A METHOD TO CHART THE STRUCTURE OF DESIGNERS' CLAY MODELING PROCESSES
DS 36: Proceedings DESIGN 2006, the 9th International Design Conference, Dubrovnik, Croatia
                        Year: 2006
                        Editor: Marjanovic, D.
                        Author: Wiegers, T.; Dumitrescu, R.; Song, Y.; Vergeest, J.S.M.
                        Section: THEORY AND RESEARCH METHODS IN DESIGN
                        Page(s): 153-160
                        
Abstract
CAD is used for the design of nearly any product, but not often in the earliest phases of design. Physical modeling is still very popular for ideation. What makes physical modeling different ? A method is developed to investigate what types of activities are performed during physical modeling. The method is applied on a clay modeling process for verification. The method it is possible to identify activities, activity patterns and repetitive sequences of patterns. Finally, parts can be identified that consist of the sequences that were used to model a certain shape element. This data can, for example, be used to compare different modeling methods and to propose new CAD methods that connect to the physical skills of the designer.
Keywords: shape ideation, clay modelling, shape parameters