Module 02
Computational design and creativity
Concept design is not automated member sizing. What computation can contribute to an under-defined problem, and what it cannot.
What this module covers
- Distinguish concept design from detailed sizing, and say what each needs from computation
- Express a design problem as requirements, constraints and options
- Use divergent and convergent thinking deliberately rather than by accident
- Explain why a design problem has no single right answer
- Record why an option was chosen, in a form somebody else can disagree with
Lessons
Why engineering practice does not look like engineering education, and what follows for how computation is used.
Start lesson →What makes one form better than another, and how much of that a computer can measure.
Start lesson →
Module checkpoint
Check what you have taken in
2 questions
Question 1
What distinguishes a requirement from a constraint, and why does it matter?
Question 2
A truss of 30 m span carries a midspan moment of 1,500 kN·m. Two depths are under consideration: 2.5 m and 4 m. Compute the chord force at the deeper option, in kN.