Computational making

Draft

Introduction

In a conference paper (Johnson, 2017: abstract), Johnson argues, that “the maker movement generates much more stuff to consume. A school may purchase a 3D printer for educational purposes, only to have its student-makers simply download and print other people's models without learning to make their own. To prevent this kind of situation, educators must capitalize on the maker movement in ways that facilitate what we call computational making, which involves both meaningful cognition and the making of artifacts.”

More formally, Knight & Vardouli (2015), define "computational making" in two steps: “On a conceptual level, we use ‘making’ as a keyword for action-centric, process-oriented attitudes toward the production and use of material things”. “With regard to the ‘computational’ in Computational Making, we interpret the term broadly as the use of formal, mathematical systems, theories, and methods, as well as tools and technologies developed on the basis of such systems. Computation includes systems and tools for designing (for example, generative and parametric systems, or visualization and modeling systems) and for making (for example, fabrication and construction systems). Computation may include, but is not limited to, the use of digital computers.” (Editorial Computational Making)

Computational design is sometimes use as a synonym of computational making (e.g. as in Introduction to computational design), but it also can refer to a more generative philosophy, e.g. as proposed in Computational Design: The Future of How We Make Things is Tech-Driven.

Computational making languages

Name	Type of artefact	Type of language	URL	Author
BlocksCAD	3D	Visual block language	Example	Example
OpenSCAD	3D	Functional language	Example	Example
Madeup	3D	Turtle language	Example	Example
Beetle Blocks	3D	Visual block turtle language	Example	Example
Turtlestitch	Embroidery (laser cutting)	Visual block language	Example	Example
MakeCode	Electronics	Visual block language	Example	Example
Twoville	2D SVG (laser cutting)	Logo-like programming language	Example	Example
Example	Example	Example	Example	Example
Example	Example	Example	Example	Example
Example	Example	Example	Example	Example

Links

Computational making

• Computational Making (MIT)
• Design Studies, Special Issue: Computational Making

Computational design

• Introduction to computational design. This piece is part of course on Generative Design, an advanced computational design course at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation (GSAPP) by Danil Nagy.

• Computational Design: The Future of How We Make Things is Tech-Driven, September 4, 2018, By Marc Doucette

References

• Abelson, H. and A. diSessa,Turtle Geometry: the Computer as a Medium for Exploring Mathematics. MIT Press, 1981

• Berdik, C. (2017). Kids Code Their Own 3D Creations with New Blocks-Based Design Program. Tech Directions, 76(9), 23.

• Chytas, C., Diethelm, I., & Lund, M. Parametric Design and Digital Fabrication in Computer Science Education.

• Chytas, C., Diethelm, I., & Tsilingiris, A. (2018, April). Learning programming through design: An analysis of parametric design projects in digital fabrication labs and an online makerspace. In Global Engineering Education Conference (EDUCON), 2018 IEEE (pp. 1978-1987). IEEE.

• Eisenberg, M.; A. Eisenberg, L. Buechley, and N. Elumeze, “Computers and physical construction: Blending fabrication into computer science education,” in Int. Conf. on Frontiers in Education: Computer Science& Computer Engineering (FECS ’08), 2008, pp. 127–133.

• Eisenberg, M; N. Elumeze, L. Buechley, G. Blauvelt, S. Hendrix, and A. Eisenberg, “The homespun museum: Computers, fabrication, and the design of personalized exhibits,” in Conf. on Creativity & Cognition (C&C’05), 2005, pp. 13–21.

• Henderson, P. “Functional geometry,” Higher Order and Symbolic Computation, vol. 15, no. 4, pp. 349–365, 2002. Preprint ?

• Henderson, P. “Functional geometry,” in ACM Symposium on Lisp and Functional Programming, 1982, pp. 179–187. https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/800068.802148

• Johnson, C. (2017, March). Toward Computational Making with Madeup. In Proceedings of the 2017 ACM SIGCSE Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (pp. 297-302). https://doi.org/10.1145/3017680.3017703

• Knight, T., & Vardouli, T. (2015). Computational making. Design Studies, 41, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.destud.2015.09.003

• Papert, Seymour, Mindstorm: Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas. BasicBooks, 1980.

• Rode, J. A., Weibert, A., Marshall, A., Aal, K., von Rekowski, T., El Mimouni, H., & Booker, J. (2015, September). From computational thinking to computational making. In Proceedings of the 2015 ACM International Joint Conference on Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing (pp. 239-250).

• Romagosa Carrasquer, Bernat. (2016). From the turtle to the beetle. Universitat Oberta de Catalunya http://openaccess.uoc.edu/webapps/o2/handle/10609/52807

• Williams, K. (2015). Girls, Boys, and'Bots: The St. Clare's robotics team [Pipelining: Attractive Programs for Women]. IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine, 9(1), 25-28.