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UCB
CS 285 -- Solid Modeling, Fall 2011
“Procedural Solid Modeling” or
“Algorithms and Data Structures for Procedural
Design, Solid Modeling, and Rapid Prototyping”

INSTRUCTOR: Carlo H. Séquin
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COURSE NUMBER: CS 285
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COURSE CONTROL NUMBER: 26796
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EXAM GROUP: ? – no Final Exam!
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UNIT VALUE: 3 units
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SEMESTER: Fall 2011
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CLASS TIME: Mon, Wed, 4:00pm-5:30pm -- ?
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LOCATION: 606 Soda Hall -- ?
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(PREREQUISITE): Some Computer Graphics background.
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UCB
CS285 in the Graphics Curriculum
CS 284
CAGD:
Splines!
Various CS 294-X Courses
CS 294-?/283
Graduate Graphics
CS 184
Object Representation
The Rendering Pipeline
CS 285
Procedural Modeling
From “Art to Part”
ME 290D
Solid
Modeling
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UCB
Motivation

1972, at Bell Labs, I was laying out integrated
circuits one transistor at a time by hand.

1982, UCB, in the RISC_1 and RISC_2 chips,
most of the transistors were drawn and placed
by a computer program.

1992, major portions of most CPU chips are
designed and optimized by a IC compiler.

Study and accelerate this trend for the domains
of solid modeling and mechanical part designs.
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UCB
Modeling Taxonomy
CAD
Solid Modeling
CAGD (splines)
Procedural Modeling
When you spend more time programming
than adjusting numbers or handles
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UCB
What Might Be Designed Procedurally?
Churches (ChurchBuilder)
Saddle-Chain Sculptures (Sculpture Generator I)
Others ? (Student’s Suggestions):

?

?
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UCB
Procedurally Designed Parts
My Examples:

Mathematical Objects, 4D Polytopes
(exact geometry, projections from 4D space)

Sculpture Families
(freeform, aesthetics, parameterize for variety)

Gears, Joints, Assemblies, Mechanisms
(interaction, vary gear ratios)

Puzzle or “LEGO” Pieces
(parameterize for mutual fit, tension)
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UCB
How You Will Learn

No textbook
(field is too diverse, moving too rapidly)

Select papers
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Discussions

Case studies

“Learning by Doing”
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UCB
What You will Learn (1)
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Creative, conceptual aspects of design.
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Designing by program writing.
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Visual / graphical debugging.
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Data Structures and algorithms for generating
and modifying solid shapes.
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Principles of RP by layered manufacturing.
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Making physical parts, hands-on experience.
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Limitations of SFF (solid free-form fab.) machines.
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UCB
What You will Learn (2)
A Few Generic Pieces of Knowledge
that no Designer should be without:

Symmetries and their applications.
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Determining and Managing DOFs.
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Some Elementary Topology.

Loose fear of higher dimensions.

Euler-Poincaré Relation and its generalization.
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UCB
What You will Learn (3)
Meta Skills:

Principles and Techniques for Open-ended Design.

Spatial Reasoning and Visualization Skills.

How to Make a Proposal and Sell Your Ideas.

How to Carry through a Project and Report on it.
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UCB
What You will Learn
Summary

Not a collection of facts, but

Insights,

Mental Tools,

Techniques,
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A Collection of Examples,

Experience!
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UCB
Teaching Method
Learning by Doing

Listening alone is almost worthless.
Confusion before Understanding

You need to (want to) find a problem solution
yourself to understand it and remember it.
Teaching Style : ‘Socratic Method’

Relies on active participation of all students.

Some short homework assignments are
‘Design Exercises’ that have the purpose
to get your thinking started about some subject,
before the material is covered in class,
so that a more meaningful discussion can result.
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UCB
Course Mechanics
Group Assignments:

Some assignments are individual, others in groups;
I may define those groupings initially, to make you
get to know one another and to foster collaboration.

Final Course Projects can be done alone or in pairs.
Grading Guidelines:

40% course project (several phases)

20% homework assignments (various sizes)
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20% class participation (be here, on time, awake…)
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20% paper presentations & (quiz ?)