Extending the Algebras of Design

摘要

Algebras of design have previously been investigated for shapes composed of rectilinear geometric elements, such as lines and planes, and the properties of these algebras have been found to be beneficial for formalising designs, as well as the visual processes used by designers as they manipulate shapes in their design explorations. In this paper, an overview is presented of the application of these algebras in formalising design processes, and this is followed by a discussion concerning issues that arise when the algebras are extended to accommodate non-rectilinear designs, represented by shapes composed of curves, surfaces and solids. Consideration of non-rectilinear shapes introduces new problems not previously identified in the established formalism, resulting from the geometries and topologies of the shapes. These give rise to significant questions about the relationships between shapes and the property of embedding, which is fundamental to the construction of algebras of design.