Publication | Applied Ontology 2019
Towards an Ontology for Generative Design of Mechanical Assemblies
This paper describes how qualitative reasoning based on an ontology could be used during a generative design search process, which could quickly evaluate the feasibility of a given solution.
Download publicationAbstract
Towards an Ontology for Generative Design of Mechanical Assemblies
Bahar Aameri, Hyunmin Cheong, J. Christopher Beck
Applied Ontology 2019
In software-based generative design, a user specifies goals expressed as objectives and constraints to a software application and the application returns a set of feasible and/or optimal design solutions. For problems involving discrete design variables, such as in configuration design, searching the design space is often computationally intractable. Therefore, in the context of the configuration design of mechanical assemblies, we are investigating the use of ontologies to model and reason about designs while providing the ability to more efficiently prune infeasible designs. In this paper, we present an ontology to specify connection, parthood, and shapes in mechanical assemblies, so that the constraints of feasible configurations can be logically expressed and used during generative design. The ontology extends the Ground Mereotopology (MT) of Casati and Varzi to a multi-dimensional mereotopology and combines it with a qualitative shape ontology based on the Hilbert’s axiomatic theory of geometry. Relationships between equi-dimensional individuals are captured by MT, while individuals with different dimensions are mereotopologically independent and are related by incidence and betweenness relations. The proposed ontology is a module in the larger effort to develop an overarching PhysicalWorld Ontology. We demonstrate the application of the proposed ontology in specifying properties of suspension systems and mechanical joints.
Related Resources
2023
Identifying Visualization Opportunities to Help Architects Manage the Complexity of Building CodesInteractive visualizations have promising potential to aid design…
2014
Swipeboard: A Text Entry Technique for Ultra-Small Devices That Supports Novice to Expert TransitionsUltra-small smart devices, such as smart watches, have become…
2015
Grand challenges for modeling and simulation: simulation everywhere—from cyberinfrastructure to clouds to citizensModeling & Simulation (M&S) is making successful contributions to…
2022
A conversation with a former Autodesk FellowLt. Colonel Cataleya “Cat” Carlson recently spent 10 months at…
Get in touch
Something pique your interest? Get in touch if you’d like to learn more about Autodesk Research, our projects, people, and potential collaboration opportunities.
Contact us