Towards generative systems for supporting product design

Abstract

Various advanced computational, cognitive and innovative approaches have been developed in the last three decades to advance the fields of artificial intelligence and knowledge-based design systems. This paper reviews the development of generative design systems in the literature and of those developed by the author. It presents a framework of a generative design system with several real design examples. Finally, the paper examines the future direction for the advancement of generative design. A generative design system supports the generation and exploration of a large number of alternative design solutions, using automatic transformation algorithms of AI nature. It maintains a consistent style of all the explored solutions, but with design features and variables. It can also include an evaluation mechanism in the generative process for the system to search for the potentially optimum design solutions.