IMPROVING PRODUCT DESIGN VIA A SHAPE GRAMMAR TOOL
DS 32: Proceedings of DESIGN 2004, the 8th International Design Conference, Dubrovnik, Croatia
Year: 2004
Editor: Marjanovic D.
Author: Prats, M.; Garner, S.; Jowers, I.; Earl, C.
Section: DESIGN RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY
Page(s): 477 - 482
Abstract
Modern computer methods of design provide a powerful tool for communicating design concepts in a quantitative manner, but lack the flexibility to allow designers freedom to thoroughly explore a design space. On the other hand, traditional methods such as sketching allow designers freedom to quickly explore ideas but provide no quantitative information about a concept. We present a shape grammar tool that has the potential to bridge the gap between traditional sketching techniques allowing designers the freedom to explore a design space, whilst providing quantitative information about the designs produced. Examples from car design are described to illustrate the application of the shape grammar tool.
Keywords: generation, collaboration, shape