A multi-level environment to support demand driven design
E.J. Schut, Michel J.L. van Tooren · Research Repository (Delft University of Technology) · 2008
In the conceptual design process a designer has too little resources to encompass all design options, and tools.To integrate new solutions a method should exist that reuses known solutions and is able to efficiently and effectively integrate new design options, and tools.The knowledge based engineering methodology can support an implementation of such a method.It captures human repetitive processes in software primitives.In this paper the development of a multi-level design environment is discussed that embodies such a method.The environment uses feasilisation heuristics to structure the design process and is based on a set of modular building blocks that enable a designer to define any design process.An implementation of this environment is presented a sample panel design problem based on structural and manufacturing considerations.The approach requires extensive process formalisation, but returns flexible process definition, traceability, automated execution and information capturing.