Improving design grammar development and application through network-based analysis of transition graphs

Abstract

Design grammars enable the formal representation of a vocabulary and rules that describehow designs can be synthesized just as the grammar rules of a spoken language definehow to formulate valid, i.e., grammatically correct, sentences. Design grammars havebeen successfully applied in numerous engineering disciplines and enable the automatedsynthesis of designs within a defined design language. Design grammar development,however, is challenging and lacks methodological support. In this paper, a novel methodis presented that supports the development and application of design grammars usingtransition graphs. In these, nodes represent generated designs and edges represent grammarrules that transform one design into another. Rather than using a tree structure to representthe possible application of rules, transition graphs are automatically generated and used tohelp designers better understand the developed grammar. The grammar designer is givenfeedback on (a) the rules, and (b) rule application sequences. This feedback can be used to(a) improve the grammar, and (b) apply it more efficiently. Two case studies, a gearboxsynthesis task and a sliding tile puzzle, demonstrate the method. The results show thefeasibility of the method to support design grammar development and application.