Ellen Yi-Luen Do
Designers use different symbols and diagrams in their drawings to explore alternatives and to communicate with each other. Therefore, a useful design environment should attempt to infer the designer's intentions from the drawing and, based on this inference, suggest appropriate computational tools for the task at hand. For example, a layout bubble diagram might activate design cases with similar configurations. Scribbles of view lines on a floor plan might bring up a spatial analysis tool. This research aims to develop an integrated digital sketching environment to support early design activities. We propose RTRT, an intelligent sketch environment that provides the designers with the right tools at the right time. RTRT is developed on top of the Electronic Cocktail Napkin project and being incorporated into the Back of an Envelope Project.
Right-Tool-Right-Time program displays different knowledge based design environments that is accessed from freehand sketches. (Clockwise, 3D model, Archie Case Base, rectified drawing, IsoVist visual analysis program and the Great Buildings Collection CD-Rom).
See related paper, "The Right Tool at the Right Time -- drawing as an interface to knowledge based design aids" Do, E. in Filiz Ozel and Patricia McIntosh (eds), Proceedings, Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture, (ACADIA '96) p191-199, 1996 National Conference, University of Arizona, Tuscon.See Ellen's dissertation: The Right Tool at the Right Time -- Investigation of Freehand Drawing as an Interface to Knowledge Based Design Tools, PhD dissertation, Georgia Institute of Technology, July 1998. (370 pages)