The pigment patterns on tropical shells are of great beauty and diversity. Their mixture of regularity and irregularity is fascinating. A particular pattern seems to follow particular rules but these rules allow variations. No two shells are identical. The motionless patterns appear to be static, and, indeed, they consist of calci?ed material. However, as will be shown in this book, the underlying mechanism that generates this beauty is eminently dynamic. It has much in common with other dynamic systems that generate patterns, such as a wind-sand system that forms large dunes, or rain and erosion that form complex rami?ed river systems. On other shells the underlying mechanism has much in common with waves such as those commonly observed in the spread of an epidemic. A mollusk can only enlarge its shell at the shell margin. In most cases, only at this margin are new elements of the pigmentation pattern added. Therefore, the shell pattern preserves the record of a process that took place over time in a narrow zone at the growing edge. A certain point on the shell represents a certain moment in its history. Like a time machine one can go into the past or the future just by turning the shell back and forth. Having this complete historical record opens the possibility of decoding the generic principles behind this beauty.

The fascinating patterns on the shells of tropical sea snails are not only compellingly beautiful but also tell a tale of biological development. The decorative patterns are records of their own genesis, which follows laws such as those of dune formation or the spread of a flu epidemic. Hans Meinhardt has analyzed the dynamical processes that form these patterns and has retraced them in computer simulations. His book is exciting not only for the astonishing scientific knowledge it reveals but also for its fascinating pictures. An accompanying CD-ROM with the corresponding algorithms allows the reader to simulate the natural pattern formation and growth processes.

Now available in an affordable softcover edition, this classic in Springer's acclaimed Virtual Laboratory series is the first comprehensive account of the computer simulation of plant development. 150 illustrations, one third of them in colour, vividly demonstrate the spectacular results of the algorithms used to model plant shapes and developmental processes. The latest in computer-generated images allow us to look at plants growing, self-replicating, responding to external factors and even mutating, without becoming entangled in the underlying mathematical formulae involved. The authors place particular emphasis on Lindenmayer systems - a notion conceived by one of the authors, Aristid Lindenmayer, and internationally recognised for its exceptional elegance in modelling biological phenomena. Nonetheless, the two authors take great care to present a survey of alternative methods for plant modelling.

With contributions by E.Abraham, D.Barnes, R.Carpenter, L.Collado, P.Dodds, S.Dudgeon, D.Garbary, S.Gatti, B.Helmuth, M.R.Koehl, H.Lasker, R.Merks., W.Müller, S.Muko, B. Rinkevich, J.Sanchez, P.Sloot, M.Vermeij

The structural morphology working group of the International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures, founded in 1991, has helped to launch several international seminars, newsletters and specific sessions of international conferences devoted to structural morphology. This book contains papers that have been selected either for their fundamental contribution to structural morphology or for their actual pertinence in the field. Polyhedral geometry, double-curved surfaces, biological structures, foldable systems, form-finding techniques, and free form design are some of the topics included in the contents of this book. The work presented in this book is the result of more than 15 years of study by researchers, engineers, mathematicians, and architects, who thought that conceptual design would benefit from the association of separate fields (geometry, biology, and mechanics) in a holistic process. Every aspect of structural morphology is illustrated by one or more chapters of the book. As far as we know, there are few books OCo perhaps none OCo that gather all aspects of structural morphology, even if, for instance, there are many books on the geometry of polyhedra. Furthermore, readers will have access to a large list of selected references, which will open the scope of their bibliography. Sample Chapter(s). Chapter 1: The First 13 Years of Structural Morphology Group OCo A Personal View (2,623 KB). Contents: The First 13 Years of Structural Morphology Group OCo A Personal View (T Wester); An Approach to Structural Morphology (R Motro); The Structural Morphology of Curved Diaphragms OCo Or the Structural Behavior of Floral Polyhedra (T Wester); Polyhedroids (P Huybers); Novational Transformations (H Nooshin et al.); Some Structural-Morphological Aspects of Deployable Structures for Space Enclosures (A Hanaor); Phantasy in Space: On Human Feeling Between the Shapes of the World and How to Look on Natural Structures (M Balz); An Expandable Dodecahedron (K Flriin & T Tabor); Examples of Geometrical Reverse Engineering: Designing from Models and/or Under Geometrical Constraints (K Linkwitz); Crystalline Architecture (A L Loeb); Flat Grids Designs Employing the Swivel Diaphragm (C Rodriguez et al.); Form Optimizing in Biological Structures OCo The Morphology of Sea Shells (E Stach); Expandable OCyBlobOCO Structures (F Jensen & S Pellegrino). Readership: Advanced undergraduates and graduate students in mechanics, civil engineering, architecture and design; architects; engineers."

The result is a fascinating, beautifully illustrated book that conveys the intuitive appeal and the "touch of magic" accompanying this research. A diskette, packaged with the book, contains the algorithms and simulations necessary to replicate the results.

A laboratory study that investigates how algorithms come into existence. Algorithms--often associated with the terms big data, machine learning, or artificial intelligence--underlie the technologies we use every day, and disputes over the consequences, actual or potential, of new algorithms arise regularly. In this book, Florian Jaton offers a new way to study computerized methods, providing an account of where algorithms come from and how they are constituted, investigating the practical activities by which algorithms are progressively assembled rather than what they may suggest or require once they are assembled.

The current transition from Computer Aided Design (CAD) to Computational Design in architecture represents a profound shift in design thinking and methods. Representation is being replaced by simulation, and the crafting of objects is moving towards the generation of integrated systems through designer-authored computational processes. While there is a particular history of such an approach in architecture, its relative newness requires the continued progression of novel modes of design thinking for the architect of the 21st century. This AD Reader establishes a foundation for such thinking. It includes multifaceted reflections and speculations on the profound influence of computational paradigms on architecture. It presents relevant principles from the domains of mathematics and computer science, developmental and evolutionary biology, system science and philosophy, establishing a discourse for computational design thinking in architecture. Rather than a merely technical approach, the book will discuss essential intellectual concepts that are fundamental not only for a discourse on computational design but also for its practice. This anthology provides a unique collection of seminal texts by authors, who have either provided a significant starting point through which a computational approach to design has been pursued or have played a considerable role in shaping the field. An important aspect of this book is the manner in which adjacent fields and historical texts are connected. Both the source of original inspiration and scientific thought are presented alongside contemporary writings on the continually evolving computational design discourse. Emerging from the field of science, principally the subjects of morphogenesis, evolution and mathematics, selected texts provide a historical basis for a reconfigured mindset of processes that generate, arrange and describe form. Juxtaposed against more contemporary statements regarding the influence of computation on design thinking, the book offers advancements of fundamental texts to the particular purpose of establishing novel thought processes for architecture, theoretically and practically. The first reader to provide an effective framework for computational thinking in design. Includes classic texts by Johan W. von Goethe, D’Arcy Thompson, Ernst Mayr, Ludwig von Bertalanffy, Gordan Pask, Christopher Alexander, John H. Holland, Nicholas Negroponte, William Mitchell, Peter J. Bentley & David W. Corne, Sanford Kwinter, John Frazer, Kostis Terzidis, Michael Weinstock and Achim Menges Features new writing by: Mark Burry, Jane Burry, Manuel DeLanda and Peter Trummer.

This open access book chronicles the rise of a new scientific paradigm offering novel insights into the age-old enigmas of existence. Over 300 years ago, the human mind discovered the machine code of reality: mathematics. By utilizing abstract thought systems, humans began to decode the workings of the cosmos. From this understanding, the current scientific paradigm emerged, ultimately discovering the gift of technology. Today, however, our island of knowledge is surrounded by ever longer shores of ignorance. Science appears to have hit a dead end when confronted with the nature of reality and consciousness. In this fascinating and accessible volume, James Glattfelder explores a radical paradigm shift uncovering the ontology of reality. It is found to be information-theoretic and participatory, yielding a computational and programmable universe.