MIT 4.207 - Formal Design Knowledge and Programmed Constructs

Introduction

In the real world, a significant part of the day-to day practice of an architect is spent on information processing rather than creation. Architectural design practice involves the gathering of information about site, building code, building materials, fixtures and furniture, and everything attached to the machine called a building.

We are used to a landscape of an architect office where the walls are filed with catalogues and material samples. But with the growth of the Internet based communication technology, more and more information are found on the web.

Building codes are accessible by text file on the Web. Light fixture's geometry and IES data are distributed by the manufacturer on the Web, and you can plug them into your geometrized model for immediate lighting simulation. We can even dispatch 3D geometric modeling files to the CAD/CAM model maker and let the model maker ship us back a phisical model via Federal Express.

This page intends to establish some design knowledge and provide architectural objects and their transformations.

Description

Many of the projects described in this page are simple examples of AutoCAD utilities. Some are in Autolisp, and some in ADS. You can either revise the code or download the code to your AutoCAD program using the provided buttons, and then run the loaded functions.

Projects

1. Project 1 - Batch File to draw something

   This project is sample programs that only perform very simple Autocad commands. PROG1 prints a sentence at the Autocad prompt. PROG2 draws a line
   

   • Code: PROG1.C, PROG2.C
   • Program: PROG1.EXE, PROG2.EXE
   • Language: ADS
   • No parameters

   Code of prog1.c	Code of prog2.c	Launch Program

2. Project 2 - Parametric Shape

   A parametric description of a simple 2D house, made of a square body and a triangular roof
   

   • Code: ASST2.C
   • Program: ASST.EXE
   • Language: ADS
   • Program prompts for size of square and height of roof

   Code of asst2.lsp	Launch Program

3. Project 3 - Geometric Operation of Elements

   This project includes a function C:HOUSE to draw a 3D instance of a house, and a program C:TOWN that instanciates a number of different houses (calls to C:HOSUE with different parameters).
   

   • Code: ASST3.C
   • Program: ASST3.EXE
   • Language: ADS
   • Parameters of C:HOUSE -

   Code of asst3.lsp	Launch Program

4. Project 4 & 5 - Hierarchic Representation of Architectonic Elements and its Transformations

   This project is implemented under ©NITROS. It defines a set of composite elments in a hierarchic representation system, and then its transformation rules, as can be seen in the graphic table.
   

   • Code: psnitros.lsp
   • Language: AutoLISP

   Code of psnitros.lsp	Load psnitros.lsp
   Load NITROS	Instance	Elaborate
   Up Node	Down Node	Parametric