CAREER: Sketch-based Construction and Interaction with Geometric Content in Creative Design Environments

Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh PA

Investigators

Abstract

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). The research objective of this Early Faculty Career (CAREER) award is to develop methods for sketch-based construction and interaction with geometric content in creative design environments. The research will develop methods that can translate designers' conceptual sketches into 2D and 3D geometric data that can be readily modified, simulated and optimized through a pen-and-paper like interface. The research will result in methods that enhance design innovation by providing human-centric computational technology for form creation and exploration in the early design stages of engineered products. Methods will be designed and implemented for creating 3D geometry from 2D sketches, for automatically generating aesthetic product forms from pen strokes, and for capturing design knowledge by monitoring users' interaction with the developed computational tools. If successful, the results of this research will enhance current design practices in industry by enabling designers to rapidly generate and assess complex product forms via digital sketching. This will lead to greater efficiency in design exploration and iteration, which are central to technological innovation. By facilitating form creation, the new methodologies will enable a more fluid integration of stylistic and functional design requirements currently not supported by conventional tools. The resulting technology will have an immediate impacts in a number of fields including product design, automotive design, pre-surgical planning, and engineering education. The education and outreach activities of the award will provide interdisciplinary learning opportunities for undergraduate and graduate engineering students in computational design, and will help promote interest for science and engineering from underrepresented groups and high school students.