A Heuristic Problem Solving Design System
for Equipment or Furniture Layouts

The Designer Problem Solver (DPS) demonstrates
that the computer can perform simple design 
tasks.  In particular, it designs furniture and equipment
layouts.  This task was chosen because it is 
simple, well defined, and characteristic of many design
tasks in architecture, engineering, urban planning, 
and natural resource management.  These space planning
tasks usually involve manipulating two-dimensional 
representations of objects to create feasible or optimal
solutions for problems involving topological 
and metric spatial constraints.  The paper describes
extensive tests performed on the program.  DPS is 
a heuristic problem solver with a planning phase prefixed
to it.  It uses the planning process to give 
it a sense of direction, diagnostic procedures to locate
difficulties, and remedial actions to recover 
from difficulties.  It uses a convex polygon representation
to accurately describe the objects and the 
layout.  This representation allows topological and
metric constraints to be tested and the design to 
be easily updated.  DPS has been applied to 50 problems.
 While it is slow and limited in scope, the 
ideas behind it are general.  It demonstrates the need
for selectivity in controlling search and the 
methods used to achieve it: task-specific information,
planning, diagnostic procedures, remedial actions, 
and selective alternative generators.

CACM May, 1975

Pfefferkorn, C. E.

artificial intelligence, computer-aided design,
design synthesis, diagnostic search, heuristics, 
planning, problem solving, representations, search strategies,
space planning, spatial representations

3.20 3.25 3.64 3.66

CA750514 JB January 9, 1978  2:10 PM

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