ELEMENTS OF PARAMETRIC DESIGN

ELEMENTS OF PARAMETRIC DESIGN

ELEMENTS OF PARAMETRIC DESIGN

Parametrics is more about an attitude of mind than any particular software
application.
It has its roots in mechanical design, as such, for architects it is
borrowed thought and technology. It is a way of thinking that some designers
may find alien,
but the first requirement is an attitude of mind that seeks to
express and explore relationships.
Embedded in this method
of exploration is the idea of capturing design history
and returning it in an editable form - that can be varied and then re-played.
The power
of the concept is the belief that design history can be extrapolated
to produce design futures. Sometimes it can - but this requires much practice to
achieve a level of fluency which still allows intuition to play its part.
As a concept parametrics is far more likely to be understood by a musician
than by an artist. This
is because the musician is dedicated to rehearsing for
performance
- which is an esse ntial characteristic of a virtuoso in parametrics.
To the artist on the other hand the accumulation of technique is incidental to
the production
of an artefact, which is the result of direct interaction with a
medium.
For this activity there is no written score that can be fine tuned and
re-played. However, at
the highest level of fluency we may yet see a generation
emerge
who can "sketch with code".
Parametrics should perhaps be clearly labelled with a warning along the lines
of
"drink deep - or taste not". So the best advice might be to make your choice
before readi ng
further- or just allow your curiosity to guide you!

Robert Woodbury