Application of visual programming for automation tasks in construction

Abstract

Modern architectural and structural design is focused on the use of computational capabilities of computers and the use of software. The issue of design process automation is very urgent because of limited capabilities of software complexes and high labor costs for elaboration of solution options. Visual programming is the most accessible tool for scripting to automate the design process in applied software complexes. However, information about this tool in special literature is scattered and unstructured. The aim of this article is to review the spheres of visual programming application in design, to systematize and structure the information and to compare it with alternative tools. For this purpose, we collected and analyzed the relevant literature from the databases of scientific publications. A classification of design approaches in which visual programming is applied has been compiled. Taxonomy and definitions for terms denoting such approaches as parametric, generative and algorithmic design have been proposed. Comparison of visual programming with alternative tools for automating the design process has been carried out. The tasks of design, for which it is rational to apply visual programming, have been singled out. A promising direction of application of this tool is the creation of user plug-ins for software systems.