Solid Sketch

Students: 
Chih-Pin Hsiao, Nicholas Davis

SolidSketch is a solid modeling program that enables users to rapidly construct 3D models through sketch and multi-touch input. The interaction design principles of SolidSketch are based on the cognitive science theory of enaction. This paper uses the enaction theory as a lens to describe why the interaction designs of conventional CAD tools often fail to support early stages of the design process. We argue enactive interactions would support design creativity by enabling rapid iteration and continuous feedback throughout a flexible design exploration. SolidSketch is a unique sketch-modeling program that analyzes and interprets freehand sketch gestures to execute commands. The system infers the intention of the user by continuously analyzing the surrounding context and user's behavior. The program only provides a minimum set of GUI components to encourage the user to focus more on the canvas area rather than navigating intricate interface elements.

Lab: 
Director: 
Ellen Yi-Luen Do
Students: 
Chih-Pin Hsiao, Nicholas Davis, David Park, Richard Li, Samantha Wang,

Welcome to ACME lab! A Creativity Machine Environment! We like the acronym of ACME, since it means the highest point, and also refers to the fictional company in Looney Tunes, which is A Company that Makes Everything! Why creativity machine? We believe everyone can be creative because everyone has the ability to make things. Why machine? Human beings are wonderful, intricate machineries! In the efforts to understand human intelligence and creativity (cognition), or how people design everything (from their meals, to furniture, house, or software programs), we build models and machines (theory and model) to attempts to explain, and simulate, or to explore the boundaries of these ideas that are inside blackboxes.
What do we do? We are interested in everything about design computing and cognition! From ambient intelligence to physical computing, from sketch understanding to intuitive design tools, from web log analysis to social networking, from patient communication systems to ubiquitous computing, from interactive furniture to architectural robotics, just to name a few.