Revolutionizing Design with AI: Exploring the World of Generative Design

So how should one go about integrating tools like Midjourney or Interior AI into their workflow? As the “generative” part of the name suggests, generative AI is most valuable at the early, ideative stages of a project. For example, Midjourney could help you create a truly one-of-a-kind mood board. Similarly, Interior AI could quickly mock up a space in a wide variety of styles to help clients begin honing in on what it is they want. Deep learning is a subset of ML that use artificial neural networks with layers over layers of artificial neurons to process and evaluate massive volumes of data.

In the topology optimization process, users upload a CAD model and specify the design goals for the part including constraints, loads, etc.. The software processes this input and creates a single optimized geometry based on the original CAD model. While text-generating AIs like ChatGPT have grabbed headlines most recently, the mainstreaming of generative AI arguably kicked off with the emergence of visual generative AI tools like DALL-E and Midjourney in 2022. Both turn text prompts into images depicting all sorts of dreamlike settings or surreal scenarios, sometimes looking nearly indistinguishable from art produced by human hands and minds. Computer-aided design (CAD) is being revolutionized by integrating artificial intelligence algorithms.

Joris Laarman Lab explores 3D-printed metal and open-source chair designs in New York exhibition

A traditional subtractive manufacturing method is a process in which material is removed from a solid block, also known as a billet, to create a final product. The figure shows a typical process independent of the generative design software used. By automating mundane tasks, or by creating something to inspire, generative AI can free up time for artists to become even better in the medium they choose.

With generative design software, all of the design work can be done virtually without having to spend a single dollar on creating prototypes or using materials that will go to waste. Having remote access with AI can help do the dangerous work in manufacturing that humans would typically do. Although, most aspects of generative design might be safe, when it comes to making the product, it can be helpful to hand the role over to robots instead.

What is Generative Design?

Today, there are many types of 3D printing technology on the market, including metal, polymer, and composite systems that fall into hobbyist/industrial and desktop/large-format 3D printer categories, for example. This means additive manufacturing can be used for a broad range of applications in many industries. 3D printing, also known as Additive Manufacturing, and generative design go hand in hand. Used in combination, the advanced technologies enable engineers and producers to take their products to the next level, overcoming design limitations imposed by more traditional manufacturing processes. While both are at the forefront of design processes today, topology optimization and generative design are not to be confused or conflated.

Yakov Livshits
Founder of the DevEducation project
A prolific businessman and investor, and the founder of several large companies in Israel, the USA and the UAE, Yakov’s corporation comprises over 2,000 employees all over the world. He graduated from the University of Oxford in the UK and Technion in Israel, before moving on to study complex systems science at NECSI in the USA. Yakov has a Masters in Software Development.

Additive manufacturing and generative design work together to speed up and improve the product development process. Engineers can utilize generative design to optimize existing designs to reduce weight, increase performance, or lower production costs, thus giving their companies a competitive edge. Generative design leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning to turn tedious engineering design processes into a sophisticated yet natural interaction between computer and engineer.

Lock inputs for properties or combinations of properties you like to find your visual language. Rather than feeling threatened by AI, the Australian illustrator and designer launched @superhumansketchbook, an Instagram account cataloging her experiments with Midjourney. Recent work has included a colorfully striped, soft-edged sofa, as well as a rainbow-hued, throwback, maximalist rec room, among other examples.

Humans are prone to making mistakes and as such, that can cause injury or potentially dangerous situations. Errors and accidents can occur on factory floors, which is why more machine learning is being introduced to control equipment remotely rather than manually. This, for many businesses, can allow for further expansion in a shorter period of time. It can help Yakov Livshits small businesses, for example, to generate and distribute products quicker to meet the demand of the new customers they’ve acquired. Being able to tell a computer what you’re after can save a lot of effort and back and forth within the design process of the project. I was born in 1981, the year John Walker and 12 programmers in San Francisco created AutoCAD.

AI-driven software then analyzes these and generates a series of design outcomes, which you can evaluate and optimize further. Let’s take a look at where the conventional engineering design process falls short and how generative design can exceed traditions. Let’s consider some real-world examples in action to understand why many engineers have turned to artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) algorithms to assist with the design process. Maket enables architects and interior designers to instantly generate thousands of architectural plans that are aligned with their input parameters and constraints.

What this algorithm does is basically create an asset where the input is evaluated by its model and delivers an output according to what it’s learned and anticipates. The possibilities for innovation expand further when generative design is combined with other technologies Yakov Livshits of the fourth industrial revolution. For example, IoT sensors can provide a wealth of real-world performance data from active mechanical parts. This data in turn can be fed to the product’s digital twin, adjusting the design to account for real-world conditions.