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
authors
Eggink, Dustin
year
2001
title
Smart Objects: Constraints and Behaviors in a Dimensional Design
source
University of Washington, Design Machine Group
summary
Each new design problem in architecture presents a new set of requirements .A designer must remain aware of these requirements and effectively communicate them to collaborators because the degree to which the requirements are met will determine the success of the solution. This thesis explores how design can be effectively presented in a medium that is both explorative of form and descriptive of the design problem’s requirements. To facilitate this, we present Smart Objects, a constraint-based three-dimensional(3D) computer program. In Smart Objects, design intentions of an architectural problem are embedded as constraints into the modeled objects that compose a formal solution. A model is presented through a 3DVirtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) viewer and constrained by a software program we wrote in the Java language. Both the VRML viewer and the Java program are contained within a single web page. In Smart Objectsd. A designer meets or violates constraints, objects behave in a manner that reflects the requirements of the problem and intentions of the designer. SmartObjects communicates the design principles and guidelines that inform an architectural design to the collaborators involved in the project. It ensures that these principles and guidelines are maintained as the design progresses.