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PARAMETRIC
DESIGN
Parametric tools enable you to easily modify specific parts and attributes
of a digital model. When you combine digital fabrication with the paramet-
ric capabilities of advanced CAD software, you have the exhilarating power
to produce customized designs with relative ease. If you need a table with a
specific length and height, you can parametrically adjust a digital model to
match the exact dimensions you desire. If you want a storage unit with an
overall size to match a space in your shop, and shelves to fit your favorite
tools, you can make it all happen with several parametric adjustments to a
digital file. With parametric software and digital fabrication, it takes nearly
as much effort to produce a custom version of an object as it does a stan-
dard version. By putting these tools to use, we are liberated from repeti-
tion, common sizes, and limited choices.
WHAT ARE PARAMETERS?
To explain parametric design, it helps to draw
some parallels to parametric equations in
mathematics. A parametric equation is a set of
explicit functions that contain constants and
variables. Similarly, a parametric design is a set
of functions that interrelate particular physical
attributes. Fixed values within the design are
constants, while a range of values, or parame-
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