From Computer-Aided Design (CAD) Toward Human-Aided Design (HAD): An Isogeometric Topology Optimization Approach

In this paper, the novel design mode of human-aided design (HAD) is proposed to replace conventional computer-aided design (CAD). In HAD, computers can automatically complete the whole product design via a new isogeometric topology optimization (ITO), while humans just assist to slightly modify the design to meet requirements. An embedded domain ITO is presented to design complex models with irregular design domains, and editable geometric models of optimized results can be automatically generated based on layered ITO results. Three examples are tested to verify the proposed HAD mode, including a 3D cantilever beam with a regular design domain, an automotive part with an irregular design domain, and a Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm (MBB) beam with a multiscale structure. The results demonstrate that the proposed HAD mode can automatically deliver high-quality optimized models; thus, it has great potential as a revolutionary technology to change the current design mode from CAD to HAD. (c) 2022 (c) 2022 THE AUTHORS. Published by Elsevier LTD on behalf of Chinese Academy of Engineering and Higher Education Press Limited Company. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Automated summary

This paper proposes a novel design mode, called human-aided design (HAD), to replace conventional computer-aided design (CAD). In HAD, computers can automatically complete product design using a new isogeometric topology optimization (ITO), while humans assist in making slight modifications. An embedded domain ITO is introduced for designing complex models with irregular domains, and editable geometric models of optimized results can be generated automatically. Experimental results on three different examples demonstrate the potential of the HAD mode to deliver high-quality optimized models, suggesting it as a revolutionary technology to transform the current design mode.