Engineering and Design lecture series
Thomas Speller of MIT describes a cataloging system created with shape grammars and 2D CAs
Thomas discussed how system architecture limited both by current processes, by budget and time, and by the typical fact that stakeholders in a project aren't aware of their true requirements until part of the designed system has been built.
Shape grammars are based on Chomksy's transformational grammar, which generate a language of one-dimensional strings. Thomas describes a generative algorithm in stages, that transform shape grammars into a CA system. Thomas used shape grammars to develop a catalog of Chinese Lattices and ancient Greek Meanders. The shape grammar defines shapes, markers and initial conditions, and a 2D CA is used to generate one quadrant of the lattice, since the full lattice can be produced from this through symmetric reflections.
While the rule system had over 4 million possible outcomes, only about 20% met the specifications of being a valid lattice, and in fact after a uniqueness test, there turned out to only be 20 unique lattice structures.
Thomas described an application of this system to the routing of pipes for in-floor radiative heating. The crucial requirement here is that it must provide uniform heat and be the most cost-effective to install. The system was extended with a more complex neighborhood and more rules, and each room or "zone" in an installation can be solved as a separate module with limited connectivity to the other modules, and the modules can then be joined into a complete installation plan. The solution space can be further filters to meet efficiency conditions, such as preference for the longest possible runs of straight pipes or other requirements.
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