Abstract
This paper introduces the notion of the Designers’ Sandpit. It presents the proposed user interface, a preliminary view of a Proactive DFA methodology and the geometric reasoning functionality required to support it.
In previous work1 a prototype assembly-oriented design environment incorporating DFA and assembly planning has been developed, integrated with CAD and supported by geometric reasoning algorithms. However, another opportunity to enhance the capabilities of the Sandpit is through the incorporation of functional representations. Functional modelling aims to bridge the gap between conceptual and detailed design and when addressed in a general context is a challenging research subject. Here, a functional modelling approach is proposed in the context of assembly-oriented CAD to facilitate the evaluation of product design in terms of manufacture, assembly and cost, before the geometry is defined.