Exploring representations for parallel development of design solutions using parametric systems (original) (raw)

In this poster, we present two prototype systems (CAMBRIA and Dependency Graph Interface) as an extension to existing parametric CAD tools that enable parallel generation and editing of design alternatives. CAMBRIA is a prototype built for 2D vector drawings. It features a small but powerful set of multi-state parallel editing operations (pass object, pass property, unify, clone), while preserving object identity across states, and across operations. The Dependency Graph Interface is built on two fundamental ideas. First, use of dependency graphs enables simultaneous work on multiple design variations. These graphs capture and reveal complex data flow across alternative parametric CAD models. Second, prototype-based modeling provides a weak notion of inheritance enabling incremental description of differences between alternatives.