Comparing designers' cognitive behaviors in geometry-based and parametric 3D modeling environments

Digital design area has been constantly developed by scientific studies, but it is observed that studies in this area have mostly focused on the technical aspects of the subject (i.e. development of new tools and courses). User, tool, and process are three fundamental elements of a digital design system, so there is a need for studies on users and processes as well as tools. This study was carried out to understand and compare the cognitive behaviors of designers in conventional geometry-based and parametric 3D modeling environments within the framework mentioned above. While the geometry-based modeling tools are based on creation and the modification of the geometry, parametric modeling environments include an algorithmic structure underlying the form generation process. The study utilized Rhino as a geometric tool and Grasshopper as a parametric 3D tool. Six design students participated in the study. The data was collected by protocol analysis method and analyzed with a content-oriented coding scheme developed in this study. Results indicated that the cognitive actions of designers were significantly different in geometric and parametric modeling environments.