An Expert System for Preliminary Numerical Design Modelling

Abstract

From the earliest days of Computer Aided Design (CAD) there has been a clear recognition that establishing effective communication between the computer and the designer is crucial to the development of a productive design system. Early papers on the philosophy and concepts of CAD stated quite clearly that man and machine had to work together in a co-operative environment; and a few systems were developed to show the potential of this kind of approach. A fine example of the appreciation of this potential is given in a paper by Robert Mann and Steve Coons in 1965 (1). In this paper, they state: “It is clear that what is needed if the computer is to be of greater use in the creative process, is a more intimate and continuous interchange between man and machine. This interchange must be of such a nature that all forms of thought that are congenial to man, whether verbal, symbolic, numerical, or even graphical are also understood by the machine and are acted upon by the machine in ways that are appropriate to man’s purpose.” The emphasis on the computer’s understanding of man’s purpose and on communication at the level of thought are significant.