	http://info.tuwien.ac.at/ecaade/proc/lvi_i&ii/zorgno.html
last changed	2022/06/07 07:50

_id	7ebf
authors	Clark, G. and Mehta, P.
year	1997
title	Artificial intelligence and networking in integrated building management systems
source	Automation in Construction 6 (5-6) (1997) pp. 481-498
summary	In recent years the emphasis has moved towards integrating all a building's systems via centralised building management systems (BMS). To provide a more intelligent approach to the facility management, safety and energy control in building management systems (IBMS), this paper proposes a methodology for integrating the data within a BMS via a single multi-media networking technology and providing the BMS with artificial intelligence (AI) through the use of knowledge-based systems (KBS) technology. By means of artificial intelligence, the system is capable of assessing, diagnosing and suggesting the best solution. This paper outlines how AI techniques can enhance the control of HVAC systems for occupant comfort and efficient running costs based on occupancy prediction. Also load control and load balancing are investigated. Instead of just using pre-programmed load priorities, this work has investigated the use of a dynamic system of priorities which are based on many factors such as area usage, occupancy, time of day and real time environmental conditions. This control strategy which is based on a set of rules running on the central control system, makes use of information gathered from outstations throughout the building and communicated via the building's data-bus.
series	journal paper
more	http://www.elsevier.com/locate/autcon
last changed	2003/05/15 21:22

_id	20ff
id	20ff
authors	Derix, Christian
year	2004
title	Building a Synthetic Cognizer
source	Design Computation Cognition conference 2004, MIT
summary	Understanding ‘space’ as a structured and dynamic system can provide us with insight into the central concept in the architectural discourse that so far has proven to withstand theoretical framing (McLuhan 1964). The basis for this theoretical assumption is that space is not a void left by solid matter but instead an emergent quality of action and interaction between individuals and groups with a physical environment (Hillier 1996). In this way it can be described as a parallel distributed system, a self-organising entity. Extrapolating from Luhmann’s theory of social systems (Luhmann 1984), a spatial system is autonomous from its progenitors, people, but remains intangible to a human observer due to its abstract nature and therefore has to be analysed by computed entities, synthetic cognisers, with the capacity to perceive. This poster shows an attempt to use another complex system, a distributed connected algorithm based on Kohonen’s self-organising feature maps – SOM (Kohonen 1997), as a “perceptual aid” for creating geometric mappings of these spatial systems that will shed light on our understanding of space by not representing space through our usual mechanics but by constructing artificial spatial cognisers with abilities to make spatial representations of their own. This allows us to be shown novel representations that can help us to see new differences and similarities in spatial configurations.
keywords	architectural design, neural networks, cognition, representation
series	other
type	poster
email
more	http://www.springer.com/computer/ai/book/978-1-4020-2392-7
last changed	2012/09/17 21:13

_id	2483
authors	Gero, J.S. and Kazakov, V.
year	1997
title	Learning and reusing information in space layout problems using genetic engineering
source	Artificial Intelligence in Engineering 11(3):329-334
summary	The paper describes the application of a genetic engineering based extension to genetic algorithms to the layout planning problem. We study the gene evolution which takes place when an algorithm of this type is running and demonstrate that in many cases it effectively leads to the partial decomposition of the layout problem by grouping some activit ies together and optimally placing these groups during the first stage of the computation. At a second stage it optimally places activities within these groups. We show that the algorithm finnds the solution faster than standard evolutionary methods and that evolved genes represent design features that can be re-used later in a range of similar problems.
keywords	Genetic Engineering, Learning
series	other
email
last changed	2001/09/08 12:04

_id	acadia18_226
id	acadia18_226
authors	Glynn, Ruairi; Abramovic, Vasilija; Overvelde, Johannes T. B.
year	2018
title	Edge of Chaos. Towards intelligent architecture through distributed control systems based on Cellular Automata.
doi	https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.acadia.2018.226
source	ACADIA // 2018: Recalibration. On imprecisionand infidelity. [Proceedings of the 38th Annual Conference of the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture (ACADIA) ISBN 978-0-692-17729-7] Mexico City, Mexico 18-20 October, 2018, pp. 226-231
summary	From the “Edge of Chaos”, a mathematical space discovered by computer scientist Christopher Langton (1997), compelling behaviors originate that exhibit both degrees of organization and instability creating a continuous dance between order and chaos. This paper presents a project intended to make this complex theory tangible through an interactive installation based on metamaterial research which demonstrates emergent behavior using Cellular Automata (CA) techniques, illustrated through sound, light and motion. We present a multi-sensory narrative approach that encourages playful exploration and contemplation on perhaps the biggest questions of how life could emerge from the disorder of the universe. We argue a way of creating intelligent architecture, not through classical Artificial Intelligence (AI), but rather through Artificial Life (ALife), embracing the aesthetic emergent possibilities that can spontaneously arise from this approach. In order to make these ideas of emergent life more tangible we present this paper in four integrated parts, namely: narrative, material, hardware and computation. The Edge of Chaos installation is an explicit realization of creating emergent systems and translating them into an architectural design. Our results demonstrate the effectiveness of a custom CA for maximizing aesthetic impact while minimizing the live time of architectural kinetic elements.
keywords	work in progress, complexity, responsive architecture, distributed computing, emergence, installation, interactive architecture, cellular automata
series	ACADIA
type	paper
email
last changed	2022/06/07 07:51

_id	sigradi2007_af13
id	sigradi2007_af13
authors	Granero, Adriana Edith; Alicia Barrón; María Teresa Urruti
year	2007
title	Transformations in the educational system, Influence of the Digital Graph [Transformaciones en el sistema educacional, influencia de la Gráfica Digital]
source	SIGraDi 2007 - [Proceedings of the 11th Iberoamerican Congress of Digital Graphics] México D.F. - México 23-25 October 2007, pp. 182-186
summary	The educative proposal was based on the summary attained through experiences piled up during the 2 last semester courses, 2/2006-1/2007. This proposal corresponds to a mix of methodology (by personal attendance / by internet). Founding on the Theory of the Game (Eric Berne 1960) and on different theories such as: Multiple intelligences (Haward Gardner 1983), Emotional Intelligence (Peter Salowey and John Mayer 1990, Goleman 1998), Social Intelligence (Goleman 2006), the Triarchy of Intelligence (Stemberg, R.J. 1985, 1997), “the hand of the human power”, it´s established that the power of the voice, that of the imagination, the reward, the commitment and association produce a significant increase of the productivity (Rosabeth Moss Kanter 2000), aside from the constructive processes of the knowledge (new pedagogical concepts constructivista of Ormrod J.E. 2003 and Tim O´Reilly 2004).
series	SIGRADI
email
last changed	2016/03/10 09:52

_id	d036
authors	Jang, J.S.R., Sun, C.T. and Mizutani, E.
year	1997
title	Neuro-fuzzy and soft computing; a computational approach to learning and machine intelligence
source	Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River
summary	Included in Prentice Hall's MATLAB Curriculum Series, this text provides a comprehensive treatment of the methodologies underlying neuro-fuzzy and soft computing. The book places equal emphasis on theoretical aspects of covered methodologies, empirical observations, and verifications of various applications in practice.
series	other
last changed	2003/04/23 15:14

_id	01f7
authors	Krause, Jeffrey
year	1997
title	Agent Generated Architecture
doi	https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.acadia.1997.063
source	Design and Representation [ACADIA ‘97 Conference Proceedings / ISBN 1-880250-06-3] Cincinatti, Ohio (USA) 3-5 October 1997, pp. 63-70
summary	This paper will describe a behavior based artificial intelligence experiment in computer generated architectural design and will explain the internal representations and procedures of an agent based autonomous system. This is a departure from traditional (AI and architectural) top-down approaches, allowing hundreds of agents to work simultaneously—building, manipulating, and dismantling their environment. Individual agents work in collaboration, in disjunction or autonomously. Architectural design is perhaps most commonly described by the architect as consisting of the ability to see the whole picture, to organize, to collect, to juggle, to manage, and to maintain multiple conflicting goals and values. Architecture by the preceding definition is hierarchical and top-down in nature. The agent based experiment in this paper presents an alternative design process, involving multiple autonomous agents acting distributively. The agents (objects) move through the design landscape, simultaneously collaborating, building, degenerating, and transforming their world.
series	ACADIA
email
last changed	2022/06/07 07:51

_id	ab84
authors	Li, Thomas S.P. and Will, Barry F.
year	1997
title	A Computer-Aided Evaluation Tool for the Visual Aspects in Architectural Design for High-Density and High- Rise Buildings
source	CAAD Futures 1997 [Conference Proceedings / ISBN 0-7923-4726-9] München (Germany), 4-6 August 1997, pp. 345-356
summary	The field of view, the nature of the objects being seen, the distances between the objects and the viewer, daylighting and sunshine are some major factors affecting perceived reactions when viewing through a window. View is one major factor that leads to the satisfaction and comfort of the users inside the building enclosure. While computer technologies are being widely used in the field of architecture, designers still have to use their own intelligence, experience and preferences in judging their designs with respect to the quality of view. This paper introduces an alternative approach to the analysis of views by the use of computers. The prototype of this system and its underlying principles were first introduced in the C A A D R I A 1997 conference. This paper describes the further development of this system where emphasis has been placed on the high- rise and high-density environments. Architects may find themselves facing considerable limitations for improving their designs regarding views out of the building under these environmental conditions. This research permits an interactive real-time response to altering views as the forms and planes of the building are manipulated.
series	CAAD Futures
email
last changed	2001/05/27 18:39

_id	1767
authors	Loveday, D.L., Virk, G.S., Cheung, J.Y.M. and Azzi, D.
year	1997
title	Intelligence in buildings: the potential of advanced modelling
source	Automation in Construction 6 (5-6) (1997) pp. 447-461
summary	Intelligence in buildings usually implies facilities management via building automation systems (BAS). However, present-day commercial BAS adopt a rudimentary approach to data handling, control and fault detection, and there is much scope for improvement. This paper describes a model-based technique for raising the level of sophistication at which BAS currently operate. Using stochastic multivariable identification, models are derived which describe the behaviour of air temperature and relative humidity in a full-scale office zone equipped with a dedicated heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) plant. The models are of good quality, giving prediction accuracies of ± 0.25°C in 19.2°C and of ± 0.6% rh in 53% rh when forecasting up to 15 minutes ahead. For forecasts up to 3 days ahead, accuracies are ± 0.65°C and ± 1.25% rh, respectively.The utility of the models for facilities management is investigated. The "temperature model" was employed within a predictive on/off control strategy for the office zone, and was shown to substantially improve temperature regulation and to reduce energy consumption in comparison with conventional on/off control. Comparison of prediction accuracies for two different situations, that is, the office with and without furniture plus carpet, showed that some level of furnishing is essential during the commissioning phase if model-based control of relative humidity is contemplated. The prospects are assessed for wide-scale replication of the model-based technique, and it is shown that deterministic simulation has potential to be used as a means of initialising a model structure and hence of selecting the sensors for a BAS for any building at the design stage. It is concluded that advanced model-based methods offer significant promise for improving BAS performance, and that proving trials in full-scale everyday situations are now needed prior to commercial development and installation.
series	journal paper
more	http://www.elsevier.com/locate/autcon
last changed	2003/05/15 21:22

_id	cf2011_p016
id	cf2011_p016
authors	Merrick, Kathryn; Gu Ning
year	2011
title	Supporting Collective Intelligence for Design in Virtual Worlds: A Case Study of the Lego Universe
source	Computer Aided Architectural Design Futures 2011 [Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Computer Aided Architectural Design Futures / ISBN 9782874561429] Liege (Belgium) 4-8 July 2011, pp. 637-652.
summary	Virtual worlds are multi-faceted technologies. Facets of virtual worlds include graphical simulation tools, communication, design and modelling tools, artificial intelligence, network structure, persistent object-oriented infrastructure, economy, governance and user presence and interaction. Recent studies (Merrick et al., 2010) and applications (Rosenman et al., 2006; Maher et al., 2006) have shown that the combination of design, modelling and communication tools, and artificial intelligence in virtual worlds makes them suitable platforms for supporting collaborative design, including human-human collaboration and human-computer co-creativity. Virtual worlds are also coming to be recognised as a platform for collective intelligence (Levy, 1997), a form of group intelligence that emerges from collaboration and competition among large numbers of individuals. Because of the close relationship between design, communication and virtual world technologies, there appears a strong possibility of using virtual worlds to harness collective intelligence for supporting upcoming ‚Äúdesign challenges on a much larger scale as we become an increasingly global and technological society‚Äù (Maher et al, 2010), beyond the current support for small-scale collaborative design teams. Collaborative design is relatively well studied and is characterised by small-scale, carefully structured design teams, usually comprising design professionals with a good understanding of the design task at hand. All team members are generally motivated and have the skills required to structure the shared solution space and to complete the design task. In contrast, collective design (Maher et al, 2010) is characterised by a very large number of participants ranging from professional designers to design novices, who may need to be motivated to participate, whose contributions may not be directly utilised for design purposes, and who may need to learn some or all of the skills required to complete the task. Thus the facets of virtual worlds required to support collective design differ from those required to support collaborative design. Specifically, in addition to design, communication and artificial intelligence tools, various interpretive, mapping and educational tools together with appropriate motivational and reward systems may be required to inform, teach and motivate virtual world users to contribute and direct their inputs to desired design purposes. Many of these world facets are well understood by computer game developers, as level systems, quests or plot and achievement/reward systems. This suggests the possibility of drawing on or adapting computer gaming technologies as a basis for harnessing collective intelligence in design. Existing virtual worlds that permit open-ended design ‚Äì such as Second Life and There ‚Äì are not specifically game worlds as they do not have extensive level, quest and reward systems in the same way as game worlds like World of Warcraft or Ultima Online. As such, while Second Life and There demonstrate emergent design, they do not have the game-specific facets that focus users towards solving specific problems required for harnessing collective intelligence. However, a new massively multiplayer virtual world is soon to be released that combines open-ended design tools with levels, quests and achievement systems. This world is called Lego Universe (www.legouniverse.com). This paper presents technology spaces for the facets of virtual worlds that can contribute to the support of collective intelligence in design, including design and modelling tools, communication tools, artificial intelligence, level system, motivation, governance and other related facets. We discuss how these facets support the design, communication, motivational and educational requirements of collective intelligence applications. The paper concludes with a case study of Lego Universe, with reference to the technology spaces defined above. We evaluate the potential of this or similar tools to move design beyond the individual and small-scale design teams to harness large-scale collective intelligence. We also consider the types of design tasks that might best be addressed in this manner.
keywords	collective intelligence, collective design, virtual worlds, computer games
series	CAAD Futures
email
last changed	2012/02/11 19:21

_id	394f
authors	Moller, C.
year	1997
title	The virtual organisation
source	Automation in Construction 6 (1) (1997) pp. 39-43
summary	A virtual organisation is a geographically dispersed organisation, in which travel for the purpose of exchanging information is minimised. It is also a `hub-and-spokes' model, where the hub is no larger than the spokes, and a multi-site organisation in which the sites are well connected electronically, allowing most of the forms of communication that happen within a single office to be replicated at a distance. The paper also includes: information flows in the construction industry, visions of the future, and further reading.
series	journal paper
more	http://www.elsevier.com/locate/autcon
last changed	2003/05/15 21:22

_id	4cce
authors	Monedero, Javier
year	1997
title	Parametric Design. A Review and Some Experiences
doi	https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.ecaade.1997.x.q8p
source	Challenges of the Future [15th eCAADe Conference Proceedings / ISBN 0-9523687-3-0] Vienna (Austria) 17-20 September 1997
summary	During the last few years there has been an extraordinary development of computer aided tools intended to present or communicate the results of architectural projects. But there has not been a comparable progress in the development of tools intended to assist design to generate architectural forms in an easy and interactive way. Even worst, architects who use the powerful means provided by computers, as a direct tool to create architectural forms are still an exception. Architecture continues to be produced by traditional means using the computer as little more than a drafting tool. The main reasons that may explain this situation can be identified rather easily, although there will be significant differences of opinion. Mine is that it is a mistake trying to advance too rapidly and, for instance, propose integrated design methods using expert systems and artificial intelligence resources when do not have still an adequate tool to generate and modify simple 3D models. The modelling tools we have at the present moment are clearly unsatisfactory. Their principal limitation is the lack of appropriate instruments to modify interactively the model once it has been created. This is a fundamental aspect in any design activity, where the designer is constantly going forward and backwards, reelaborating once and again some particular aspect of the model, or its general layout, or even coming back to a previous solution that had been temporarily abandoned.
keywords	Parametric Design
series	eCAADe
email
more	http://info.tuwien.ac.at/ecaade/proc/moneder/moneder.htm
last changed	2022/06/07 07:50

_id	ga0026
id	ga0026
authors	Ransen, Owen F.
year	2000
title	Possible Futures in Computer Art Generation
source	International Conference on Generative Art
summary	Years of trying to create an "Image Idea Generator" program have convinced me that the perfect solution would be to have an artificial artistic person, a design slave. This paper describes how I came to that conclusion, realistic alternatives, and briefly, how it could possibly happen. 1. The history of Repligator and Gliftic 1.1 Repligator In 1996 I had the idea of creating an “image idea generator”. I wanted something which would create images out of nothing, but guided by the user. The biggest conceptual problem I had was “out of nothing”. What does that mean? So I put aside that problem and forced the user to give the program a starting image. This program eventually turned into Repligator, commercially described as an “easy to use graphical effects program”, but actually, to my mind, an Image Idea Generator. The first release came out in October 1997. In December 1998 I described Repligator V4 [1] and how I thought it could be developed away from simply being an effects program. In July 1999 Repligator V4 won the Shareware Industry Awards Foundation prize for "Best Graphics Program of 1999". Prize winners are never told why they won, but I am sure that it was because of two things: 1) Easy of use 2) Ease of experimentation "Ease of experimentation" means that Repligator does in fact come up with new graphics ideas. Once you have input your original image you can generate new versions of that image simply by pushing a single key. Repligator is currently at version 6, but, apart from adding many new effects and a few new features, is basically the same program as version 4. Following on from the ideas in [1] I started to develop Gliftic, which is closer to my original thoughts of an image idea generator which "starts from nothing". The Gliftic model of images was that they are composed of three components: 1. Layout or form, for example the outline of a mandala is a form. 2. Color scheme, for example colors selected from autumn leaves from an oak tree. 3. Interpretation, for example Van Gogh would paint a mandala with oak tree colors in a different way to Andy Warhol. There is a Van Gogh interpretation and an Andy Warhol interpretation. Further I wanted to be able to genetically breed images, for example crossing two layouts to produce a child layout. And the same with interpretations and color schemes. If I could achieve this then the program would be very powerful. 1.2 Getting to Gliftic Programming has an amazing way of crystalising ideas. If you want to put an idea into practice via a computer program you really have to understand the idea not only globally, but just as importantly, in detail. You have to make hard design decisions, there can be no vagueness, and so implementing what I had decribed above turned out to be a considerable challenge. I soon found out that the hardest thing to do would be the breeding of forms. What are the "genes" of a form? What are the genes of a circle, say, and how do they compare to the genes of the outline of the UK? I wanted the genotype representation (inside the computer program's data) to be directly linked to the phenotype representation (on the computer screen). This seemed to be the best way of making sure that bred-forms would bare some visual relationship to their parents. I also wanted symmetry to be preserved. For example if two symmetrical objects were bred then their children should be symmetrical. I decided to represent shapes as simply closed polygonal shapes, and the "genes" of these shapes were simply the list of points defining the polygon. Thus a circle would have to be represented by a regular polygon of, say, 100 sides. The outline of the UK could easily be represented as a list of points every 10 Kilometers along the coast line. Now for the important question: what do you get when you cross a circle with the outline of the UK? I tried various ways of combining the "genes" (i.e. coordinates) of the shapes, but none of them really ended up producing interesting shapes. And of the methods I used, many of them, applied over several "generations" simply resulted in amorphous blobs, with no distinct family characteristics. Or rather maybe I should say that no single method of breeding shapes gave decent results for all types of images. Figure 1 shows an example of breeding a mandala with 6 regular polygons: Figure 1 Mandala bred with array of regular polygons I did not try out all my ideas, and maybe in the future I will return to the problem, but it was clear to me that it is a non-trivial problem. And if the breeding of shapes is a non-trivial problem, then what about the breeding of interpretations? I abandoned the genetic (breeding) model of generating designs but retained the idea of the three components (form, color scheme, interpretation). 1.3 Gliftic today Gliftic Version 1.0 was released in May 2000. It allows the user to change a form, a color scheme and an interpretation. The user can experiment with combining different components together and can thus home in on an personally pleasing image. Just as in Repligator, pushing the F7 key make the program choose all the options. Unlike Repligator however the user can also easily experiment with the form (only) by pushing F4, the color scheme (only) by pushing F5 and the interpretation (only) by pushing F6. Figures 2, 3 and 4 show some example images created by Gliftic. Figure 2 Mandala interpreted with arabesques Figure 3 Trellis interpreted with "graphic ivy" Figure 4 Regular dots interpreted as "sparks" 1.4 Forms in Gliftic V1 Forms are simply collections of graphics primitives (points, lines, ellipses and polygons). The program generates these collections according to the user's instructions. Currently the forms are: Mandala, Regular Polygon, Random Dots, Random Sticks, Random Shapes, Grid Of Polygons, Trellis, Flying Leap, Sticks And Waves, Spoked Wheel, Biological Growth, Chequer Squares, Regular Dots, Single Line, Paisley, Random Circles, Chevrons. 1.5 Color Schemes in Gliftic V1 When combining a form with an interpretation (described later) the program needs to know what colors it can use. The range of colors is called a color scheme. Gliftic has three color scheme types: 1. Random colors: Colors for the various parts of the image are chosen purely at random. 2. Hue Saturation Value (HSV) colors: The user can choose the main hue (e.g. red or yellow), the saturation (purity) of the color scheme and the value (brightness/darkness) . The user also has to choose how much variation is allowed in the color scheme. A wide variation allows the various colors of the final image to depart a long way from the HSV settings. A smaller variation results in the final image using almost a single color. 3. Colors chosen from an image: The user can choose an image (for example a JPG file of a famous painting, or a digital photograph he took while on holiday in Greece) and Gliftic will select colors from that image. Only colors from the selected image will appear in the output image. 1.6 Interpretations in Gliftic V1 Interpretation in Gliftic is best decribed with a few examples. A pure geometric line could be interpreted as: 1) the branch of a tree 2) a long thin arabesque 3) a sequence of disks 4) a chain, 5) a row of diamonds. An pure geometric ellipse could be interpreted as 1) a lake, 2) a planet, 3) an eye. Gliftic V1 has the following interpretations: Standard, Circles, Flying Leap, Graphic Ivy, Diamond Bar, Sparkz, Ess Disk, Ribbons, George Haite, Arabesque, ZigZag. 1.7 Applications of Gliftic Currently Gliftic is mostly used for creating WEB graphics, often backgrounds as it has an option to enable "tiling" of the generated images. There is also a possibility that it will be used in the custom textile business sometime within the next year or two. The real application of Gliftic is that of generating new graphics ideas, and I suspect that, like Repligator, many users will only understand this later. 2. The future of Gliftic, 3 possibilties Completing Gliftic V1 gave me the experience to understand what problems and opportunities there will be in future development of the program. Here I divide my many ideas into three oversimplified possibilities, and the real result may be a mix of two or all three of them. 2.1 Continue the current development "linearly" Gliftic could grow simply by the addition of more forms and interpretations. In fact I am sure that initially it will grow like this. However this limits the possibilities to what is inside the program itself. These limits can be mitigated by allowing the user to add forms (as vector files). The user can already add color schemes (as images). The biggest problem with leaving the program in its current state is that there is no easy way to add interpretations. 2.2 Allow the artist to program Gliftic It would be interesting to add a language to Gliftic which allows the user to program his own form generators and interpreters. In this way Gliftic becomes a "platform" for the development of dynamic graphics styles by the artist. The advantage of not having to deal with the complexities of Windows programming could attract the more adventurous artists and designers. The choice of programming language of course needs to take into account the fact that the "programmer" is probably not be an expert computer scientist. I have seen how LISP (an not exactly easy artificial intelligence language) has become very popular among non programming users of AutoCAD. If, to complete a job which you do manually and repeatedly, you can write a LISP macro of only 5 lines, then you may be tempted to learn enough LISP to write those 5 lines. Imagine also the ability to publish (and/or sell) "style generators". An artist could develop a particular interpretation function, it creates images of a given character which others find appealing. The interpretation (which runs inside Gliftic as a routine) could be offered to interior designers (for example) to unify carpets, wallpaper, furniture coverings for single projects. As Adrian Ward [3] says on his WEB site: "Programming is no less an artform than painting is a technical process." Learning a computer language to create a single image is overkill and impractical. Learning a computer language to create your own artistic style which generates an infinite series of images in that style may well be attractive. 2.3 Add an artificial conciousness to Gliftic This is a wild science fiction idea which comes into my head regularly. Gliftic manages to surprise the users with the images it makes, but, currently, is limited by what gets programmed into it or by pure chance. How about adding a real artifical conciousness to the program? Creating an intelligent artificial designer? According to Igor Aleksander [1] conciousness is required for programs (computers) to really become usefully intelligent. Aleksander thinks that "the line has been drawn under the philosophical discussion of conciousness, and the way is open to sound scientific investigation". Without going into the details, and with great over-simplification, there are roughly two sorts of artificial intelligence: 1) Programmed intelligence, where, to all intents and purposes, the programmer is the "intelligence". The program may perform well (but often, in practice, doesn't) and any learning which is done is simply statistical and pre-programmed. There is no way that this type of program could become concious. 2) Neural network intelligence, where the programs are based roughly on a simple model of the brain, and the network learns how to do specific tasks. It is this sort of program which, according to Aleksander, could, in the future, become concious, and thus usefully intelligent. What could the advantages of an artificial artist be? 1) There would be no need for programming. Presumbably the human artist would dialog with the artificial artist, directing its development. 2) The artificial artist could be used as an apprentice, doing the "drudge" work of art, which needs intelligence, but is, anyway, monotonous for the human artist. 3) The human artist imagines "concepts", the artificial artist makes them concrete. 4) An concious artificial artist may come up with ideas of its own. Is this science fiction? Arthur C. Clarke's 1st Law: "If a famous scientist says that something can be done, then he is in all probability correct. If a famous scientist says that something cannot be done, then he is in all probability wrong". Arthur C Clarke's 2nd Law: "Only by trying to go beyond the current limits can you find out what the real limits are." One of Bertrand Russell's 10 commandments: "Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric" 3. References 1. "From Ramon Llull to Image Idea Generation". Ransen, Owen. Proceedings of the 1998 Milan First International Conference on Generative Art. 2. "How To Build A Mind" Aleksander, Igor. Wiedenfeld and Nicolson, 1999 3. "How I Drew One of My Pictures: or, The Authorship of Generative Art" by Adrian Ward and Geof Cox. Proceedings of the 1999 Milan 2nd International Conference on Generative Art.
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