Parametric Design: The Future of Design is Now

Parametric design is shaping the future of various industries. Evolving technology empowers designers to push the limits of their imagination and conceive and execute unconventional designs.

The parametric approach’s inception has added more factors to the design process. It offers scope for managing complexity and opportunities to enhance the final product. Product or structure designers can reap a multitude of benefits by leveraging this method. It can contribute to effective process management, better-defined costs within a build, and enhanced overall design.

Let’s learn more about parametric design and how it disrupts the designing process in different sectors.

Parametric Design – An Overview

It refers to a technique that allows designers to use algorithms to create intricate and customized structures or products. In this process, designers input a set of parameters or variables, which the algorithm uses to create unique designs.

For example, these inputs can be site dimensions, the amount of sun exposure it receives, and the site’s soil type. The algorithm creates a custom-built solar panel that suits that particular site.

This process is widely popular due to its flexibility and has applications in multiple areas, including product design, engineering, parametric architecture, and more.

Roots of Parametric Design

The parametric approach is derived from nature. Its inventors have studied parametric biological systems and have taken inspiration from them.

For example, view a tree as a parametric. The tree has leaves, branches, trunks, and roots. A set of parametric equations contributes to its creation. A tree’s environment such as the amount of water and sun is considered by these equations to create a customized solution for the tree.

Parametric design uses the same way to generate a design as the technology has empowered professionals to analyze and mimic the complexity of nature in the virtual world.

Characteristics of Parametric Design

Comprehensive Design Process

Engineers and other professionals handling the job of designing strive to create products that meet all the requirements. It is difficult to incorporate all the variables in a design and it makes this process frustrating and time-consuming.

The parametric approach facilitates engineers to provide input about all the required variables in the algorithm. It fulfills all the requirements even before a prototype is available. Hence, the high costs of building prototypes are saved.

More Freedom to Improve Design

Design professionals are not satisfied with a single design and explore more opportunities to enhance their designs. This technique considers more variables, which paves the way for better designs.

Before the invention of parametric design, engineers made slow progress in improving their designs. However, they can make quick and significant design improvements to a design now.

Managing Complexity is Easy

This method simplifies complexity management as this design approach adds more variables to the design process. It happens because parametric algorithms can create tough solutions, which humans cannot design.

Cost Estimation is Possible

A product or structure’s designs take many shapes before receiving the final approval, which makes cost estimation difficult. Parametric design has enabled professionals to overcome this issue as the algorithm considers all the design variables when the project is in the early stage. It leads them to have well-defined project costs and plan the budget accordingly.

Simplified Management of the Design Process

Choosing the right parametric software facilitates the management of the design process as designing built infrastructure is difficult. A myriad of software incorporates parametric algorithms. It is crucial to choose the ideal tool taking the specific needs of a project into account.

Benefits of Parametric Design

Accommodate Modifications

The emphasis of this approach is more on the relationship between geometries, which is the design rather than the outcome. This technique propels the users to focus on the design process, instead of the final product. Thus, rework on designs becomes faster and modifications occur with other project files.

Complexity from Ordered Simplicity

Parametric design’s one of the core principles is formed by the concept of OOP (Object Oriented Programming). Generating complex geometries is easy with loops, simple repetitions, geometry, and simple transformations. In this process, a simple shape transforms into a mind-blowing one.

Integration is Simple

Grasshopper, Marionette, and Dynamo are some software that accommodate parametric designing. They also integrate well with other traditional tools.

Their integrations aid in physics and structural simulation, clash tests, environmental analysis, etc. It offers the users a simplified task list and there is no need for creating several copies in each tool as all the information is interoperable and linked.

Optimization and Automation

Today, it is possible to see a change made on a 3D model reflecting on 2D drawings, project schedules, and BOQ due to automation. Not just that, the latest parametric design technology ensures that all the changes made in the overall form provide the best indoor floor plan automatically. It can contribute to increasing time efficiency.

Drawbacks of Parametric Design

Tough Learning

Learning this method of design requires practice and patience for a long time. The parametric technique prioritizes setting up relations between different spaces and large data collection to begin designing, unlike the traditional style, which starts with a 2D plan. Hence, one has to unlearn and relearn the whole design process, and not all people can spend time on it.

Heavy Reliance on Data

This approach leverages data to create a design, which makes extensive data collection and research crucial for it. Adding data about available materials and site location, etc. plays a key role in shaping the design.

Thus, an individual seeking to master parametric design must have an excellent command of mathematics and computer science. It gives a person an edge over the others.

Production Gap

There are many obstacles for the professionals seeking to implement this approach on their project even if they are skillful. This type of design requires the latest and distinguished machinery and tools.

All the necessary tools and skilled labor may not be available in some locations, which creates a barrier for the people looking to implement the parametric method.

Sometimes, It Doesn’t Matches Hype

This design does not always steal the show. Implementing it requires a large investment. The idea can work, if the final product is a production-ready model, provided there is full access to different CNC machines and prototyping.

This scheme might not work out immediately for small companies, where they have a 2D drawing only as the end product. Such firms should stick to traditional design.

Conclusion

Parametric design is a digital transformation that empowers engineers and architects to create unprecedented designs. These designs offer flexibility in refining it throughout the design and construction to ensure adherence to local regulations, onsite conditions, cost controls, and engineering requirements.

This method is making its presence felt slowly and steadily in various sectors, including construction. Soon, it will be widely used, which makes it essential for engineers and architects to learn it.

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