Form Finding and Evaluating Through Machine Learning: The Prediction of Personal Design Preference in Polyhedral Structures

Abstract

3D Graphic Statics (3DGS) is a geometry-based structural design and analysis method, helping designers to generate 3D polyhedral forms by manipulating force diagrams with given boundary conditions. By subdividing 3D force diagrams with different rules, a variety of forms can be generated, resulting in more members with shorter lengths and richer overall complexity in forms. However, it is hard to evaluate the preference toward different forms from the aspect of aesthetics, especially for a specific architect with his own scene of beauty and taste of forms. Therefore, this article proposes a method to quantify the design preference of forms using machine learning and find the form with the highest score based on the result of the preference test from the architect. A dataset of forms was firstly generated, then the architect was asked to keep picking a favorite form from a set of forms several times in order to record the preference. After being trained with the test result, the neural network can evaluate a new inputted form with a score from 0 to 1, indicating the predicted preference of the architect, showing the possibility of using machine learning to quantitatively evaluate personal design taste.