PART Generic Object

INVESTIGATORS: A. Scott Howe (PI), working with Kajima Technical Research Institute (KATRI) Kit-of-parts Construction Group members Isamu Ishii and Shinichiro Kosho. Other team members include Kajima Corporation Katsuhiko Watanabe and Tomohito Okudaira. Demonstration software produced by Hartmut Seichter.

FUNDING: US$62,000 funded by KATRI.

PERIOD: Jan 2003 - Dec 2004.

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this research is to explore the nature of a design assistant tool that manages pre-defined models in a kit-of-parts system. The Prefabricated Architecture Replication Tool (PART) is a digital design assistant that helps the designer to assemble buildings or other artifacts using pre-defined kit-of-parts systems. The tool is based on a generic object that provides a rich digital representation of the individual primitives, and allows nesting of primitives to form higher level primitives. In addition to geometry primitives, the PART program can also model the behavior of motion primitives. This is a preliminary documentation and definition of the generic object and other supporting objects.

The PART graphic user interface will consist of a tree structure of windows integrated into the overall model. Each window will consist of a drawing area and a tab, and all tool palettes, dialogs, and other windows will be of this form. The first and default window will show the root tree structure menu, from which other windows can be formed by clicking or dragging portions of the model tree structure. Selecting an object in the tree structure hierarchy and dragging it off the window will open up another window with a new tab, on top of the previous window.

PART will have the capacity to populate a model with pre-defined kit-of-parts elements. The Prefabricated Architecture Replication Tool will have functionality and methods based on four areas. These include data manipulation by the designer or user, data logic dictating internal organization and structure, data analysis for real-time feedback of designer’s decisions, and data transfer for input and output of pre-structured information.

In this research, PART functionality and concepts will be explored, and a "PARTedit" demonstration software will be developed. The PARTedit software can import a variety of file formats, including X3D and VRML formats created on CAD software.

Other relevant links, images, and animations:
White paper discussing the PART Generic Object and logic (PDF)
Partial specification for application interface (PDF)
PART Generic Object diagram (PDF)
PART Generic Object time element extension diagram (PDF)

A.S. Howe (1998). A new paradigm for life-cycle management of kit-of-parts building systems. (Doctoral Dissertation, University of Michigan, 1998). University Microfilms International, No. 9909905.

A.S. Howe (1997). A Network-based Kit-of-parts Virtual Building System. Proceedings of CAAD Futures ‘97. 4-6 August 1997, Munich, Germany, pp. 691-706. Boston: Kluwer.