Re: Parametric Design
2002.07.14 15:00
Just some running thoughts:
The way one thinks influencing the way one uses tools is probably better than the way one uses tools influencing the way one thinks.
[For me,] 2D CAD and 3D CAD are the same thing in that both 'drawings' are executed within a 3D CAD environment. I view the data within the CAD environment different than the data as it is output, (e.g., as CAM or as a print), because data within the CAD environment is always fluid.
I have often 'played' with changing the x,y,z parameters of existing CAD models. It is very easy to change the Villa Savoye, for instance, by x factor of 2, a y factor of .5 and a z factor of 3--this will make the Villa Savoye twice as long, half as wide, and 3 times as high. And if you incorporate an angle change(s) along any or all of the x, y, or z axes, then the resultant model gets very bizarre.
I utilize parametric design capabilities to investigate what modes of 'drawing' are at my disposal--it is 'playing' to learn and observe rather than just to entertain (myself).
The biggest drawback of CAD versus hand-drawing is the cost of CAD software (and also hardware). CAD is usually only something that can be used 'at the office.' It is unfortunate that not everyone has the chance to 'experiment' with CAD outside of the 'billable' work environment. Even students are limited in the amount of free experimentation they can perform, mostly due to project deadlines.
The biggest advantage of CAD over hand-drawing is that CAD generates digital data, and it is indeed the digital property of CAD data that make the data so usable (ultimately to CAM) and malleable (via variable parameters).
S
ps
I never play with 'original' data, rather I play with copies of the original data.
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