This step is accomplished with the proportional tool,
MODEL2.WQ1, which is a spreadsheet designed on Quattro Pro v.3.
This file has not been tested under earlier versions of Quattro Pro
or Quattro. Likewise, it has not been tested in any of the Lotus
engines or other product which the file format can be made
available if needed. However, MODEL2.WQ1 does not use any product
specific features or functions.
This chapter deals with the problem of how to determine the
necessary dimensions of various parts and components. In order to
do this, the MODEL2.WQ1 file will be consulted. Parameters and
known values will be entered into that spreadsheet where the
algorithms and tables will calculate other needed values. This is
where familiarity with using spreadsheet software is an assumption
or requirement.
BACKGROUND
Perhaps an examination of a few related human-like artifacts
is in order. It helps establish a perspective.a taxonomy of sorts.
Making a model of a human can be simple, or of any scale,
until the most complex of any size. The most simple is an effigy
where only the few aspects are barely proportional. Dolls are more
recognizable as resembling a human, but they are scaled down and
some facets may not represent real ratios. Mannequins designed to
model the clothes that humans will wear have human scale and
ratios, but may lack completeness of the image for they may be made
limited for a special purpose. A mannequin's animation is limited
to rotating the removable limbs that facilitate draping the display
garment.
Some mannequin models may be designed to provide some attractive animation. However, this does not increase the order of
complexity much.
Traditionally, the amusement industry has provided the most
complex model of humans. Some amusement parks have displays
designed and constructed by "imagineers" that are quite fanciful.
These may be exact images of famous persons with the animation to
spellbind an audience.
However, an "android;" "an automaton in the form of a human
being" as The Random House Dictionary puts it, is a technical coup
de grace that few have attempted, and yet fewer have made high
scratches on the wall. Although there was the desire for
amusement, satisfaction, and profit to build or have an android,
the technology for much realism has evolved slowly. Some technology is too new and some more processes may be on the "bleeding
edge" of the existing technological, fabrication processes.
There maybe several reasons for the slow introduction of
androids. Civilization has cars, planes, microwave ovens, personal
computers, CD players, and all the technological whiz-bang possible
to create for the almighty buck. We also have labor saving devices
such as washing machines, hair dryers, vacuum cleaners, etc.
Industry has robots with forms that resemble any other mechanical contrivance, that are quite clever. However, conventional robot technology is too unsuitable for androids even though some
concepts may be borrowed.
Why don't we have the technology stable for androids today?
Could it be that if there is not the ready technology available,
why try? There was not much technology in the first of many of our
civilizations artifacts and some have very little beyond the driving engine outside of electronic gadgets.
Was the delay due to a lack of desire? Maybe, but not likely.
There is enough desire in a population of gadget-flies to create a
demand for almost anything.
There have been other solutions readily available that have
reduced the need to develop androids. If a robot is needed, the
function takes precedence over the form and the form of a human is
not much for a lot of work.
BODY GEOMETRY
Android bodies, like human bodies, have a geometry to them.
This includes stature, height, "legginess" aspects, among others as
mentioned previously. However, body geometry, as the term "geometry" implies, is concerned with planes, points or axis of pivots,
and other such abstract artifacts.
[ Planes of the body
geometry.
]
This geometry is somewhat like aircraft for compare and contrast purposes. Although this comparison is helpful, the lack of
ready aircraft design references suggests that this is not a mini-treatise of aircraft design.
Every point in an aircraft can be known in three dimensional
space by aeronautical equivalent of X, Y, and Z values. These
being "station," "waterline," and centerlineSee footnote 1. Where station = 0
is behind the tail to compensate for stretching the fuselage with
a "plug" and for antenna lengths. Likewise, where waterline = 0 is
below the ground surface to consider landing gear extension at take
off and final approach. However, the centerline is along the center of symmetry and the values plus or minus depend upon how far on
which side of the aircraft is referenced.
Human and android geometry use similar concepts in applying
the X, Y, and Z location values. The results are a bit different
between humans and their likenesses versus aircraft or ships.
Humans and androids stand on the ground so every height, including
the overall height that is usually one of their vital statistics,
is where the ground is the ground plane where Y = 0. There is no
imaginary offset for humans to below ground level as in aircraft.
This is measured with the individual in bare or stocking feet
assuming the added height due to thickness of the stocking is
immaterial.
Either side of the centerline in a human, which is also the
sagittal plane (from Ducroquet), is plus or minus the X value.
Left and right side is the used reference because of basic body
symmetry.
There is a point of
anterior and posterior with
respect to the Z axis that could
be used. However, these are
relative. There is a vertical
line along the sagittal plane
that is along the center of
gravity (standing) which could
be used to pivot and form this
dividing plane.
However, since there is no
symmetry between the front and
back, this would not be consistent with the centerline
concept. Therefore, the "wall
plane," where an individual is
up against a wall, defines where
Z = 0.
The view of a body against
these planes; ground, sagittal,
and wall; suggests that the Z
value will be negative in the X,
Y, and Z coordinate system.
Negative measurements on tangible objects, for this purpose,
is undefined. Therefore, any
respective measurements or
dimensions with respect to the
wall plane will be positive
(absolute value) with the understood minus sign in 3-D space.
USING THE WORKSHEET
Using the worksheet, MODEL2.WQ1See footnote 2, is both simple and complex.
The simple part is loading it into the spreadsheet engine (assuming
Quattro Pro) at the DOS command line. The DOS command (assuming
you have put a copy in your android project working directory is
C:\Android):
C:\ANDROID>q model2
The
q
command starts the Quattro pro engine and the
argument loads the worksheet during start-up. Alternatively, if
you start Quattro with only the q command (or any of Quattro's
alternatives), then you must use the worksheet's /F)ile-O)pen ...
command to retrieve the model template file.
Now that you are looking at the worksheet; and admittedly it
is not the easiest one to use because it is not a macro driven
application; the easy part is done. You are most likely to be
looking at the same screen as when present when the file was last
saved.
Locking in the screen position is a handy feature when developing a model to take up the next work session from the last point.
This is a fairly large worksheet, so it must be well organized.
Generally, the prompt provides enough information as to what the
model expects in the "Input Matrix." If not, the default value
built into the model should suggest the range of expectations.
However, some of the switch values may be a little nebulous, but
there is an explanation of the codes used following the "input
Matrix" specimen.
The following "Map of Model" specimen is the worksheet's
structure: