Art and design are two domains that offer exciting possibilities when combined with programming and digital fabrication. By finding ways to connect programing to the production of personally relevant physical objects, it is possible to engage novice practitioners in creative programming. The combination of digital fabrication technologies with computational design serves as one such connection.

In June 2012, I conducted a computational fashion design workshop with a group of young people at the NuVu Innovation Center for Young Minds. Over the course of two weeks students used a modified version of the Codeable Objects library to programmatically design garments and then used a combination of digital fabrication and traditional crafting methods to realize their designs.

How it works

The software library contains a set of methods that allows users to draw shapes and patterns and then translate those shapes and patterns into physical objects using digital fabrication. To use the library, a user imports it into the Processing environment and then writes and compiles code using the Processing editor. Codeable Objects enables users to define and manipulate basic geometric primitives such as Points, Lines, Curves and Polygons. These primitives can then be collected within Pattern and Shape objects—structures designed to capture surface decoration and 3D structure respectively—to form increasingly complex designs.

Codeable Objects is formulated on an Object Oriented Programming (OOP) paradigm, which lets users create and manipulate collections of geometric primitives—Patterns and Shapes. This structure differs from Processing’s drawing API, which works through a functional programing approach. The structure of Codeable Objects enables users to simultaneously apply transformations to all of the elements in a collection that make up a complex pattern or shape.

The software includes a graphical user interface (GUI) that allows users to preview their designs once they have compiled their code.  Users can also import scalar vector graphics files (SVGs) to incorporate pre-drawn elements into their shapes and patterns.  Codeable Objects supports a variety of digital fabrication output devices by allowing users to save designs to vector portable document format (PDF) files. PDFs can be used by different production tools, including ink-jet printers, vinyl cutters, laser cutters, and computationally controlled embroidery machines; output from Codeable Objects can be fabricated on essentially any x-y axis tool. Three-dimensional structures can be generated by assembling fabricated pieces.

The software also contains a collection of pre-defined algorithmic patterns that can be initialized, including Voronoi diagrams, Koch curves, and L-Systems, and an extensive set of example programs that users can modify and combine to produce individual results. Finally, the software contains some domain-constrained examples that directly support the generation of decorated three-dimensional objects from flat surfaces.

Codeable Objects is a library for Processing that enables novice coders, designers and artists to rapidly design, customize and construct artifacts using geometric computation and digital fabrication. The programming methods provided by the library allow the user to program a variety of structures and designs with simple code and geometry. When the user compiles their code, the software outputs tool paths based on their specifications, which can be used in conjunction with digital fabrication tools to build their object.

The first case study for the Codeable Objects library was conducted with a set of methods that facilitated the creation of a laser cut lamp. To test the library, I held a workshop at the MIT Media Lab. Over the course of a day, participants used the library to design, and construct lamps of their own.  All of the lamps displayed in the images were created by people in the workshop.

Download the library here

Get the source on Github: github.com/pixelmaid/Codeable_Objects

View the tutorial: Make Projects

How it Works:
To begin the process, the user writes code using a programing library that contains multiple pre-defined functions for describing the shape of the lamp.

When the code is compiled, the Processing sketch shows a 3d wireframe model of the object body (in this case a lamp). A parabola defines the lamp curve, calculated using the 3 widths set by the user. These widths define 3 intersection points of the parabola.

While defining the shape of the lamp, the user can switch to a different screen that allows them to preview the 2D paths that will be used to cut the lamp on the laser cutter. The library automatically defines which components of the parts will have to be cut first and colors them accordingly.

The user can also switch to a 3rd view where they can preview the decorative patterns they create for the lamp shade. These patterns are generated using Voronoi diagrams. Using Processing and the Codeable Objects library, the user can generate points that will be used to define the pattern. Different orderings of points will produce different diagram patterns. All patterns are automatically fitted to the shape of the shade by the library

A few simple pattern options generated by  code for circle, spiral, sine wave, and  polar rose point coordinates:

Once the user is satisfied with their design, they can press a key to save out their files to vectors in a pdf, which is then cut on the laser cutter.

Finally, using simple crafting techniques, the user can assemble their finished piece.

Note: This project is still under development. Please feel free to use and experiment with the library, and report any issues you encounter.

Codeable Objects was developed at the MIT Media Lab in the High Low Tech research group under the advisory of Dr. Leah Buechley

Codeable Objects by Jennifer Jacobs is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at hero-worship.com/portfolio/codeable-objects.

The Web Periodization Project is a research initiative by the Web Ecology Group about Internet trends and phenomena. It examines the interplay between web culture and the worlds of popular culture and mainstream media, and seeks to understand the significance and generative possibilities of individual ideas and practices transmitted through repetition on the web. Although not a perfect distinction, the project differentiates between web and mainstream cultures based on an object’s origin. Mainstream culture primarily originates through long-established distribution infrastructure established generally to generate profit, including television, radio, music, newspapers, and movies. Contrastingly, web culture finds its audience through placement and sharing on the Internet where new platforms and widespread social practices are most useful in explaining large shifts in production of content.

To complement the research, we have developed an interactive timeline of web events associated with our research. The timeline allows any registered user to add or edit items through the web. Any viewer can organize items based on category or date. When a user clicks on an item the timeline pulls up a complete description of the item, a link to a relevant web address, and a navigation system connecting to precursors or descendants of the item. The goal is to provide an accessible and responsive visualization that demonstrates the patterns and connections between recent events in web culture.
View the current timeline here

play_Space is a game-development course created for children aged 7-12 at the Education Department, Long Island University, Brooklyn, New York. The goal of the course is to instruct students in the basics of digital games. Groups of students generate and present a game concept. Leading up to this, they play games that illustrate specific elements of the game-development process. They regularly play a card game designed specifically for the class that promotes and tests the understanding of game elements. They also receive instruction in character design and development. Students develop skills in game development and gain experience with the wider process of structuring and enhancing ideas and then presenting them to a larger group.  Each group uses a binder to organize the materials they generate for their game. Activity sheets and visual aids are provided each class session to supplement the students’ learning.  The class has been taught once in 2009. Another segment of the course is being developed to address applied programming. Download the course materials here

Narrative Atlas is a developing application for computational processing of literary texts through user input. The application compares cultural and personal associations that emerge as different people read text. It generates a system that takes into account how any individual’s unique experiences shape interpretation of text, especially the words that lead to differences in interpretation. The underlying thesis is that understanding of language is both a reflection of our cognitive process and a constant director of our streams of consciousness, our feelings, and our understanding of the world. The project has the potential to reveal specific words and phrases that act as points of distinction between individuals.  The project is conducted in collaboration with Leslie Synn, a PhD. candidate at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. A description of Narrative Atlas was presented at the 2010 Communicating Forms Conference at the University of Chicago.

How it works:

Narrative Atlas is written in python and utilizes the Natural Language Tool Kit to function. The current functionality allows for direct comparison between different texts to determine how the same terms function differently in different contexts. The examples on display compare two literary passages that share a set of visual objects. For example, we have processed two excerpts through Modes I, II, and III—a description of Wordsworth’s experience on Mt. Snowdon in his Prelude and Edgar Allan Poe’s ending to his short story “The Fall of the House of Usher.”

Future Expansions:
Currently, Narrative Atlas exists as a graphic user interface that allows for base-level Natural Language Processing of a user-selected text within user-defined categories. Our goal is to extend each instance of user categorization of a text into a cumulative process. The program itself is structured to facilitate connections to local or remote databases. This functionality allows choices of a user to be catalogued over the course of the program’s use, providing a dataset that reflects to a degree their unique readership. For example, the categorization of the verbs of a specific text as they relate to the defined actors in will potentially vary from reader to reader. These points of distinction are what Narrative Atlas seeks to aggregate.