Shape Machine

Catalog description

A shape machine is any computational technology that fundamentally expresses the way shapes are represented, indexed, queried and manipulated. In this course the shape machine is based on visual rules (shape rules) grounded in symbolic rules (programming language instructions) to provide a robust technology to individuals who use drawings and visual models to develop and communicate their ideas. A shape machine is intended to be a computational, visual and disruptive technology for shape cognition and computing, which intersects with such fields as design, artificial intelligence, computer science, and mathematics. We consider a particular kind of shape machine - spatial grammars - which have their origin in formal grammars for spatial composition. Grammatical approaches to designing offer an alternative to traditional approaches. The goal of grammars is not to produce a single design as the final outcome, but, rather, to provide an understanding of the underlying spatial relations that come into play in an eventual design. For nearly three decades, grammars have been studied extensively to understand style in architecture, engineering, design, fine art and ornament. Recently, there has been an increasing application of grammatical ideas to other disciplines. Specifically, there is resurgent interest in implementing shape grammars for application. This is the focus of this course. Prerequisite: 48-724