Incorporating user design preferences into multi-objective roof truss optimization

Incorporating User Design Preferences into Multi-Objective Roof Truss Optimization. (May 2006) Breanna Michelle Weir Bailey, B.S., Texas A&M University; M.S., University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. Anne Raich Automated systems for large-span roof truss optimization provide engineers with the flexibility to consider multiple alternatives during conceptual design. This investigation extends previous work on multi-objective roof truss optimization to include the design preferences of a human user. The incorporation of user preferences into the optimization process required creation of a mechanism to identify and model preferences as well as discovery of an appropriate location within the algorithm for preference application. The first stage of this investigation developed a characteristic feature vector to describe the physical appearance of an individual truss. The feature vector translates visual elements of a truss into quantifiable properties transparent to the computer algorithm. The nine elements in the feature vector were selected from an assortment of geometrical and behavioral factors and describe truss simplicity, general shape, and chord shape. Using individual feature vectors, a truss population may be divided into groups of similar design. Partitioning the population simplifies the feedback process by