Generative Product Design

Hi Everyone, my first post.
I've played around with GH lightly for a couple of months now.
I see tremendous application to architecture.
However I feel there's a lot to do for Product design, yet not that many examples.
The only 2 I've seen that are applicable are a 'generative venting' based on heat distribution onto a surface. And a recent 'pregnancy shoe' with voronoi pattern of elastomer ribs based on a pressure distribution on the sole of a pregnant woman.

I feel that there are other application in mass product design, not just custom based on individual data. I have to admit though that I have a hard time coming up with concepts.

So I came up with possible input data:
- heat distribution map
- pressure distribution map
- stress / strength map (i believe already used in automated optimising structures)
- electromagnetic shielding
- range of motion in distance and angles
- points of contact of one part/object with another
- radiation map (light and shadow already used a lot in architectural examples)
- crowds and occupation (heavy traffic vs light population)
- sound dissipation (dampening and directing/scattering)
- distance (not sure how applicable it is to products though)
- sound resonance (to get a perfect pitch from a glass for example)
- nesting / folding / circle packing :)

Any other input data sets you can suggest?
What about fields or products where these would be useful?

Looking forward to all replies.

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Stefan K on September 26, 2012 at 3:05am

Hi Artur,

sadly not many people answered that. Maybe its because there is not much! I was searching for examples in the product design area but didn't find much either, except of furniture, jewelry and lamps.

Permalink Reply by David Rutten on September 26, 2012 at 4:56am

The biggest user groups for Grasshopper appear to be architects (+furniture), jewelers and marine designers. I've seen very little product design so far.

David Rutten

david@mcneel.com

Poprad, Slovakia

Permalink Reply by artur83 on November 14, 2012 at 10:34am

just got another one, so obvious yet no wonder why it escaped me since it's not for industrial designers. But as you mentioned: furniture and jewelry are probably the best ones for this application.

- Raw material volume.

so you find a log on the beach (and not pre-cut in the lumber yard), and said log is amazing wood, and an interesting shape to it.
You 3D scan it (even if low res with a camera phone). and plug it into GH, where it generates 'contours' every 5cm. and there you have the bounding sections. next GH definition adapts (or even grows using Galapagos) your super organic/victorian/polygon design into the bounding volume. keeping the design intent.

- kind of similar in essence to nesting algorithms but with a nice 3d output.

For Product designers it can generate laser cut fruitbowls out of scrap pieces of acrylic. (yey, found a product design appliaction - but as i said - not industrial)

Permalink Reply by artur83 on September 26, 2012 at 11:43am

Well by now i've seen some of it. (the original post is from 2009).
Shapeways, a well suited platform for that use, has printed generated robots and spaceships.
Custom, unique toys basically.

An idea that i had would be to create dinnerware where all the silverware and porcelain would have a harmonic resonance. So when you're having dinner, or washing dishes, it's not as much cling-clang but something akin to a xylophone being played. :)

Artur.

Permalink Reply by Stefan K on November 15, 2012 at 6:05am

you got some good ideas. i also found this one:

http://www.jamesdysonaward.org/Projects/Project.aspx?ID=3103&Re...

glasses with grasshopper

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