An Evolutionary Approach to the Inverse Problem in Rule-Based Design Representations

Abstract

In this paper design grammars as a rule-based representation formalism for design generation are discussed and used for the construction of transmission towers. In the context of such a rule-based representation technique several theoretical questions such as the completeness and capacity of a representation are still unanswered. Especially the question whether a given design object can be generated within a certain design grammar is still open and is known as the inverse problem. In the framework of the transmission tower design grammar an evolutionary approach for the solution of the inverse problem, i.e. the identification of a grammar that generates a predetermined pylon, is shown. The solution of the inverse problem is based on an evolutionary search algorithm whereby the fitness function is applied on the geometry of the design object and is therefore independent of the specific implementation of the design grammar. The design grammar search algorithm uses a combination of design space exploration techniques together with methods from pattern recognition and is shown in two simulation examples.