Generic goal-oriented design for layout and cutting of floor tiles

Abstract

Current building information modeling tools for floor tiling lack attention to procurement and construction, resulting in wasted material and extra labor. This research proposes a generic framework for planning the layout and cutting of floor tiles. Specifically, We put forward a layout algorithm based on a general representation of paving patterns. For cutting, our proposed algorithms combine tiles with complementary shapes to reduce waste rate and support edge-to-edge cuts to improve cutting efficiency. Functional testing shows that our approach supports the common paving patterns, with waste rates significantly lower than industry benchmark. Goal-oriented design experiment demonstrates that our approach obtains accurate numerical results to balance the waste rate, cutting efficiency, and aesthetics. The robustness testing demonstrates that our method can efficiently obtain high-quality solutions regardless of the different sizes and divided paving regions of the apartments. Our method is meaningful to promote sustainable development in the home decoration industry.