There are many publications containing valuable information about formex configuration processing and this includes a number of PhD theses. A selection of such publications is given in the list of references below. Each of these publications is labelled (Further Reading). The references also include the documents that are recommended as study material for learning (teaching, self-teaching) of formex configuration processing. Each of these recommended documents in the list is indicated by the label (Elementary Study Material) or (Intermediate Study Material) or (Advanced Study Material), as appropriate.
It is to be noted that the concepts, constructs and terminology of formex algebra went through a number of years of development before it reached a state of maturity. This also applies to the programming language Formian. The majority of the references in the list below are chosen from the publications that utilise the current state of formex configuration processing. However, the list also contains a number of documents relating to various stages of the evolution of formex configuration processing in the early years of the development. These early documents are not suitable for normal study, but may be of interest for the experts in the field to follow the traces of the evolving concepts. Each of these early documents is indicated using the label
(Early Development).
Reference List
[1] (Early Development) Nooshin, H, Initial Document on ‘Algebraic Representation and Processing of Structural Configurations’, Presented to an invited audience in London, UK, March 1974 Download
[2] (Early Development) Nooshin, H, Algebraic Representation and Processing of Structural Configurations, International Journal of Computers and Structures, June 1975, pp 119-130 (This paper is the initial publication that puts forward the idea of formex algebra for dealing with configuration processing) Download
[3] (Early Development) Nooshin, H, Programming Language FORMEL, 1975 (This document represents an attempt to create a programming language for formex algebra, however, it took some years before the goal was achieved, in the form of the programming Language Formian) Download
[4a] (Early Development) Nooshin, H, Formex Formulation of Double-Layer Grids, Conference on Space Structures, University of Lyon, France, February 1978 Download
[4b] (Early Development) Nooshin, H, Formex Formulation of Double-Layer Grids, Short Course on ‘Analysis, Design and Construction of Double-layer Grids’, University of Surrey, September 1978.
[4c] (Early Development) Nooshin, H, Formex Formulation of Double-Layer Grids, Chapter 4 in: Analysis, Design and Construction of Double-Layer Grids, Edited by Z S Makowski, Applied Science Publishers, London, 1981, pp 119-183 (Paper [4b] is a substantially modified version of paper [4a] but paper [4c] is a slightly modified version of paper [4b]) Download
[5] (Early Development) Haristchian, M, FORTRAN Subroutines for Formex Functions, 1979 (These subroutines were the means of working with formex formulations before the availability of primitive Formian in early 1980’s) Download
[6] (Early Development) Disney, P and El-Labbar, O, An Introduction to Formian,Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Space Structures, University of Surrey, UK, Edited by H Nooshin, Elsevier Applied Science Publishers, London, UK, September 1984, pp 158-165, ISBN 0-85334-309-8.
[7] (Early Development) Nooshin, H, Formex Configuration Processing in Structural Engineering, Elsevier Applied Science Publishers, London, 1984, (273 pages), ISBN 0-85334-315-2(This is the first textbook about formex algebra, with the concepts as stood at the time of the publication of the book. In fact, it turns out that the ideas and the constructs described in the book, to a large extent, have remained the same as the current ones. There are, however, some points of difference that have resulted due to the improvement of the concepts)
[8] (Early Development) Sanchez Alvarez, J S, Formex Formulation of Braced Domes, Chapter 6 in: Analysis, Design and Construction of Braced Domes, Edited by Z S Makowski, Granada Publishing, 1984, pp 175-244, ISBN 0-246-12284-6.
[9] (Early Development) Nooshin, H, Formex Formulation of Barrel Vaults, Chapter 3 in: Analysis, Design and Construction of Braced Barrel Vaults, Edited by Z S Makowski, Elsevier Applied Science Publishers, London, 1985, pp 41-65, ISBN 0-85334-377-2.
[10] (Early Development) Disney, P, Formian: The Programming Language of Formex Algebra, presented at the IASS Symposium on Shells, Membranes and Space Frames, Edited by Koichiro Heki, Osaka, September 1986
[11] (Further Reading) McKeon, K, A Study of Formex Algebra, 1986 (This document contains a study regarding the teaching of the elements of formex algebra to school children, carried out by Kirsty McKeon, a primary school teacher, as a project for her Postgraduate Diploma, UK, 1986) Download
[12] (Further Reading) Nooshin, H and Qian, R G, Formex Formulation of Double Layer Grid of Tianhe Sports Gymnasium, Proceedings of the International Colloquium on Space Structures for Sports Buildings, Edited by T T Lan and Y Zhilian, Science Press, Beijing, 1987, pp 261-270 (This paper includes the description of a technique for dealing with drainage slopes in double layer grids) Download
[13] (Further Reading) Nooshin, H, The Formex Approach, Proceedings of the International Colloquium on Space Structures for Sports Buildings, Edited by T T Lan and Y Zhilian, Science Press, Beijing, 1987, pp 69-88 Download
[14] (Further Reading) Nooshin, H, Formex Data Generation, Proceedings of the International Symposium on Innovative Applications of Shells and Spatial Forms, Bangalore, India, Edited by G S Ramaswamy, R Sundaram, C S Viswanatha and R Narayanan, Oxford & IBH Publishing Co, New Delhi, 1988, Vol III, pp 131-146 Download
[15] (Early Development) Nooshin, H and Disney, P, Elements of Formian, Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Civil and Structural Engineering Computing, Edited by B H V Topping, Civil-Comp Press, September 1989, Vol I, pp 127-148
[16] (Early Development) Nooshin, H and Disney, P, Elements of Formian, Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Civil and Structural Engineering Computing, Edited by B H V Topping, Civil-Comp Press, September 1989, Vol I, pp 127-148.
This paper was subsequently published in the International Journal of Computers and Structures, Volume 41, No 6, 1991, pp 1183-1215
[17] (Further Reading) Wakiyama, K and Imai, K, Proceedings of Symposium on Preprocessing and Case Studies in Computer Aided Design of Space Structures, University of Osaka, Japan, July 1990 Download
[18] (Early Development)Nooshin, H and Yamamoto, C, A BNF Definition for the Syntax of Formian, Proceedings of the Symposium on Preprocessing and Case Studies in Computer Aided Design of Space Structures, Edited by K Wakiyama, University of Osaka, July 1990, pp 160-172
[19] (Further Reading) Nooshin, H and Disney, P, Viewing Space Structures, a Chapter in: Studies in Space Structures, Edited by H Nooshin, Multi-Science Publishing Co Ltd, 1991, pp 335-347 Download
[20] (Further Reading) Nooshin, H and Yamada, N, Formex Preprocessing for Membrane Structures, First US National Congress on Computational Mechanics, Chicago, July 1991, (14 pages) Download
[21] (Further Reading) Nooshin, H, Computational Geometry for Spatial Structural Configurations, Fourth International Conference on Computing in Civil and Building Engineering, Tokyo, July 1991, (4 pages)
[22] (Further Reading) Nooshin, H, Disney, P and Yamamoto, C, Preprocessing and Postprocessing for Analysis of Space Structures, Proceedings of the IASS Symposium on Spatial Structures at the Turn of the Millennium, Edited by T Wester, S J Medwadowski and Ib Mogensen, Kunstakademiets Forlag Arkitektskolen, Copenhagen, September 1991, Vol III, pp 183-190
[23] (Further Reading) Nooshin, H, Disney, P, Hadker, D and Tzourmakliotou, D, Some Aspects of Formex Configuration Processing, Proceedings of the 1st International Seminar on Structural Morphology, Edited by R Motro and T Wester, Montpellier, France, September 1992, pp 309-333 Download
[24] (Further Reading) Nooshin, H, Teaching of Space Structures and Configuration Processing, Proceedings of the IASS-CSCE International Congress on Innovative Large Span Structures, Toronto, Edited by N K Srivastava, A N Sherbourne and J Roorda, Canadian Society of Civil Engineering, July 1992, Vol I, pp 607-615
[25] (Early Development) Nooshin, H, Disney, P and Yamamoto, C, Formian, Multi-Science Publishing Company, 1993, (129 pages), ISBN 0-906522-08-0(This is the first textbook about the programming language Formian. Although the current concepts and constructs of Formian are far more advanced, one can see the traces of the Formian approach in this early textbook)
[26] (Further Reading) Hadker, D, Formex Configuration Processing for Space Structures, PhD Thesis, University of Surrey, 1993.
[27] (Further Reading) Tzourmakliotou, D, Computer Aided Design of Braced Domes, PhD Thesis, University of Surrey, 1993.
[28] (Further Reading) Nooshin, H and Tzourmakliotou, D, An Approach for Generation of Geodesic Forms, Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Space Structures, University of Surrey, Edited by G A R Parke and C M Howard, Thomas Telford, September 1993, pp 1085-1096 Download
[29] (Further Reading) Nooshin, H and Hadker, D, Exploring Configuration Processing, Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Space Structures, University of Surrey, Edited by G A R Parke and C M Howard, Thomas Telford, September 1993, pp 1033-1043 Download
[30] (Further Reading) Tomatsuri, H, Space Structure Forms and Systems, MPhil Thesis, University of Surrey, 1994
[31] (Advanced Study Material) Nooshin, H, A Technique for Surface Generation, Proceedings of the International Symposium on Conceptual Design of Structures, Edited by K U Bletzinger et al, Published by Institute fur Konstruktion und Entwurf II, Stuttgart, Germany, October 1996, pp 331-338 Download
[32] (Advanced Study Material) Champion, O C, Polyhedric Configurations, PhD Thesis, University of Surrey, 1997 Download
[33] (Advanced Study Material) Nooshin, H, Tomatsuri, H, and Fujimoto, M, Scallop Domes, Proceedings of the IASS International Symposium on Shell and Spatial Structures, Edited by S P Chiew, November 1997, Singapore, pp 651-660, ISBN: 981-00-8905-8 Download
[34] (Advanced Study Material) Nooshin, H, Albermani, F G A and Disney P L, Novational Transformations, Proceedings of the IASS International Colloquium on Structural Morphology, Edited by J C Chilton, B S Choo, W J Lewis and O Popovic, August 1997, Nottingham, UK, pp 36-50, ISBN: 0-85358-064-2 Download
The above paper is also published as a chapter in the book ‘An Anthology of Structural Morphology’, Edited by R Motro, Wold Scientific Publishing, October 2009, ISBN: 978-981-283-720-2
[35] (Further Reading) Nooshin, H, Ishikawa, K, Disney, P L and Butterworth J W, The Traviation Process, Journal of the International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures (IASS), Vol 38, No 3, December 1997, pp 165-175, ISSN: 0304-3622 (This paper includes a discussion about the regularity of forms)
[36] (Further Reading) Nooshin, H, Disney, P and Champion, O, Computer Aided Processing of Polyhedric Configurations, chapter 12 in the book: Beyond the Cube, Editor: J F Gabriel, John Wiley & Sons, 1997, pp 343-384, ISBN: 0-471-12261-0 Download
[37] (Further Reading) Nooshin, H, Space Structures and Configuration Processing, Progress in Structural Engineering and Materials, Vol 1 (3), April 1998, pp 329-336, ISSN: 1365-0556, Link
[38] (Further Reading) Hofmann, I S, The Concept of Pellevation for Shaping of Structural Forms, PhD Thesis, University of Surrey, 1999 Download
[39] (Further Reading) Dansik, F, Force Density Method and Configuration Processing, PhD Thesis, University of Surrey, 1999
[40] (Elementary Study Material) Nooshin, H and Disney, P L, Formex Configuration Processing I, International Journal of Space Structures, Vol 15, No 1, 2000, pp 1-52, ISSN: 0266-3511. Download
[41] (Further Reading) Kuroiwa, Y, Regularisation of Structural Forms Using Genetic Algorithms, PhD Thesis, University of Surrey, 2000.
[42] (Further Reading) Baverel, O L S, Nexorades: A Family of Interwoven Space Structures, PhD Thesis, University of Surrey, 2000. Download
[43] (Intermediate Study Material) Nooshin, H and Disney, P L, Formex Configuration Processing II, International Journal of Space Structures, Vol 16, No 1, 2001, pp 1-56, ISSN: 0266-3511. Download
[44] (Further Reading) Nooshin, H and Parke, G A R, Parametric Configuration Processing, Proceedings of the IASS Symposium, Nagoya, Japan, Edited by H Kunieda, October 2001, Paper number TP114 (6 pages) Download
[45] (Intermediate Study Material) Nooshin, H and Disney, P L, Formex Configuration Processing III, International Journal of Space Structures, Vol 17, No 1, 2002, pp 1-50, ISSN: 0266-3511. Download
The above papers [41], [44] and [46] are also published as three chapters in Part C of the book ‘Structural Morphology and Configuration Processing of Space Structures’, Edited by R Motro, Multi-Science Publishing Co, November 2009, ISBN: 978-1-907132-13-1
[46] (Further Reading) Robbin, T, Formian for Art and Mathematics, Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Space Structures, University of Surrey, Edited by G A R Parke and P Disney, Thomas Telford, August 2002, pp 443-447, ISBN: 07277 31734 (The Author uses Formian for creation of artistic drawings, as well as production of some four dimensional configurations) Link
[47] (Advanced Study Material) Hofmann, I S, The concept of Pellevation for Shaping of Structural forms, Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Space Structures, University of Surrey, Edited by G A R Parke and P Disney, Thomas Telford, August 2002, pp 433-442, ISBN: 07277 31734, Link
[48] (Further Reading) Dansik, F and Nooshin, H, Configuration Processing and the Force Density Method, Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Space Structures, University of Surrey, Edited by G A R Parke and P Disney, Thomas Telford, August 2002, pp 1005-1014, ISBN: 07277 31734 Download
[49] (Further Reading) Baverel, O, Nooshin, H and Kuroiwa, Y, Configuration Processing of Nexorades using Genetic Algorithms, Journal of the International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures (IASS), Vol 45, No 2, August 2004, pp 99-108, ISSN: 0304-3622, Link
[50] (Further Reading) Rebielak, J, Shaping of Space Structures, Oficyna Wydawnicza Politechniki Wroclawskiej, Wroclaw 2005, 298 pages, ISBN: 83-7085-865-1 (This book contains many attractive suggestions for cable domes together with their formex formulations)
[51] (Further Reading) Moghimi, M, Formex Configuration Processing of Compound and Freeform Structures, PhD Thesis, University of Surrey, 2006.
This Thesis has been subsequently published as a book by: LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing, 2010, ISBN: 383834250X, (536 pages)
[52] (Further Reading) Nooshin, H and Moghimi, M, Formex Formulation of Freeform Structural Surfaces, Asian Journal of Civil Engineering (BHRC), Vol 8, No 4 (2007), pp 459-469, ISSN: 1563-0854 Download
This paper was initially presented at the Second National Conference on Space Structures, 22-23 May 2007, Tehran, Iran
[53] (Further Reading) Y’Mech, A, Geodesic Domes: Their geometry and how to use it, Multi-Science Publishing Co Ltd, 2011, 203 pages, ISBN: 978-1-907132-34-6 (The book provides a convenient way of generating geometric information about icosahedral geodesic domes)
[54] (Further Reading) Khodadadi, A, Nooshin, H, Bozorgmehri, Z and Golabchi, M, Modern Lattice Domes Based on the Traditional Iranian Masonry Domes, International Journal of Space Structures, Vol 27, No 4, 2012, pp 231-245, ISSN: 0266-3511 Link
[55] (Further Reading) Behnejad, S A, Parke, G A R and Nooshin, H, ‘Sphere Packing for Regularisation of Lattice Domes’, Beyond the Limits of Man: Proceedings of the International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures, Wroclaw, Poland, September 2013, p.231 Download
[56] (Advanced Study Material) Nooshin, H and Samavati, O A, Exploring the Concept of Novation, Asian Journal of Civil Engineering (BHRC), Vol 15, No 6 (2014), pp 869-895, ISSN: 1563-0854 Download
This paper was initially presented at the Fourth National Conference on Spatial Structures, 2014, Tehran, Iran
[57] (Further Reading) Haghnazar, R, Nooshin, H and Golabchi, M, Improving the Regularity of Geodesic Domes Using the Concept of Stepping Projection, International Journal of Space Structures, Vol 29, No 2, 2014, pp 81-95, ISSN: 0266-3511 Link
[58] (Elementary Study Material) Nooshin, H and Samavati, O A, Some Morphological Aspects of Configurations, Proceedings of the IASS Symposium, Tokyo, Japan, September 2016. Download
[59] (Intermediate and Advanced Study Material) Nooshin, H, Samavati O A and Sabzali A, Basics of Formian-K, 2016, (77 pages), ISBN 978-1-5272-0161-3. Download
[60] (Advanced Study Material) Heristchian, M, Formex Formulation of Bezier Transformation, Computers and Structures, Vol 175, 2016, pp 29-36, ISSN: 0045-7949 Link
[61] (Advanced Study Material) Nooshin, H, Kamyab, R and Samavati O A, Exploring Scallop Forms, International Journal of Space Structure, Special Issue on Configuration Processing, 2017 Download