CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 8 (UPI) -- MIT scientists in Cambridge, Mass., say a computer design tool created for animation may soon unlock the secrets of the structure of ancient cathedrals.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology assistant professor John Ochsendorf, a structural engineer specializing in architectural and construction history, says he's developed a virtual design method that has been extended in novel ways by a team of architects, computer scientists and engineers at MIT.
The method, known as particle-spring systems, is a three-dimensional design tool that was originally developed for creating graphics such as character animation and cloth simulation. For example, particle-spring systems produced the clothes "worn" by virtual characters such as Yoda in "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith."
Ochsendorf envisions MIT's particle-spring systems method being used to analyze and illuminate historic masonry secrets that were closely guarded by ancient guilds, as well as supporting sustainable modern building practices by discovering more efficient and less-resource-consuming structures.
Ochsendorf described the software during last month's annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
